A woman came out of her bathroom at her home on Boston Lane Tuesday evening to find a man standing in her house. The alleged burglary triggered a search, but the man was not found.
Cops/Courts
Matanzas Students Win Pledge for More Street Lights and Sidewalks From Palm Coast Council
Students who formed the Matanzas School Safety Committee in the wake of recent fellow-students killed by cars on dark Palm Coast streets submitted research and suggestions to the city council Tuesday evening.
In Unprecedented Move, Gov. Scott Shifts 21 Death Cases Away From State Attorney Ayala
Scott said he removed Orange-Osceola State Attorney Aramis Ayala “in the interest of justice” following her decision not to consider capital punishment in any case.
Two Houses Targeted in Pre-Dawn Shooting on Palm Coast’s Plainview Drive
A bullet was fired into a woman’s bedroom, and three vehicles were damaged in front of the house on the opposite side of the street in a 5:30 a.m. incident the sheriff’s office considers not to be a random act.
Christian Rodriguez, 38, Arrested on Felony Child Abuse Charge Involving Girl, 15
Christian Rodriguez, a 38-year-old resident of Bren Mar Lane in Palm Coast who’s scheduled for a circuit court plea hearing in a drunk driving case later this month, was arrested and charged with felony child abuse Saturday in an allegation involving a 15-year-old girl.
Pranksters, Hackers, Swatting and Service Failures: 911 Systems Need an Upgrade
A rash of disruptions in antiquated 911 emergency-response systems points up the urgent need for new technology to save lives in the wireless age. But money is lacking.
Sparing None, Sheriff “Arrests” 15 of Flagler’s Leading Officials in Relay For Life Sting
Sheriff Rick Staly and his team served warrants on Superintendent Jacob Oliva, County Commissioners Dave Sullivan and Charlie Ericksen, fire chiefs and business leaders in a fund-raising ploy for cancer research this morning.
In Near-Replica of Previous Arrest for Assault, Pariate Moore, 26, Is Tased in Palm Coast’s R-Section
Pariate Moore was arrested on aggravated assault and domestic violence charges after deputies Tased him Wednesday evening. He had been similarly Tased–resisting arrest–during a 2010 arrest that eventually led to a 4-year prison sentence.
Flagler Beach Pastor Who Defrauded Church Members of Hundreds of Thousands Blames Others As He’s Sentenced to 7.5 Years
Wesley Brown, the 54-year-old pastor who’d won the trust of church members only to defraud them, sought to lay blame on others even as he was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison, after facing a potential 100 years.
Two Students Involved In Exaggerated Gun Threat at Buddy Taylor Middle School
Texts alleging a gun threat at Buddy Taylor but that are apparently a month old have resurfaced in the past 24 hours, causing concern at school and the apprehension of at least one student.
Sexual Predator Returns to Live in Mondex After 12-Year Prison Sentence
George W. Mason Jr., a 42-year-old man convicted of attempted rape of a child younger than 12 when he was 27, has moved in with family at 1166 Forest Park Street in Daytona North, also known as the Mondex.
GOP Rep. Cary Pigman, Chairman of House Health Subcommittee, Arrested for Drunk Driving
With a blood-alcohol level nearly double the legal limit, state Rep. Cary Pigman was charged with drunken driving after a traffic stop on Florida’s Turnpike several hours after a House session Thursday.
2-Year-Old Child Rescued, Father Arrested After 4 1/2-Hour Emergency on Parkview Drive
Brandon Quaid Still, 25, faces domestic assault and false imprisonment charges, and is wanted on a warrant from Texas, where he’s previously been charged with child endangerment and domestic violence.
At least 4 Homes Evacuated in Mondex; Half-Dozen Agencies Battling 40-Acre Blaze
A fire that started in an abandoned trailer in the Mondex spread quickly and forced evacuations, and was only 50 percent contained in mid to late afternoon.
Palm Coast’s Kory Jones, 22, Arrested on 1st-Degree Arson Charge Out of Pasco County
Kory Jones, a Matanzas High graduate, was arrested on Palm Coast’s Hargrove Grade in connection with an alleged attempt to explode a propane container in an occupied house in New Port Richie last August.
David Dalecki, 47, Dies In 2-Vehicle Crash On I-95 Near Palm Coast’s Weigh Station
Dalecki is the husband of Cindy Dalecki, the owner of Marketing 2 Go in Palm Coast, the president of the Flagler Beach Rotary, and one of Flagler County’s most prominent and dynamic personalities.
In Courthouse Parking Lot, Sheriff’s Deputies Peacefully End Another Suicide-By-Cop Crisis
For the second time in 18 months, Flagler sheriff’s deputies peacefully defused a suicide-by-cop confrontation, this one involving 21-year-old Darnell Hyppolite at the Flagler County courthouse parking lot.
Sheriff Staly Considering Relaxing Chase Policy After His Involvement in Weekend Incident
Sheriff Rick Staly had started to chase a Camaro on I-95 Friday but it blew past him too fast, so he ordered stop sticks deployed when it was trailed past Seminole Woods onto U.S. 1. The driver still got away.
Ousted In Cop Case, Prosecutor Who Won’t Seek Death Penalty Challenges Scott
State Attorney Aramis Ayala is accusing Gov. Scott of abusing his authority by ousting her as prosecutor in the case of alleged cop-killer Markeith Loyd.
