Ross Judy, a 44-year-old resident of Collins Lane in Palm Coast, was arrested Sunday on felony child neglect and a misdemeanor charge of abandoning an animal to neglect after his 2-year-old child was found wandering alone in the middle of a street in pajamas and a soiled diaper and a dog was found barely alive.
Cops/Courts
Florida Senate Proposal Would Raise Speed Limits to 75 on Interstates
Highway speeds could increase under a bill that has started moving forward in the state Senate. The Republican-controlled Senate Transportation Committee on Wednesday approved a wide-ranging measure (SB 462), filed by Sen. Nick DiCeglie, R-Indian Rocks Beach, that includes boosting the maximum speed on interstates and Florida’s Turnpike from 70 mph to 75 mph.
Florida Attorney General Threatens Removal of City Council Members Who Blocked Cooperation with ICE
Attorney General James Uthmeier is threatening three Fort Myers city council members with removal from office after they refused Monday to deputize police officers to participate in immigration enforcement. Uthmeier, who became the attorney general a month ago, warned the council that Gov. Ron DeSantis could remove them from office if they didn’t allow the city police to question people about their immigration status and detain those subject to deportation.
Man Who Threatened to Jump Off SR100 Bridge on I-95 Is Rescued After Hour of Negotiations
A man threatening to jump off the I-95 bridge over State Road 100 was rescued after snarling traffic for nearly an hour. The same man had attempted to jump off the Palm Coast Parkway bridge over I-95 last August. He was Baker Acted then, as he was today.
Patient Attack of 2 Staffers at AdventHealth Palm Coast Highlights Dangers Facing Health Care Workers
Rolfe A. Troup, 33, of Palm Coast, who two years ago completed a probation sentence for assaulting his stepfather, was arrested again on Friday after allegedly assaulting two staffers at AdventhHealth Palm Coast Parkway, where Troup had been taken under a Baker Act. He faces two first-degree felony counts, each with a maximum penalty of 30 years. The assault highlights the generally little known reality that health care workers suffer some of the highest rates of workplace violence and injuries of any profession.
Federal Appeals Court Upholds Florida Ban on Under-21s Buying Long Guns
A U.S. appeals court has once again upheld Florida’s 2018 law barring people under age 21 from buying long guns, rejecting a challenge by the National Rifle Association. But Florida’s attorney general says that if the case is appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, his office won’t defend it.
In Startling Stand-Your-Ground Ruling, Judge Nichols Dismisses Charges Against Man Accused in Violent Attack at Circle K
In a stand your ground ruling that startled law enforcement and the State Attorney’s Office, Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols on Monday dismisses felony charges against 23-year-old Hunter Detherow, who was facing five to 20 years in prison for a fight at the Palm Harbor Circle K a year ago that left one man with four broken ribs and another with stab wounds, a collapsed lung and a black eye. Detherow, a former Marine, was not injured. The two men were twice his age, though one of them was nearly twice his weight.
Michael Jennelle, 53, Guilty on All Charges of Raping Granddaughter; He Faces Life in Prison
At the end of a three-day trial and just 75 minutes of deliberations this afternoon, a jury found Michael Jennelle, 53, guilty on seven counts of raping and molesting his granddaughter when she was between 7 and 10, and whom he had adopted as his daughter. He faces life in prison when he is sentenced at a later date.
12-Year-Old Testifies of Years of Sexual Abuse at Grandfather ‘Mike’ Jennelle’s Hands; He’ll Take Stand in His Own Defense
When Michael Jennelle takes the stand Wednesday, as he said he would, in his defense against charges that he raped and molested his pre-teen granddaughter for years, he will have to overcome the nearly flawless, withering day Assistant State Attorney Melissa Clark marshaled against him today, leaving the defense flailing. It will take a lot more than “I didn’t do it” for Jennelle (as he told the judge in December) to convince the jury of his innocence.
Foreclosure Ahead: Judge Orfinger Maps Way for Flagler County Against Old Dixie Motel Owners
Senior Judge Rick Orfinger today directed the attorney representing Flagler County to draft an order that would grant the county’s motion for a final judgment in its favor nearly four years after an obscure partnership bought the property, made a string of empty promises to rebuild it, flouted a court order to put up a bond and ran up $115,000 in contempt fines.
