Palm Coast government and the Flagler Sheriff’s Office are teaming up to use a “traffic-optimization” camera network at intersection as a surveillance mechanism as well.
Cops/Courts
Louis Mamakos, 85, Kills Himself With a Gun in B-Section After Citing Intolerable Pain
Louis Mamakos, a long-time resident of Palm Coast’s Boxwood Lane, had been Baker Acted two weeks earlier after attempting to kill himself with a gun. His wife had stopped him.
Vehicle Strikes 12-Year-Old Student on Bike Near Buddy Taylor Middle
A 12-year-old student bicycling south from Buddy Taylor Middle School this afternoon was struck and injured by a vehicle at the Belle Terre Parkway-Pritchard Drive intersection.
9 Years in Prison For Tyler W. Dutton in DUI Manslaughter Death of Jordan Marie Rineer, 25
Tyler Wayne Dutton was sentenced to nine years in prison followed by five years’ probation in the death of 25-year-old Jordan Marie Rineer on U.S. 1 in October 2015.
“Spiraling Down For a While”: The Violent Story Before the Stand-Off With Fugitive Michael E. Moore
Michael Eugene Moore’s wife describes in an interview the history of a man spiraling down since his release from prison, leading up to Saturday’s 3-hour standoff in Palm Coast.
3-Hour Standoff Ends Peacefully With Arrest of Man Previously on America’s Most Wanted
The standoff on Beaverdam Road in Palm Coast involves a suspect believed to have carried out an armed robbery in Virginia. He refuses to leave his car.
Cory McClure, 25, a Palm Coast Realtor, Takes His Own Life
Cory Michael McClure, a 25-year-old Realtor who’d struggled through agonizing physical pain for several years, took his own life at a house on Kashmir Trail in Palm Coast Wednesday morning.
Lawmakers Again Trying to Ban
Red-Light Cameras Across Florida
As of December, 49 local governments in Florida had red-light cameras in operation, according to the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
Girlfriend, 16, Hospitalized, Boyfriend, 18, Faces Felony Assault Charge on Pregnant Woman
Tyler R. Torres, 18, of Palm Coast, was charged with aggravated battery on a pregnant woman after allegedly repeatedly punching his 16-year-old girlfriend.
Thomas Binkley, 62, Found Guilty of Molesting 2 Girls, 6 and 8, and Faces Life in Prison
Thomas Binkley of Bunnell was living with the girls at the time of the incidents. Their parents had taken him in because he’d fallen on hard times and was in poor health.
In Restoration of Felons’ Voting Rights, Meaning of ‘Murder’ Becomes Stumbling Block
A new constitutional amendment grants “automatic” restoration of voting rights to felons who’ve completed their sentence, but it excludes people “convicted of murder or a felony sexual offense.”
Sheriff’s Cmdr. David Williams Appointed Palm Coast Liaison, Replacing Mark Carman
Cmdr. David Williams, who’s been with the agency since 2001, was named the liaison to Palm Coast, replacing Mark Carman, who’s to be the police chief in Crescent City.
Austin Chewning Named Flagler Deputy of the Year as Gala Raises $77,000 for Sheriff’s Employee Assistance
Austin Chewning, Sheria Woods, Kerri Anderson and Angela Camit were among the year’s winners at a gala to raise money for sheriff’s employees facing unexpected hardships.
Motorcyclist Seriously Hurt in Crash With SUV at Belle Terre and SR100
A Bunnell motorcyclist was seriously hurt in a crash with an SUV at the intersection of Belle Terre Parkway and State Road 100 shortly after 8 p.m. this evening.
Thieves Break Into Tax Collector’s Office in Staples Shopping Center and Get Away
Two thieves broke into the Flagler County Tax Collector’s satellite office in the Staples shopping center off Old Kings Road just after 3 this morning.
Suspect Identified and Charged in Armed Robbery at Palm Coast’s Kay Jewelers
Tyrone Lamar Walker, 25, of Georgia, told investigator he targeted Kay Jewelers in Palm Coast because it was an obvious choice. The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is seeking his extradition on several felony charges.
Ex-Dr. Florence Fruehan Arrested on 2 Felony Charges of Battery on Older Women
Florence Fruehan, the Palm Coast doctor who lost his license in November over allegations of inappropriate sexual contact with patients, faces two new felony counts of battery on persons 65 or older.
FPC’s Shaunti Stafford, 17, Takes Her Life, Flagler’s Third Teen Suicide in 18 Months
Shauntiana Autrice Stafford, a 17-year-old student at Flagler Palm Coast High School, took her life Monday evening at her home at Madison Green Apartments.
