Aggravated assaults and robberies are down, but Bunnell continues to record a disproportionate number of arrests for a town its size in the semi-annual crime report, which points to the year’s overall crime trends.
Cops/Courts
Abu Ghraib Brutality in Florida’s Youth Prisons: Suit Charges Rape and Other Abuses
A class-action law suit against a private Florida juvenile prion contractor claims children were physically abused, forced to have sex with counselors, and kept from seeing lawyers.
Potential Juror’s Misconduct Leads to Mistrial in William Gregory Double-Murder Case
A potential juror who had been excused spoke improperly inf front of the larger jury pool on Friday, prejudicing the group. One of the seated jurors reported the incident.
Bunnell Police’s Latest Slipshod Accusations Clear Ex-Cop of Counterfeiting
Former Sgt. Frank Gamarra had cooperated with a State Attorney’s investigation of shoddy policing at the Bunnell PD only to be fired and charged with carrying a fake $20 bill.
The Live Wire, Monday, Oct. 11: A Nate Update, St. Pete Goes for Crist, Plus Yukon Gold
The latest on 7-year-old Nate in ICU; St. Pete Times Goes for Crist, Everglades’ sugardaddy deal goes through, Amendment 4 and sex offender hysteria, plus the Yukon, SNL at 35 and Art Blakey at 91 and more.
When Courts and the Justice Department Conceal, Deceive and Lie: A Gitmo Fabrication
A U.S. District Court opinion about an Al-Qaeda suspect held at Guantanamo Bay’s Gitmo prison was removed from circulation and rewritten, revealing critical alterations and insights into the Justice Department’s elaborate deceptions, which undermine the credibility of the court system.
To Counter Bullying, Flagler Sheriff Is Giving Away 3,000 Internet Monitoring Programs
The free programs enable parents to keep track of their child’s internet activity and exposure, from chats to bullying, though the cyberbullying problem may be overstated.
Small Recovery Victories for Nate Truelove, the 7-Year-Old in Brutal Old Kings Road Wreck
Sixteen days after the accident that sheared in half the car he was riding in, Nate is still in critical condition but now breathing on his own and giving his family more reasons to hope.
Circuit Judge Raul Zambrano Will Take Over Kim Hammond’s Criminal Docket Come Jan. 1
Depending on who wins, Dennis Craig or Joe Horrox will be assigned to the civil and family division now assigned to Zambrano.The rotations in the 7th Judicial Circuit are made to familiarize judges with various aspects of the law.
Why You Won’t Have to Leave Your Foreclosed House (If You have a Good Lawyer)
Some banks are still insisting that their errors are minor and foreclosures will continue, but what they say publicly and do privately are two different things.
The Live Wire, October 5: Why I’m Voting Republican
Dull day in the Flagler Beach murder trial of Gregory Wood, double-deaths at SeaWorld, the Holy Land pretends to be generous, Roth’s Nemesis, Alien again and more.
Bunnell Nights: “Smidge” Spearmon’s Two Crank 911 Calls and Two Stints in Jail
Spearmon, a 21-year-old Bunnell resident with no arrest history, called 911, pretended to be shot, and asked the dispatcher out on a date before hanging up. He was later arrested.
Flagler 911: The Live Crime Blotter, Sept. 26-29, 2010
A rash of stolen laptops all over the place, a rash of smashed up car windows and stolen purses left in those cars, an assault and battery, a suspiciously acting private investigator, and, unfortunately, more.
Live Wire Weekend: Jimmy Flynt’s Ex-Cop Friends, Flagler Beach’s Bad Cop, Sink Sinks
Why Bunnell is stuck in the 1950s, an ex-cop in Flagler Beach is on probation, Scott overtakes Sink, undocumented immigrants leave, Heidegger returns, and more.
Sitter Who Ran “Chrissy’s Cottage” in Palm Coast’s P Section Is Charged With Child Abuse
The 1-year-old child left in Cinelli-McFall’s care spent a month in a Jacksonville hospital following injuries he sustained on July 16.
Blogger and South Florida Health Care Firm Battle Over Workers Compensation Drug Costs
Automated HealthCare Solutions, a growing and politically powerful private firm in Miramar, is suing a solo blogger who accused the company of being part of a workers’ compensation system that benefits from “rampant greed.”
