Mark Sousa, a Flagler County Sheriff’s detention deputy for the past year, was severely injured on July 5 when the motorcycle he was riding off duty swerved off of Palm harbor Parkway and ejected him. The wreck took place at 1:34 a.m. Sousa was not wearing a helmet.
Cops/Courts
Palm Coast Man Faces Child Abuse and Assault Charges After Firing a .357 During an Argument
James d’Esposito and his wife had just been celebrating his 43rd birthday when, back home, an argument exploded, with three children at home, and D’Esposito retrieved a gun, fired it, and was heard threatening to kill himself.
Gov. Scott Gives Up Drug-Testing Half of State’s Workers, But Still Aims Pee Cup at Rest
The governor has not conceded that forcing state employees to undergo urinalysis is unconstitutional despite lower court rulings that spurred the concessions. The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year refused to take up the case, but it is believed Scott will again ask the high court to rule on the case if he ultimately loses in lower court proceedings.
Divided and in Crisis, Bunnell Begins Deep Cuts to Close $844,000 Gap But Police Department Survives, For Now
The Bunnell City Commission in a tension-filled, four=-hour meeting Monday voted 3-2 to eliminate code enforcement and the humane society, among a list of cuts, but delay eliminating the police and grants department for two weeks, giving department heads time to make their case for survival.
New Flagler Jail and Sheriff’s HQ Cost Estimates Stun Officials, Who Call It “A Setback”
Construction cost estimates for the new jail came in at $22 million, far more than the county’s plan for $14 to $15 million, while the Sheriff’s Operations Center at the old Memorial Hospital came in at $6.2 million, instead of around $5 million.
Mobil Station on SR100 Vandalized; Deputies Make 30 Arrests Over July 4 Weekend
The Mobil gas station and convenience store on Palm Coast’s State Road 100, near I-95–notorious for being the site of the execution-style murder of a store clerk 17 months ago–was vandalized by a 19-year-old Palm Coast resident Thursday, and Charles Cowart was among the 30 people arrested over the holiday weekend.
Can Felons, Barred From Carrying Weapons, Still Claim Stand Your Ground? Court Will Decide.
The Florida Supreme Court will consider whether convicted felons have the right to claim immunity under the state’s controversial “stand your ground” self-defense law, even if they are barred from possessing guns in the first place.
Flagler Firefighter’s 3-Year-Old Son Burned in Campfire Accident Now Recovering at Home
Chase Price got 2nd and 3rd degree burns on 20 percent of his body—on his back and on his legs. He was treated at Shands’ burn unit and released on Tuesday to continue recovering at home. A fund-raising campaign was set up to help the family.
Lawsuit and Ethics Charge Cite Flagler Commissioner Revels Ties to Business Associate in County’s Old Hospital Buy
A group calling itself the Flagler Palm Coast Watchdogs filed a lawsuit against Flagler County, seeking to stop construction on the old Memorial Hospital property slated to be the sheriff’s headquarters, and alleging that Commissioner Barbara Revels did not disclose owning shares in the bank run by one of the men who sold the hospital to the county for $1.23 million last August.
Palm Coast Man Faces Animal Cruelty Charge in Death of a Dog Left to Perish in a Storm
Bryan Leonard, a 25-year-old Palm Coast resident, faces two related animal-cruelty charges in the death of a pit bull called Roscoe who was discovered leashed and dead from choking on an island near Bings Landing in May.