Circuit Judge Terence Perkins today sentenced Brian Scott Wirth, 40, to life in prison on numerous counts of raping, abusing and humiliating his three children over many years, from the time they turned 5 or 6. Wirth had pleaded guilty and was hoping for a 35-year sentence.
Cops/Courts
Porch Piracy in Palm Coast: 2 Arrested on Felony Charges After Package Thefts in K-Section
With 1.7 million packages lost or stolen every day in the country, Palm Coast is no stranger to porch piracy, and on Tuesday two out-of-towners were arrested and charged with felony burglary for allegedly stealing packages from front porches in the K-Section.
Florida’s Black Lawmakers Call for Mandatory Body Cams, De-Escalation Training and Use-of-Force Database
Following the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in May and the ensuing summer of nationwide protests, the Florida Legislative Black Caucus is pushing a slew of bills for the 2021 legislative session that members say “promote fair and just” police reforms.
Confrontation at City Hall Prompts Palm Coast to Add Armed Security and Consider Metal Detector
Employees’ confrontation with a man who refused to wear a mask before a recent Palm Coast Council meeting was the last straw for the manager, who opted to add armed security and soon add a metal detector outside the public meeting venue. He said the generally more tense atmosphere here and elsewhere is prompting moves for greater security.
In Wake of Attempted Poisoning of Florida City’s Water, Palm Coast Manager Says System Here Is Safe
Palm Coast City Manager Matt Morton sought to reassure council members this morning about the safety of the city’s water utility system in light of last week’s attempted poisoning of Oldsmar’s water, in Tampa Bay.
Judge Rejects Publix Attempt to Dismiss Lawsuit Over Deli Employee’s Covid Death
The lawsuit, filed in November, contends that Gutierrez was infected in late March by another employee who came to work with Covid-19. It makes a series of allegations, including that Publix at the time prevented employees from wearing masks that could have prevented the spread of the disease.
Instead of 5 Years in Prison, Ex-Captain’s BBQ Manager Sentenced to 6 Months in Jail for Sex With a Minor
The sentence, negotiated with the victim’s family, was a significant reduction from the lowest-permissible sentence Deoliveira was facing, and the sort of sentence typically pronounced in such cases locally: at least five and a half years in prison, and a maximum of 15 years.
‘We Don’t Like Making These Arrests,’ Sheriff Says as 4th Student in 13 Days Faces Felony Charge Over Threats
In the latest case, the student was singing a rap song as he was walking into the school’s computer lab, and subsequently looked up guns and ammunition sites and pointed his iPad at a teacher and told her he was going to shoot her.
Federal Investigation Finds Staff Brutality and Sexual Abuse of Inmates at Florida Prison. State Demurs.
The federal investigation found “varied and disturbing reports” of sexual abuse, including rape, of female inmates by staff members at the state’s largest women’s correctional facility. State officials had documented and been aware of sexual abuse by sergeants, correctional officers and other staff at Lowell Correctional Institution in Ocala since at least 2006.
Appeals Court Orders New Bova Murder Trial: Judge ‘Abused’ Discretion By Denying Him Right to Represent Himself
The Fifth District Court of Appeal today ordered Joseph Bova re-tried for murder, 17 months after a jury found Bova guilty and a judge sentenced him to life in prison. The court ruled that Judge Terence Perkins was wrong to deny Bova his right to fire his attorneys and represent himself, no matter how much of a mess Bova would have made for himself.
Hurling Racist Invectives, Hammock Man Pulls Knife on a Deputy Whose Help He Was Seeking
Clayton Callahan, 30, became enraged and violent when the deputy he was asking to chase after an SUV that had allegedly driven off with his belongings was asking questions instead of immediately setting chase.
Palm Coast Fire Department Resumes Home Inspections Through Community Outreach Programs Following Covid Response
The City of Palm Coast Fire Department is resuming home safety inspections through its community outreach programs after suspending them in 2020 due to Covid-19.
Flagler Student Is Arrested on Felony Charge of Threatening School Shooting For 3rd Time in 8 Days
A 12-year-old student at Bunnell Elementary School on Wednesday told classmates not to show up for school today as he’d be shooting up campus. He was arrested and charged the way an 11-year-old and an 18-year-old were charged last week for similar, joking threats.
