Gary Hills, 68, of 71 Sandy Beach Walk in north Flagler, had allegedly held his wife hostage overnight after beating her, holding a gun to her head and threatening to kill her, the dog and himself, before shooting himself just as deputies were knocking at his door Wednesday morning.
Cops/Courts
Sheriff Prepares Shift to Enforcement of Quarantine and Stay-Home Orders Amid Questions; Restrictions in Effect Friday
What will enforcement of mandatory stay-home orders look like in Palm Coast and Flagler, for residents and coronavirus-infected individuals? Sheriff Rick Staly and Emergency Management Chief Jonathan Lord have been pouring over the orders in preparation.
One Killed, Two Critical in 2-Vehicle Crash on U.S. 1 in at CR 200 in South Flagler
A 59-year-old Palm Coast resident was killed and two people were in critical condition following in a two-vehicle crash Wednesday morning on U.S. 1 at County Road 200, in the community of Favoretta, just north of Plantation Bay.
Flagler’s Covid-Emergency Officials Want More Testing and Uniform Orders But Can’t Say When Either Will Happen
Flagler County’s first-ever virtual news conference revealed the fissures between the state’s patchwork approach to stay-at-home orders and local officials’ desire for more. And it underscored a persistent lack of sufficient testing that would enable health officials to conduct broader surveillance testing and better grasp the true extent of infections locally.
Overdose Death of Tara Sanfilippo, 28, Caps Two Dozen Police Responses to House on Belleaire Drive in 2 Years
The house at 39 Belleaire has been the subject of a law enforcement response an average of once a month for the past two years–no fewer than 24 responses since April 2018, responding to disturbances, servicing warrants, a Baker Act, probation checks and an overdose just months ago.
Appeal Court Upholds 4-Count Felony Convictions Of Kimberle Weeks, Who Will Now Have To Serve Jail Time
State Attorney Jason Lewis had aggressively prosecuted Kimberle Weeks as a crude, arrogant official who had abused her position and flouted the law, insulting other people in office while ironically casting herself as an anti-corruption crusader.
No-Go Orders On Flagler’s 18 Miles of Beaches: Some Defiance in County, ‘Stellar’ Compliance in Flagler Beach
A few people were defying the coronavirus-inspired order to stay off Flagler’s beaches in the mistaken belief that their were on their own private property, but on the whole people were complying well.
Flagler Beach Police Officer Tests Positive for Covid-19, City Manager Larry Newsom in ‘Self-Isolation’
A 45-year-old Flagler Beach police officer has tested positive for Covid-19. In an unrelated development, Flagler Beach City Manager Larry Newsom fell ill and has been in self-isolation at his home since this morning. The police department is monitoring itself but is not in isolation.
Giorgio Del Mastro, 68, Is Killed in I-95 Crash With Wandering Bull; 5 Injured, 7 Vehicles Involved
Giorgio Del Mastro, 68, a resident of Ontario, was killed late Saturday night after the BMW he was driving collided with a wandering bull on I-95 just south of the intersection with State Road 100 in Palm Coast.
Flagler Covid-19 Cases Up to 3 as Health Department Kicks In ‘Contact Tracing’ and Palm Coast Hunkers Down
The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Flagler is now three, Department of Health figures indicate in the daily, midday update, up from one the evening before, as the department is tracing down who patients have had contact with, and where.
Flagler Beach and Flagler County Will Close 18 Miles of Beaches Monday Morning As Florida Infections Soar
Flagler Beach and Flagler County are closing their beaches to the public starting at 6 a.m. Monday, joining a growing list of coastal communities and counties, in Florida and elsewhere, doing likewise in an increasingly strict response to the coronavirus.
Florida Prisons Stop Accepting New Inmates from Counties
The decision to curtail the flow of inmates into the state prison system, which houses roughly 96,000 offenders, comes a week after Department of Corrections officials canceled visitation until April 5.
