Gov. Ron DeSantis defended officials in Lee County, who delayed evacuation orders until Tuesday, while several other counties had issued evacuation orders and the National Hurricane Center was warning of a storm surge regardless.
Cops/Courts
Pier’s End Collapses, More Flagler Areas Evacuated, 70% of County Without Power, Dunes Damaged
The severity of tropical Storm Ian continues this afternoon, demolishing parts of the Flagler Beach pier, inundating larger areas of Palm Coast and Flagler Beach, and downing trees and power lines as 57 percent of residents are without power.
Toddler’s Father Faces Kidnapping Charge After Fleeing with Child; He Is Tased and Bitten in Arrest
Brandon Leohner, 27, of Palm Coast, was arrested on charges of kidnapping after taking the toddler he has in common with his girlfriend and driving off against his girlfriend’s wish. He drove recklessly through Palm Coast and was arrested after a violent encounter with deputies and a police dog at McDonald’s.
If You’re Sheltering In Place in Hurricane Ian’s Path, Fill Out This Survey For Your Safety
If you’re sheltering in place and your home is in the path of Hurricane Ian or Tropical Storm Ian, the state wants you to fill out a survey that may help in rescuing you should you need it in the immediate aftermath of the storm.
Rymfire Elementary Will Open as Special-Needs Shelter, Bunnell Elementary as General Population and Pets Shelter
The special-needs shelter at Rymfire Elementary will open at 1 p.m. Wednesday in anticipation of deteriorating weather from Hurricane Ian. The timing of the first shelter for general population and pets, to open at Bunnell Elementary, has not yet been determined. That time will be announced Wednesday morning.
Sheriff Preparing to Mobilize Over 200 Deputies and Air Boat, Courts Ramping Down Ahead of Ian
Courts are ramping down, law enforcement is ramping up in Flagler County in preparation for Hurricane Ian’s impact, now projected to be more serious than projected even as late as Monday evening. Curfews could become a possibility in the days ahead.
Hurricane Ian’s 2-Day Stall Off Tampa Could Bring Flooding Rains and Wind to Flagler
Hurricane Ian is expected to nearly stall as a major hurricane off the coast of Tampa Bay, lashing the northeast of Florida with torrential rain and raising the potential for floods in addition to some tropical storm-force winds. Flagler governments are beginning to shut down regular operations and declare states of emergency.
Canopy Walk Resident Faces 4 Felony Charges After Confrontation with 3 Boys He Claims Were Trespassing
58-year-old Gerald McCarthy faces two second-degree felony charges and other charges after a physical confrontation with three boys–13, 13 and 12–at Canopy Walk, where he claims they were trespassing. The boys claim they’d been given the code to get in.
Palm Coast Man Points Loaded Gun at Deputy Jacob West During Traffic Stop
A 42-year-old Palm Coast driver who appeared drunk allegedly pointed a loaded gun at a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop on Palm Coast Parkway late Thursday night before complying with orders to drop the gun. It was the latest successful de-escalation of what could have resulted in an officer-involved shooting.
This Time Without Temper Tantrums or Deceptions, Palm Coast Adopts Tax Rate and Budget
The Palm Coast City Council approved the 2022-23 budget and the city’s property tax rate at its second and final hearing with a series of 4-1 votes. Compared to previous tax hearings at the county and the city this season, the hearing was anticlimactic, with all but numbers getting filled in and ratified.
Armed Employees or Guards in Flagler Schools Would Cost $150,000 to $600,000 in 1st Year
The Flagler County School board would have to pay initial annual costs of over $150,000 to nearly $600,000 for any of three options to have armed staffers or guards on its nine campuses, in addition to the $1 million it is paying annually to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Did Not Have Authority to Release Man Early Without Judge’s Order, Court Rules
An appeals court Wednesday rejected a decision by the Baker County sheriff to release a man who had served only four days of a 60-day jail sentence. A three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal upheld a circuit judge’s ruling that ordered Sheriff Scotty Rhoden to return Donald Shrowder to jail to serve the 60-day sentence.
Lawsuit Cites DeSantis Trickery in Seeking to Block Further Migrant Flights
Lawyers representing asylum seekers who were allegedly “tricked” into going from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard on flights funded by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration said Wednesday they are seeking a nationwide injunction to block the governor from luring immigrants to travel across state lines.
He Served 18 Months for a Sex Offense. He’s Re-Imprisoned Anyway, Possibly for Life.