Palm Coast Man Arrested in Bogus Scheme to Frame Girlfriend’s Ex in Shootings
Ariel Diaz, a 35-year-old resident of Eastern Place in Palm Coast, was arrested Friday on charges of fabricating evidence, making up a story of being shot at, and making bogus calls to 911 in an alleged attempt to frame another man for supposedly shooting at him and his car. The other man previously dated the woman Diaz is now dating.
2 Buddy Taylor Middle Students Struck By a Car at Belle Terre and White View Parkway
Two eighth graders, students at Buddy Taylor Middle School, were struck by a car early Monday morning (Feb. 1) as they were walking to school, sheriff’s office and school officials say. Both students were taken to AdventHealth Palm Coast.
Edgar Alloway Jr., 77, Arrested at His Palm Coast Home Over a Dozen Images of Child Abuse
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office arrested Edgar Leon Alloway Jr., a 77-year-old resident of 18 Banton Lane in Palm Coast, faces 12 third-degree felony counts of possession of images of sexual abuse.
3 Arrested in Shooting Spree at K-Section House Involving 3 Guns and at Least 35 Bullets
Three men were arrested two minutes after they allegedly were involving in a shooting spree at a house on Kalamazoo Trail Thursday evening, a shooting that caused ripples of alarm in the neighborhood.
Two Flagler Beach Residents Arrested After Refusing to Comply With Mask Mandate at Commission Meeting
In a first at a local government meeting, two Flagler Beach residents were arrested Thursday evening after defiantly delaying a Flagler Beach City Commission meeting for 12 minutes, refusing to don a mask, in accordance with a city ordinance, and refusing to leave the commission room on their own. They were not arrested for a mask violation, but for trespassing after warnings.
Upholding Requirement, Court Compares Mask Mandate to Smoking Bans in Public Places
A state appeals court Wednesday rejected a challenge to a Palm Beach County requirement that people wear face masks in businesses and other public places to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
11-Year-Old Student at Palm Coast Catholic School Arrested Over Threats to Bomb Campus
For the second time in two days, a student in a Palm Coast school was arrested on a felony charge of related to threats against the school.
18-Year-Old Matanzas High Student Faces Felony Charge Over Song Threatening to Kill Administrator
Joseph Washington, a senior at Matanzas High School, wrote, sang, recorded and posted a song about a Matanzas administrator who’d suspended him over a dress-code violation. The song is a succession of obscenities, racism, sexual put-downs, misogynism, and explicit threats to kill not only the administrator but his family.
Flagler Sheriff Severs All Ties With Popular Christmas With a Deputy, Pivoting to Its Own ‘Shop With a Cop’
Last week, the Sheriff’s Office’s relationship with Christmas With a Deputy abruptly and surprisingly ended. Part of the rationale is entirely logical and reasonable. Part of it appears less so.
Appeals Court Sides With Hammock Association Against County and Developer on 240-Boat Storage Facility
The Hammock Community Association won another victory today as a district court denied the appeal by a developer of a lower court decision quashing redevelopment of a boat yard into a 240-boat storage facility next to Hammock Hardware on State Road A1A.
A Blustering Jonathan Canales Calls Court ‘Satanistic’ as He Loses Latest Appeal of Life-Term Conviction
Jonathan Canales, the 34-year-old former Mondex man serving a life term for shooting his then-girlfriend, accused the prison system of exposing him to beatings and the courts for being “satanistic” and skewed against defendants, but could not show any evidence that he’d had poor legal representation.
Daytona State College Campuses Evacuated Following Emailed Threat of ‘Shooting and Explosives’
An emailed threat sent to Daytona State College this morning prompted the immediate evacuation of the school’s buildings in Volusia County and the dispatching of police units to the Palm Coast campus.
Timothy Daniel Hardie, 56, of Palm Coast, Is Killed in Motorcycle Crash on U.S. 1
Timothy Daniel Hardie, a 56-year-old resident of North State Street in Bunnell, was killed Wednesday afternoon in a traffic crash on U.S. 1 in Ormond Beach, police said.