With Bogus Claims About Sunshine and Saltwater, Flagler Beach Commission Won’t Close Beach For Now
The chairman of the Flagler Beach City Commission, the police chief and the parks and recreations director all cited bogus and debunked claims about either saltwater or sunshine’s supposedly beneficial effects against the coronavirus.
Close the Damn Beach Already
By keeping the beaches open, Flagler and Flagler Beach officials are wanting it both ways. They’re sending contradictory messages and enabling irresponsibility. They’re issuing visas to the virus.
Flagler Circuit’s Chief Judge Issues Order With Potentially Extraordinary Measures as Florida Covid-19 Cases Double in 2 Days to 319
The court system’s new restrictions reveal the potential for extraordinary, court-ordered measures in answer to the coronavirus emergency, pointing to the sort of unprecedented role the courts and law enforcement may be taking on in the weeks and months ahead.
2 Flagler Sheriff’s Deputies, “Multiple” EMPros and AdventHealth Palm Coast Personnel on Quarantine as Protocols Evolve
The two Flagler sheriff’s deputies were on a death investigation involving a man who died of the flu. EMPros manages emergency departments in several cities in Volusia and Flagler. One of its physicians and the Assistant EMS Medical Director for all EMS agencies in Flagler County was placed under quarantine.
Volusia Sheriff Chitwood Releases Numbers Health Department Is Censoring and Criticizes ‘Lack of Certain Information’
“When the public is kept in the dark and when their legitimate questions aren’t answered several days into a national emergency, that’s when we start to see panic,” Sheriff Chitwood writes.
Palm Coast Cancels All City-Sponsored Activities and ‘Non-Essential’ Meetings and Restricts Access to Fire Stations
Palm Coast government Saturday afternoon announced that all city-run activities at city facilities are cancelled from Sunday, March 15, at least through Saturday, March 21. The city will reevaluate scheduled events on a weekly basis.
Schools Closed Through March 30, Jury Trials at Flagler Courthouse Suspended as Coronavirus Fallout Continues
All jury trials have been suspended at the Flagler County courthouse through March 30, and all public schools in the state have been ordered to remain closed through March 30 as well.
In Stunning Reversal, Florida Supreme Court Rules Juvenile Prison Sentences May Exceed 20 Years
The 4-1 decision stunned public defenders, who expressed concern not only about its implications for juvenile sentencing but also about a reshaped court emboldened to revisit issues the legal community had considered settled.
Pick-Up Driver Deborah Perfetto, 60, Is Killed, Capping 4 Crashes Involving 9 Vehicles in 4 Hours on I-95
It all happened within a four-mile stretch of I-95 northbound in Palm Coast between 3 and 7 p.m.: four crashes involving a combined nine vehicles, none with serious injuries until the fourth crash, which claimed the life of a pick-up driver.
Long-Awaited CDC Report on Disused Sheriff’s Operations Center Lands With Thud
County and sheriff’s officials have moved on, making the recently delivered CDC report on the old Sheriff’s Operations Center essentially moot, and largely redundant anyway.
Bunnell Police Conducting Death Investigation in Shooting of Man in Duplex on S. Bacher Street
A man died of a gunshot early this afternoon at 203 South Bacher Street in Bunnell, in the nearby presence of two other individuals. The Bunnell Police Department was conducting what it was calling a death investigation.
Money Issues Raise New Questions on Locating Sheriff’s Operations Center Near Palm Coast Library
Architectural and engineering plans are continuing for the new Sheriff’s Operations Center in Palm Coast, but its location is again in question as the county faces new financial challenges and commissioners consider options.
Palm Coast Man Accused of Threatening Ex’s Life Over Food Stamps Card at Her Workplace
Travis Montrell Williams, 40, is accused of going to his ex-girlfriend’s workplace at an assisted living facility in Palm Coast and threatening her life over the food stamps card she had. The sheriff assisted in the arrest.
