Obtravies Watkins, 33, of Palm Coast and Daytona Beach, a felon and sex offender with a long record, is accused of kidnapping a woman in Volusia and raping her there and in Palm Coast.
Cops/Courts
Defense Will Argue That Bobby Gore Suffered From “Battered Spouse Syndrome” When He Killed His Son
Bobby Gore, 74, shot and killed his son Lucas in Flagler Beach in April and pleaded guilty to manslaughter. To reduce his life sentence, his defense attorney will argue that Lucas had been terrorizing his father to the point of reducing him to the equivalent of a battered spouse.
Taken For A Ride: Ambulances Stick Patients With Surprise Bills as Insurers Balk
Ambulance and private insurance companies often can’t agree on a price. That leaves patients stuck in the middle with out-of-network charges that are not negotiated.
Flagler Deputies’ Thanksgiving Break: A Half Dozen Domestic Violence Arrests
Cases included a siblings’ brawl that turned into charges of felony child abuse and strangulation and the case of a repeat domestic-violence offender biting his wife on the head after she declines sex.
New Regulations Give Flagler Government Policing Powers Over Towing Companies
A new Flagler County ordinance sets out requirements, fees and penalties for the county’s three towing companies, reining in what the county administration said had been some abuses in the industry.
Nine Flagler County Firefighter-Paramedics Get Lifesaving Awards For I-95 Truck Rescue
Crews were called out to a rollover crash on Interstate 95 and worked four hours to extricate the driver, Scott Breidenstein, from the crushed cabin – a mere 24 inches of space to maneuver.
For Some Victims, Reporting a Rape Can Bring Doubt, Abuse — and Even Prosecution
There are many reasons for women to think twice about reporting sexual assault. But one potential consequence looms especially large: They may also be prosecuted.
Armed Robbery Victim in Hammock Seeks Out and Finds Suspect, Leading to Arrest
Cody Wilson, 26, was booked at the Flagler jail on $110,000 bond after he allegedly robbed at gunpoint a man who was smoking marijuana in his driveway in the Hammock.
Paul Miller, Serving Life for Murder of Dana Mulhall in Flagler Beach in 2012, Returning To Court
Now 70, Paul Miller shot and killed his neighbor Dana Mulhall, 52, in a dispute over barking dogs in 2012. Miller is arguing that he did not get a proper defense from his attorney.
Flagler Sheriff’s Deputy Bret Wood Injured in Crash Caused By Fleeing Hit and Run Suspect
Sheriff’s Deputy Bret Wood was bleeding significantly after crashing his motorcycle when a fleeing driver stopped abruptly then fled.
Sheriff Again Urges Transportation Secretary to Improve Safety at “Deadly” White Eagle Intersection
The transportation department last February largely ignored recommendations by Sheriff Rick Staly for more safety measures at the crash-prone intersection on U.S. 1. Staly again wrote the transportation department on Tuesday.
In Rare Move, Sheriff Is Publicly Critical of Judge’s Decision to Let Shooting Suspect Out of Jail
Judge Margaret Hudson allowed Michael McRoberts, 21, to go under house arrest at his home even though he violated probation and is a suspect in the Nov. 13 double-shooting on Seamanship Trail in Palm Coast.
Scott Wants Justice Pariente Disqualified From Decision on Governor’s Authority to Pick Her Successor
The issue in the case is whether Scott or his successor will have the power to make the appointments — an issue that could shape the balance of the court for years.
Gordon Therrien, 60, Killed When Motorcycle and Semi Truck Collide on U.S. 1 at White Eagle
The White Eagle Lounge intersection claimed its 6th traffic-crash death in nine month when a motorcyclist and a semi truck collided in mid-afternoon.
Man at Wheel of Truck in Crash That Killed 10-Year-Old Arrested on Drug Charges; Cited 3 Times in Last 6 Months For No License
Thomas Rando, the Palm Coast man at the wheel of an SUV that crashed Friday, killing 10-year-old Hannah Beard, was arrested Sunday trying to leave a house allegedly with backpacks of drugs and has a long history of driving without license.
Hannah Beard, 10, Is Killed, 3 Seriously Hurt in Single-Car Crash on I-95 South of Palm Coast Parkway
The crash took place at 6:39 p.m., involving a single vehicle that somehow lost control, rolled and ended up on its flank on the driver’s side, facing north in the grassy shoulder next to the center guard rails.
