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.
Cops/Courts
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.
Judges Gaustad and Ferebee Join 7th Judicial Circuit Bench, Among Other Changes
The Seventh Judicial Circuit welcomes two new Circuit Judges and announces changes to judicial assignments for several sitting judges.
Katherine May Sanford, 85, Is Killed in Crash on U.S. 1 and Seminole Woods Boulevard
Katherine May Sanford, 85, a resident of Palm Coast, was killed Friday evening in a two-vehicle crash on U.S. 1 and Seminole Woods Boulevard.
Yet Another Student Is Arrested, At FPC, Over School Shooting Threats, Capping Exasperating Week
In the fourth school-safety incident in five school days, yet another student, a 16-year-old attending Flagler Palm Coast High School, was arrested today on allegations that he threatened to shoot up the school.
Two More Students, Both 13, Face Charges Over Shooting Threats Targeting Indian Trails Middle
The reported threats on an after-school bus was the third incident in the last five school days resulting in charges or arrests involving a total of five students.
Florida Supreme Court Clears Cops to Use Stand Your Ground Defense in Shootings
Stand your ground applies to “persons,” and “a law enforcement officer is a ‘person’ whether on duty or off, and irrespective of whether the officer is making an arrest,” the court ruled unanimously.
Eddie Collins, 62, of Bunnell, Dies of Injuries From U.S. 1 Pick-Up Crash
Eddie Collins, the 62-year-old Bunnell man critically injured in a crash on U.S. 1 on Monday (Dec. 10), died Thursday evening at Halifax hospital in Daytona Beach.
Survivor of Half-Failed Double-Suicide May Not Get To Blame Depression in “Assisted Murder” Defense
Bruce Haughton says he planned to kill himself and his ex-girlfriend Katherine Goddard in her R-Section home. She died. He survived. The prosecution sees it only as assisted murder, discounting his mental state.
With Judge’s Help, Sheriff’s Insurance Carrier Corners Employees Over Workers’ Comp Claims as Fate of Building Looms
Some 30 Flagler County Sheriff’s employees have been in a dispiriting battle with their own agency’s insurance carrier and the judge ruling on their workers’ compensation claims, portending little hope that they may prevail.
FPC Teacher Pursues Hate Crime Charges On 2 Racist Students Who Threatened Her
Two 16-year-old students who exchanged a string of online, racist threats about their language arts teacher during class on Monday face misdemeanor assault charges with a possible enhancement under Florida’s hate-crime law.
Palm Coast Man, 23, Faces Molestation Charge After He’s Found With Girl, 15, at Flagler Beach Park
T.J., 23, of Palm Coast, was found with a 15-year-old girl in his car between 3 and 4 a.m. at Flagler Beach’s Betty Steflik Park Monday, but says no sexual contact took place.
2 FPC Students’s Threats Targeting Teacher Were Racially Motivated; Criminal Charges Still Possible
Two students claiming they were just joking made explicit, racist threats against their teacher in written chats uncovered Monday, and may yet face criminal charges, contrary to earlier claims.
Kimberle Weeks Pleads to Another Felony Count and, Months Late, Files Appeal
Kimberle Weeks, the former Flagler County elections supervisor, pleaded to the eighth and final felony count against her the day her attorney filed an appeal with the Fifth District Court of Appeal.
Two FPC Students Barred From Campus After Allegations of Online Threats Against Teacher
Two students at FPC were allegedly exchanging online chatter about the time and place to harm a teacher. The Sheriff’s Office investigated and declined to pursue charges, though the students face discipline from the district.
Judge Lowers Bond in Revenge Porn Case from $20,000 to $2,500, Enabling Release
Au’qoin Kendrell Neeley, 20, of Filbert Lane in Palm Coast, faces a felony charge of transmitting child pornography by an electronic device and a misdemeanor charge of cyber-harassment.
Palm Coast Man Accused of Attacking Mom, Fiancée and Cop Before He Is Tased
Gregory Thilesen, 28, of Palm Coast, faces a felony charge of assaulting a law enforcement officer and two misdemeanor charges of domestic battery.
Jeffrey Foust, 11, Donates Year’s Allowance to Flagler Deputies in His Cop Father’s Memory
Jeffrey Foust, 11, bought 54 gift cards worth $600 to donate to 54 Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies, most of whom paid them forward at the Christmas With a Deputy event Friday.
Buddy Taylor Middle Student Arrested With Loaded Gun in Math Class; .45 Was Stolen From Unlocked Car on Point Pleasant
A 14-year-old student was arrested for bringing a loaded gun to Buddy Taylor Middle School today. The gun had been reported stolen out of an unlocked car in Palm Coast in April.
Joseph J. Faircloth, 38, Killed in Motorcycle Crash On Palm Coast’s Rickenbacker Drive
Joseph James Faircloth, a 38-year-old Palm Coast resident, was killed in a motorcycle crash on Rickenbacker Drive in Palm Coast early this morning. No one else was involved.
Christmas With a Deputy Tonight: A Record $16,717 Raised For 124 Children
Christmas With a Deputy at Target this evening will feature 124 children riding in 110 police cars from Town Center to the shopping center for a Christmas spree.
Flagler-Palm Coast’s Crime Rate Falls Sharply in First 6 Months of 2018, Arrests Up 35%
The drop in crime in Flagler and Palm Coast was reflected across almost every category and the addition of 23 new deputies led to a steep rise in arrests in the first six months of 2018.
Judge Orders Sheriff’s Operations Center Tested for Toxins Again, On Behalf of Employees
Sheriff’s employees have been seeking for months to have an independent round of testing for toxins inside the troubled, evacuated Sheriff’s Operations Center. That will take place on Dec. 13.
Darryl Fultz, 51, Harvey Perly, 83:
Two Suicides in 3 Days in Palm Coast
Darryl L. Fultz, 51, of 69 Eric Drive, took his life using a gun on Dec. 2, Harvey Perly, 83, did so on Dec. 4 in his front yard at 55 Christopher Court South in Palm Coast.
Sheriff Staly: County Administrator ‘Destroyed Our Working Relationship and It Is
Not Recoverable’
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.
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.