Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) Deputy First Class (DFC) Daniel LaVerne was awarded the 2021 Distinguished Victim Services Award during a virtual version of the annual Victim’s Rights Week Ceremony hosted by Attorney General Ashley Moody.
Cops/Courts
Flagler Jail Deputy Disciplined Over Alleged Use of N-Word Against Inmate, Which He Denies
Flagler County Sheriff’s detention deputy Cpl. Peter Descartes served a one-day suspension without pay last month following an internal investigation over allegations that he referred to a Black inmate by a racist slur in November. Descartes is himself Black, and denied using the term saying he used a different word that sounds similar.
Christopher Holmes, 41, Faces Assault and Robbery Charges Following Series of Bizarre Palm Coast Incidents
Christopher Holmes, 41, stopped his car in the middle of intersections and walked around, ranting, allegedly stole a phone from a motorist, and tried to run over someone else Thursday afternoon as he supposedly was searching for his daughter in Palm Coast.
Florida Supreme Court Rejects Recreational Pot Amendment from 2022 Ballot
The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at allowing people to use recreational marijuana, saying it would be misleading to voters because it’s still illegal under federal law.
Sheriff’s Office Joins TikTok and Others to Discredit Vile but Viral Claim
The absurd claim is that laws against sexual assault would be suspended on April 24, enabling attacks or rapes without consequences.
Scenes of Disarray and Filth and 3 Neglected Children at West Bunnell Home Result in Arrest of Two Parents
Deputies and an employee from the Department of Children and Families witnessed scenes of extreme neglect in and around the house on County Road 75 this morning, after being called there by neighbors who kept hearing children wailing. The scene resulted in the arrest of the children’s parents.
Lawyers’ Group Sues DeSantis Over Protest-Crackdown Bill Two Days After He Signs It Into Law
Civil-rights attorneys are challenging a new set of state laws that establish a crime of “mob intimidation” and enhance penalties for riot-related violence and looting, arguing in a federal lawsuit that the measures unconstitutionally “seek to arrest the peaceful expression of free speech.”
Sheriff’s Ex-Detective Mark Moy Demoted to Civilian Status, Criminal Charge of Domestic Violence Dropped
Mark A. Moy, the long-time veteran of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office arrested in mid-February on a domestic battery charge, was suspended without pay for two months, demoted to civilian status without any law enforcement authority, placed on disciplinary probation for a year, and will be required to re-apply for a sworn deputy’s position as if he were starting over, his corporal rank now lost.
Head-On Crash on Belle Terre Parkway Results in 3 Trauma Alerts as Vehicle Drifts Into Southbound Lanes
A two-vehicle head-on Belle Terre Parkway early this afternoon required extrications of patients from both vehicles, the hospitalization of three people and the closure of Belle Terre’s southbound lanes from the north end of the Parkview Parkway loop.
Joe Mullins Faces $2.4 Million Federal Lawsuit Alleging He Defrauded Company of Augusta Masters Golf Tickets
Joe Mullins, the Flagler County Commissioner and business owner, faces a $2.4 million federal lawsuit over allegations he defrauded a golf vacation-package company by delivering either invalid tickets to the 2018 Augusta National Masters tournament or failing to deliver tickets in 2018 and 2019, costing the company hundreds of thousands of dollars and lost customers and ruining the company.
‘I Ain’t Going Peacefully,’ B-Section Felon Who’d Threatened Ex and Family Dares Cops in 3-Hour Standoff
Joseph Robert Bourke Jr., a 34-year-old resident of 130 Breeze Hill in Palm Coast and a felon several times over, had threatened to kill his girlfriend, put her family members in the hospital and intimated suicide by cop when contacted by a sheriff’s sergeant. A standoff ensued but ended peacefully with his arrest Saturday afternoon.
Facing Death by Lethal Injection, Derrek Perkins Pleads Guilty to Murdering His Wife and Gets Life in Prison
Derrek Perkins pleaded guilty to five charges, including murder, charges before Circuit Judge Howard Maltz in St. Augustine. The judge then sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The plea essentially spared Perkins his life–and spared prosecutors, defense lawyers and taxpayers years of litigation and appeals.
Flagler Beach Will Combine Prescription Drugs Take-Back Day With Golf Cart Registrations on April 24
Elected last month, Flagler Beach Mayor Suzie Johnston came up with the idea of combining a prescription drug take-back event with golf cart registrations. The city’s police chief will also go to the homes of those who prefer not to come out to drop off drugs.