Three Palm Coast Boys, 16 and 17, Arrested Over a 10-Car Thieving Spree Sunday
The boys allegedly stole GPS devices, music CDs, phone chargers and a camera–about $2,000 worth–before being picked up in the Pet Smart parking lot early Sunday morning.
Defending “Eroticism,” Cheaters’ Suit Against Ormond Disputes City’s Capricious Annexation
Beyond matters of sex and sensibility, a federal lawsuit by Cheaters against Ormond Beach raises serious issues of a city’s arbitrary and capricious powers of annexation over businesses it doesn’t like.
Ending 33-Year Disgrace, Appeals Court Rules Florida’s Gay Adoption Ban Unconstitutional (Updated)
Updated at 2:55 p.m. The unanimous decision found no rational basis in the state’s prohibition on gay adoptions, and Gov. Crist, who’d once supported the ban, termed the decision “great.”
Austin McElroy, JT’s Seafood Shack Employee for 4 Years, Killed Biking on A1A Saturday Night
The 61-year-old dishwasher and prep cook had worked at the restaurant for some 4 years. He didn’t own a car and lived in a small, nearby place.
Evidence of Violent Child Porn Lands Flagler Beach Man in Jail on $500,000 Bail
Virtually every image or video allegedly found on the suspect’s computer involve pre-pubescent boys and girls in acts indistinguishable from child rape.
Latest Crime Reports
A fight at Ralph Carter Park, Oxycodone fraud, charging an innocent man for $800 worth of Direct TV bills, larcenies, burglaries and DUIs and more.
7-Year-Old Boy Critical After Crash on Old Kings Road Shears Car in Half
The boy was flown to Halifax hospital in Daytona Beach in critical condition. The woman who was driving the car was in stable condition. The wreck took place south of Old Kings Elementary.
Harley Motorcyclist Killed on I-95, Possibly in Hit and Run
Gary W. Audette, 55, was traveling south on his Harley when he lost control late the evening of Sept. 18, veering onto the median of the interstate and flipping several times.
15 Palm Coast Residents Arrested in Oxycodone Bust; State System to Tackle Abuse Is On Hold
All 15 men and women arrested in the prescription-drug bust are from Palm Coast. Three are still at large. A system designed to reduce prescription-drug abuse is on hold.
Goomba’s Ex-Hitman Joey Calco Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison; Calzone Case Ahead
The 10-year sentence is on a gun-possession charge. Calco has yet to go to trial on an assault charge stemming from his alleged attack over a calzone at his former pizzeria.
Suspected Burglar’s Flashlight Is Cops’ Beacon in Dave’s A1 Auto Shop Arrest
The glowing flashlight was in a fenced lot at the County Road 200 auto shop late Monday night. The suspect had also allegedly loaded his truck with goods from the store before he was caught.
Sheriff Fleming and Rollie Fingers to Headline Sex-Exploitation Prevention Fund-Raiser
The sheriff is the the 2010 recipient of the “Greatest Save” Law Enforcement Award for Florida. Fingers, baseball’s great relief pitchers, will host the $100-a-plate evening.
Crime Reports, Sept. 6-12, 2010
The consequences of foreclosures on property safety, an almost-burglary at a pharmacy, Larcenies, stolen vehicles, angry husbands, angry wives, and more.
Sheriff Don Fleming, Art Critic: Tapped to Jury 9/11 Show, He Pays Tribute to Colleagues
Judging an art show was a first for Sheriff Fleming, though the first responders of 9/11 have particular significance for him: as a police chief in New Jersey, he’d worked with nine of the Port Authority cops who died that day.
Bunnell Rebuffs Sheriff’s Offer to Provide Law Enforcement at 26% Less Than City’s Costs
The Flagler County Sheriff’s proposal to cut Bunnell’s police costs by $260,000 by taking over proved less convincing than commissioners’ emotional attachment to a troubled police department.
McHenry’s Bar Patrons Foil a Robbery After a Parking Lot Assault Over an Iphone
22-year-old Nicholas Stolinas of Marco Island is in jail on $29,000 bond after an alleged assault and robbery in the McHenry’s Bar parking lot.