Case Against Kimberle Weeks Now Hinges On Judge’s Precedent-Setting Decision on Searches in Electronic Age
Ex-Elections Supervisor Weeks’s attorneys argue that the search warrant that produced incriminating evidence against her was an illegal fishing expedition. Without it, the case against Weeks collapses.
Threat of Violence at FPC, Mirroring Pranks Elsewhere, Prompts Heightened Cop Presence
The threat of violence in a boys’ bathroom told students not to show up today at FPC. It is similar to threats made at schools elsewhere on social media.
Flagler County on Periphery of Opioid Crisis, But Deaths Report Signals Lethal Spikes
Deaths related to heroin and fentanyl use are rising locally, and deaths related to prescription drugs spiked 22 percent as the region proves not immune to the opioid crisis.
A Pair of Fights At Matanzas High School Spill Over Into B Section, Implicating Several Teen Girls
Battery charges were forwarded to the State Attorney’s Office against several Matanzas High girls following a series of fights that stretched over several days and locations.
Five New Towers Part of County’s Plan to Replace $11 Million Emergency Communications System
Flagler government unveiled vast new plan to replace the aging emergency communications system starting next year, keeping mum on final cost estimates, which will be steep.
Samantha Posella, 17, Missing Three Weeks From Her Llama Trail Home
Samantha Lynn Posella, a 17-year-old resident of 45 Llama Trail in Palm Coast, walked out of her house on Oct. 25 and hasn’t been seen since.
Armed Robbery at Taco Bell Leads to Chase and 2 Arrests, But Flagler Deputy Injured In Crash
Craig Rossi, a 10-year veteran of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, was injured when his car collided with the fleeing vehicle,w hose two suspects were arrested soon afterward.
Evidence Was Illegally Obtained, But Judge Rules It Admissible In Dykes Child-Sex Case
The defense’s attempt to suppress illegally obtained evidence against Paul Dykes, the Palm Coast man accused of raping a child, fell to an exception to the Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate oneself.
2 Men Shot on Seamanship Trail in Seminole Woods; Sheriff Looking For Woman of Interest
Two men were critically wounded in a shooting involving “a lot” of gunshots after midnight this morning outside 28 Seamaship Trail, Sheriff Rick Staly said from the scene.
Matanzas High Student Fabricates Gun Incident, But School’s “Security Status” Was Not Changed
A Matanzas High School student’s fabrication of a gun sighting on campus around noon today led to a localized lockdown in the school’s parking lot, car searches and a lot of police activity on campus.
Appeals Court Rejects Patrick Hannon Stay, Will Be 26th Executed On Gov. Scott’s Watch
A federal appeals court rejected Hannon’s claim that a new state death-penalty requirements relating to the unanimity of juries should be applied to his case. He murdered two men in 1991.
Palm Coast Opioid Dealer’s Arrest Points Only To Fractional, Street-Level Source of Crisis
Palm Coast’s Joseph Colon, 34, has been in and out of jail and prison over drug dealing for years, but his arrest on heroin and fentanyl trafficking charges masks the much broader, more legal source of the crisis.
Suspect In Custody After Pursuit Shuts Down Portions of Belle Terre and Disrupting School Busing
A high-speed chase that went into Quail Hollow turned into an extensive search on foot and by air in Palm Coast’s Z-Section as a suspected car thief ran into the woods this afternoon just before 3 p.m.
Car Reported Stolen By Inmate Leads to 4 Arrests at Suspected Drug House on Palm Coast’s Ft. Caroline Ln.
The house at 21 Fort Caroline Lane in Palm Coast had been under sheriff’s deputies surveillance for a while because of suspected drug activity there.
Truck Terror Attacks May Be a Sign of ISIS Weakness, But They’re Very Hard to Stop
As ISIS loses territory on the battlefield, lone-actor assaults are expected to increase. The question for cities is what more can be done to protect against such attacks.
L’Darius Smith, 21, Acquitted of Molesting 2 Step-Sisters; Jury Finds Guilt on Minor Charge
Palm Coast’s L’Darius Smith could have faced 15 years in prison on accusations he molested girls age 8 and 9 but was essentially acquitted.
Gary R. St. Peter, 67, Is Killed, Another Man Injured As Their Mustang Overturns Off A1A Near Surf Club
Gary Robert St. Peter was killed and David Zlokas, 64, injured when their car careened off State Road A1A, within a few feet of the Surf Club condominiums, at 10 p.m. tonight.
