The unfounded rumor about possible retaliation related to the shooting death of 18-year-old FPC student Curtis Gray reflects continuing concern by law enforcement and the school district over further consequences from the shooting.
Cops/Courts
Flagler Commission Will Build New, $12-15 Million Sheriff’s Operations Center by Palm Coast Library, Condemning ‘Mold Ops’
The Flagler County Commission this evening voted unanimously to build a new Flagler County Sheriff’s Operations Center–in Palm Coast, next to the county library on Palm Coast Parkway.
For Marion Gavins Jr., 17, Accused of Murdering Curtis Gray, a Life of Crime Since He Was 13
Marion Gavins’s arrest on a murder charge Sunday was the culmination of four years of run-ins with school authorities, suspensions, expulsions, run-ins with sheriff’s deputies, arrests, stints in the criminal justice system’s juvenile division, probation and house arrest.
Marion Leo Gavins Jr. Turns Himself In, Ending 36-Hour Search After Killing of Curtis Gray
Marion Leo Gavins Jr., the 17-year-old Palm Coast suspect wanted in the shooting of Curtis Gray, 18, early Saturday morning, turned himself in to Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies this afternoon.
Curtis Gray Murder Investigation: Sheriff Seeking Suspect Marion Leo Gavins Jr., 17
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in locating Marion Leo Gavins Jr., 17, of Palm Coast. He’s been charged in the shooting death of Curtis Gray, 18, Saturday morning.
FPC’s Curtis Gray, 18, Is Shot and Killed Outside Coin Laundry in Palm Coast
Curtis Gray, 18, a Flagler Palm Coast High School senior, was shot and killed outside a smoke shop and coin laundry off Belle Terre Parkway at 12:36 this morning, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said.
Calling Judge, Jury and Prosecution a ‘Travesty,’ Michael Bowling Is Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison in Sleep-Over Molestation
Michael Craig Bowling was sentenced to two consecutive terms totaling 20 years plus 10 years’ sex-offender probation after a conviction for molesting a 15-year-old girl visiting his step-daughter for a sleep-over.
A Palm Coast Man’s 5-Year Prison Sentence for Armed Robbery Exposes Intersection of Opioids, Suicide and Crime
Gary Wayne Hodges, 35, faced life in prison before his sentence for the armed robbery of a Dollar General in Bunnell last year. The judge was lenient, however, because of his history.
License Plate Readers and ID Technology Lead to Palm Coast Arrest of Long-Time Fugitive
Changa Bush is a 40-year-old transient and fugitive wanted in New York on a parole violation since 2016. License plate readers in St. Johns and Flagler led to his arrest in Bunnell this morning.
Between Batterers’ Classes and Ankle Monitors, A Few Strides Against Domestic Violence in Flagler
The latest update of the sheriff’s domestic violence task force pointed to a few gains but mostly through a more robust investigative and monitoring system, and the addition of anger management classes in Flagler.
AAA-Plus: Road Rangers Patrols Begin on I-95 in Flagler, Assisting Break-Downs, Free
Road Rangers assist motorists whose vehicles have become disabled, and provide assistance during traffic incidents with their flashing lights and other visual-lighted signage that urges drivers to give first responders safe space.
Deputies Seeking Public Help in 2nd Day Of Chasing Man Wanted On Multiple Charges
The suspect is Justin Tyler Blake, 24, described as having dark colored shaggy hair down to his shoulders, a full, dark-colored beard, and wearing wearing a black t-shirt and black pants. He’s wanted on felony eluding and assault charges, and on a domestic violence charge, among others.
In a First, FPC’s Bulldog Patrol Presents Safety Plan to Marjorie Stoneman Commission, Drawing Raves and Calls to Scale Statewide
A six-student team of problem solvers presented their student-centered safety plan to the state commission established after the Parkland school massacre, and were asked by several commission members to spread their plan statewide, including at the Broward school.
Renner’s Panel Goes Jekyll and Hyde on Felons, Easing Punishments But Not Voting Rights
The House Judiciary Committee Palm Coast’s Paul Renner chairs on Tuesday passed a crime bill that eases some punishments and makes it easier for felons to reintegrate society but also passed a restrictive interpretation of Amendment 4 and felons’ right to vote.
52-Year-Old Palm Coast Man Charged In Sexual Abuse of a Woman Since She Was 12
Leon Norman Wiley Jr., 52, is charged with sexual battery–or rape–of a custodian over a victim between the age of 12, a first degree felony with a potential for life in prison.
James McDevitt Back in Flagler This Week To Contest 40-Year Sentence and Rape Conviction
James McDevitt, the former Palm Coast resident serving 40 years on a 2015 conviction for rape, is alleging ineffective counsel by two successive lawyers.
Florida House Unanimously Approves Plan That Would Permanently Add a County Judge in Flagler
The Florida House on Thursday unanimously approved a plan to add two new county judges, one of them in Flagler, where County Judge Melissa Distler’s workload has long been among the heaviest in the state.