Bill Criminalizing Or Increasing Penalties for Certain Protest Activities Heads to Gov. DeSantis
The sweeping proposal, titled “Combating Public Disorder,” would create a new crime of “mob intimidation,” enhance penalties for riot-related looting and violence and create an affirmative defense for individuals who injure or kill violent protesters.
Restaurant Owner Danny Catalan, Now a Felon, Sentenced to 6 Months in Jail and 4 Years’ Probation in 3 Cases
Arrested three times in six months, Daniel Catalan, 41, had threatened an employee he’d just fired, pointed a gun at a minor and battered a family member. He had faced up to 20 years in prison.
Palm Coast’s Sean Farrelly Sentenced to 30 Years In a Federal Case Misleadingly Termed ‘Sex Trafficking Of A Minor’
A federal judge sentenced Sean Patrick Farrelly, the former Palm Coast resident, to 30 years in prison for having enticed his girlfriend’s adopted daughter with money, alcohol, drugs and gifts a girl to have sex with him. Federal authorities classify the case as “sex trafficking.” Court proceedings shows otherwise–that Farrelly was a standard, brutal predator who cultivated a victim under his roof, fitting the profile of most sex crimes against children.
Palm Coast Man, 18, Arrested on Assault Charges of Running Over 17-Year-Old with BMW at Park Brawl
David Reis, 18, of Palm Coast’s R-Section, faces felony charges on accusations that he drove his BMW against a 17-year-old at the park. The arrest is the latest development in the park incident, disturbing for the breadth of the number of people involved and the seeming indifference of many of them to the violence unfolding in front of them, or their involvement in it.
Cyclist Killed on U.S. 1 Near Seminole Woods; Biker Who Crashed on I-95 on April 1 Dies from Injuries
Christopher Baxley, 27, was struck and killed while riding his bike on U.S. 1 near Seminole Woods Boulevard Sunday night. Earlier that day, the Florida Highway Patrol issued an update to an April 1 crash, reporting the death from his injuries of motorcyclist Tom Feretti, 61, who had crashed on April 1 on I-95 in Palm Coast.
14-Year-Old Girl Arrested in ‘Malicious’ Serial Brushfires at 5 Vacant Lots in Palm Coast’s B-Section
A 14-year-old resident of Palm Coast’s B Section and a student at Buddy Taylor Middle School was arrested Friday morning and charged with five felony counts over allegedly, maliciously starting fires at five locations that day, all of them in the B Section. The girl lives at a group home on Burgundy Place.
Flagler Sheriff’s School Deputy Christopher Alecrim Is Law Enforcement Explorer Post Advisor of the Year
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) is proud to announce that School Resource Deputy (SRD) Christopher Alecrim, was selected by the National Sheriff’s Association (NSA) as Law Enforcement Explorer of the Year.
17-Year-Old Girl Arrested and Accused of Repeatedly Tasing Boy in Violent, Mob-Like Brawl at Ralph Carter Park
A 17-year-old student at Matanzas High School was arrested on felony charges after allegedly repeatedly attacking another 17 year old with a taser during a brawl at Ralph Carter Park Wednesday afternoon that drew upward of 30 people, many of them participants who plied the victim with violence.
‘He Just Wacked Me With the Whip’: Mondex Man, 36, Faces Felony Child Abuse Charge
Brian Leonard Rock Jr., a 36-year-old resident of Spruce Street in Bunnell’s Mondex, is accused of using a whip to discipline his 14-year-old daughter, who also reported chronic abuse and a firearm brandished against her mother.
Sexual Predator Andrew Wilson Was Sentenced to 10 Years for Child Rape. He Was Just Released After Serving 6.
Andrew S. Wilson was sentenced to 10 years for repeatedly raping his step-daughter when she was between 9 and 12. He was released after just five last week, returning to Bunnell, and on Monday was reclassified a sexual predator after the court erred in 2016 when it classified him a sexual offender.
Palm Coast Tenant Jailed Over Death Threats Against Landlord. But Should He and His Family Have Been Evicted?
Anthony Douglas Debolt and his partner had lost their jobs during covid and fallen behind to the point of facing eviction from their R-Section house, and matters got worse as Debolt allegedly texted death threats to his landlord. But a federal order is in effect that protects some tenants from evictions,
Plan to Raze 4 Prisons and Eliminate 6,000 Beds Alarms Communities Attached to Jobs
A plan to shutter up to four state prisons is alarming officials in Florida’s rural regions where correctional institutions have played an outsized role in providing jobs and supporting businesses for decades.