‘I’m Tired and Sorry to Pick This Way to Go,’ Elderly Palm Coast Man Writes Wife Before Suicide
Robert Reinert, 88, of Palm Coast, wrote to his wife that he did not wish to end up in a hospital, hooked up to things just to prolong his life, before ending it on Feb. 6.
Firefighters Battle 10-Acre Wildfire at Seminole Woods Blvd. and Sloganeer Trail in Palm Coast
Firefighters from three agencies were battling a fire that had grown to 10 acres by mid-afternoon in a heavily wooded area at Seminole Woods Boulevard and Sloganeer Trail in Palm Coast today.
Teacher and Ex-Matanzas Coach Ripley Faces Accusation of Excessive Force With Special Ed Student, 8
Wadsworth ESE teacher Robert Ripley was caught on school video twice pushing an 8-year-old student, behavior deemed impermissible by the school board attorney, in an incident that took place just one day after another ESE teacher was fired for using excessive force toward a student.
False Coronavirus Alarm at AdventHealth Palm Coast Briefly Heightens Anxieties Before Case Is Ruled Out
The case illustrated the heightened awareness–and fears–surrounding the outbreak, which has not yet spread to Florida with the exception of two cases in the Tampa area, and the knowledge gap that may be pushing some health workers too quickly to go on the alert.
2 Brothers Face Child Neglect Charges After Uncle Is Accused of Hiding Pot Stash in 11-Year-Old’s Underpants
A man and his brother were charged with child neglect after the man’s brother hid a stash of pot in his 11-year-old nephew’s underwear before a traffic stop.
Judge Sets Stern Ground Rules Ahead of Keith Johansen Murder Trial in Shooting Death of Brandi Celenza
The trial judge admonished the families of both Brandi Celenza and Keith Johansen after a hearing where he’d ruled on admitting or limiting variously disturbing evidence-and prohibiting prejudicial courtroom antics in the gallery.
Two Espanola Parents Arrested After 5 Children Lived in Filth, Fear and Neglect for Years
DCF took custody of five children–ages 12, 11, 7, 3 and 2–who year after year had been either homeless or living in a deplorable house in Espanola. Their parents, Tiffany Berry and Nicholas Carter, were arrested for neglect.
How the School District Allowed “Rocco” Paffumi To Keep Teaching Despite 5 Violent Incidents
Jeffrey Rocco Paffumi, the former Buddy Taylor Middle School teacher who physically threw a student out of class in January, had a long and documented history of violent behavior in and out of the district, including two arrests and at least five previous instances of violent behavior toward students or adults, men and women–in 2007, 2010, 2012 and 2014. Yet he was allowed to keep teaching.
Pedestrian Killed in Hit-and-Run on SR 100 Near Bunnell; Van Driver Later Caught in Putnam
A man in his 20s walking along State Road 100 just west of County Road 302 was killed this afternoon after he was struck by a white van that kept going.
15-Year-Old Mondex Boy Arrested on Child Porn Charges in Isolated Example of Rampant Crisis
The 15-year-old boy had allegedly produced child pornography, exploiting a child known familiarly to him, and traded and sold images or videos, knowing it was wrong, for “a couple of hundred” dollars.
One Suicide and Two Attempted Suicides in Three Days in Palm Coast
A 58-year-old woman who suffered from depression for years took her life on Sunday. A 14-year-old girl despondent over a break-up and a depressed 20 year old attempted suicide on Friday and Sunday.
2 Homeless Deaths in 24 Hours: Bunnell Police Investigating Death of Man Found By Branch Library
A homeless man who was known often to frequent the Bunnell Branch Library was found dead outside the building early Monday morning by the library’s branch manager. The death is not believed to be a homicide, but an investigation is ongoing.
Homeless Person Found Dead as Firefighters Battle Small Blaze Near Car Wash on Palm Coast’s Cypress Edge
A homeless person was found dead in suspicious circumstances as firefighters battled a small fire in the wooded, vacant land between Superwash Express and the construction zone for a new assisted living facility off Cypress Point Parkway in Palm Coast Sunday night.