Semi-Trailer Truck Driver Killed in Fiery Crash on I-95 Near Palm Coast Parkway
A semi-trailer truck driver was killed in a fiery crash on I-95 just before the Palm Coast Parkway exit in mid-afternoon Monday. No one else was involved. It was the fifth fatality on Flagler County roads in a 10-day span.
Jennelle’s Defense, Implying a Monstrous Conspiracy, Terms Charges of Child Rape the Fabrications of a Jilted Wife
In brief opening arguments in the trial of Michael Jennelle, 53, who faces life in prison if convicted, the prosecution told the jury that Jennelle started sexually abusing his granddaughter when she was 7 and continued to do so until she was about 10. The defense said it was a fabrication between the granddaughter and her grandmother at a time when Jennelle was divorcing her. The trial is expected to take most of the week.
Arrest of Alleged Campaign Worker for Theft in Palm Coast Complicates Uphill Congressional Race for Josh Weil
Arlecia Darnae Brown, a 25-year-old resident of Orlando who claimed to be a campaign worker in a special election locally, was arrested on six felonies, including a life felony charge of traveling to commit a burglary, after allegedly stealing a bike in an L-Section neighborhood in Palm Coast last week.
Motorcyclist Killed On Belle Terre Boulevard When Pick-Up Cuts In Front of Him; 4th Bike Week Fatality
A 70-year-old Palm Coast man on a motorcycle lost his life late Saturday night, a day before the end of Bike Week, when a pick-up truck collided with his motorcycle on Belle Terre Boulevard at Finn Way, just south of State Road 100. It was the fourth fatality of Bike Week 2025 between Volusia and Flagler counties, and the second in Flagler.
Flagler Beach Officers Under Investigation as Wrongful Charge of Man Outside Funky Pelican Is Quickly Dropped and City Bristles
Flagler Beach Police Chief Matt Doughney has requested an internal affairs investigation of the two officers who arrested a man on a trespassing charge simply for holding a sign outside the Funky Pelican restaurant at the pier, and City Manager Dale Martin has ordered that all city employees receive training in respecting citizen’s rights. The arrest caught public attention and provoked outrage. The State Attorney’s office on Thursday dropped the felony charge of armed trespassing against Gray. The city expects a lawsuit.
Isaiah Warren, 26, Sentenced to 4.5 Years in Prison for DUI Crash That Severely Injured Flagler Beach Man
Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols on Wednesday sentenced Isaiah Macario Warren, 26, to four and a half years in prison for the drunk driving crash in Flagler Beach last April that severely injured Brian Tiller, a 45-year-old resident of the city. Warren faced two third-degree felonies–for drunk driving causing serious bodily injury and for tampering with evidence, resulting from his attempt to hide the fact that he’d been drinking in the car, and he faced a maximum of 11 years in prison.
Commission Sends 7 Names to Gov. DeSantis for Appointment to 2 Judgeships in 7th Judicial Circuit; Case Is Chief Judge Again
The Seventh Judicial Circuit’s Nominating Commission today sent seven names to Gov. Ron DeSantis in a pair of short lists of candidates for a Volusia County Court appointment and a Circuit Court appointment. The Seventh Judicial Circuit includes Flagler, Volusia, St. Johns and Putnam counties. Circuit Court judges theoretically may be assigned to a bench in any of the four counties at any point during their service. Also today, the court announced that the 43 judges in the circuit have re-elected their colleague, Circuit Judge Leah R. Case, to another term as chief judge.
Jose Valerio-Rodriguez, 70-Year-Old Homeless Man, Arrested for Human Trafficking and Statutory Rape of a Minor
Jose Valerio-Rodriguez, a 70-year-old homeless man who lived in a tent in the woods behind the Circle K on Palm Harbor Parkway near Frontier Drive, faces a life felony for human trafficking and a second degree felony on allegations of unlawful sexual activity with a minor, or statutory rape.
Man Holding ‘God Bless Homeless Vets’ Sign on Public Sidewalk Outside Funky Pelican Arrested on Armed Trespassing Charge
Jeffrey Marcus Gray, a 55-year-old resident of Forest Court in St. Augustine, was arrested on a felony charge of armed trespassing Sunday morning after he refused to leave the immediate vicinity of the Funky Pelican, the restaurant at the Flagler Beach pier. The pier is public property, as is the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. The restaurant itself leases its space from city government in Flagler Beach. But individuals may be trespassed from public sidewalks or parks or other public property, if not without raising potential legal issues.
