Robert Leard of Palm Coast’s R section dropped his subscription last year. A salesman showed up and pounded on his door Saturday night. Frightened, Leard told him to “get the hell away from my door.” All over $3.97.
Cops/Courts
Bunnell’s Armando Martinez: Cop or City Manager? Constitution Says Choose One
Martinez is city manager and public safety director, at an extra cost of $11,000 to taxpayers. Yet the state constitution is clear: “No person shall hold at the same time more than one office under the government of the state and the counties and municipalities therein.”
Silver Alert for Walter Thomas Fults, 81, Driving a White Nissan Sentra
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has issued a Silver Alert for Thomas Fuilts, 81, of Palm Coast, driving a white, four-door Nissan Sentra, tag number L382SZ.
Flagler Sheriff Bans Inmates From Writing Or Receiving Personal Mail Other Than Postcards
Citing savings and security, the sheriff is banning non-postcard correspondence beginning Jan. 15. The ban costs inmates money and chills their speech, a federal lawsuit filed over a similar policy in Santa Rosa County charges.
Extreme Drought Conditions Prompt Flagler To Extend State of Emergency Indefinitely
Flagler County is among a handful of regions in the United States facing extreme drought conditions. The burn ban is designed to stem what could be an active and dangerous wildfire season, starting much earlier than normal.
Christmas Eve Shooting Update: Victim, With Long Rap Sheet, Had Just Posted Bond
Christian Grasso, the 28-year-old victim of a shooting on a Flagler Beach street on Christmas eve, has been in and out of jail almost a dozen times in Flagler and Volusia counties since 2005.
Fire Demolishes Half a House on Forsythe; Oxygen Mask for 10-Year-Old Cat
The fire at 104 Forsythe Ln. off of Old Kings Road in North Palm Coast was called in by a neighbor. Neither owner was home. But two dogs and a cat were.
Shooting Shatters Christmas Eve Calm in Flagler Beach; Suspect Still at Large
One man was shot at 8:50 p.m. Friday, leaving a pool of blood in the middle of the street on South Central Avenue between 20th and 21st Streets. Police had no information regarding motives. The shooter got away.
Christmas Rescue: Flagler Beach Firemen Save Knocked-Out Veteran From Blazing Home
The Flagler Beach Fire Department’s Scott Jackson and Alex Wilhite pulled unconscious 44-year-old Roy Davis out of his burning home at The Village apartments Thursday morning. Includes photo gallery.
How Sheriff Fleming and FDLE Are Manipulating Press and Public Over Pill Mills
Sheriff Don Fleming on Tuesday led one of of three simultaneous news conferences on prescription-drug related arrests in 10 northeast Florida counties. It was more hype than news, much of it recycled.
Two Wrecks in 18-Hour Span on Flagler Roads Send 3 to Hospital in Critical Condition
Jessica Vides, a 2005 FPC graduate, and–separately–Joseph Edward O’Guin and Cacilia Carter of Bunnell, were critically injured victims of the wrecks–one on US1 and CR13, one on Colbert Lane in Palm Coast.
Flagler 911: The Live Crime Blotter, Dec. 10-14, 2010
Must be Christmas: a slew of shoplifting–wine and cheese at Publix, shoes at Bealls, beer at target, some toy at Walmart–plus an angry dog, an unlucky jailbird, and more.
Break-In at Leah’s Jewelry and Pawn Shop on Old Kings Road
The robber was still at the shop when deputies arrived. He fled, jumping a chain link fence, and disappeared into the woods. A search with K-9 units and a helicopter did not locate him.
Bunnell Bull Run: Which Is Better, The North or the South? Answer: a Stabbing
Four men were riding in a car around Palm Coast and Bunnell. Two of them started arguing about the North and the South. It escalated. One of them then stabbed the other.
Health Care Reform Ruled Unconstitutional; Florida Judge’s Decision Up Next
Monday’s ruling doesn’t stop the roll-out of federal health care reform. Two federal judges have previously ruled the law constitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court will settle the issue by 2012 or 2013.
Palm Coast’s Chrysler Dealership Burglarized, Jacksonville Thieves Descend on the City
The burglar at the Chrysler dealership on S.R. 100 tried but fail to drive a car out of the service department. Deputies in unrelated incidents arrested three alleged retail thieves in Palm Coast, all of them from Jacksonville.
A Man and a Boy Are Injured as Their Truck Smashes Into a Canal in The Mondex
Billy Dunson, a resident of the Mondex in his late 20s or early 30s, and 10-year-old Kyle, were taken to Halifax Hospital after the crash just before 9 p.m. Sunday evening.
