Belle Terre Elementary was placed under a “Code Blue” alert early this morning when a parent found a note in the parent’s child’s backpack mentioning a bomb. The parent found the note at the child’s home.
Cops/Courts
State Attorney Will Seek Death Penalty for Derrek Perkins in Stabbing Murder of Wife Brandi in Hastings
The victim, a resident of Green Cove Springs who worked at a restaurant in St. Augustine, had filed an injunction against Derrek the day before the stabbing and after several intimidating and threatening incidents involving him.
Palm Coast Fire Department Revives Its Junior Firefighter Program to Prepare Young Recruits for a Career
The program is not in competition with the Fire Academy at Flagler Palm Coast High School, but rather a complement to it: students enrolled in the academy are welcome to apply to be in the fire department’s program as it would provide the natural steps in the progression toward becoming a firefighter.
Warrantless Search of Car’s GPS Data Is Constitutional, Florida Appeals Court Rules
The ruling by a panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal rejected arguments by Brandon Joshua Bailey that the GPS evidence, which was obtained without a warrant, should be suppressed and his first-degree murder conviction should be overturned.
Judge Denies County’s Motion to Dismiss Captain’s BBQ Suit But Cracks Open a Way to Get There
While all but ridiculing the county’s claim that it had broken the law by approving a lease amendment with Captain’s BBQ without putting it out to bid, Circuit Judge Perkins was far more receptive to the county’s claim that the amendment had not yet kicked in, and so could not have been breached. He all but drew a map for the county’s next attempt to dismiss the lawsuit, pending the taking of depositions.
Behind an Investigation Alleging How a Case Worker Lied to Cover-Up a Pregnant Runaway Girl’s Escapes
A Flagler County Sheriff’s investigation points to a case worker’s alleged criminal misconduct as much as it does at cracks in a child-welfare framework that enabled a runaway girl, pregnant from a rape, to be out of supervision month after month even though her case worker allegedly knew where she was and how she would run away.
Rider Trauma-Evacuated in Vehicle-v-Motorcycle Crash at Belle Terre and Royal Palms in Palm Coast
A motorcyclist was seriously injured in a crash with a vehicle at the intersection of Belle Terre Parkway and Royal Palms Parkway in Palm Coast in early evening Sunday. No one else was injured.
2 ‘Armed and Dangerous’ Teen Brothers Connected to Missing Man’s ‘Brutal Murder’ Sought
JoJo Lobato, 19, fled from Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies after he was pulled over driving the car of a man reported missing, and later found dead, in Polk County. His brother Angel Lobato refused to speak with deputies and was released. Now both brothers are wanted fugitives in connection with the death of Danne Frazier, 21.
Palm Coast Woman Faces Felony Animal Cruelty Charges in Theft and Death of 6 Koi Fish
Mary L.M. Cohill, a 32-year-old resident of Primrose Lane in Palm Coast, faces a series of felony and misdemeanor charges resulting from the alleged theft and actual death of six koi fish from a property on Malacompra Road in the Hammock between Nov. 9 and 10.
Sean Michael Henderson, 48, Dies of Self-Inflicted Gunshot In His Car Off SR11
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office investigated the death Monday morning of Sean Michael Henderson, 48, who took his life with a gun while parked in his car at property off State Road 11 in Bunnell, south of Cody’s Corner.
Text Alerting Family of an Ongoing Assault Leads Deputies to a Victim of Domestic Violence
A 29-year-old woman allegedly assaulted by her boyfriend as they drove through Palm Coast was fearful of calling 911, but a text to family helped lead deputies to her location Saturday.
Missing Almost 3 Weeks, Xandar Garrett, 13, Turns Up in Pinellas County After Running Away
Xandar Garrett, the 13-year-old boy who disappeared from his home on Oct. 22 after telling his step-mother he was going to walk the dog, was found safe in Pinellas County, where he’d run away.
Appeals Court Will Hear Challenge to Alachua County’s Mask Mandate
The Alachua County case, which will be heard Nov. 23 by a panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal, could serve as a test for mask requirements that have been approved in various parts of the state.
