Circuit Judge Terence Perkins will replace Dennis Craig, who’s headed back to Volusia, becoming the sixth judge in eight years to preside over Flagler County’s felony court.
Cops/Courts
Sheriff’s Jail Deputy Suspended After Reporting to Work Drunk; Supervisory Issues a Concern
Flagler Sheriff’s detention deputy Mark Sousa’s alcohol test recorded him at 0.096 and 0.093 four hours into his shift–the four hours it took supervisors to react to an employee’s repeated request to intervene.
Driver Wanted in Monday’s Hit-and-Run Death Is Found: Was on Suspended License for DUI
Bryan Brown, 60, of Ormond By the Sea, allegedly owned up to the crash after quick policing and reporting combined with the conscience of Brown’s employer.
Unprecedented Flagler Forum With 7 Judges Has Some Make News and Others De-Mystify The Bench
Seven local judges appeared at the Flagler Palm Coast Forum Tuesday evening, the Ed Fuller group devoted to civic and electoral discussions featuring candidates running for office.
Mondex Man, 62, Held On $200,000 Bond on Charges Of Molesting Girls, 6 and 8
Thomas Jay Binkley, a 62-year-old resident of Forest Park Street in Bunnell, allegedly confessed to molesting the girls, who were in his charge.
Youths’ Bizarre Story of Dead Baby in Hidden Trails Dumpster Yields Placenta, But No Baby
Calling the discovery of a human placenta, but no baby, it a “mystery,” Sheriff Staly is asking the public’s help in determining the whereabouts and welfare of the newborn.
A Flagler Sheriff’s Employee Faces Grand Theft Charge, Again Implicating Courthouse Squad; Attorney Calls It “A Witch-Hunt”
Nancy Birdsong, a 20-year civilian employee with the Flagler Sheriff’s Office, is the third courthouse-connected employee to face disciplinary action, and inquiries are not over.
Raymond Almodovar, Flagler School Bus Driver, Is Killed in Hit-and-Run on I-95; Driver of Jeep Sought
Raymond Almodovar, a Flagler school district bus driver, was killed after his car was struck twice by two different vehicles on I-95 in a hit-and-run in Palm Coast.
Fuel Tanker Flips and Leaks 1,200 Gallons Before Spill Is Stopped at US1 and SR100 in Bunnell
The fuel truck’s driver was hospitalized and state agencies were at the scene to evaluate the extent of the clean-up necessary as fuel went into a retention ditch and drainage.
As Judge DuPont Continues to Battle Removal, Zambrano Orders Flagler Bench Again Shuffled
Flagler County will lose Family Judge R. Lee Smith to Putnam after less than two years and gain newly-minted Judge Chris France, among other changes caused by the DuPont affair.
For Life-Sentenced Murderer Paul Miller, Unexpected Glimmer of Hope As His Counsel Is Questioned
In a powerful argument based on new revelations that emerged today, Paul Miller’s attorney is arguing that the representation he got at trial was ineffective to the point that his conviction may never have happened.
Parent Faces Charges After Appearing to Instigate Fight Between 2 Indian Trails Middle School Boys
Anthony Gardiner, a 34-year-old resident of Pam Coast’s B Section, was captured in several videos either instigating or intervening in a fight between two boys on a Belle Terre Parkway sidewalk.
Sheriff’s Chief Paul Bovino, Newly-Minted FBI Academy Graduate, On The Experience From Within
Paul Bovino is among the more charismatic and intimidating members of the Sheriff’s Office, a cop’s cop with outsize stage presence and a love of the job that radiates in most things he says and does.
C.J. Nelson Exonerated of Felony Child Abuse Charge in Epic Confrontation, Faces
Sentence on Misdemeanors
A jury found C.J. Nelson not guilty of felony child abuse in an incident in which he punched a 16-year-old girl, but found him guilty of two misdemeanor battery charges.
Sheriff Staly Orders Investigation Re-Opened in Flagler Courthouse Bailiffs’ Behavior
Staly issued the order three days after a FlaglerLive story detailed allegations of racial and sexual improprieties involving courthouse deputies and staff.
Severe Weather and “A Few Tornadoes Possible” in Afternoon for Flagler-Palm Coast
The National Weather Center’s prediction for today projects a potential for severe and damaging weather onto the entirety of Flagler.
Fleeing Man Who Overturned Truck on Palm Coast Parkway Is a Felon With History of Chases
Brent Enfinger, fleeing cops since Volusia County, was at the wheel of a truck that overturned on Palm Coast Parkway Saturday when he got out and fled again before his arrest.