Robert Hodoba, 85-Year-Old Involved in Dec. 7 Wreck at SR100, Dies from His Injuries
Robert Hodoba was a long-time resident of Flagler Beach. He was involved in a two-vehicle crash under the I-95 bridge on SR100.
Flagler Sheriff’s 34-Year-Old Son Arrested on Xanax Possession
Sheriff Don Fleming’s son’s arrest is taking place on the heels of the sheriff’s continuing campaign to toughen local ordinances in an effort to prevent the proliferation of so-called pill mills that are ravaging South Florida.
Daytona North Fire Starts in a Trailer and Burns 8.8 Acres; No One Hurt
Particularly dry conditions helped the afternoon fire in the Mondex run through brush. Some 15 firefighting units from various agencies, and Flagler County’s Fireflight, helped suppress the fire.
Prosecutorial Impotence: How Bankers Crashed the System and Got Away With It
The most popular reason offered for the dearth of financial crisis prosecutions is that the banking system was hit by a systemic and unforeseeable disaster, which means that it’s unlikely that anyone committed any crimes. Is it?
That Grand Theft Auto Had Plenty of Chasing and a Crash, But Was No Game
Palm Coast’s specialty for weird crimes carries on. The latest involves 18-year-old William Phillips, who saw an idling car, seized it, took off, and crashed into a garage before being arrested.
To Ban Texting While Driving in Florida: Ormond Beach Lawmaker Will Try Again
Such bans have failed repeatedly in previous years. Sen. Evelyn Lynn, the Ormond Beach Republican, hopes Florida will be the 31st state this year to ban texting and other such uses of cell phones while driving.
SR100 Collision Under I-95 Bridge Hurts 3, One With Life-Threatening Injuries
The 11 a.m. wreck involved two Chevrolet SUVs registered in Flagler County–one driven by an elderly man. Both occupants of the other SUV were also taken for Florida Hospital Flagler.
Bunnell Police Inquiry: In Videos, Chief Jones Strains to Keep the Focus on John Murray
Three video clips illustrate some of the background of the inquiry that led to the arrest of two Bunnell cops, but also continue raising more questions than have been answered since.
Ex-Bunnell Cops Lisa and John Murray, Facing 6 Felonies, Angle for 6 Trials–and Pleas
The defense’s tactic is an attempt to dilute the force of the felony charges the Murrays face. While it may backfire, the cases are unlikely to go to trial as both sides are talking of a resolution.
Burglar Unplugs Christmas Lights To Charge His Cell Phone. Breaks In. Gets Knocked Out.
Either Robert Thomas Combs is trying to win himself a mention on David Letterman’s weird news segment or his sense of criminal proportion—make that alleged criminal proportion—is as lousy as his timing.
Five Adults Are Killed As a Ford Expedition Carrying 9 Flips on I-95 North of Palm Coast
Most of the nine people in the SUV were from Eustis. They were traveling south after 11 p.m Sunday. The rear driver’s side tire apparently shredded, sending the Ford Expedition veering uncontrollably into the treeline.
In a Victory for Palm Coast Firefighters’ Union, City’s Attempt to Split Bargaining Units Fails
The Palm Coast city administration objected to lieutenants’ inclusion with rank-and-file firefighters in the collective bargaining unit. The state dismissed that objection, clearing the way for the unit’s formation.
Your Papers Please: Arizona-Style Immigrant-Profiling Law Introduced in Florida
It’s already routine in Flagler: cops ask passengers in a car for their papers even if the vehicle isn’t involved in a crime. A proposed law would formalize the process and slap $100 fines on immigrants without papers.
Fake Robberies, Fake Guns, Fake Threats Over Real Pizza, Gas and Cigarette Money
Palm Coast’s James Linskey may not have much of a career as a pizza delivery man after the bogus crime stories he concocted to Flagler deputies. He’s not likely to have a better career as a fiction writer.
Josh D. Crews, 1976-2010
First Baptist Church on Saturday (Nov. 27) overflowed with emotions, remembrances and people at a service for Joshua Crews, the Flagler County native, one-time owner and long-time bartender at Woody’s BBQ who died when his car rolled on U.S. 1 on Nov. 21. He was 34.
Cadillac and Kia in Morning Smash-Up on Northbound I-95 Back Up Traffic for 2 Miles
The 8:10 wreck at mile marker 295 on I-95 northbound shut down two of the three lanes and backed up traffic past the Matanzas Parkway overpass. There were injuries, but no fatality. The two vehicles were removed 90 minutes later.