Sentenced to Life in Prison for Shooting Girlfriend, Jonathan Canales Returns to Court to Plead Leniency
Jonathan Canales was sentenced to life in prison for the attempted murder of Tiffany Norman in the Mondex in 2014 as her three children slept. He will represent himself when he appears before Circuit Judge Terence Perkins next week, arguing defendants’ last hope: that his attorney had been ineffective.
Flagler Grand Jury Issues 4 Indictments for Murder, 2 More in Drug Deaths, 2 in Killing of Deon O’Neal Jenkins
The indictments of Allyson Dawn Bennett, 39, and Javian Neesmith, 21, are Flagler County’s second and third for murder stemming from the death of individuals from drug overdoses–a relatively new, rapidly expanding but also increasingly controversial trend in criminal prosecutions that began with the emergence of the fentanyl epidemic.
Jared W. Douglas, 19, Arrested in Stabbing at Holland Park After Week of Posturing Texts
Jared Wayne Douglas, a 19-year-old resident of 23 Blare Castle Drive, was arrested Sunday night and charged in the stabbing of a 15-year-old boy at Holland Park. The 15 year old was air-lifted to a hospital in Orlando. He is expected to survive.
FBI Arrests Army Veteran Allegedly Plotting Attack on Pro-Trump Demonstrators in Tallahassee
Federal authorities have arrested a self-described anarchist on charges related to his alleged attempt to recruit the “like-minded” to violently disrupt the expected gathering by supporters of President Trump at the Florida Capitol through Inauguration Day.
Law Enforcement on Alert in Tallahassee In Response to FBI Warning of “Armed Protests” Ahead of Biden Inaugural
State and local law enforcement agencies in Tallahassee are bracing for potential protests at the Florida Capitol this weekend and early next week, although officials say there are no specific threats right now.
Flagler Kiwanis Donate New Sleuth of Bears to Sheriff’s Deputies on Patrol
The Club’s signature project “Bears-on-Patrol” was initiated in October 2019 to equip every Flagler County Law Enforcement vehicle with a supply of stuffed bears for officers to use when responding to calls ranging from traffic accidents, fires, and crime scenes, to domestic issues where a child is in a distressful situation and needs comfort and security.
After Molesting Her Mother Years Ago, Palm Coast Man, 70, Accused of Molesting Her Daughter, 15
James Lee McIntire of Florida Park Drive in Palm Coast faces a second-degree felony charge of molestation of a girl who’d been in his charge and who stayed with him every summer for 10 years.
Flagler Detectives Shut Down Bunnell Business Allegedly Used as Drug House, and Owned by Trafficker
Rodney Levon Hill, a 43-year-old resident of 17 Renmont Court in Palm Coast, was running a detailing business from a storefront on Hibiscus Avenue in Bunnell which the sheriff’s office says he used to sell drugs.
A Woman Is Shot in Palm Coast’s B Section, Her Partner Is Arrested, But For Different Reasons
Nicholas Edward LeBlanc, 36, of 6 Buffalo Bill Drive in Palm Coast, told deputies the shooting of his partner was accidental, though he gave conflicting accounts. He was arrested on charges of possessing a firearm by a convicted felon.
Three Floridians So Far Among 13 Arrested in Assault on U.S. Capitol
Three men identified as Floridians are among 13 individuals arrested for federal crimes involving the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. The U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday that Matthew Council of Riverview, Michael Curzio of Summerfield and Douglas Sweet were charged as part of an on-going investigation into the destruction of the building.
2 Arrested in ‘Targeted’ Circle K Murder in 2019 Following Extensive Investigation of 15 Months
A 15-month-long murder investigation the Flagler County sheriff called “the most extensive” in county history ended Thursday with the arrest of two men charged in the hit-style shooting at the Circle K on Palm Coast Parkway in October 2019. The shooting left Deon O’Neal Jenkins, 25, dead, and a friend injured.