Levi Ovenshire, 19, Sentenced to 15 Years In Prison For Friend’s Attempted Murder in F-Section
Levi Ovenshire, 19, shot 19-year-old Marco Salazar in the back as the two were hanging out at 13 Fulton Place in Palm Coast last June 24. Ovenshire later spoke as if he’d been hallucinating.
As in Flagler, Few Districts Embrace Arming “Marshals,” So Money May Shift to School Cops
In Flagler County, Superintendent Jim Tager and the school board said they would not support arming anyone who is not, in essence, as trained as school deputies must be to carry a weapon.
Vehicle Chase Ends in Arrest Off Palm Coast Parkway After Pick-Up Overturns
The driver of the pick-up fled on foot toward the Red Roof Inn but was apprehended by Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies within minutes.
Driver Plows Into 4 Bikers on U.S. 1 North of Matanzas Woods, 3 Are Hospitalized
Two men and a woman were hospitalized, one of them airlifted as a trauma patient, after a car plowed into them as they rode south on U.S. 1 Friday afternoon.
Shake-Up in Chambers: At Flagler Courthouse, 3 Judges Intervene Over Allegations of Deputies’ Sexual and Racial Improprieties
Two bailiffs have been disciplined and reassigned out of the courthouse, bailiffs have a new supervisor, and one judge’s administrative assistant lost her job as a judge’s assistant as a result of the alleged improprieties.
Palm Coast Man Faces Attempted Armed Carjacking Charge After Rushing C.O.P. With Knife
Stephen Goldberg, 32, of Palm Coast’s E Section, allegedly brandished a knife and rushed a C.O.P. who was patrolling in her car near his house Thursday. He faces a slew of charges.
Behind Closed Doors, Palm Coast Council Was Willing To Risk Big Loss Against McDonald Until Judge and Adjuster Set It Straight
Battles between Palm Coast government–the council and Jim Landon, the manager–and Dennis McDonald, the perennial critic, got so personal in a previous lawsuit, records show, that the city was willing to risk taxpayer money until it was forced to accept a settlement.
Sheriff Credits “Fugitive Friday” Video For Re-Arrest of Palm Coast Man He’d Arrested In May
Sheriff Rick Staly last August pulled over James Christopher Raposa for speeding. He was later placed on probation on an impaired driving charge, but violated probation.
Nobody Knows How Many Kids Get
Caught With Guns in School. Here’s Why.
Lax reporting by schools, lax oversight by state and federal authorities make it nearly impossible to say just how many students get caught taking firearms into public schools each year.
Bunnell Police Find Weapon Used in School Incident, a BB Gun, and Locate 2nd Boy
The gun allegedly brandished during a school-related incident was a BB gun, and the second boy located in relation with the incident may not be facing charges.
6 Years After Murdering Dana Mulhall, Paul Miller, 70, Claims Lawyer Failed Him By Not Invoking Stand Your Ground
Flagler Beach’s Paul Miller shot and killed his neighbor Dana Mulhall as Mulhall in a dispute over Miller’s barking dogs. Miller is contesting his life sentence and was back in court in Flagler today.
Bigotry-Laced Threats To Shoot Up Pet Smart Over Cats’ Insurance Lead to Woman’s Arrest
Keech, a 53-year-old resident of Palm Coast’s R Section, was upset that Pet Smart would not cancel the health plan for her two cats, which she claimed had died.
Details Behind 6th Grader at Center of Bunnell School Incident Point To a “Gun,” a Troubled History and Family
The 6th grader at the center of the alleged gun incident by a Bunnell Elementary playground has had a history of suspensions and an unstable home life.
Palm Coast Man Faces Felony Animal Cruelty Charge After Yorkshire Terrier Is Brutalized
Brenden Geary of Winchester Place in Palm Coast is accused of brutalizing the 11-pound dog after the dog had allegedly relieved herself on the carpet.
Sheriff and Superintendent Pledge to Double School Deputies as They Outline New Normal Of Campus Security
School deputies will be increased to 13, with two at each high school and one in every elementary school, while a series of other security measures are implemented in a reflection of post-Parkland massacre norms.
Suspended Student Feared To Have a Weapon at Bunnell Elementary Fence Triggers Alert, and Arrest
A student who’d been suspended earlier in the day is facing arrest for assault was seen at a Bunnell Elementary fence with what looked like a weapon near dismissal time Wednesday afternoon, causing a lockdown.