County Commission Steps Back From Creating Sheriff’s Building ‘Task Force,’ Opting
For More Workshops
The Flagler County Commission today took no more decisive action on the Sheriff’s Operations Center than to hold more workshop sometime in the future, though none was scheduled.
Bunnell Man Threatens Life of Deputy and His Family After Latest of Many Arrests
Devarus O’Shea Bethea, 31, of Bunnell, was released from state prison in 2017 and had remained out of trouble since–until the day after Christmas, and again on Friday evening.
Gov. Ron DeSantis Suspends Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel, Charging ‘Neglect of Duty’
Israel, a Democrat first elected in 2012, has faced fierce criticism for his agency’s handling of the Parkland massacre that resulted in the death of 17 people. Israel vowed to contest his ouster.
Palm Coast Man Charged With Raping a Girl In His Custody Since She Was 5, Saying “It Just Happened”
The near-daily rapes by Michael D. King, 40, originally of England, are alleged to have taken place in Palm Coast when the girl was between 7 and 10, and apparently during an earlier period when she was 5, as well as in other counties.
Beyond Coffey: Alternate Locations Emerge for Sheriff’s Operations Center as Calls to Abandon Troubled Building Mount
A 20,000 square-foot building built to attract new business and industry is one of the options for the sheriff’s operations center as the sheriff, employees and at least two county commissioners don’t see a path back into the troubled Operations Center anymore.
11-Year-Old Rymfire Elementary Student Faces Felony Over Knife Possession and “Murder” Threat
The 11-year-old student is alleged to have brought a 12.5 inch knife to school and thrown it over the fence after threatening a 13-year-old with “murder.”
Changing Position, Key Commissioner Says Sheriff’s Building is Not Repairable and Calls For New HQ Elsewhere
Flagler County Commissioner Dave Sullivan says he won’t spend another nickel on the sick Sheriff’s Operations Center and calls for building a new structure somewhere else.
Deputies Rescue 2 Women, One Blind, Entrapped in Car Driven Into Pond at Waterfront Park
Nancy Burns of Palm Coast misjudged a small road for Colbert Lane and, in heavy rain, drove into a pond at Waterfront Park, with her blind daughter and a service dog. They were rescued and were uninjured.
Cuts Into Sheriff Building’s Structure Point to Alarming Issues, Including Bat Droppings and “Substantial Moisture”
Two days of testing and cuts into walls and floors at the troubled Sheriff’s Operations Center are adding to a tally of concerns, with revelations of old wood and insulation, bat droppings and widespread floor moisture.
Mother Faces Felony for Leaving 13-Day-Old Child and 2 Other Toddlers Unsecured in Car
Mercedes McCaster, 29, was driving on Palm Coast’s Belle Terre Parkway with four children, all of them improperly or not at all secured. Her arrests brings attention to a common safety problem.
Transgender Inmate Spurs Appeal as Florida Prisons Seek to Deny Her Gender Identity
Inmate Reiyn Keohane contends that her rights have been violated at least in part because she has not been allowed to wear women’s undergarments and groom as a woman.
Belle Terre Elementary Community Mourns Loss of Palm Coast 3rd Grader in an Accident
Connor R. Allen, 8, of Palm Coast, a student at Belle Terre Elementary, was with his grandfather, Roland J. Robidoux, 73, in Edgewater, when he was pinned in a storage unit by a car his grandfather was storing.
Two Teens, 14 and 15, Face Charges After Setting Off Fireworks Inside Palm Coast Target
Two teens, ages 14 and 15, face criminal mischief charges after they set off fireworks inside the Target store two days after Christmas, damaging some property and requiring paramedics’ intervention for a woman who had recently had a heart attack.
Mark Carman, Affable Face of Policing in Palm Coast For 20 Years, Is Leaving To Be Crescent City Chief
Mark Carman, 57, spent 31 years at the Flagler Sheriff’s Office and 20 heading the Palm Coast precinct and as liaison. He’ll be taking the Crescent City Police Chief’s job come February.
Parkland Massacre Report Calls for More Armed Teachers, More Money for School Cops
“Personal and system failures” culminated in the mass shooting that left 14 students and three faculty members dead and 17 people wounded at a Broward County high school, according to a report by a state panel that spent months investigating the Valentine’s Day massacre.
On Pritchard Drive, a Man Takes His Life on New Year’s After His Wife Dies at Christmas
Daniel P. Kennedy of Palm Coast had called a friend moments earlier to say his wife had died around Christmas and he could not go on living. He was still breathing when deputies found him.