William Walsh, a 57-year-old former homeless man and sex offender from Bunnell, was committed potentially for life to a prison-like state facility after a trial in Flagler Tuesday, even though he did not commit a new offense and none of his previous offenses ranked him as a predator.
Judge Clears Way for Challenge to Law Allowing State to Override Local Police Budget Decisions
A Leon County Circuit judge on Tuesday cleared the way for a lawsuit challenging part of a controversial protest law that gives the governor and Cabinet the authority to override local governments’ decisions about police spending.
Argument Over Chess Leads to Knife Attack and Felony Assault Charge
Kenneth Stephens, 54, of Sloganeer Trail in Palm Coast, was playing chess with his 41-year-old neighbor at his neighbor’s house Friday evening when the two started arguing. Before it was over, Stephens was captured in surveillance video footage pulling a knife and lunging at his neighbor before retreating to his house.
20-Year-Old Ormond Beach Motorcyclist Killed Rear-Ending SUV on I-95
A 20-year-old Ormond Beach man was killed in a rear-end collision as he traveled north on I-95 late Friday night, two miles north of the Old Dixie Highway interchange in Flagler County.
21 Months in Prison for Woman Who ‘Did Nothing’ as Infant Was Repeatedly Tortured by Boyfriend
Luciana Celestin, 29, was present as her boyfriend, Deviaun Toler, repeatedly whipped, beat and once burned his infant son, but she did not intervene to end the abuse, report it, or seek medical attention for the boy, who nearly died as the abuse continued in Palm Coast in early 2018.
Man, 40, Killed at Old Dixie Roundabout in First Fatal Crash There Since Structure’s Completion
A 40-year-old Ormond Beach man lost his life in a single-vehicle car crash at the roundabout at U.S. 1 and Old Dixie Highway in the early hours of Wednesday (Sept. 14), the Florida Highway Patrol reports.
Randy Alexandre, 22, Now Faces Attempted Murder Charge in K-Section Incident, and October Trial
Randy Alexandre, 22, one of three men allegedly responsible for a shooting spree on Kalamazoo Trail nearly two years ago–Jamey Bennett has since been killed, Paul Pajotte is in prison–will go on trial next month on an attempted second degree murder charge. He faces up to life in prison if convicted. Prosecutors upgraded the charge only six weeks ago.
60 Participants Take Part in Memorial Stair Climb Honoring 9/11 Firefighters
For the second year Flagler County and the Hammock Beach Golf Resort and Spa came together to host a “Memorial Stair Climb” in honor of the 343 New York City Fire Department (FDNY) firefighters who heroically gave their lives trying save others when they rushed into the World Trade Center 21 years ago.
Commemorating Memory’s Resilience and a Fire Chief’s Honor at Palm Coast’s 9/11 Ceremony
As an entire generation has now been born since the 9/11 attacks, the Palm Coast Fire Department’s commemoration of 9/11 on its 21st anniversary focused on a callery tree’s rebirth and the 2022 Tunnel to Towers Follow the Footsteps Award to Chief Jerry Forte.
County Scrambles to Make Budget Cuts of $1.9 to $2.4 Million, and Gets Unexpected $600,000 Revenue
County government’s top staff burned the midnight oil since Thursday and through this weekend after the County Commission last Wednesday forced its own administration to cut between $1.9 to $2.4 million from the budget by Monday. A silver lining: the county is getting an unexpected infusion of $600,000 in new revenue because of a glitch in property appraiser calculations.
September 11 Commemorative Ceremony at Heroes Park Sunday in Palm Coast
The Palm Coast Fire Department invites the community to attend the September 11th Remembrance Ceremony in commemoration of the 21st Anniversary of the September 11th Terrorist Attacks on Sunday, September 11, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. at Heroes Memorial Park in Palm Coast.
Flagler School Board Won’t Arm Civilians or Staffers This Year as Questions and Divisions Persist
The state gave the Sheriff’s Office only seven days to complete an application required to tap into training grants for arming civilians on campuses, and the Flagler County School Board still has a series of unanswered questions. Election re-alignments also add another level of uncertainty about whether there’s a real desire to go the route of armed civilians in schools.
14 Months in Prison and 3 Years’ Probation for Palm Coast Man’s Sadistic Acts Toward Stepchild
Craig Allen Ripple, the now 57-year-old former resident of Wellford Lane in Palm Coast arrested two years ago on two felony child neglect charges after spiking his step-child’s medication with laxatives, out of spite, was sentenced to 14 months in prison followed by three years on probation.