FPC Student Charged With Threatening School Shooting Was Twice Charged With Raping Young Children
James G. Cooke III, the 17-year-old Flagler Palm Coast High School student charged on Thursday night with a felony for allegedly making a video SnapChat threat of shooting up an unspecified school, was twice before charged with raping children, according to arrest records.
Snapchat Video Threatening a School Shooting Leads to 17-Year-Old FPC Student’s Arrest
A 17-year-old Flagler Palm Coast High School student was arrested just before midnight Thursday after a Snapchat video sent under the name “Jimmy Boy,” showing ammunition and a message–“I’m ready to shoot up the school”–was detected by a county resident and traced back to the student.
Flagler Tourism Director Matt Dunn Is Suspended; County Seeking Criminal Investigation
Matt Dunn, Flagler County government’s tourism director for the past five years, was placed on paid administrative leave this morning pending the outcome of a criminal or administrative investigation. Dunn’s future with the county appears tenuous.
12-Year-Old Girl Pulls Out Small Knife When Boy Refuses To Move From Her Seat
A knife incident involving a 12-year-old student at Buddy Taylor Middle School broke a nearly seven-week lull in school-safety incidents Wednesday morning. No one was hurt.
House Prepared To Raise Threshold For Felony Shoplifting From $300 to $1,000
Efforts to raise the threshold amount for the first time since 1986 have stalled in the Legislature in the past. This year’s proposal (HB 589) has steadily moved forward in the House, as criminal-justice reform advocates say there is momentum to pass such measures.
At Drug Court Graduation, Captors Become Heroes, and a City Manager Tells Of the Shooting That Made Him an ‘Orphan’
Flagler County Drug Court graduated four participants after a grueling process, and Alvin Jackson, the Bunnell city manager, who was the keynote speaker, described how his mother shot his father in self-defense.
A Woman Is Injured In 2-Vehicle, Roll-Over Crash at U.S. 1 and Education Way
A two-vehicle crash at U.S. 1 near Royal Palms Parkway sent a woman to the hospital in a trauma alert and shut down U.S. 1 southbound from Whiteview Parkway shortly after noon today.
Past Prison Sentences Could Be Reduced as Criminal Justice Reform Advances at Legislature
A bill that would give the Legislature power to decide on a law-by-law basis whether to reduce past prison sentences cleared a Senate panel Monday following tearful testimony from criminal-justice reform advocates.
Flagler Commission Approves Pair of Buildings For Sheriff’s Temporary Use It Opposed 6 Weeks Ago
The Flagler County Commission approved a pair of metal buildings for $240,000 totaling 4,000 square feet to accommodate evidence storage and crime analysis now that the sheriff is without an operations center.
Armed Suspect With Enough Pot for 500 Joints Crashes Car and Dives Into Canal to Evade Cop
Tyler Sweeney, 22, of Rainbow Lane in Palm Coast, was allegedly carrying nearly 250 grams of marijuana and a gun with its serial number removed when he crashed against an AT&T box and ran from a sheriff’s deputy Sunday night.
Bunnell Panics as Emerging Options for Sheriff’s New Operations Building Include Palm Coast Library Site and Town Center
Without evidence, Bunnell officials fear talk of moving the sheriff’s operations center out of the city is a first step toward moving the county seat to Palm Coast, and see the move as illegal.
8 Arrested, 10 Sought, All On Felony Charges in Latest Sweep of Suspected Drug Dealers in Flagler-Palm Coast
All 18 individuals are accused of selling or trafficking drugs, including heroin, fentanyl, prescription drugs, cocaine and synthetic cathinone, or so-called bath salts, a relatively new entrant in the bazaar of drug dealing and abuse.
Lawmakers Again Float Bill To Make Texting While Driving a Primary Offense; Other Distractions Spared
Currently, police can only cite motorists for texting if they are pulled over for other reasons. By making it a primary offense, police could pull over motorists for texting behind the wheel.
Rymfire Elementary Teacher Travis Holloway Arrested a 4th Time Days After State Reprimand and Probation Order
Rymfire Elementary School teacher Travis Holloway, 39, had just been issued a written reprimand and placed on probation for a year by a state disciplinary board when he was arrested for drunk driving in Palm Coast Friday.
Nearly $300,000 in Grants Help Continue Sheriff’s Domestic Violence Initiative and Victim Advocacy
The grant renewals, just secured, underwrite the cost of an investigator, an analyst dedicated to domestic violence investigations and almost three victim advocates, and additional grants will pay for SWAT members’ helmets.
Judge Delays Sheriff’s Employees’ Compensation Hearings Over Sick Building, But Further Compromise Is Eluding Them
For the second time in four months, a judge agreed to postpone what was scheduled to be a set of final hearings in workers’ compensation claims of 35 Flagler County Sheriff’s employees who say their health was damaged while working at the Sheriff’s Operations Center in Bunnell.
Investigation Of Plantation Bay Plane Crash, With Joel Fallon and Josh Rosa Aboard, Ends Inconclusively
The investigation is ending inconclusively, but it sheds light on measures Josh Rosa took immediately before the crash that strongly suggest his skills and last-second maneuvers likely prevented the crash from being fatal to him and Joel Fallon.