Accused of Molesting 2 Girls When He Was 15 and 16, a 21-Year-Old Winks and Plays To Camera
Now 21, L’Darius Smith was 15 or 16 when he allegedly molested two girls, 8 and 9, he was living with as siblings in Palm Coast five years ago. He did not act as if he were on trial today.
Accused of Brutalizing Pregnant Ex, Palm Coast Man Sought Voodoo To Induce Miscarriage
Patrick Leroy, a 29-year-old resident of Shady Lane in Palm Coast, faces nine charges stemming from incidents in which he allegedly threatened to kill his ex-girlfriend and harm her 4-year-old son.
Sheriff Tamps Down Rumors and Quackery of Antifa Apocalypse in Palm Coast This Weekend
Conspiracy theorists have been in overdrive, inventing the coming of violent protests, even in Palm Coast, designed to overthrow Trump this weekend. The rumors are false.
In Rare Rejection of Plea Deal, Judge Wants Prison For Woman In Molestation Case
Palm Coast’s Maria Howell, accused of molesting a teen, was ready to plead to 10 years’ probation, but Judge Dennis Craig rejected the plea, asking for prison time.
Sheriff Deploys Skeletal Traffic Unit To Chase After Speeders on Halloween
The Halloween detail is focusing on speeding and aggressive driving as deputies and detectives also visit 21 sex offenders banned from handing out candy.
Palm Coast Man Called Ringleader Of Heroin and Fentanyl Operation That Nets 9 Arrests
Julian Miller, 31, of Palm Coast, accused of running a heroin and fentanyl operation mostly in Volusia counties, was among nine people arrested Friday.
At Flagler Jail, 4th Guard This Year Resigns Over “Affair” With Inmate, Whose Wife Was Also Jailed
Rookie Danielle Basciano, 23, resigned as she was being investigated form improprieties with Salina Cox, 29, an inmate at the jail whose own wife was also incarcerated at the jail at the time.
Sheriff Staly and Superintendent Tager Involved in Minor 3-Vehicle Crash
Superintendent Jim Tager rear-ended a pick-up truck that rear-ended the sheriff’s SUV when a driver in front of the sheriff abruptly stopped through a green light, causing the wreck.
An Allegation of Rape On the Sands of Flagler Beach, But Beyond That, Mostly Blur
A 26-year-old woman reported being raped the morning of Oct. 14 somewhere between South 4th and South 9th Streets, but evidence and alcohol-blurred memories are scant.
In Rare Case of Election Fraud, Palm Coast Felon Is Jailed For Casting Illegal Ballot
Jennifer Scott, 52, of Palm Coast’s R Section, faces two felony counts for allegedly fraudulently voting in the 2016 election, but an official says the issue is extremely rare.
Behind the Man Facing Monstrous Allegations of Incest, A History of Disabilities, But Not Incompetence
The mother of Paul Dykes, who goes on trial on charges of raping his own daughter next month, revealed in court today for the first time the personal history of the 20-year-old Palm Coast resident.
When Flagler’s Judicial System Makes a 10-Year Error In a 40-Year Prison Sentence
William Copeland is serving 40 years for shooting his daughter’s grandfather in Palm Coast in 2011. The court made a 10-year error in one of his sentences.
At Hammock Beach Resort, A Woman Crashes A Wedding To Spy, And Violence Follows
Shelby McDowell, 26, crashed the wedding to which her boyfriend was invited and found him dancing with another woman, so she allegedly attacked them both.
Don Guldenschuh Jr. of Bunnell, 26, Is Killed in Biketoberfest Crash
Don Guldenschuh Jr., 26, was riding north on U.S. 1. when he lost control of his motorcycle as he took the on-ramp to I-95. He died at the scene.
Sheriff’s Domestic Violence Task Force’s Job Done, Attention Turns To Enacting Proposals
Several proposals the domestic violence task force put forth area already being enacted but many more remain unfunded or not yet fully analyzed.
Paul Dykes Goes On Trial Over Accusations Of Child Rape and 21 Related Counts In November
The trial of the Palm Coast 20-year-old will be the latest chapter in an extensive and lurid case that involves Dykes’s one-time girlfriend, Erin Vickers, 23, whom a jury found guilty a month ago of raping her 1-year-old daughter.
Stanley Wykretowicz Acquitted On Aggravated Child Abuse Charge, May Face Negligence
The 42-year-old Palm Coast resident was looking at up to 30 years in prison had he been found guilty on a charge that he’d brutalized his 2-year-old niece. The defense said the girl was merely ill.