Flagler Jail’s ‘Homeward Bound’ Program Will Help Inmates Learn Skills for Employment
The first course offering will train inmates to design, develop and apply custom designed vinyl graphics onto vehicles. The course will focus first on applying the vinyl graphics to officially mark all FCSO patrol fleet vehicles.
Flagler’s 13 School Deputies Get Tactical Medical Training
Flagler Schools students had a day off but on Tuesday for Election Day, but the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Deputy Unit used the vacant rooms at Buddy Taylor Middle School to conduct tactical medical training for first responders.
4 Lone Rangers Arrested in Latest Solo Sex Patrol Operation at Graham Swamp
Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies and detectives arrested four men at Graham Swamp Tuesday afternoon in a sting operation after renewed reports that men were using the park to meet up for sex or pleasure themselves. It was the fifth such sting operation in nine years.
Holland and Klufas Hold On, Staly Wins Re-Election, Don O’Brien and Andy Dance Win County Commission, Ed Danko, Victor Barbosa Win Council Seats
With all early voting results counted, Sheriff Rick Staly had an insurmountable lead to win re-election to his second term, as did County Commissioner Donald O’Brien. Andy Dance, the school board member, also had an insurmountable lead to win the County Commission seat Charlie Ericksen opted not to contest.
As Flagler’s Covid Numbers Keep Going the Wrong Way, Even a Judge Says It Doesn’t Look Good for a Murder Trial
Nathaniel Shimmel, 25, faces a 1st-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of his mother in 2017. He’s willing to plea to 30 to 50 years. The state wants 35 to life. The trial, the oldest on Flagler’s docket, keeps getting delayed despite that mere five-year gap in the negotiations.
Supreme Court Rejects Death Row’s James Dailey’s Appeal in Murder of 14-Year-Old Girl
A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals disputed inmate James Dailey’s contention that newly discovered evidence would clear him in the murder of Shelly Boggio.
Joshua LeMaster, Wounded in August Shooting, Is Accused of Running Drugs Out of Econolodge Motel Room
Joshua LeMaster, a 25-year-old felon, sex offender and Palm Coast resident with no fixed address, who was at the center of a shooting on Hargrove Grade 10 weeks ago, was arrested along with his father for allegedly using an Econolodge room to run a drug operation.
Florida Supreme Court Will No Longer Review Death Sentences, Ending 50-Year Fail-Safe Step
The majority ruling was one of a series of opinions this year in which the Supreme Court, newly packed with right-wing judges, has reversed course on death-penalty and criminal legal precedents, opening the way to swifter and death sentences with fewer obstacles.
A Sexual Predator Released From Prison After 20 Years and Another on Probation Move to Palm Coast
Fabian Roger Padro, 58, moved to 23 Woodfield Drive in Palm Coast after 20 years in prison for kidnapping and raping a woman. Lori A. Szmuc, 52, moved to 4 Pinnell Lane after serving 4 years for raping a 13-year-old boy.
37-Year-Old Motorcyclist Is Killed, Rider Seriously Injured in US1 Crash South of Old Kings Road
A 37-year-old St. Augustine resident was killed and a his 49-year-old wife was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash on U.S. 1 south of Old Kings Road Thursday evening.
19-Year-old Flagler Beach Man Accused of Sexually Assaulting 14-Year-Old Girl at Bulow Plantation
Allen Ross Marine, a 20-year-old resident of Flagler Beach, is at the Flagler County jail since Monday on a charge of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl last September in his neighborhood in Bulow Plantation, off Old Kings Road.
Facing Life in Prison, Benjamin Allen, 18, Rejects 30-Year Offer; State Rejects 50-Year Limit for Shimmel in Mom’s Murder
Benjamin Allen, the 18-year-old Palm Coast resident accused of first-degree murder in the shooting death of 17-year-old Elijah Rizvan 15 months ago, and Nathaniel Shimmel, facing a similar charge in the stabbing death of his mother three years ago, are both set for trial after settlement offers were rejected. Shimmel goes to trial next week.
