Sheriff Rick Staly stopped just short of explicitly asking for the resignation of County Administrator Craig Coffey in an address to the County Commission, but in effect, he was calling for nothing less.
Cops/Courts
Sheriff Staly: County Administrator ‘Destroyed Our Working Relationship and It Is
The Story Behind A 28-Year-Old Flagler Veteran’s Suicide: Strife, Depression, And a Father’s Questions
Abdul Ganiyu Ayanwale, a 28-year-old Army National Guard veteran, killed himself by gunshot at his Bunnell apartment on Nov. 16 after a series of personal and legal difficulties.
Hurricane Season Shakes Up Florida
For the Third Year In a Row
Michael didn’t affect as large of an area in Florida as Hurricane Matthew, which ran up the East Coast in 2016, or Irma, which traveled the state from the Keys to Jacksonville in 2017.
Man Who Tried to Get Into Wadsworth Elementary and Referred to a School Shooting Is Identified
The man walked up to the front desk at Wadsworth Elementary Thursday morning and asked where the school’s book fair was, but also asked when the school was last shot up.
James Colley Jr. Sentenced to Death in Murders of Ex-Wife Amanda Colley and Lindy Dobbins
James Terry Colley Jr., 38, of St. Augustine, murdered his estranged wife Amanda Colley and her friend Lindy Dobbins in 2015 in St. Augustine after stalking and harassing Amanda for weeks.
Florida Supreme Court Will have No
Black Justice For First Time in 36 Years
None of the nine candidates from whom Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis will select three justices is black, although six of the original 59 applicants were African-Americans.
Rejecting Lesser Term, Judge Sentences Jonathan Canales to Life in Prison in Attempted Murder of Ex-Girlfriend
Jonathan Canales, 31, was sentenced to life in prison without parole in the attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend Tiffany Norman in their Mondex home in 2014. The judge declined to exercise his discretion, which would have allowed him to sentence him to anywhere from 25 years to life.
Roundabout Construction at U.S. 1 and Old Dixie Begins in Weeks; Expect Detours
The $4.1 million project at U.S. 1 and Old Dixie Highway will bring the first roundabout to a major road in Flagler, re-engineering one of the most dangerous intersections in the county.
Mondex Man Accused of Raping an Unconscious 31-Year-Old Woman
Kenneth Steele, a 62-year-old resident of Daytona North, or the Mondex, is at the Flagler County jail following an arrest on a rape charge involving a 31-year-old woman, who was unconscious at the time of the alleged assault.
Court Sides With Two Central Florida Counties on Juvenile Justice Costs Owed By State
The case — and earlier litigation involving counties and the department — is rooted in a law that involves counties and the state sharing juvenile-detention costs.
Dump Truck In Flagler’s Dunes Restoration Project Overturns at Varn Park
A dump truck used in the year-long project to rebuild Flagler County’s dunes along the shore overturned while dumping a load of sand at Varn Park this morning. The driver was shaken up but unhurt.
Flagler Deputies Arrest Suspected Bank Robber and Fugitive Wanted in 3 Counties
Mark Wardell, 47, spent most of the past 25 years in state prison. He was released from a 12-year sentence just last May, and was wanted on four warrants.
Car Veers Off the Road and Into a Pond at I-95 and SR100
A car veered off the road and into a pond at the intersection of I-95 and State Road 100 just before 5 p.m. today. No one was hurt.
18-Year-Old Woman Accuses Former Bunnell City Commissioner’s Son, 20, of Rape
Stephen Connor Brady, 20, faces the second-degree felony charge after a Palm Coast woman said he sexually assaulted her after she went to his house to comfort him over a break-up.
Undersheriff Jack Bisland Will Retire After 41 Years in Local, Regional and State Law Enforcement
Jack Bisland, the steady, no-drama second-in-command at the Flagler County Sheriff and a consummate cop’s cop will hang up his badge and retire as Sheriff Rick Staly’s undersheriff come February
Waste Pro Garbage Truck Overturns, Killing Demont’e Harris, 21, in Palm Coast’s Woodlands
Demont’e Harris, 21, was killed when his Waste Pro garbage truck on its run through the Woodlands this morning overturned flipped on its side in front of 1, Bay Spring Place, killing him.
Palm Coast Man on Probation Faces 3 Felonies After Chase and Confrontation
For the third time in four months, Gregory Greenway, a 67-year-old resident of Porto Mar in Hammock Dunes, was arrested, violating his probation, after leading Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies and an emergency helicopter on a pursuit through Palm Coast.