27-Year-Old Manager at Captain’s BBQ Arrested on Charges of Sex With a Minor
Brandin Michael Deoliveira, 27, a resident of Palm Coast, was arrested this afternoon and is alleged to have threatened to kill the girl and her family if she revealed anything.
Hoverboard Explodes, Triggering Fire That Leaves Palm Coast Family All But Homeless
The fire Thursday evening consumed much of the B side of the duplex at 18 Buttonbush Lane in Palm Coast. leaving a mother and her two young children without a home days after Christmas.
Paul Swarts, 60, Is Killed, 12-Year-Old Girl Injured as Van Rear-Ends Dump Truck on US 1 in Palm Coast
It is the fifth death in December on Flagler roads, four of the deaths occurring in the stretch from just yards north of Belle Terre Boulevard to the Old Dixie Highway intersection with U.S. 1.
Motorcyclist Robert Roy Robbins Is Killed Off U.S. 1 Near White Eagle, 4th Flagler Road Fatality in 2 Weeks
Robert Roy Robbins, a 62-year-old motorcyclist, lost control, swerved off U.S. 1 and crashed on Old Dixie Highway near the White Eagle Lounge this afternoon. He was pronounced dead minutes later.
Palm Coast Man, 21, Arrested in B-Section Shooting, a Pot Deal Gone Wrong
Maurice Tyron Moultrie, 21, was arrested Friday (Dec. 21) in connection with the shooting of an 18-year-old Palm Coast resident earlier that day.
Multiple Vehicle Crash and Rollover Severely Injures 2 Children on I-95 at SR100
The crash was caused by David Blank, 58, of Daytona Beach, who was at the wheel of a service truck, and who rear-ended a Volkswagen. A 9-year-old child was in critical condition, several others were seriously hurt.
Jury Deadlocks, Mistrial Declared In Case of 47-Year-Old Accused of Molesting Girl at Sleepover
Michael Bowling, 47, will remain in jail on numerous charges even as numerous inconsistencies led a jury today to deadlock over charges he molested a 15-year-old girl.
18 Year Old Wounded in Drive-By Shooting on Palm Coast’s Bressler Lane; Suspects in Custody
A drive-by shooting shook Palm Coast’s B-Section this morning at 10, leaving a man of about 18 seriously injured.
Defense’s Strategy in Molestation Trial: Attacking, Discrediting and Demolishing an Alleged Victim
The defense in Michael Bowling’s trial today focused not on the charges at hand, but on one key witness, a teen girl, in attempts to impeach her credibility and accusations.
Nine Charged With Animal Cruelty Toward Bears in 4 Counties, Including Flagler
Defendants posted videos of bears being chased and mauled by large packs of dogs after being lured with dog food, doughnuts, pastries and peanut butter in areas of Baker, Flagler, Marion and Union counties.
In Child-Molestation Trial, Even a Juror Raises a Question About a Main Witness’ Credibility
The defense seriously damaged the credibility of the step-daughter of Michael Bowling, 47, on trial for molesting the step-daughter’s friend when she was 15–and facing more grave charges regarding his step-daughter as well.
Teacher, Police and Fire Unions Join Call to Fire Craig Coffey, With Help From Milissa Holland
The county’s public sector unions in a powerful joint approach aided by Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland have joined calls to fire County Administrator Craig Coffey.
Three Finger Charlie Bar Owner in Bunnell Busted for Running Alleged Gambling House
Undercover agents of the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco began investigating alleged illegal gambling activities at Three Finger Charlie’s in late July.
From ‘Seven Minutes in Heaven’ to a Teen’s Accusation of Molestation in a Closet
Michael Bowling, 47, in his first day of trial today, is accused of molesting a 15-year-old girl during a game of “Seven Minutes In Heaven” as the two were allegedly in a closet alone.
Overlooking Its Call for ‘Unity,’ Flagler NAACP Claims Sheriff ‘Sought to Bury’ Incident Involving 2 Racist Students at FPC
What the Flagler Branch of the NAACP billed as a “unified public support press conference” for the high school teacher targeted by two students’ racist threats featured more grandstanding and accusations than revelations today.
House With 5 Occupants in Palm Coast’s Z-Section Is Shot Up, But Surveillance Video Was ‘Deleted’
The 1,600-square-foot house at 16 Zircon Court in Palm Coast was the target of a shooting early Sunday morning. Nine bullet holes were detected.