Orange County Judge Martha Adams May Face Reprimand
The state Judicial Qualifications Commission recommended a reprimand for Judge Martha Adams after an investigation into comments she made about the State Attorney’s Office in the 9th Judicial Circuit, which is made up of Orange and Osceola counties.
Motorcyclist Killed in Crash on A1A in Flagler Beach, Two Teens Killed in Car Crash on CR304 Within Hours
After going more than three months without a road fatality, Flagler County roads were the site of two crashes causing the death of three people within hours early Sunday morning–a motorcycle crash in Flagler Beach and a car crash on County Road 304.
Florida Lawmakers Look to End Ban on Compensating Wrongfully Imprisoned If They Have Prior Felonies
Florida is the only state with a wrongful incarceration compensation program that excludes people with prior felonies, a restriction that makes the vast majority of exonerees in the state ineligible for payments. According to the National Registry of Exonerations, 91 people in Florida have been exonerated since 1989. Five of those exonerees have received compensation.
John R. Jenkins, Home Health Care Nurse, Arrested After Footage Shows Him Brutalizing Disabled, Voiceless Man
John Roy Jenkins, 68, had been caring for a profoundly disabled man in his 20s in palm Coast since last March. When the alleged victim’s mother looked at indoor surveillance video, she uncovered repeated cases of Jenkins’s physical and verbal abuse against and torment against her son. He faces four felony counts of abusing a disabled person.
Christopher Caschera, 26, Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison and 10 on Probation for CSAM Possession
Christopher Carlo Caschera, a 26-year-old resident of Pittman Drive who’d interned in Palm Coast government and was employed as an environmental specialist for DeLand government, was sentenced to five years in prison followed by 10 years of sex-offender probation and a lifetime designation as a sex offender. The sentence results from a plea and conviction on 15 counts of possessing child sexual abuse material.
Flagler Jail Would Make 100 Beds Available to ICE as Staly Joins Florida Sheriffs Ramping Up Immigration Enforcement
All of the state’s 67 counties have entered agreements with federal immigration authorities to detain undocumented immigrant criminals in jails, the Florida Sheriffs Association announced on Monday as the state rushes to assist President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts. Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly is working on an agreement with ICE to make 100 beds at the Flagler County jail available for ICE detentions of up to 72 hours per inmate, in exchange for $125 a day per inmate.
No, You May Not Discipline a Teacher for Personal Facebook Posts, Court Rules
A Florida appeals court Friday sided with a now-retired Duval County math teacher who argued his speech rights were violated when he was disciplined for personal Facebook posts. A three-judge panel of the 5th District Court of Appeal overturned a decision by the Duval County School Board to suspend Thomas Caggiano without pay for three days and to issue a reprimand.
Flagler School Board Quietly Settled with Ex-Attorney Kristy Gavin for $160,000, and with Paul Peacock for $100,000
The Flagler County School Board, operating almost entirely out of the public eye, settled disputes and lawsuits with former Board Attorney Kristy Gavin last July for $160,000, with former principal Paul Peacock in October for $100,000, and with former Exceptional Student Education director Martha von Mering in October for $19,500. The School Board at no point openly discussed any of the three cases.
Sheriff’s Deputies Capture 3 in Stolen-Vehicle Incident in Palm Coast’s L-Section
Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies captured two individuals and are looking for a third following a stolen-vehicle incident that unraveled in Palm Coast’s L-Section. The vehicle was stolen in Seminole County and appears to have triggered a license-plate reader in Flagler County, leading to a chase and apprehension. The sheriff is urging residents not to take chances.
DeSantis Signs 9th Death Warrant: Edward James, for 1993 Murders in Seminole County
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed a death warrant for inmate Edward James, who was sentenced to death in the 1993 murders of a woman and her 8-year-old granddaughter in Seminole County. The death warrant came five days after the state put to death James Ford in the 1997 murders of a couple in Charlotte County.
Iris Scanners Will Now Identify Inmates at Flagler County Jail
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office announces the implementation of the Inmate Recognition and Identification System, known as I.R.I.S., at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility. This cutting-edge technology (similar to point-of-entry technology now used at Universal Orlando Resort) is designed to enhance public safety and ensure the identification of individuals booked into the jail.