15-Year-Old Cyclist Injured in Collision With Pick-Up At Palm Coast Shell Station
William Burnett, a 15-year-old Palm Coast resident, was seriously injured late Saturday night in a collision with a pick-up truck at a Palm Coast gas station as Burnett was riding his bicycle.
ASPCA in Flagler Shows Lurid World of Animal Cruelty and Its Kin to Domestic Violence and Other Crimes
The ASPCA, the Flagler Humane Society and other local agencies hosted a two-day training conference in Bunnell for cops and animal control officers from around the state to improve animal-abuse prosecutions.
Russian Roulette and Other Threats Against Wife Again Land Palm Coast Man in Jail
Timothy L. Beamer, 50, of Burning Ember Lane in Palm Coast, faces a felony aggravated assault charge and a domestic battery charge from separate confrontations with his wife of three years.
Pit Bull Who Mauled 9-Year-Old Girl Is to Be Put To Death, Palm Coast Rules
Chopper, a 2-year-old, 59-lb. pit bull mauled the girl on Powder Horn Drive in Palm Coast and three days later was surrendered to the city’s animal control division.
Travis Heidinger, 44, of Palm Coast, Dies of an Apparent Overdose
Early Monday morning, Travis C. Heidinger, a 44-year-old resident of Palm Coast, was found dead in a bathroom in his mother’s house on Llanes Place.
Bunnell Takes Page From St. Augustine to Adopt Harshest Anti-Panhandling Rules in Flagler
Bunnell’s new ordinance prohibits panhandling within 20 feet of any business or commercial property, alongside drivers or diners, but limits penalties to fines.
In Last-Minute Plea Before Trial, Phillip Haire Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison For
Shooting at His Father and a Cop
Phillip Haire, 21, was facing three life-in-prison terms on 10 violent charges in the drive-by shooting targeting a sheriff’s sergeant and Haire’s father on London Drive in Palm Coast in May 2017.
From Surreal to Celebratory, Sheriff and Ricky Wheeler’s Mother Thank a Community For Finding Him
Sheriff Rick Staly presented commendations and certificates of appreciation to those who took part in the search that found Ricky Wheeler after he went missing five days in September.
DeSantis Win Paves Way for Most Conservative Supreme Court in Generations
Ron DeSantis’ narrow win in Tuesday’s election for governor will bring an unprecedented expansion of conservative Republican power in Tallahassee.
Dog Attacks 76-Year-Old Woman on Palm Coast’s Regent Lane, 3rd Pit Bull Incident in 2 Weeks
A pit bull mix that ran loose attacked a 76-year-old woman in her back yard on Palm Coast’s Regent Lane Monday, a day after a pit bull mauled a 9-year-old girl in the P Section.
Fire Flight Lands on Belle Terre Near Publix To Pick Up Man Injured in Motorcycle Crash
The man was traveling north on Belle Terre Parkway at 2:32 p.m. when, just south of Eastwood Drive, he lost control, his bike flipped and went airborne, sending him crashing.
Pit Bull Mauls 9-Year-Old Palm Coast Girl In Incident Similar to Attack on Pizza Man
For the second time in two weeks a pit bull slipped through the front door and attacked the person there, in this case a 9-year-old girl who was severely injured.
Palm Coast Woman, 35, Stabs Boyfriend In Latest Bout of Violence Involving Both
Monique Garcia, who pleaded guilty in a domestic-violence attack on Justin Campbell two years ago, is charged with stabbing him twice in a W-Section incident Monday.
Death For Dangerous Dog Cooper Likely as Judge Sees Scant ‘Legal Basis’ to Stop It
A circuit judge gave supporters of Cooper, the dangerous dog condemned to death, little hope today after a one-hour hearing in an appeal designed to commute the dog’s death sentence.
Seminole Woods Girl, 13, Fabricates Kidnapping Story After Her Phone Is Confiscated
A Seminole Woods girl’s claim of having been kidnapped provoked a commotion, a lot of concern and a significant response from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office before she owned up to the fake claim.
Fight Escalates to Shooting in Espanola, Leaving Man With “Multiple Gunshot Wounds”
The shooting was called into 911 at 9:58 p.m. It took place at 98 Knox Jones Avenue. Traces of blood were reported outside the church near there.
Joseph Bova Scrawls Guilty Plea in Mobil Station Murder, But Is Judged Still Incompetent
Joseph Bova is accused of first degree murder in the execution-style shooting of store clerk Zuheili Roman Rosado at the Mobil convenience store on State Road 100 in February 2013.