Terry Kilcoyne, 71-Year-Old Salvage Owner, Killed When His Truck Overturns on I-95
Kilcoyne was traveling with a passenger on I-95 just north of the Flagler-St.Johns county line. She suffered minor injuries. None of the four people in the Durango that Kilcoyne’s truck hit when his tire shredded was injured.
Story of a Rescue: How 12-Year-Old Barak Ordonez Made It Out of the Bulow Marshes
Looking for a shortcut to outrace his brothers during a hike deep in Bulow Plantation, 12-year-old Barak ended up lost 15 miles inside the marshy, park until a helicopter airlifted him out.
Flagler Fireflight Recovers 12 Year Old
Lost for 3 Hours in Bulow Plantation Ruins
The 12-year-old Palm Coast boy was lost for less than three hours in the state park, between 4:50 and 7:50 p.m., when he was picked up unharmed by the Fireflight and flown back to his parents.
Ending 8 Years of Extortion, Bunnell Quietly Invites Drivers to Get Their Money Back
From 2002 to May 2008, Bunnell charged owners a $350 “administrative fee” for impounding their vehicles, even when there were no legal grounds to impound the cars. The burden is now on vehicle owners to get their money back.
Shooting in Bunnell at South Church and MLK: Oxycontin Deal Gone Bad
Bunnell Police Chief Arthur Jones said a man was shot in the chest and airlifted to a hospital around 9 p.m. Monday. It was a drug deal gone bad–over Oxycontin, the pain pill.
Don’t Call Them Pill Mills: Palm Coast’s Pain Management Practices Recoil at Bad Rap
When Flagler Sheriff Don Fleming described three local pain management practices as “pill mills,” their doctors and practitioners were stunned and explained: Pill mills are a problem. Pain management clinics are not.
Former School Board Member and Realtor Eddie Herrera Jailed On a Battery Charge
Eddie Herrera served eight years on the school board, two as chairman. The Realtor’s fight with acupuncturist Scott Beat, with Herrera’s daughter in the car nearby, was over an accusation of infidelity.
Armed Robber Takes Hundreds of Oxycodone Pills from Winn Dixie Pharmacy on SR 100
The robber, who used yellow gloves at the Winn Dixie pharmacy, handed the pharmacist a note just before noon Sunday, demanding the pills. He walked out the front door and drove off in a dark vehicle.
Josh Crews, Long-Time Woody’s Bartender and Manager, Killed in Sunday Morning Wreck
Josh Crews was 34 and had been a fixture behind Woody’s bar in Palm Coast and St. Augustine since 2005, and had once owned the restaurant with his brother Matt when it first opened in 1998.
9 Counts of Burglary, 8 Counts of Mischief and More for 3 Men
The three young men are accused of breaking into several cars at Westwind Contracting on U.S. 1 and at at McCharacters in St. Joe Plaza.
All 400 Sanctuary Pigs To Be Gassed in a Truck and Delivered to Starke for Cremation
The pigs are corralled into a truck, and gassed while the truck is on its way to Starke, where they’re off-loaded into a crematorium. Lory Yazurlo tried but failed to get a stay of execution for the pigs she’s cared for since 1995.
Flagler Sends Out Last Call for
Firefighter Paramedic Ranse Jones, 1975-2010
Some 300 people said goodbye to Ransford Jones, the Flagler County Firefighter-Paramedic who died this week after six months in a coma, in a moving ceremony of tributes and symbolism on Marineland’s boardwalk Sunday afternoon.
Sheriff Calls for 1-Year Pill-Mill Freeze in Flagler Through County and City Ordinances
Citing three pill mills already in Flagler County, Sheriff Fleming is asking the county commission and the cities to adopt ordinances stopping pill mills until the state strengthens its regulations.
Court Orders County to Take Over Custody and Fate of 400 Swine in Bunnell Pig Sanctuary
Lory Yazurlo appears to have lost an eight-year battle to keep caring for unwanted pigs on her 20-acre farm, though government officials point to degraded conditions harmful to animals and public health, and Yazurlo’s refusal to comply with age-old care plans.
Another Violent Domestic Assault in Palm Coast Lands a Fugitive in Jail
In the second violent domestic assault case in three days, a 30-year-old Palm Coast resident of Parkview Drive allegedly threatened to kill his girlfriend rather than let her leave him.
Flagler 911: The Live Crime Blotter, Nov. 2-5, 2010
When a homeless man is robbed and another jailed for hoping for a roof beneath his head, knife-wielding during an argument, boat larcenies, numerous burglaries and car break-ins, and more.
Palm Coast Man With Long History of Arrests is Charged With Kidnapping and Sexual Battery
Major Harris III allegedly threatened to shoot his live-in girlfriend, then raped her, then forced her and two young children to go to DeLand.