Judge Denies Bond ‘Across the Board’ to Kristopher Henriqson, Who Faces Capital Felony Over Girl’s ‘Reprehensible’ Abuse
Kristopher Henriqson, 47, of Palm Coast, will remain in jail, a judge ruled today, pending the disposition of the charges against him, including a capital rape charge stemming from three years of alleged sexual abuse of his step-daughter when she was between 9 and 12. He had sought to lower his bond. Instead, it was entirely revoked.
Jordan Pittmon, 26, Faces Statutory Rape Charge After Sex with 14-Year-Old Runaway
After Jordan Scott Pittmon had assured the girl’s aunt that he would never have any interest in a minor, he was arrested and charged with statutory rape of the aunt’s 14-year-old niece, who had run away from her Palm Coast home last May.
Plane Crash Victim Identified as Skydiving Pilot and Ex-USAF Crew Chief Thomas Russell Harvey
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office this afternoon identified the victim of Friday evening’s plane crash in the isolated woods of southwest Flagler County as Thomas Russell Harvey, a 75-year-old pilot celebrated by Skydive Palatka as “our favorite pilot and friend.”
Pilot Is Killed in Crash of Eagle Air Transport Plane in Isolated Part of Flagler County, Near Lake Disston
A man piloting an Eagle Air Transport Cessna crashed in an isolated, wooded area of southwest Flagler County near Lake Disston Friday evening for unknown reasons. The pilot died. There were no passengers.
Jury Finds Stephen Monroe, 26, Guilty of Murder in Killing of Noah Smith, 16, and Is Sentenced to Life in Prison
It took less than 20 minutes for a 12-member jury to find Stephen Monroe guilty as charged, just before noon today: first degree murder for the killing of 16-year-old Noah Smith on a Bunnell street in January 2022. It was not a surprise.
In Murder Trial, Stephen Monroe Takes Stand in His Own Defense Only to Face an Inquisition Into His Rap of Lies
Stephen Monroe gambled today and testified in his own defense in his jury trial on a charge of murdering 16-year-old Noah Smith in Bunnell three years ago. He did so by going up against Assistant State Attorney Jason Lewis, a merciless cross-examiner who had Monroe grimacing, snorting, eye-rolling, huffing, gesturing, interrupting and talking over Lewis and so many times that he drew several rebukes from the judge, apologizing every time. It did not go well for Monroe, who at no point in the hour-long inquisition figured out that dueling with Lewis might not be a good idea.
Florida Court Clears Way for Trump Lawsuit Against Pulitzer Board Over Russian Interference Articles
A Florida appeals court Wednesday cleared the way for President Donald Trump to pursue a defamation lawsuit against Pulitzer Prize board members in a dispute rooted in the organization awarding a prize to The New York Times and The Washington Post for reporting about alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Palm Coast’s Kristopher Henriqson, 47, a Federal Felon, Charged with Raping Child in His Custody; Could Face Death Penalty
Kristopher Henriqson, a 47-year-old resident of Lindsay Drive in Palm Coast and a federal felon, was arrested late Monday night and booked at the Flagler County jail on two capital felony counts of raping a child younger than 12, a child he was caring for. The charges, relatively a new law the Florida Legislature passed in 2023, makes him eligible for the death penalty if the State Attorney decides to seek capital punishment, and if Henriqson is convicted at trial.
In Sequence Devastating to Defense, Prosecution Shows Jury 26 Minutes That Led Up to Noah Smith’s Murder
The next-to-last clip in a sequence of 10 brief surveillance videos the prosecution showed the jury in Stephen Monroe’s trial on a first-degree murder charge today showed a white Cadillac driving on a dark Bunnell street, toward Palm Coast. It was the father of 16-year-old Noah Smith driving his dead or dying son to the hospital on Jan. 12, 2022. Monroe had fired one of the two guns that killed him. It may have been the most impactful two or three seconds of the trial so far as a riveted jury watched.
Flagler Fire Rescue’s Gil Aspinwall Graduates from Emergency Services Leadership Institute
Flagler County Fire Rescue Division Chief of Training Gil Aspinwall recently graduated from the Emergency Services Leadership Institute (ESLI), sponsored and hosted by the Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association. The program was designed to address the present-day leadership issues that affect mid-level through chief fire officers.