Flagler Sheriff Lands $530,000 Federal Grant to Improve Mental Health Among Jail Inmates
The grant will allow effective training, timely screening for mental illness and substance abuse, evidence-based treatment and case management for individuals involved in the criminal justice system.
A Week Before Prison Term Was to End, Palm Coast Man Faces Delayed Charges On Same 2-Year-Old Case
Brian Scott Odell, 37, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years in prison for unlawful sex with a 16-year-old girl, but now faces new charges from that same case, only because it took this long for investigators and the prosecution to produce the evidence. He was to be released to probation next week.
Woman Feared Dead from Drowning After 3 Are Pulled from Rip Currents off N. 3rd in Flagler Beach
Less than a month after a man drowned while swimming with his cousins off South 26th Street in Flagler Beach, two women and a man were pulled from the surf at North 3rd Street before noon today, one of them unresponsive.
Homeless Couple Arrested for Having Sex on Sidewalk Near PNC Bank off Belle Terre
A 42-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman, both homeless of long date in town, were arrested for having sex on a sidewalk by the PNC Bank building on Belle Terre Parkway in Palm Coast Wednesday.
Man Suspected of Robbery at Kay Jewelers in Target Shopping Center Is Arrested in Glare of Various Lenses
The arrest of Tyrone Hunter, 30, is the sheriff’s office’s latest based in large part on technological investigative means–surveillance video, license plate readers, the sheriff’s Real Time Crime Center, and the dot-connecting of the elements and eyewitness accounts by a detective.
From Unpredictable Encounters to Shots Fired, Flagler Sheriff’s Deputies Test Their Split-Second Judgments
A three-week training block is putting every one of the Flagler County Sheriff’s 235 road and corrections deputies through simulated, unpredictable and at times violent situations to test their judgments and evaluate their skills either at de-escalating tense situations or using the proper level of force when necessary.
Palm Coast Approves Addition of 3 Sheriff’s Deputies, Bringing City’s Total to 31, With More Anticipated
The Palm Coast City Council this morning approved the addition of three sheriff’s deputies for supplemental policing in the city, bringing the total of uniformed officers under contract to 31, and the cost of policing the city to $4.1 million.
Desmond Robinson, 56, Retired Cop Who’d Survived Notorious Shooting, Dies Following Motorcycle Crash
Desmond Robinson had retired to Palm Coast several years after he was shot four times in the back by a fellow cop who mistook him for a suspect on a New York subway platform in 1994. Robinson crashed his motorcycle in the F Section Thursday and later died at Halifax hospital.
Sheriff’s Deputy Loses Week and a Half’s Pay Over Abusive Encounter With Flagler Beach Police Officer
Diego Gonzalez, a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy with the agency since 2015, was suspended without pay for a week and a half–60 hours–and required to write a letter of apology to a Flagler Beach police officer Joseph McCraney.
Larry Jones, Flagler County Sheriff Candidate: The Live Interview
Democrat Larry Jones is a candidate for Flagler County Sheriff, challenging first-term Republican incumbent Rick Staly in the Nov. 3 election. This is a rematch from the 2016 race, when Staly defeated Jones in a three-way race, with 54 percent of the vote.
FHP Trooper Faces Hostile Discrimination Over Time Away on Military Service. Court Rules He Can’t Sue.
An Appeals court ruled that sovereign immunity protects state agencies like the Florida Highway Patrol from the lawsuit filed in 2014 by James Hightower, who alleged he faced a “hostile work environment” at the highway patrol because of leave he took for military duties.
Sheriff Investigating Death of a Man in an RV at Kohl’s Shopping Center
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office and the medical examiner are investigating the death of a man in his 40s in a recreational vehicle that had parked in front of Auto Zone in Palm Coast’s Kohl shopping Center off Belle Terre Parkway early this morning.