Crime Reports: Aug. 30-Sept. 5, 2010
Yet another case of credit-card skimming, this time in Flagler Beach; Driving intoxicated and with a bag of pot on Belle Terre, a burglary on Bunker Hill, a burglary at a job site on Eric Drive, and more.
Labor Day Fire Demolishes Home by 3rd Hole of Palm Harbor Golf Course
Palm Coast Fire Department unites responded to the single-family home fire around 3 p.m. Monday (Sept. 6). The home belongs to Deborah and Will Morningsun.
Stetson Professor Monique Forte’s Death Attributed to Cocaine Abuse
Stetson Professor Monique Forte, beloved as a friend and mentor, had been battling mounting stress in her work and personal life.
In 5-2 Ruling, Florida Supreme Court Rejects Ballot Measure Banning Federal Health Reform
Citing “misleading and ambiguous language,” the court rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would have banned mandated federal health insurance in Florida.
Flagler Student Is Jailed After Setting Off A “Bottle Bomb” at a Bus Stop
18-year-old Giuseppe Verdone Jr. set off the “bottle bomb” at Bird of Paradise and Biscayne Drive while waiting for a bus to Pathways, the district’s school for problem students.
Should You Be Worried About Hurricane Earl? No (For Now)
Hurricane Earl is on track to pass some 350 to 400 miles away from Flagler County Thursday and Friday, though the storm will produce high waves and rip currents.
Smoke, But No Fire, In a New Section Of the County Jail
The smoke was detected at 2:46 p.m. Monday afternoon. It was attributed to an electrical short in a ground-fault indicator unit. No one was hurt or evacuated.
Two Cop Copters Search for 2 Armed Burglars Around Pine Grove; Only One Is Caught
An 18-year-old Daytona Beach man was arrested following a burglary and an air chase in Palm Coast’s Pine Grove section. The second suspect is still at large.
Weekly Crime Reports: August 23-29, 2010
A robbery at the Palm Harbor Parkway Kangaroo, a driver passed out drunk at the wheel of his car on Old Kings Road, a mess of electronics robbed from a Shady Oaks Drive home, and more.
Rymfire Elem. on Brief Lock-Down As Cops Chase Burglary Suspect Near Ralph Carter Park
Jeremiah Harris, a 20-year-old resident of Bunnell, led deputies on a chase Friday morning following a suspected burglary in the R section.
Supreme Court Still Silent on Proposal to Exclude Floridians From Federal Health Reform
Amendment 9, bumped off the November ballot by a lower court for being misleading, would ban laws that would make health insurance a requirement from taking effect in Floria.
Elections Supervisor Kimberle Weeks Wrecks County-Owned Car Just Before Polls Close
The wreck took place just after 5 p.m.–less than two hours from polls’ closing time–on Whiteview Parkway, near U.S. 1. The car was towed. There were no injuries.
Man Held on $100,500 Bond in Suspicious Death at Integra Woods Apartments in South Palm Coast
Deputies found a 46-year-old Palm Coast woman dead in her boyfriend’s apartment after he told deputies she was sleeping.
Bunnell Will Ask Sheriff to Bid for Law Enforcement Services in the City
A severe budget crunch, but also a severe State Attorney’s report on the city’s police department, bring back an old idea.
School’s Back. So Are Walking Children in a Town Short of Sidewalks. Watch Where You Drive.
Two years ago, 270 children younger than 14 were killed while walking by a road. School’s resumption calls for care, especially in Palm Coast, where sidewalks are lacking.
State Troopers Will Surge Drunk-Driving Patrols Through Labor Day
The highway patrol will be out in full force between Aug. 20 and Sept. 6, hunting drunk drivers.
More Trouble for Flynt: Sheriff Ends Tow Ties Permanently; Bank Sues for $50,000
Legal troubles aside, the sheriff’s decision worsens the Bunnell city commissioner’s financial straits–as does a law suit over a $50,00 debt.
Palm Coast Firefighters Unionize, Citing Unbalanced Treatment of Employees
Some 75 percent of the Palm Coast Fire Department’s 60 rank-and-file employees voted to form a union. Higher pay or better benefits aren’t on the agenda. Job security is.