In Murder Trial’s Openings, Stephen Monroe’s Attorney Argues Self-Defense in Shooting that Killed Noah Smith, 16
Self-defense: That’s what Terence Lenamon, Stephen Monroe’s attorney, argued to a jury this afternoon in Monroe’s trial on a first-degree murder charge, after the prosecution argued that Monroe and his friends had been looking for a fight for two days and had ample opportunity to drive back to Palm Coast to avoid a deadly shooting. Instead, they exchanged fire with another man on a Bunnell street, killing Noah Smith, 16, a by-stander in January 2022.
CJ Nelson Jr. Pleads Out in Manslaughter Shooting Death of 18-Month-Old Child
CJ Nelson Jr., the 23-year-old Palm Coast resident facing a manslaughter charge in the shooting death of 18-month-old Ja’Liyah Allen on Ranwood Lane in September 2023, pleaded to the charge on Wednesday and will be sentenced on April 3. He faces up to 30 years in prison, but is unlikely to get that maximum.
A History of Birthright Citizenship at the Supreme Court
Birthright citizenship was explicitly added to the Constitution in 1868 when the 14th Amendment was adopted following the Civil War. The United States is one of roughly 30 countries, including neighboring Canada and Mexico, that offer automatic citizenship to everyone born there. There is a “strong likelihood” that the challengers of a presidential executive order ending birthright citizenship “will succeed on the merits of their claims that the Executive Order violates the Fourteenth Amendment” to the Constitution.
Palm Coast Physician Christine Garrett Arrested on Felony Child Abuse Charge
Christine Elizabeth Garrett, a 55-year-old physician who runs her own practice in Palm Coast with her husband, was arrested on Sunday (Feb. 2) on a felony charge of child abuse when her adopted son called 911. The boy was locked in the bathroom when Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies arrived. When he heard then saw law enforcement officers, “he exited the bathroom crying and ran, grabbing onto Deputy Bishop, saying he needed help,” according to the sheriff’s report.
$8.2 Million Will Pay for National Guard Used as Florida Prison Guards
A legislative budget panel Wednesday approved transferring $8.2 million to pay for the continued deployment of Florida National Guard members at state prisons until June. National Guard members have worked at prisons for more than two years as the correctional system has struggled with high job-vacancy rates and an increase in the number of inmates.
Stephen Monroe, Last of 4 Defendants in Murder of Noah Smith, Goes on Trial Monday After Declining Deal
Stephen Monroe again declined a deal of 25 to 50 years in prison today for the murder of 16-year-old Noah Smith three years ago in Bunnell. Monroe faces life in prison if convicted. His trial starts Monday. Monroe is the last of four defendants in the gunfight that resulted in Smith’s death as he stood on the stoop of his house in Bunnell and was struck by a bullet not intended for him. He was on probation for robbery at the time of his arrest.
Eroding Management Plan, Cities Bluntly Tell Flagler County: Not One Extra Dime for Beach Protection
Palm Coast, Beverly Beach and Bunnell officials told Flagler County in blunt, at times almost belligerent terms Wednesday evening that their constituents will not accept any new tax or fee to pay for beach management, whether it’s renourishing beaches or maintaining them. The tone of the discussion during a joint meeting of local governments Wednesday left county officials reeling.
Mom Tearfully Pleads with Son Risking Life in Prison: ‘Take the Plea’ (15 Years, Out in 9). He Refuses.
It was an unusual, if not an unheard-of scene in Circuit Court this morning, before Judge Dawn Nichols. Derrius Bauer’s mother stood at the podium in front of the judge, sobbing, begging her son, who was sitting a few feet from her, to take the plea the state was offering him. Bauer is insisting on going to trial on a charge of first-degree murder. He is alleged to have conspired with Marcus Chamblin in the murder of Deon Jenkins at a Palm Coast Circle K in October 2019.
Sheriff’s Newest K-9 Can Sniff Out Hidden Flash Drives and Cell Phones
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office introduced K-9 Birdie, the Agency’s first Electronic Storage Detection K-9. Birdie will serve alongside Detective Corporal Mark Moy in the Digital Forensics Unit. Birdie is trained to seek out electronic devices believed to contain evidence of a crime, including flash drives, hard drives, and cell phones.
Missile-Like Hunk of Ice, Possibly from Commercial Plane, Tears Through Seminole Woods Roof
Local and federal officials don’t know what may have caused a missile-like shaft of ice 6 feet long to tear through the metal roof of a Seminole Woods house in Palm Coast Monday afternoon on a warm, cloudless day. But they have ideas.