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.
Cops/Courts
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.
Trump Supporter’s Obscenity-Laced Video Against Democrats in Town Center Draws Sheriff’s and Bi-Partisan Rebuke
Sheriff Rick Staly called for calm in the election season after a Palm Coast man’s video of himself hurling obscenities and provoking Democrats at a Town Center rally circulated on Facebook. Democrats, Republican and Trump Club officials all denounced the video.
Palm Coast Man Faces Felony Charge Over Laser-Pointing at Helicopter During Search for Another Suspect
Gregory Marr of Palm Coast’s C-Section, who was at the center of a notorious arrest involving a weapon in 2016, faces a second-degree felony. Pointing a laser at an aircraft is also a federal crime.
Flagler Sheriff’s New Real-Time Crime Center Merges Tactics, Technology and Powerful Surveillance Tools
The age of command, control, surveillance and crime-fighting in real time is here, and its nerve center at the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, operational since spring, is the Real-Time Crime Center. The sheriff opened it to reporters on Wednesday.
DeSantis Election-Keyed Proposal to Criminalize Certain Acts at Protests Sparks Partisan Furor
The proposal comes as Republicans double down on efforts to deliver a second presidential victory to Trump in Florida, a battleground state with 29 prized electoral votes, on Nov. 3.
DeSantis Calls for Criminalizing Numerous Acts By Protesters While Protecting Those Who Hurt Them
DeSantis, a staunch supporter of Trump, calls for new felony crimes when property is damaged or when people are injured as a result of protests while drivers would not be liable for injuries or deaths “caused if fleeing for safety from a mob.”
Bunnell’s Jay Pringle, 57, Critical, Son Jaymes, 17, Seriously Injured Following Crash on SR40
Jay Pringle, a 57-year-old resident of Bunnell, is in critical condition, and his 17-year-old son Jaymes was in serious condition following a head-on crash on State Road 40 Saturday afternoon (Sept. 19) that also resulted in the death of a 75-year-old Daytona Beach man and injuries to two other passengers.
Sheriff’s Office Partners With 7-Eleven in 25th Anniversary Celebration of ‘Operation Chill’
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) will be collaborating with 7-Eleven Inc. for their annual ‘Operation Chill’ Campaign. For a quarter-century, Operation Chill, 7-Eleven Inc.’s longest running community service program, has given local law enforcement an opportunity to make a positive connection with kids through free Slurpee drink coupons. Each coupon can be redeemed for […]
Covid-Era Rarity: Flagler and St. Johns Courthouses See Two Trials to Completion in One Day
Circuit Judge Terence Perkins has been willing to hold relatively swift, uncomplicated trials, but not more involved homicide cases, at least three of which are awaiting their day in court.
Appeals Court Hears Challenge to Schools Using Non-Cops as Armed Security on Campuses
A controversial state program that allows school “guardians” to carry guns on campus came under scrutiny Tuesday, as an appeals court heard arguments in a legal challenge to Duval County’s “school safety assistants.”
How Detectives Used Facebook, Cell Phone Records and Tag Readers in Home-Invasion Armed Robbery Arrest
The story behind the latest arrest is a window into detectives’ methods, illustrating how the use of technology such as license plate readers, search warrants for cell phone records and Facebook accounts, and old-fashioned on-the-ground interviews combined to help connect the dots and build a case against an otherwise elusive suspect.
Haunted by Covid, Palm Coast and Sheriff Prepare for Halloween With Balance of Tradition and Safety
While such standard events as the Palm Coast Fire Department’s Hall of Terror have been cancelled, Parkview Church’s mega trunk-or-treat event will unfold as a drive-through version, and the sheriff is adding a drive-through event in early October.
Unanimous Supreme Court Says DeSantis Violated ‘Constitution’s Clear Commands’ and Rejects His Pick
In a rebuke to Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Florida Supreme Court on Friday unanimously rejected his selection of a circuit judge to serve on the Supreme Court and gave the governor until noon Monday to appoint another candidate from a list of nominees offered early this year.
12 Arrests, 27 Warrants For Frequent Flagler Drug Suspects as Sheriff Notes Sharp Rise in Overdoses
There have been 179 suspected drug overdoses in Flagler County so far in 2020, up 189 percent from 2019, Sheriff Rick Staly said during a live-streamed news conference about the latest sweep of local suspected drug dealers.
Joey Renn Jr., 21, Charged With Vehicular Homicide in Death of Logan Goodman, 14, in Woodlands
Using video footage, a traffic homicide investigator clocked Joey Renn going 109 miles per hour on his Suzuki motorcycle before impact after failing to negotiate a curve in Palm Coast’s Woodlands.
Renatha Francis’s Appointment to Florida Supreme Court Draws Renewed Challenge
Rep. Geraldine Thompson’s attorneys challenged the constitutionality of the appointment and contended that the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission should provide a revamped list of candidates to DeSantis.
Recently Out of Prison, Delenzo Aaron, 32, Re-Arrested on Kidnapping Girlfriend and 6 Other Charges
Delenzo Aaron, 32, had been released from state prison in April and was staying at his mother’s house in Palm Coast when he allegedly took his girlfriend through a nightlong ordeal, resulting in her hospitalization.
Palm Coast’s Garrett “Baby Dyce” Dunn Calls 911 then Shoots Himself on Brittany Lane
Garrett Dunn, 31, had built a following on YouTube as Baby Dyce, with over 3,200 subscribers, reviewing music and comedy clips on his channel with affable humor and raw language.
Police Chiefs Issue Use-of-Force Report With Premium on ‘Preservation of Life’ and Calm Communication
The Florida Police Chiefs Association has issued a report calling for a series of steps, ranging from largely banning chokeholds and other neck-related restraints to stepping up recruitment of police officers who would better reflect communities.