Pedestrian Struck By Vehicle on A1A at South 7th in Flagler Beach Is Air-Lifted
A man believed to be older than 55 was struck by a passing car on State Road A1A as he was crossing the street this evening around 7:15 p.m.
Accused Drunk Driver Crashes Dodge Durango Through Fencing Along Rymfire Drive
Robert Sewell, 31, resident of Palm Coast’s R-Section, was on his way to Kangaroo at 1:25 Tuesday morning when he crashed through property fencing on Rymfire Drive.
Matanzas Student Frustrated in Math Jokes of “Shooting Up” the School, and Is Arrested
The arrest this morning of Raul Hernandez, 14, signals that school and sheriff’s officials will be taking a hard stand against any threats, however un-serious the intention.
Gregory Allen Henry, 12, Is Missing: Sheriff’s Deputies Seeking Public’s Help (Update: Found)
Gregory Allen Henry, a 12-year-old student at Wadsworth Elementary and a resident of Slator Court in Palm Coast who went missing Monday evening from a Seminole Woods park.
Senate Passes Safety Plan, Including Armed Teacher Program and $97 Million for More School Cops
Flagler County would be in line for a substantial increase in dollars allocated for school resource deputies, and would have the authority to implement a school marshal program.
For Sheriff and Flagler Schools, Clear Accord: No to Arming Teachers, Yes to More Deputies
At a joint news conference later this week, Sheriff Rick Staly and Superintendent Jim Tager will outline new security measures and initiatives and a plan for additional school deputies, but no weaponizing of teachers.
First Responders in Florida Aren’t Covered for PTSD. That May Change After Parkland.
Like many states, Florida does not provide lost wages to first responders disabled with PTSD. A bill that would change that is now gaining momentum after 17 people were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last month.
Palm Coast Resident In New York For Friend’s Birthday Party Is Murdered Outside Pizzeria
Hakeem Javon Griffin, a 22-year-old resident of Ryan Drive in Palm Coast, was killed in an argument on a street in Queens, N.Y. on Feb. 28.
3 Arrests Yield Stash of Weapons, Cash and Drugs–and Former Member of Mosquito Control Board
The arrests took place at 15 Fariston Place and 196 Pine Grove Drive in Palm Coast, yielding almost $50,000 in cash, more than a dozen firearms, and several pounds of pot.
Ex-Youth Pastor Convicted of Molesting Teen Church Members Back in Court, and Jail
Christopher Thomas Miller was convicted of molesting two 15-year-old girls at Bunnell’s Praise Assembly of God in 2006, but was jailed over violating his probation.
Holy Cow! Three Crashes, Three Dead Cows in Three Separate Areas of West Flagler
Three vehicles, including a cop’s car, were totaled overnight in crashes with cows on three different Flagler County roads. The drivers were not hurt. Cows’ owners have yet to be identified.
Palm Coast and Matanzas Golf Course Owners Reach Agreement, With Conditions
Palm Coast government has agreed to significantly code enforcement reduce its lien on the Matanzas golf course in exchange for a dismissal of all pending litigation.
Bunnell Inmate With 8 Prior Charges For Assaulting Cops Gets 9th One
Samuel Higgins is awaiting trial on assault and burglary charges at the Flagler County jail. He threatened a correction’s deputy’s life and threw a liquid at him, an offense for which he’d previously served prison time.
Bunnell’s Charles Cowart Jr. Arrested Again, For Allegedly Stealing 15 Flags in 3 Cities
Charles Cowart Jr. is accused of stealing enormous flags from Palm Coast Parkway and Indian Trails Sports Complex, among others. He’s been arrested many times for doing strange things.
For All of Sheriff Staly’s “Green Roof Inn” Tough Talk, the Green Also Stands For Hope and Renewal
Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly today unveiled the Stride Program at the county jail, an ongoing rehabilitation and preparatory program to help inmates reintegrate society and stay out of jail.
As Calls For Broward Sheriff’s Removal Mount, Scott Orders Investigation of School Shooting Response
The directive came as House Speaker Richard Corcoran sent a letter co-signed by 73 Republican House members requesting that Scott suspend Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel, a Democrat.
Robert Barshied, Missing Two Days, Is Found Dead Near Bings Landing, an Apparent Suicide
Robert Barshied, 69, of Matanzas Shores, was found dead in a marsh after an extensive air, sea and foot search. He’d left a suicide note at his home.