Florida Supreme Court Issues, then Retracts, Order on Anti-Abortion Law
The Florida Supreme Court issued an order rejecting a request by abortion providers to block enforcement of the state’s 15-week abortion ban — and then withdrew it, blaming an error by the court’s clerk’s office in releasing the order.
State Attorney Files 5 Life Felonies Against Andrew Sharp, 21, in Sex Abuse Cases Involving Pre-Teens
Donald Andrew Sharp, a 21-year-old resident of Huntington, W.Va., who lived with relatives in Palm Coast’s P Section, faces five life felony charges stemming from acts of sexual abuse he would have two pre-teens commit before his eyes or rapes he himself committed against them.
Wadsworth Park Employee’s Vigilance Leads to Veteran Felon and Bleacher Stealer’s Arrest in 2 Hours
Ronald Schmitt, 56, of Flagler Beach, was stealing bleachers used by children at Wadsworth park when County park employee Ryan Belhumeur confronted him and relayed all the necessary information to law enforcement that led to Schmitt getting apprehended at a scrap yard south of Bunnell two hours later.
In 4th Legal Challenge Against DeSantis’s ‘Stop Woke Act,’ USF Professor and Student File Suit
In a 91-page complaint, lawyers for USF associate professor of history Adriana Novoa, student Samuel Rechek and the First Amendment Forum at University of South Florida raised a series of arguments that the law violates speech rights.
In Latest Switch, County Will Cut Tax Rate, Fund Sheriff’s Full Request, and Take a $1.9 Million Hit on Budget
The Flagler County Commission this evening voted 3-2 to cut the tax rate by a tenth of a point and fully fund the sheriff’s budget request, closing what had been a $700,000 difference between the county’s proposal and the sheriff’s request. The result will be a $1.9 million hit on the budget the administration had submitted to the commission ahead of today’s public hearing, the first of two to adopt next year’s budget and tax rate.
Robert Orr, 59, Las Brisas Condo Association President, Charged with 4 Counts of Video Voyeurism
Robert Orr, 59, is accused of hiding a tiny surveillance video camera in a condo unit at the Las Brisas Condos in palm Coast, capturing guests staying in the apartment as they undressed.
‘Hot Rails of Meth’ Lead to Bizarre R-Section Burglary and Slew of Charges for Palm Coast Man
After the alleged burglary and after making death threats to the R-Section home’s residents, to cops and to hospital staff, Daniel Matthew Reyes would tell Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies that he’d “snorted hot rails of meth,” and screamed for help. After a brief stop at the local hospital, he was booked at the Flagler County jail Saturday night (Sept. 3) on seven charges, including two first-degree felonies.
Florida National Guard Could Be Used to Fill In at Short-Staffed State Prisons
As the state continues to struggle with a shortage of correctional officers, a legislative panel next week will consider a plan that would activate Florida National Guard members to help at prisons, according to a document published Friday.
700 Flagler County Residents, Mostly Kids, Participating in PAL This Summer
As part of its mission to serve the youth of Flagler County, the Flagler Sheriff’s Police Athletic League (PAL) welcomed over 700 people – mostly kids – to its various events during the summer of 2022.
Spared Life in Prison for Cooperating, Princess Williams Is Sentenced to 20 Years in Attempted Murder
Princess Williams was 20 when she conspired with three others, all of them about her age, in an armed robbery four years ago that resulted in the shooting and disabling of 19-year-old Carl Saint-Felix. Her sentence today closes the book on the cases, with all four conspirators now in prison. Williams got the heaviest sentence.
New Traffic Pattern Enforced Around Bunnell Elementary Starting Sept. 6 to Cut Down on Complaints
The new pattern was developed by Bunnell Elementary school and the Bunnell Police Department to alleviate issues that arose after the resumption of school in August, when the Police Department received complaints related to traffic safety during drop-off in the morning.
Leroy Sampson Jr, Repeat Offender on Probation, Arrested After 2-Hour Stand-Off With Deputies
Leroy Sampson Jr. was wanted on five warrants involving aggravated assault with a weapon and a repeat felony battery charge, among others, when detectives readied to pick him up in Palm Coast’s Town center, only for Sampson to barricade himself in an apartment he did not live in, for which he got an additional felony burglary charge. He surrendered after two hours.
