Jeffrey Hoffman, 41, been a captain in the Daytona Beach Police Department since January 2001, supervising 75 uniformed patrol cops, he’s been in that police department since 1991, and lives in Ormond Beach. He’ll be taking a $45,000 pay cut.
Cops/Courts
Raymond Delgado Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Serially Raping a 14-Year-Old Girl in His Trust
Raymond Anthony Delgado, a 57-year-old chiropractor from Bluffton, S.C., repeatedly raped a 14-year-old St. Augustine girl at his home and office after winning over her father’s trust.
Car Plows Through Publix Entrance at Belle Terre; 10 Injured, But Heroic Acts, Too
A car plowed at least 20 feet through the main entrance of Publix at the Belle Terre and Palm Coast Parkway at 1:30 this afternoon causing eight injuries and one trauma alert. Authorities are at the scene evaluating the injured. Will have more details at they become available.
Bond Is Set at $300,000 for Paul Miller, Who Shot His Flagler Beach Neighbor Over a Dog
Paul Miller has been in jail without bond on a second degree murder charge for gunning down neighbor Dana Mulhall on March 14, when Mulhall complained about Miller’s barking dogs.
Cypress Point Fire Enters Mop-Up Phase as Emergency Passes, But Smoke Will Persist
The fire between Mother Seton Catholic church and Cypress Point Parkway started at 4 .m. and burned close to 10 acres. Division of Forestry crews were burning more ground this morning on purpose, to prevent flare-ups. A section of Cypress Point Parkway was closed.
Second Serious Wildfire of the Season Forces Evacuation of a Dozen Homes in the Mondex
A small fire that started in the backyard of a house on Holly Lane rapidly spotted and triggered another fast-moving fire that snaked its way across two blocks, forcing the evacuation of 10 to 15 houses in the area.
George Zimmerman Charged With Second Degree Murder in Killing of Trayvon Martin
Angela Corey, the special prosecutor appointed to investigate the killing of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, charged George Zimmerman with second degree murder. Zimmerman, who had briefly vanished, is in police custody.
Flagler Fire Chief Declares Burn Ban as Drought Intensifies and Neighboring Blazes Multiply
Recalling memories of last year’s feverish fire season, Flagler County Fire Chief Don Petito just signed an order imposing a burn ban, while the county’s fire rescue department takes in 50 new radios that will vastly improve their communications abilities with other emergency responders.
Term Limits for County Commissioners? Florida Supreme Court Will Decide
The cases, brought by voters in Broward and Sarasota counties, presented the court with the question of how much power charter counties have to impose qualifications and disqualifications on candidates for county commission.
Bunnell’s Police Chief Candidates Narrowed To 2; Lt. Randy Burke Doesn’t Make the Cut
Lt. Randy Burke, at the Bunnell Police Department for two decades, was among the 19 candidates who made the first cut, from 31 applicants, but wasn’t chosen among the first six finalists, or the last three. City Manager Martinez will make a decision this week.
Bogus Claim of Armed Kidnapping Leads Flagler Deputies and Air One on Costly Search
Robert Geroux, a 19-year-old Pennsylvanian, was arrested on charges of lying to law enforcement and making a false crime report after a road trip with a man from Pennsylvania went awry in Palm Coast Saturday evening.
Caylee’s Law Now In Effect, Making Lying About a Missing Child a Felony
Prompted by the death of Orlando two-year-old Caylee Anthony in 2008, Gov. Rick Scott on Friday signed a measure to bolster penalties for lying to police when a child goes missing.
The 4th Amendment, Stripped and Degraded
The Supreme Court’s decision allowing the strip-searching of anyone booked into jail–no matter how small the charge, no matter the presumption of innocence of the accused–is merely the latest in a long series of constitutional violations, enshrined by conservative justices.
Anthony Rogers, Troubled Man Trying to Right His Life, Is Killed in Bike Wreck On Matanzas
Antony Rogers, 19, of Palm Coast, was riding with Lauren Kashtan, 17, who suffered serious injuries in the wreck when Rogers failed to negotiate a curve and crashed against a palm tree.
Biker Airlifted in Critical Condition After Car Cuts Him Off at US1 and Matanzas
Robert O’Conner of Palm Coast was traveling north on US1 when an 88-year-old driver misjudged the distance between his Dodge and the Harley, and crossed US1 at Matanzas. The biker smashed into the Dodge.
Flagler 911: Taser vs. Suspect in Custody, and a Rip from Steve Emmett’s Boating Trip
A suspect in custody at the Flagler County jail is Tased when he refuses to cooperate with deputies; ex-Beverly Beach mayor Steve Emmett, now enjoying his days off fishing and boating, runs into the Bait and Tackle Shop at Bings Landing.
“Exceptional Bravery and Courage”: How Teens Saved 2 Lives in Harrowing Palm Coast Wreck
Cody Decker and Luke Vaughn, both 17 and vacationing in Palm Coast from DeWitt, Mich., recounted in a moving ceremony hosted by Sheriff Fleming today how they saved Carlos Adams and Tracy Lopez out of their burning Jaguar Tuesday morning.