As Jury Trials Are Set To Finally Resume for Good in Flagler, Judge Perkins Sends Reassurances to the Covid Leery
Potential jurors being are being reassured by Circuit Judge Terence Perkins, the senior and administrative judge in the county, that “every court process and procedure” has been reviewed “to ensure that your jury service is safe.”
Matanzas Student Who Wrote Song Threatening Dean’s Life Pleads to Deal That May Erase the Charge
Joseph Washington, 18, was arrested in January after Matanzas High faculty learned of a song he’d uploaded, threatening Tom Wooleyhan, a dean, by name. He was sentenced to 18 months’ probation on a third-degree felony charge, a plea deal the judge found surprising for its leniency. The charge will be dropped if Washington fulfills its terms over the next 18 months.
Aaron Thayer, Son of Man Vanished 6 Years Ago, Arrested on Attempted Murder Charge Involving Girlfriend
Aaron Thayer, 39, of Apricot Avenue in Daytona North–the son of George Contos, his father, whom he reported missing six years ago in suspicious circumstances–was arrested as he was allegedly chasing after his girlfriend with a gun in his waistband, after sending her written death threats.
Manslaughter Charge for Daughter Accused of Leaving Mom to Die Like a ‘Prisoner in a Concentration Camp’
Kim King Zaheer, 64, of Palm Coast, was booked at the Flagler jail on a first-degree felony manslaughter charge at the conclusion of a more-than two-year investigation in the death of her mother, Frances Hildegard King, who was found to have died of abuse, malnutrition and neglect in December 2018.
Car Burglary at Washington Oaks Targeting Tourists Leads to Felon Wanted in 2 Other States
Caisy Frank, 40, arrested on March 31 in connection with thefts of a gun and credit cards at a state park in Flagler County, has a long criminal history in at least four states, including a history in Flagler dating back to 2013.
Aggravated Stalking of Ex-Girlfriend Leads to Felony Charges Against Flagler Beach’s Robert Isenhour Jr.
Robert C. Isenhour Jr., 18, allegedly ridiculed his 18-year-old ex-girlfriend when she was in the process of filing an injunction against him, saying no judge or police would believe her. He was arrested after a incident of alleged stalking near the Golden Lion, the culmination of a month-long series of intimidating and threatening acts, according to police.
With Warning to the Gullible, a Bouncy Sheriff’s Office Launches Deputies on New Transportation Unit
On April 1, 2021, Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) launched the newest Transportation Unit (T.U.), enabling officers to jump higher and help the community faster.
Judge Rules Against Excluding Key Interview with Detectives in Larry Cavallaro Rape Case as Details Emerge
Cavallaro, a former gallery owner in Flagler Beach who divided his time between Winter Park and the beach town, was arrested on June 12, 2019, on a first-degree felony rape charge stemming from an allegation that he drugged and raped 40-year-old woman who had gone to visit him there with a friend. He’s been free on $100,000 bond.
Dog Found Agonizing in a Ditch, Possibly Victimized as Bait Dog, Has Died; Answers Sought and Reward Offered
Grace, a 7 or 8-year-old pit bull, was discovered Sunday in a ditch in Espanola in agony and bearing signs of being a bait dog. By Monday morning she had died, but galvanized efforts to find her abusers. A fundraiser before she died raised $8,000 for her care.
Sheriff’s Detectives Had Friday Shooting Suspect Brenan Hill, a Fugitive, in Custody Within Hours
Brenan Robert Hill, 32, wanted on felony charges from Pennsylvania, was the man who drove the woman who was shot Friday near the Microtel in Palm Coast, and is a suspect in the shooting, though the Sheriff’s Office is not yet saying so.
Deputies Respond to Rash of False Claims of Shootings in Latest Round of Resource-Wasting ‘Swatting’
Deputies responded to three crank, or “swatting,” calls alleging murder, one of them involving a C-Section address previously and repeatedly targeted by such calls. In every case, deputies responded as they would to any emergency, scrambling resources.
Florida House Passes Controversial Bill Criminalizing Or Increasing Penalties for Some Acts at Protests
The sweeping bill would, among other things, create a new crime of “mob intimidation” and stiffen penalties for injuring police officers during protests that become violent. Also, it would establish an “affirmative defense” for defendants in civil lawsuits involving deaths, injuries or property damage if the injuries or damages were sustained while plaintiffs were participating “in furtherance of a riot.”