Police Lock Down Bridgehaven Drive in Standoff With Suicidal Man
A law enforcement situation involving a person who’d barricaded himself on Bridgehaven Drive this afternoon led the Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies to close off streets in that neighborhood and divert a school bus from making its usual run and dropping off elementary age students at their regular bus stops.
On the Run from Charges for 2 DUI Crash Deaths, Randall Howard, 46, Is Arrested at Econo Lodge
Howard 46, originally from Gaston, S.C., was staying at the Econo Lodge on Kingswood Drive in Palm Coast., wanted on warrants stemming from the death of two people who were in his car when he crashed, allegedly high on meth.
Federal Judge Urged to Halt Law Muzzling Instruction on Gender and Sexual Orientation
The 26-page motion contends that the law, passed this year by the Republican-controlled Legislature and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, “was enacted with the purpose to discriminate and has the effect of discriminating against LGBTQ+ students and those with LGBTQ+ family members.”
Flagler Sheriff’s Cpl. Rob Myers, Who’d Been Drinking and Driving, Demoted Following Heated Stop
Flagler County Sheriff’s Cpl. Rob Myers, a nine-year veteran of the agency, was demoted to deputy and placed on 18 months’ internal probation following an internal investigation that found he had been drinking and driving and drove alarmingly close to a deputy who was conducting an unrelated traffic stop. He was only given a warning at the traffic stop, and had a ride arranged for him to get him home.
Fundraiser Gets Handyman and Everywhere Cyclist Frank Diaz, 79, New Bike 2 Weeks After Crash
Two weeks ago Francisco “Frank” Diaz was thrown off his bike, injured and hospitalized after an SR100 crash with a car that totaled the bike. Sheriff Rick Staly had responded to the call at the time, and was instrumental in a fundraiser by The Bike Man non-profit that raised $2,300, paid for a brand new bike and left some money over for Diaz to pay his medical bills and a $166 traffic ticket.
4 Years Later, Suspected Armed Robber of Kay Jewelers Near Target Is Booked at Flagler Jail
After spending the last four years incarcerated in Georgia, Tyrone Walker, now 29, was booked at the Flagler County jail on a first-degree felony robbery with a weapon charge dating back from 2018, when he is accused of robbing Kay Jewelers in Palm Coast’s Target shopping center. An accomplice remains at large.
Ex-Public Defender Matt Shirk of Jacksonville Suspended for Year
The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday approved suspending former Jacksonville-area Public Defender Matt Shirk from practicing law for one year. Justices unanimously approved a suspension recommended in April by appointed referee Kenneth James Janesk.
75-Year-Old Man Killed, Dive Team Searching for Another Victim at Head-On Crash on US1
A 75-year-old Deland man was killed and a dive team was called out to search for possibly another victim at the scene of head-on, wrong-way crash on U.S. 1 at Eagle Rock Road in Favoretta early this morning.
In Re-Trial, Kwentel Moultrie Is Found Guilty of Raping a 16-Year-Old Girl and Faces Up to 30 Years
The trial of Kwentel Moultrie, 23, had hinged on whether he’d had consensual sex or raped a 16-year-old girl who’d invited him in when he was 20 at a P-Section house in Palm Coast. An April jury couldn’t reach a verdict. A jury today found him guilty at the end of a five-day trial, but it may have erred on its interpretation of law.
Jevante Hamilton Guilty of Manslaughter In 1st Ever Flagler Trial on Drug Overdose Murder Charge
After deliberating three hours today, a Flagler County jury found Jevante Tyquan Hamilton guilty of manslaughter, not first degree murder, for selling the drugs that resulted in the overdose death of Timothy Davidson in August 2019.
Palm Coast’s Jonathan Rockholt Arrested on 3 Federal Charges in Jan. 6 Attack on Congress
Jonathan Rockholt, a 38-year-old Palm Coast resident who described himself as a member of the Three Percenters militia, was arrested on three federal charges in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, where he confronted and attempted to overcome police.
Brooke Lorenzen, 20, Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for DUI Crash Causing Death of Mario Bizier, 56
Truck driver Mario Bizier’s family and friends forgave Broke Lorenzen for causing Bizier’s death on I-95 in 2020 in an emotional sentencing hearing this morning. Lorenzen was also sentenced to 12 years on probation, will no longer have the right to drive, and will have to give 100 hours of presentations to youths about the dangers of drunk driving.