Flagler Commissioners Strongly Repudiate Mullins Letter On County Letterhead Disputing Biden Election
Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins used commission letterhead, without other commissioners’ approval, to plagiarize a letter and send it to Florida’s congressional delegation, repeating baseless, false, misleading, conspiratorial and widely discredited claims that Biden’s election was fraudulent.
Witness and Deputy Pull Crash Victim Away from Flames on Palm Coast Parkway
Christina M. Atwell, 42, a witness who was first at the scene of the crash, was helping the victim and was soon joined by Flagler County Sheriff Austin Darlymple to pull 18-year-old Tyler C. Jacques away from flames that had engulfed his moped and the car that struck him.
Sharp-Eyed Policing on Christmas Leads to Man Packing Gallon-Sized Pot Stash and Buffet of Drugs
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office halted two alleged criminals in their tracks over the Christmas weekend by proactively investigating suspicious circumstances.
In-Person Jury Trials Suspended in Flagler Until at Least Late January as Covid Trolls
There will be no in-person jury trials in Flagler County until at least January 19 due to the very high incidence of coronavirus cases in the county. The county in the week ending last Saturday broke yet another record in confirmed cases for the previous seven days, with a total of 270, and a cumulative total exceeding 3,500.
Sheriff’s Deputies and Fire Flight Searching for Man in Palm Coast’s R-Section Following Armed Disturbance
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office this morning responded to a disturbance call on Rainbow Lane, involving a weapon. The firearm was located and not discharged, and there were no injuries. But the suspect fled on foot.
56-Year-Old Flagler Beach Man Surrenders Peacefully After Night of Threats and Barricading Himself For a Siege
Timothy Gibson, 56, who has a significant criminal history in the county, was arrested after a night of allegedly threatening to kill three women (his wife and daughter among them) and barricading himself with weapons against law enforcement in a siege of several hours.
Local Governments Seek Re-Hearing in Federal Case That Allowed ‘Conversion Therapy’ Targeting LGBTQ Youths
Local Florida ordinances that a federal court found unconstitutional had barred therapists from providing treatment or counseling that is designed to change minors’ sexual orientation or gender identity. Critics of such therapy say it harms minors who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
Fired Analyst Rebekah Jones Sues FDLE Over Search of Her Home
Attorneys for fired Florida Department of Health analyst Rebekah Jones, who has drawn national attention for her battles with the DeSantis administration, argued in the lawsuit that a search warrant to enter her home Dec. 7 “was obtained in bad faith and with no legitimate object or purpose.”
Taser Twice Fails to Stop Alleged Assailant as Flagler Sheriff’s Deputies Faces Suicide-by-Cop Situation
Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy Benjamin Stamps and other deputies on Sunday morning had a perilous encounter with a seemingly suicidal individual who would have normally been Baker Acted, but ended up facing numerous charges for allegedly assaulting the officers as he sought to be shot by the deputies. Stamps’s Taser twice failed to stop the individual in the encounter.
Man, 61, Killed in Midnight Crash at US 1 and Royal Palms; ‘Alcohol and Cocaine All Over the Car’
A 61-year-old man was killed in a single-vehicle crash on U.S. 1 and Royal Palms Parkway in Palm Coast shortly after midnight this morning. The cause of the crash is not known for now.
Man Arrested in Armed Road Rage Incident on Belle Terre Faces New Charge of Armed Burglary
The new charge against Robert Wilson, 21, of Palm Coast was related to a May 26 incident where Wilson is alleged to have threatened individuals with an ax after entering their home on Rolls Royce Court in Palm Coast, uninvited.
DeSantis Passes Over Rendzio and Names Kenny Janesk Judge in 7th Judicial Circuit, Which Includes Flagler
Janesk has been a prosecutor in the Seventh Circuit State Attorney’s Office since 2011, working as the managing attorney of the Putnam County office. The appointment fills the position vacated by Circuit Judge Patti A. Christensen, who stepped down at the end of September.
Flagler Sheriff’s Office Partners With Local Group to Repair Bicycles for Local Youth
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) donated 13 bicycles on Thursday from the abandoned property section of the FCSO Evidence Unit. These bicycles are in need of repair but have the potential to become a beloved form of recreation for a child.