Palm Coast’s Brian McCracken, 42, Is Killed in Ormond Beach Crash
Brian McCracken, a 42-year-old resident of Palm Coast, was killed Saturday night in a three-vehicle crash at the intersection of U.S. 1 and Broadway Avenue in Ormond Beach, just south of the interchange with I-95.
Jason Minton, a Sex Offender, 43, Accused of Kidnapping and Raping Flagler Beach Woman, 23
Jason Minton, 43, a DeLand registered sex offender, is accused of kidnapping and raping a Flagler Beach woman after allegedly drugging her at River Grille restaurant in Ormond Beach Wednesday.
Jury Doesn’t Buy “Outlandish” Conspiracy Theory and Convicts 54 Year Old Mondex Man of Sex With Minor
Tonda Royal was 52 when a 16-year-old Mondex girl accused him of raping her. He claimed the only way his DNA was in her is because another woman took his used condom and handed it to her to implicate him.
Rebuking DeSantis, Federal Appeals Court Rules Florida Can’t Bar Felons From Voting Over Unpaid Fees
The Florida law enacting Amendment 4 “unconstitutionally punishes a class of felons based only on their wealth,” the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a unanimous decision. But it applies only to 17 felons named in the suit for now.
DeVantell Cooper, Wanted in Shooting at U.S. 1 Roundabout, Is Arrested in Daytona Beach
DeVantell Rashaun Cooper, a 27-year-old resident of Flagler and Volusia counties with an extensive criminal history, is accused of firing a gun twice at an individual in another car while circling the roundabout on U.S. 1 on Jan. 12.
Jerrard Moore, Felon Several Times Over, Arrested Over Threatening Ex and Another Woman With Shotgun
Jerrad Moore’s 26-year-old ex-girlfriend had asked him to leave their house. He showed up at her workplace and allegedly pulled a shotgun on her and the woman she was working for in Palm Coast.
Charged With Statutory Rape, Man’s Defense Invokes Racial Allusions and Lies, But DNA Says Otherwise
Tonda Royal, 53, is on trial this week on an accusation of unlawful sex with a 16-year-old girl in the Mondex. Despite uncontested DNA evidence, the defense claims the girl is lying and was part of a plot to damage Royal’s reputation.
1st-Degree Felony Charges for 2 Palm Coast Men Accused of Beating up 70-Year-Old Man Over Road Incident
Alex Fregulia, 18, and Leonardo Silva, 20, of Palm Coast, each faces first and third-degree felony charges following an alleged assault on a 70-year-old man that may have been triggered by a road-rage incident Friday.
Arthur Enos, 81, Dies in Suicide Near Outback, Moments After a 2-Hour Dinner
Arthur Raymond Enos, 81, of Palm Coast, took his life with a gun late the evening of Feb. 14 behind Outback Steakhouse, after he’d spent two hours at the restaurant.
‘Shocked and Gravely Concerned,’ Domestic Violence Leaders Support Investigations and Seek to Reassure Donors
Trish Giaccone, who heads Flagler County’s shelter for victims of domestic and sexual violence, issued a pair of letters supporting the ongoing investigations in the state domestic violence agency’s spending and pledging transparency.
Three Fires in Volusia and Ocala Forest Are Sending Smoke Over Flagler
Three controlled or “prescribed” fires burning to the southwest and the west are sending plumes of smoke and acrid smells over Palm Coast and Flagler County.
Motorcyclist Dennis Corbin, 36, Killed on U.S. 1 Near Matanzas Woods Parkway Roundabout Construction
Dennis Karr Corbin, a 36-year-old resident of Live Oak in north Florida who cherished motorcycles and the outdoors, was killed early Sunday morning as he rode his motorcycle on U.S. 1 in the area of the construction zone near Matanzas Woods Parkway.