Fear Factor: Concealed Weapons Approaching 1 Million in Florida as NRA Gains Ground
The number of concealed weapons permits has risen dramatically in recent years as new laws making it easier to obtain them have been placed on the books by lawmakers, spurred on by the National Rifle Association, one of the most effective lobbying forces in the capital city.
Two Teens on Spring Break Pull Victims Out of Fiery Jaguar Crash on Palm Coast Parkway
Cody Decker, 17, and Luke Vaughn, also 17, on Spring Break from Dewitt, Mich., pulled Carlos Adams, 42, and Tracy Lopez, 44, out of their burning Jaguar on Palm Coast Parkway early Tuesday morning.
Literal Landing Blvd. for Fire Flight Helicopter and Paralyzed Car Crash Patient
Fire Flight, the county’s helicopter, was called in to take a 50-year-old man to Halifax after a minor rear-ending complicated spinal surgery the man had undergone in September. The rear-ending left him paralyzed from the waist down.
Cop Chase Through F Section Nets Arrest of a Chronic Injunction Violator
Barry Gallagher was jailed several times on drunk driving and domestic violence charge when, on Sunday, he broke his injunction, sought out his wife’s car and led police on a chase that finally ended near Freneau Lane.
FPC’s Preston Hagens Is Seriously Injured in SR100 Crash; FHP Seeking Witnesses
A T-bone crash closed SR100’s west lanes for two hours Saturday and sent three people to hospitals when a Ford Mustang lost control and crossed into the westbound lanes. FHP is looking for witnesses.
Flagler Clerk Gail Wadsworth Tries a Hail Mary As Courts Take Yet Another Budget Hit
The $31 million statewide budget cut in clerks of court’s budgets translates to a loss of $90,000 to Flagler County’s court system, and up to three jobs, adding to successive cuts going back to 2008 that Clerk Gail Wadsworth calls unsustainable.
Post-Trayvon, Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law Won’t Be Repealed But May Be Revised
As the 2005 Stand Your Ground law has come under intense scrutiny in the wake of the shooting of the unarmed Trayvon Martin, veteran lawmakers haven’t been able to agree even on what the measure allows but point to a need for clarification.
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Loses as U.S. Supreme Court Refuses to Take Appeals of Florida Cases
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. was forced to pay tens of millions of dollars to the families of dead smokers, part of a flood of tobacco litigation moving through Florida’s courts, and the first of their kind to reach the U.S. Supreme Court.
Stonehenge Justices: The U.S. Supreme Court’s Stuffy Ban on TV Cameras and Live Audio
The U.S. Supreme Court’s ban on television cameras or live audio feed for its arguments, including this week’s on the health law, is absurd. The justices opposition to cameras rests on shabby reasoning and stuffed up conceits.
Murder as Self-Defense: Florida’s Gun Zealots on a Rampage
Florida’s Stand Your Ground law was touted as protection for the innocent. It has instead led to killings during heated arguments and cases of mistaken identity, argues Susan Clary, with George Zimmerman’s shooting and killing of Trayvon Martin the latest example.
Fernando Chavez, Biker Hurt March 16 in A1A Crash in Flagler Beach, Dies
In the fifth Bike Week accident on Flagler roads, a biker speeding south on A1A in Flagler Beach struck a car this afternoon and was evacuated by air in critical condition.
Palm Coast Code Enforcement Officer Tries Beating DUI Charge By Citing Ex-Cop Status
Stephen Tilley, a Palm Coast Code Enforcement officer, pleaded with a Florida Highway Patrol trooper about his ex-cop status to get out of a DUI charge, but failed when he was arrested in Pinellas County after driving while drinking from a bottle of Jim Beam.
Amid Fury Over Trayvon Martin’s Killing and Stand Your Ground Law, Police Chief Resigns
Unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin’s killing in Sanford by a crime watch volunteer who hasn’t been charged led to the “temporary” resignation of Sanford police chief Bill Lee Jr. today and calls to Gov. Rick Scott to appoint an independent prosecutor.
Honoring Philip Cardillo, Slain in 1972, Retired Officers Form New FOP Lodge in Flagler
A group of retired police officers in Palm Coast and Flagler County from various departments across the country gathered to form Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #171 in Flagler. They named the new lodge in honor of Philip Cardillo, killed on duty in new York in 1972.
Fischer (Fatal Hit-and-Run) and Merrill (Wife-Shooting) Plead Not Guilty in Absentia
Jamesine Fischer pleaded not guilty to a 1st degree felony charge of hit-and-run with a death, while William Merrill pleaded not guilty to manslaughter in the killing of his wife with an AK-47 last month. Both wrote in their pleas.
State Attorney Files Kidnapping-With-Intent-to-Terrorize Charges Against Cary Hudson
Cary Hudson is in jail on $90,000 bond, facing charges of kidnapping and aggravated battery after allegedly beating a 51-year-old woman bloody and forcing her into his car–after she’d moved to Palm Coast to get away from him.