Ex-‘Funworld Place’ Owner Indicted on Federal Gun and Drug Charges as State Drops Its Own
Jerard Davis, 33, a resident of Palm Coast’s Buttonwell Lane, was originally arrested after a high-profile search of his business, from where police claimed he was selling drugs and counterfeit merchandise.
Stepped-Up Sheriff’s Patrols, New Sex-Offender App, Candy Buy Back: Halloween Game Plans
Flagler sheriff’s personnel will be conducting heavy patrols and providing crossing assistance at critical points for Halloween, the FDLE has a new safety app, and Flagler Dental is doing candy buy-back for 10 days afterward.
Alleged Armed Robbery Leaves Man Injured at Dakota Joe’s on Old Dixie Highway
Employees at Dakota Joe’s, a business at 2245 South Old Dixie Highway, were allegedly the targets of a violent armed robbery that resulted in a man’s hospitalization late Sunday night.
Man Who Dislocated Flagler Deputy’s Shoulder During Arrest Sentenced to 14 Months in Prison
The judge’s sentence was much lighter than then 30 years or more it could have been based on the initial charges against Pitter: in February he’d faced a charge of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, a first-degree felony.
Thousands of Palm Coast Residents in P, R and E Sections Lose Power After Car Crash Knocks Out Power Pole
Some 3,000 residents in Palm Coast’s P, E and R Sections lost power after midnight this morning following a car crash that knocked out a power pole on Royal Palms Parkway.
Pit Bull Boxer Mix Attacks Pizza Delivery Man in Palm Coast’s P Section
John Iles, a 76-year-old Palm Coast resident who delivers for Napoli Pizza, ended up at Halifax hospital in Daytona Beach after being attacked in the face by a pit bull boxer mix at one of his delivery destinations.
Phillip Haire Turns Down Plea Even His Attorney Recommended, Risking Life in Prison If Convicted of Shooting at His Dad and a Cop
Phillip Haire is accused of 10 charges, including 3 counts of attempted murder for allegedly shooting at a Flagler sheriff’s sergeant and at his father in a drive-by shooting at his Palm Coast home in May 2017.
For 4th Time Since 1995, State Attorney Drops Criminal Charge Against Ex-Dr. Fruehan, But ‘Further Proceedings’ Possible
Even though his office filed the charge a day before the two-year statute of limitation expired, Fruehan was not served until after the date passed.
Licensed Palm Coast Realtor and Broker Is Arrested on a Shoplifting Charge
Pauline Flores, the 42-year-old owner of Realty Central, the real estate firm in Palm Coast, was arrested and charged with shoplifting at Kohl’s. The State Attorney’s Office followed up by filing its intention to prosecute.
D’Marcus Boyd, 22, Is Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison and 5 Years’ Probation Over Rape of Ex
D’Marcus Boyd, released from prison two and a half years ago, pleaded guilty to raping his then-fiancee and burglarizing his father’s house in Palm Coast’s P Section.
Court Hearing in Notorious Case of Dangerous Dog Cooper Scheduled for Day Before Election
The owner of Cooper the dog wants a judge to overrule a Palm Coast hearing officer’s death sentence so the dog can be exiled to a refuge for dangerous dogs on Florida’s west coast.
New Cell Tower Near Plantation Bay Grows from 199 to 320 Feet in Deal With Volusia
The new tower is one of six–three of them exceeding 300 feet–Flagler County government is building to modernize its emergency communications system, on which all local governments and cities depend.
Massage Therapist Justus Scott Accused of Taking Video Of Woman Undressing for Session
Justus P. Scott, a 35-year-old resident of Pineland Lane in Palm Coast, was arrested on Oct. 19 and charged with a felony count of video voyeurism after footage came to light indicating that he’d allegedly videotaped a woman undressing for a massage therapy session.
Is The .08 Threshold for DUI Too Lax?
Traffic safety advocates and a federal highway safety agency support the change to .05 and have been recommending it for years.
Jury Finds Jonathan Canales Guilty of Attempted Murder of Ex; He Faces Mandatory Life in Prison
A jury believed the prosecution’s argument that Jonathan Canales had attempted to kill his then-girlfriend and made up innumerable stories, claiming she had attempted suicide.
How Fentanyl, in 56% of Florida’s Overdose Deaths, Changes the Opioid Equation
With lethal amounts of fentanyl showing up in heroin and other drug supplies throughout the country, active drug users are at a greater risk of dying than ever before.