Why the State Attorney Opted To Drop Sexual Assault Charge on Ex-Commissioner’s 20-Year-Old Son
Stephen Connor Brady, 20, was charged with statutory rape after an 18-year-old woman he knew accused him of assaulting her in November. The State Attorney’s Office dropped the charge when it found that inappropriate behavior may have been misinterpreted.
Family of 5 and Off-Duty Cop Hospitalized in 3-Vehicle Crash at Roundabout
Construction on U.S. 1
A family of five riding in one car and an off-duty law enforcement officer riding in the other were injured, some of them seriously, and sent to three different hospitals, one of them by air, after a three-vehicle crash in the construction zone for the coming roundabout at U.S. 1 and Old Dixie Highway.
In a First Locally, FBI Arrests Sean Farrelly, 47, of Palm Coast, On Charges of Sex Trafficking Of a Minor
Sean Farrelly, a 47-year-old resident of 9 Llovera Place in Palm Coast, was arrested early this evening by the FBI, with assistance from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, and charged federally with sex trafficking of a minor.
Flagler Jail Inmates Among Work Crews That Cleaned Up Homeless Camp Near Public Library
The Flagler jail’s “Inmate Work Crew” launched last summer and has been used at about a dozen county-owned facilities, its work valued at the equivalent of $75,000 that would otherwise have had to be paid with tax dollars.
Burglary Suspect Fleeing Cops Crashes Car on A1A and Adds Auto Theft To His Charges
Joshua Allen Reed, a 27-year-old resident of Daytona Beach, had 16 arrests in Volusia going back to 2010 when he was booked on half a dozen charges Tuesday after allegedly burglarizing a garage and fleeing an officer.
Daniel R Macleod III Is 2nd Motorcyclist Killed in 3 Days Following Crash on I-95 Near Construction
Daniel R. MacLeod III, a 40-year-old former resident of Palm Coast, was critically injured in a motorcycle crash late Monday afternoon on I-95, just north of Palm Coast Parkway. McLeod later died at Halifax hospital.
House Piles Up Exceptions and Controversies to Automatic Restoration of Felons’ Voting Rights
House proposals would broaden the definition of sex offenses that would keep a felon from regaining the right to vote and would add a slew of financial obligations before a felon could get the right back.
Jason Richards, 46, Is Killed in Motorcycle Crash on Colbert Lane as Bike Week Winds Down
Jason Richards, a 46-year-old resident of Winter Haven in town for Bike Week, died not long after he crashed his motorcycle off Colbert Lane near Roberts Road Saturday evening (March 16).
Deadline Comes and Goes And Still No Breakthrough on Alternative to Sheriff’s Operations Center
A month ago the Flagler County Commission agreed to a 15-day deadline to come up with a compromise on interim space for the Sheriff’s Operations Center, when the sheriff and the clerk of court were not agreeing on using courthouse space to that end. The deadline has long lapsed, with no new proposal on the table.
Homeless Man Arrested In Strong-Armed Robbery at Palm Coast Gas Station Over Cigarettes
Justin Taylor, a three-time convicted felon who’s been homeless in Palm Coast for several years, was arrested Sunday morning after an altercation with a store clerk at a convenience store on Palm Coast Parkway, where he stole one pack of cigarettes and a can of tobacco.
Rifle and Handgun Stolen as Flagler Sheriff’s Deputy’s Vehicle Is Broken Into In Front Of His House in B-Section
A Flagler County Sheriff’s patrol vehicle assigned to deputy Daniel LaVerne was broken into overnight Saturday as it was parked in front of LaVerne’s house in the area of Beachway Drive in Palm Coast. The thief or thieves stole a handgun and a rifle.
Rethinking Incarceration and Systemic Oppression: Stetson University Launches Critical Initiative
Stetson University Community Education Project (CEP) is launching Rethinking Incarceration, an initiative designed to promote dialogue on mass incarceration, prison reform, human rights, political engagement and systemic oppression.
County Calls DEP Over Area ‘Heavily Contaminated With Human Waste’ Around Library in Cleanup of Homeless Camp
The week-long cleanup of the homeless camp near the public library in Palm Coast revealed concerning hygienic issues but few security incidents. Meanwhile, the library is installing a new security system.
Push For Swift Homeless ‘Solutions’ Clashes With Individual, On-the-Ground Realities
Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins and Palm Coast City Council member Jack Howell want solutions to what they call a homeless crisis, but others are reminding them that efforts are in place. The resources and focus to pull them off in concert may not be.
Judge Rules School Boards Must Provide Security Officers to Charter Schools Just As They Do Their Own
In a decision that could have statewide implications, an administrative law judge Tuesday ruled that the Palm Beach County School Board is required to assign safety officers to charter schools under a law passed last year. Judge John Van Laningham sided with Renaissance Charter School Inc., which operates six schools in Palm Beach County and […]
Palm Coast Teen and Best Friend Face Molestation Charges Involving Teen’s Family Member Over Years
Both men were cooperative with detectives and confessed, according to their arrest report, saying they wanted to seek help, which suggests the case may be settled before it reaches trial.