What started as a domestic dispute between Palm Coast resident Scott P. Ward and his girlfriend ended in an arrest the afternoon of Dec. 17 on a domestic battery charge and charges of possession of child pornography stemming from the discovery of allegedly sexually explicit images of a 15-year-old girl.
Cops/Courts
Marijuana Use Barely Up, Synthetic Drug Use Sharply Down, Along With Other Narcotics
The use of synthetic marijuana products and bath salts dropped sharply in 2013 among students in middle and high school as students increasingly see the products as dangerous, according to the most authoritative annual drug and alcohol survey, with marijuana use up slightly but most other drugs showing declines.
Senate Wants to Make Florida “Scorched Earth” For Violent Sexual Offenders
The proposed bills would “widen the net” to apprehend, punish and monitor sexually violent predators anywhere in Florida. The proposals have bipartisan support and the Senate and House are speeding toward a comprehensive effort in both chambers.
Sheriff Seeking Help to Nab Thief of Laser Device at Palm Coast’s Fantasy of Lights Display
Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies are seeking help in tracking down whoever stole a pair of laser lights from the Palm Coast Rotary’s holiday fantasy light display in Central Park in Palm Coast’s Town Center. This year is the 8th year that the event has been sponsored by the Rotary.
Palm Coast Mayor Declares State of Local Emergency as Tornado Details Emerge
The state of local emergency does not release state or federal aid dollars, but it gives the city more freedom and authority to address the storm’s aftermath such as expediting permitting, scheduling more debris and trash removal than normal and applying for state support.
Cops’ Extra Presence in Palm Coast’s Tornado-Damaged B-Section Helps Lead to Hit-and-Run Arrest
Wendy Labell, 55, was arrested at her Baydside Drive home early Sunday morning when a sheriff’s deputy helping with the storm’s aftermath there noticed her driving her car erratically into her driveway–and matched the car’s description to a hit-and-run incident that had felled a bicyclist a short time earlier at Belle Terre and Palm Coast Parkway.
Warning Shot Bill: Public Defenders Back a Revised Version of Marissa Alexander-Inspired Measure
Polk County Rep. Neil Combee sponsored the 2013 bill after hearing about Marissa Alexander, a Jacksonville woman who was sentenced to 20 years in prison under the 10-20-Life sentencing law for firing a gun into a wall during a fight with her husband. Combee said her sentence was an example of the “negative unintended consequences” of 10-20-Life, which requires mandatory-minimum prison terms for gun-related crimes.
Palm Coast’s B-Section Residents Awake to Tornado’s Wreckage; Severe Damage Is Limited; City Ready to Help
Residents of Palm Coast’s B-Section awoke Sunday to a morning soggy with the wreckage of Saturday night’s tornado. One resident, who was hosting a birthday party for her 12-year-old son, compared the tornado to “a front on steroids.”
Family of Four From Palm Coast’s Woodlands Among 32 Arrested or Sought for Pill-Pushing
The Bridewell family of 7 Blackberry Place in Palm Coast were part of a vast drug sweep Friday morning by the Flagler County Sheridff’s Office. The sweep targeted 32 individuals involved in one form of drug infraction or another. The sweep netted 19 arrests, all but one in Palm Coast.
They Don’t Only Shoot Them: Sheriff’s Deputy Bret Wood Saves Raccoon Stuck in Tree
When a 12-year-old student on his way to school this morning noticed a raccoon stuck in a tree on Palm Coast’s Florida Park Drive, deputies were called in, and as Animal Control would not respond, deputy Bret Wood used a car jack to pry the imprisoning branches apart and free the raccoon.