Shooting In Area of Palm Coast’s Microtel Leaves Woman in Critical Condition, No Assailant in Custody
A shooting in the area of Palm Coast’s Microtel on Kingswood Drive, off Old Kings Road, left a woman in critical condition and mobilized a large number of Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies, detectives and crime scene investigators, who are hunting for clues about the incident. No assailant is in custody.
Ex Palm Coast Gang Leader Brandon Washington Gets Another Chance to Contest 4 Life Sentences
The Fifth District Court of Appeal today ruled in favor of Brandon Washington’s appeal on three grounds, among them that his attorney did not present evidence or a witness who could have provided an alibi, undermining the state’s claim that Washington was at the scene of the 2007 home invasion and murder that led to his trial and conviction.
No, Self-Driving Tesla Was Not on Autopilot When It Took Wrong Turn or Backed Into Flagler Sheriff’s Patrol Car
Contrary to a sheriff’s release disseminated to media today, a Tesla could not have been on autopilot when it mildly crashed into a patrol deputy’s car during a traffic stop, nor could the Tesla have taken a wrong turn out of Wawa, since the self-driving vehicles’ capabilities are limited in city driving. But misconceptions about increasingly popular self-driving cars are common.
Stabbings and Shooting Land Man and Woman in Jail in Bizarre Toaster of Conflict in Mondex
Dwayne Troy Dameron, a 51-year-old resident of County Road 75 in Bunnell, and Nichole M. Beard, a 40-year-old resident of Nutwood Avenue in the Mondex, or Daytona North, were both jailed Wednesday in connection with the stabbing and shooting of Jesse William Kumpf, Beard’s 39-year-old boyfriend and neighbor.
Sheriff Staly Honored as Golden Eagle by Boy Scouts of America on May 12
The Flagler County Golden Eagle Event, hosted by the Central Florida Council Boy Scouts of America. The Golden Eagle Dinner event brings together Flagler County’s top corporate and community leaders each year to honor an outstanding member of the community.
Aggravated Assault and Child Abuse or a Dad Protecting His Sons? Confrontation With Teen Lands Parent in Jail.
Jason Ian Binns, a 48-year-old resident of Bayside Drive in Palm Coast, was jailed Monday on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and felony child abuse, both third-degree felonies, following a confrontation on and near his property with a teen he says was threatening to beat up his son.
A Ghost Bike for Flagler Beach’s Frederick Martinez, Lost to a Crash Eight Years Ago
51-year-old Frederick Martinez of Flagler Beach was riding his bike on the side of State Road 100 toward home eight years ago when he was struck and killed by a work van. His daughter Tiffany tells the story of the “Ghost Bike” memorial that marked the eight anniversary of the crash.
‘Career Criminal’ Who Spent 17 Years in State Prison Is Arrested Over St. Mary’s Thrift Shop Burglaries
Michelle M. Wilburn, a 51-year-old resident of west Flagler, twice sentenced to state prison for burglary and violent crimes, is the second suspect arrested in a rash of burglaries at a Catholic Church’s thrift store used to raise money for the needy and for church functions.
Palm Coast’s Lamar Johnson, 40, Dies After Driving Car Into Canal Off Club House Drive
The body of Lamar M. Johnson, 40, was recovered from the canal between Carol and Cardwell Court, near Club House Drive, late Thursday night after Johnson had driven his car into the water. The cause of the crash is not known.
Another Routine Traffic Stop Turns Violent, Leading to Arrest of Armed Fugitive Wanted for Murder
A traffic stop for speeding at Wawa in Palm Coast Wednesday night was the fourth seemingly routine traffic stop or street encounter in the last eight days that turned violent on local roads, this time leading to the arrest of a 21-year-old man wanted for murder in Georgia. He was carrying a loaded gun.
Draft Report on Flagler County Fire Department Finds Low Morale, Lack of Pride and Internal Dysfunctions
The report, underscoring internal dysfunctions and a lack of leadership, has been circulating within the administration for weeks, eliciting questions from administrative and elected officials, and may be ready for the commission in about two months.
Flagler District Enables Parents to Track Children’s School Bus in Real Time Through App
The app is designed to improve safety and peace of mind for students and parents, reducing unnecessary wait times at bus stops, which have been and continue to be the site of accidents involving children and vehicles across the country.
Jury Summonses Fail to Go Out In Time, Again Delaying In-Person Jury Trials in Flagler
Contrary to the court system’s announcement last week that in-person trials could resume in Flagler this week, a vendor snafu with jury summonses caused the trials to be delayed yet again, to mid-April.