The Flagler County Commission voted 5-0 this evening to approve a $20 million commercial loan with CenterState Bank to finance a 51,000-square-foot Sheriff’s Operations Center south of the Government Services Center in Bunnell.
Cops/Courts
Federal Felon and 2 Teens Arrested in Armed Home Invasion-Robbery on Palm Coast’s Prospect Lane
Carlos Dupree, 34, a felon on probation, Korey Jones, 16, and Darius Watts, 15, were arrested early Sunday following an alleged armed home-invasion robbery at a house on Prospect Lane in Palm Coast where seven victims sustained injuries and were robbed at gunpoint.
Grand Jury Rips Florida’s Mental Health System, Citing ‘Deficiencies in Funding, Leadership and Services’
The statewide grand jury studying school safety said in the report that it is “clear to us that inadequately addressed mental health issues have the peculiar potential to spiral out over time into criminal acts and violent behavior resulting in serious injury and loss of life.”
$21 Million Sheriff’s Building Would Be Financed With 15-Year CenterState Bank Loan at 1.83% Interest
Flagler County commissioners on Monday will consider approving a $20 million loan from a commercial bank to finance the proposed Sheriff’s Operations Center in Bunnell, significantly adding to the county’s current debt load of $142 million and annual debt servicing of more than $11 million.
Appeals Court Tosses GOP Challenge to Mask Mandate in Leon, But Doesn’t Address Constitutional Issues
Throughout the pandemic, Gov. Ron DeSantis has declined to issue a statewide mask mandate. He also issued an executive order in September that suspended collection of fines and penalties related to violations of mask requirements, but that did not prevent local governments from continuing to have the requirements.
State Police Raid Home of Rebekah Jones, Ex-Florida Health Department Whistleblower on Covid Stats
Rebekah Jones was fired earlier this year after complaining that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration was manipulating Covid-19 data to make the virus appear less prevalent as the governor pushed to reopen Florida’s economy.
He Stalked and Harassed a Judge. He’s Now in Jail Without Bond–on a Pair of Misdemeanors.
It is extremely unusual that a person facing misdemeanor charges be held without bond. But when Darrell E. McDonough was arrested on Friday on a misdemeanor charge of stalking and a misdemeanor charge of harassing phone calls, he got booked at the Flagler County jail and is being held there on no bond by order of Circuit Judge Terence Perkins. His alleged victim: County Judge Melissa Distler.
$21 Million Flagler Sheriff’s Operations Center Unveiled, But Questions About Financing Remain Unanswered
The Flagler County Commission approved a $21 million, 51,000 square-foot Sheriff’s Operations Center. But questions remain unanswered about the project’s financing, which was not presented to the commission today, and its ultimate cost, which would reach nearly $23 million when financing it over 15 years is included.
16-Year-Old Flagler Beach Boy Faces 11 Counts of Possession and Promotion of Child Sexual Abuse Images
A 16-year-old Flagler Palm Coast High School student and resident of North Daytona Avenue in Flagler Beach faces 11 felony counts of possessing and promoting images of child sexual abuse following an investigation by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
Supreme Court Justices Take Up Donald Smith’s Death Sentence Appeal in Murder of Cherish Perrywinkle
More than seven years after an 8-year-old girl was abducted from a Jacksonville Walmart, raped and murdered, the Florida Supreme Court will hear arguments this week about whether a man sentenced to death in the slaying should receive a new trial.