In 911 Call, Paul Miller Calmly Tells Dispatcher of Shooting Mulhall, Then Hangs Up on Her
Paul Miller is calm, collected and seemingly unshaken by the gravity of the situation as he tells a 911 dispatcher to send an ambulance because he’d just shot his neighbor, Dana Mulhall. The 911 recording.
Sixth Serious Bike Week Wreck, on A1A, Sends 2 to Hospital After BMW Cuts Off Motorcyclists
A man in a BWM cut off a married couple from Jacksonville on their Harley Davidson as the man was making an illegal turn into a JT Seafood Shack parking lot. The couple sustained serious but not life-threatening injuries.
Grim Details Emerge: 5 Bullets Struck Dana Mulhall, 4 as He Fled, 2 in His Back
Paul Miller’s arrest report openly casts doubt on suggestions that Miller was acting in self defense when he shot and killed Dana Mulhall, describing instead a moment of anger that escalated and did not stop even as Mulhall was, literally, running for his life.
Spectacular Crash on Colbert Lane, Better Result: No Injuries, But a DUI Arrest
A spectacular crash closed Palm Coast’s Colbert Lane south of Blare Drive for almost two hours Thursday night as an Oldsmobile overturned and blocked most of the road after colliding with a BMW that ended up on the road’s shoulder. Despite the violence of the crash, no one was injured.
Flagler Beach’s Paul Miller Is Jailed On 2nd Degree Murder Charge
Paul Miller, the 66-year-old resident of South Flagler Avenue who shot and killed his neighbor over an argument about a dog Wednesday evening, was booked into the Flagler County jail this evening on a second degree murder charge.
One Bike, One Victim Left Critical in Latest Bike Week Crash, By Weigh Station On I-95
Ronnie Reynolds, 54, of Richlands, Va., was evacuated by air in critical condition to Halifax Hospital after brakes malfunctioned and sent him and the bike tumbling five or six times.
Citing Fleming-Larizza Conflicts of Interest, Gov. Scott Orders Fischer Case Out of Flagler
Scott issued the order after State Attorney R.J. Larizza voluntarily withdrew from prosecuting the case, “to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest or impropriety” with Sheriff Don Fleming, now a witness in the Jamesine Fischer case–and vulnerable politically.
Paul Miller, Who Shot and Killed Dana Mulhall in Flagler Beach Wednesday, Is Set Free
Paul Miller, who’s arguing self-defense, was released from Flagler Beach police custody about a half dozen hours after he shot and killed Dana Mulhall Wednesday evening. No weapon was found near Mulhall.
A Man Is Dead, Another in Custody in Flagler Beach Shooting Following Neighbors’ Dispute
A man is dead, another is in custody, arrested by Flagler Beach police, after a shooting described as methodical and deliberate shattered the calm of South Flagler Avenue this evening, just after 6 p.m.
Diana Sallee Dies from Injuries in Monday’s Bike Crash on A1A; First Bike Week Fatality In Flagler
Billy and Diana Sallee were vacationing for the first time in 12 years, to Bike Week, when their bike rear-ended an SUV on A1A Monday. Diana, 39, died of her injuries Tuesday evening at Halifax in Daytona Beach.
Woman’s Arm Severed in 3rd Bike Week Wreck in 5 Days on Flagler Roads
A single-bike wreck on State Road 11 south of Cody’s Corner left a woman with a severed left arm and her fiancee, who was piloting the bike, with various fractures Tuesday afternoon.
Shannon Diamond, Flagler County Youth Center’s Assistant Director, Arrested on DUI
Shannon Diamond, a full-time employee of the school district, is a role model to the 80-some students who use the Youth Center daily, his employers say. A decision on his status hadn’t been reached Tuesday. He was due at work.
62-Year-Old Zip-Tied and Robbed on Lancaster Lane; 2 Girls Charged With Burglaries
In a pair of unrelated events, a 62-year-old was robbed of guns, cash and jewelry on Palm Coast’s Lancaster Lane Sunday evening while two girls, 16 and 17, were charged with a half dozen car burglaries they called “car shopping.”
Bike Week Claims First Flagler County Victims As 3 Are Hospitalized After U.S. 1 Wreck
The wreck took place at 3:15 p.m. and sent a woman and two men to hospitals, two of them by air, in trauma alerts. All three are expected to survive.
Accused of Abuse, Palm Coast Man Uses His 2-Year-Old Son as a Shield Against Deputies
When the deputy made contact with David Romero, 35, he was holding the boy in a headlock and standing in the doorway of the lanai, next to the swimming pool. He’d threatened to throw the boy into the swimming pool if his wife didn’t come out of the house.
Palm Coast At Its Worst: Felled on Old Kings Road, and for 20 Minutes, Nobody Stops
Inna Hardison’s 20-year-old son was traveling on his motorcycle on Old Kings Road the evening of March 3rd when he struck a boar and was thrown from the bike and injured. It was 20 minutes before anyone bothered to stop and help.
R-Section Argument Escalates, Girlfriend Hits Boyfriend With a Car, and Faces Charges
A 24-year-old man was air-lifted with traumatic injuries from Palm Coast’s R-Section this evening after an argument on Rylin Lane between him and his girlfriend went out of control.