Matthew Nesbitt, 49, sentenced five years ago to 13 years in prison for threatening deputies with a knife and attempting to run one over, has lost an appeal to overturn his conviction and is now making a motion to reduce or vacate his sentence on claims that his attorney made errors. He is not likely to prevail.
Cops/Courts
Florida House Approves Lowering Age to Buy Assault Rifles to 18, Reversing Ban Passed After Parkland Massacre
The Florida House passed a measure that would lower the minimum age from 21 to 18 to buy rifles and other “long” guns, voting to scrap a high-profile change passed after a 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. House bill sponsor Bobby Payne, R-Palatka, said the measure “corrects the wrong we did in 2018.”
Georgia Store Clerk Shoots Suspect 8 Times After Palm Coast Robbery
Qwinntavus Kwame Jordan was shot eight times by a store clerk in Georgia and is in critical condition, hours after he allegedly robbed a gas station on Palm Coast’s State Road 100.
Tired of Getting Bullied, 15-Year-Old FPC Student Threatens 2 With Death, and Gets Arrested
A 15-year-old student at Flagler Palm Coast High School is facing a second-degree felony charge of making written threats to kill following a conflict with two other students that led to allegedly threatening messages posted on social media.
Erica Bergeron Confirmed to Have Died in Car Pulled Out of Pond Off Matanzas Woods Parkway
The medical examiner today confirmed that the body found in a car that had sunk in a pond off Matanzas Woods Parkway is that of Erica Bergeron, a Palm Coast resident who had gone missing on April 20.
Brad Turner, 42, Faces Felony Child Neglect Charge After 2 Year Old Found in Abject Conditions
Brad Turner, a 42-year-old father of two young children, faces a felony child neglect charge following a Flagler County Sheriff’s investigation that found the children living in deplorable conditions at the house on County Road 75 in western Flagler County.
From Sleepy Cart Barn to 13,000 Calls a Year: Palm Coast Fire Department Celebrates 50th Year
The Palm Coast Fire Department was founded on April 3, 1973, with 36 volunteers, from the cart barn at the Palm Harbor Golf Club, responding to two calls for service the first year. The county population was 4,454. Today the department is a combination department that responded to over 13,444 calls for service in 2022 from five fire stations.
FPC Graduate Christian Romero, 23, Is Killed in Crash By 15-Year-Old Red-Light Runner
Christian Romero, 23, a Flagler Palm Coast High School graduate and the son of Dawn and Miguel Romero, owners of Romero’s Tuscany By the Sea restaurant in Flagler Beach, died in a two-vehicle crash caused by a 15-year-old driver’s inattention in Orlando early Sunday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
4-Vehicle Crash and Fire Shuts Down I-95 in Both Directions Near Flagler-St. Johns Line
A four-vehicle crash triggered by the recklessness of a driver shut down I-95 in both directions early this morning and sent two people to area hospitals, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Mark Anthony Smith, Rescued from Submerged Car at Palm Coast Parkway Exit, Dies
Mark Anthony Smith, a 40-year-old resident of Sedgwick Trail in Palm Coast, was the only occupant of an SUV when it flipped into the retention pond at Palm Coast Parkway and I-95 Sunday evening. The ponds at the interchange have been the site of several dramatic and deadly crashes in recent years.