Flagler Beach Felon With a Record of Fraud and Theft Accused of Bilking 7 Residents of $2,000 in Puppy Scheme
Carissa Sarno, a 34-year-old resident of Flagler Beach, had served two years in state prison for fraud and grand theft. She is accused of deceiving and defrauding at least seven people who thought they were buying puppies from her.
Aaron Carpenter, 43, Faces Child Rape Charges Involving Girl Since She Was 12, Last Meeting Her at Palm Coast Hotel
Aaron Duane Carpenter, 43, is at the Flagler County jail on a first-degree rape charge involving a girl over whom he had custody. Carpenter blamed the girl for his behavior, saying “it just happened.”
Today’s Flagler Jail Bookings, Crime and Incident Reports for Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and Bunnell
Palm Coast and Flagler County jail bookings, day and night shift commanders’ crime and incident reports investigated by Sheriff’s deputies and archive.
Bunnell Resident Accused of Threatening Census Worker With Assault Rifle and Firing a Shot
Michael Cooper is a 32-year-old resident of 4758 Clove Avenue in Daytona North, is accused of pointing an assault rifle at a Census worker then firing a shot after the worker got in his car to leave.
Jevante Hamilton, 25, Indicted on 1st Degree Murder in Overdose Death of Timothy Davidson, 25
Hamilton is accused of killing Timothy J. Davidson, 25, by overdose on Aug. 24, 2019 in Palm Coast, after allegedly selling him fentanyl, and becomes the second man indicted on a murder charge following similar circumstances. In August, Joseph Colon, the first to be similarly charged in Flagler, was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Firefighter John Keppler Jr. Is Flagler’s Only Line-of-Duty Death. Florida and U.S. Honor Him. Flagler Does Not.
Even as John Keppler Jr., who died in 2002, has been previously honored by the state, Flagler County refuses to recognize his line-of-duty death–a recognition Keppler has received from two state memorials and one national memorial.
Statute of Limitations: Child Sex Abuse Victims Can’t Sue Church, Florida Supreme Court Rules
The Florida Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a statute of limitations bars two women from pursuing a lawsuit against an Orange County church and other defendants over allegations that the women were sexually abused by a church worker when they were children.
2 Men Pulled Out of Surf and Hospitalized, one in ICU, After Attempted Rescue of Their Cousin in Flagler Beach
Two men were pulled out of the ocean and hospitalized Thursday evening after they attempted to rescue a third man in distress off shore at South 26th Street in Flagler Beach Thursday evening. The third man made it to shore unharmed.
Sheriff’s Office Pairs Drive-Thru Halloween Trunk-or-Treat With National Night Out at Rymfire
For the first time, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office will pair its annual National Night Out with its inaugural Halloween Trunk-or-Treat event on Oct. 6 at the Rymfire Elementary bus loop, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Rick Staly, Flagler County Sheriff Candidate: The Live Interview
Rick Staly is the incumbent Republican is a candidate for Flagler County Sheriff, facing retired Sgt. Larry Jones, a Democrat, in the Nov. 3 election. This is a rematch from the 2016 race, when Staly defeated Jones in a three-way race, with 54 percent of the vote.
Former Star Teacher at Palm Coast’s Imagine School Is Indicted on Child Porn Charges in Oregon
Brett Cunningham, a former elementary school teacher at Imagine School at Town Center in Palm Coast, was indicted in Oregon last week on charges of allegedly possessing and duplicating child pornography.
Giovanne Sylvain, 18-Year-Old Matanzas Student Missing Since Friday, Is Feared Dead at Graham Swamp
Giovanne Sylvain, the 18-year-old resident of Palm Coast’s R-Section who had gone missing since Friday, after he left his home on a bicycle, is feared dead following the discovery Monday of a body floating in the small lake at Graham Swamp, off Old Kings Road, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said early this evening.
Bunnell’s Steven Lee Janvrin, 34, Dies of Suicide
Steven Lee Janvrin, a 34-year-old resident of Canal Avenue in Daytona North, also known as the Mondex, died of suicide by hanging the morning of September 22, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office reports.