Jeanmarie Baker, 61, Is Killed By FEC Train Just South of White Eagle Off U.S. 1 in Suicide
Jeanmarie Baker, 61, was struck and killed by a southbound train on the Florida East Coast Railway early this evening in Korona, near the White Eagle Lounge just south of Palm Coast.
Thousand-Acre Wildfire Started As Controlled Burn in Putnam, Spread To Flagler, Now 75% Contained
Residents in Northwest Flagler County breathed the effects of the fire all weekend, and residents in Palm Coast and the rest of the county could see the large columns of smoke rising over the western horizon Saturday and Sunday.
In Stunning Move, State Attorney Ayala Won’t Pursue Death Sentences in Orange and Osceola
Ayala’s decision infuriated Gov. Scott, Attorney General Bondi and police organizations, but drew praise from others who see the position more in line with a growing national trend by courts, some governors and legislatures.
Palm Coast’s Jerald Medders, 51, Held on $300,000 Bond Over Child Rape Charges
Jerald D. Medders, 51, of 6 Zelda Place in Palm Coast, faces three 1st-degree felony counts of raping a girl over three months. Medders blamed the girl, who was 15 when the alleged assaults began, for “provoking” him.
Fire Severely Damages Marine Veteran’s House on Palm Coast’s Folcroft Lane
Robert Detherow had just parked his motorcycle in the garage at 38 Folcroft Lane in Palm Coast when a fire enveloped the motorcycle and started attacking the house, about half of which was damaged.
Senate Approves Stand Your Ground Change To Make It Easier For Shooters To Use Defense
The bill would shift the burden from defendants to prosecutors in the pre-trial hearings, vastly strengthening defendants’ ability to use the defense, but at significant cost to prosecutors.
Gas Leak at Flagler’s New Jail Prompts 2-Hour Inmate Lockdown
The leak was pinpointed to a water heater in late morning Tuesday at the 54,000 square foot, $17.4 million new jail, though the precise nature of the problem was not discovered.
33-Year-Old Palm Coast Driver Crashes Mustang In Woods Off I-95
Chad R. Shiffler, a 33-year-old resident of Farmsworth Drive in Palm Coast, was seriously injured and flown to Halifax hospital after crashing his Mustang into the woods on I-95 near the State Road 100 intersection.
Biker Jeffery Coffman of Palm Coast, 59, Killed On U.S. 1’s Triple-A Curve South of Belle Terre
Jeffery Lynn Coffman, 59, of Clermont Court in Palm Coast, is the latest victim of a curving stretch of U.S. 1 that has claimed the lives of several people over the years.
Sheriff Settles Suit With Ex-Finance Director For $200,000, Causing Delays In Future Hires
Linda Bolante filed a whistle-blower suit against ex-Sheriff Jim Manfre in 2014 after she claimed to have been forced to resign over her raising questions about his ethical practices.
30-Year-Old Biker Travis Staub Critical In Head-On Collision With Car on Rymfire in Palm Coast
A 30-year-old man on a motorcycle was critically injured in a head-on collision with a car on Rymfire Drive in Palm Coast.
Revealing Look at How Flagler Beach Commission, in Closed-Door Meeting, Settled Wrongful Arrest Claim
Vassili Mironov had sued the Flagler Beach Police Department for $89,000 after his arrest at Finns for a fight he says he did not start. He got $6,000 in a settlement that revealed how divided city commissioners arrived at their 3-2 vote.
In Unusual Reversal of Roles, 2 Cyclists Hurt as They Rear-End Van on Colbert Lane
Two cyclists rear-ended a Town and Country van that had pulled over on Colbert Lane, near Lakeview Drive, to make a phone call. Both cyclists were taken to Floirida Hospital Flagler.
Palm Coast Deputy Fire Chief Jerry Forte Earns Chief Fire Officer Designation
Deputy Chief Forte was recognized Tuesday by the Palm Coast City Council, with the Chief Fire Officer designation presented by Fire Chief Mike Beadle.
Deputies on Alert For Suspicious Man Who Tried to Lure Children Into Woods on Peppercorn Lane
A man attempted to give an 11-year-old girl and her brother $20 to show them a “hiding place” in the woods as the children played on Palm Coast’s Peppercorn Lane Monday.
Missing: Elizabeth Higgins, 16, Also Known as Rhiannon Higgins, Has History of Running Away
Higgins is 16, white, about 5’2”, and weighing 135 pounds. She was last seen possibly wearing a green hoodie and blue jeans. Her direction of travel is unknown.
Three Deputies Injured In Separate Incidents With Suspects Prompts Warning From Sheriff
A road deputy and two detention deputies were injured over three days in separate assaults, two of them involving inmates with violent histories, one of them during a foot chase.
Cyclist Richard A. Lee, 59, Is Killed Crossing Palm Coast Parkway at Boulder Rock Drive
Richard A. Lee was struck by a car at the intersection of Palm Coast Parkway and Boulder Rock Drive just before 7 p.m. Sunday evening. Lee, a resident of Palm Coast’s B-Section, later died en route to a hospital.
Palm Coast’s Michelle Taylor, 16, Is Killed When Struck by Car on Lakeview Blvd., 21 Year Old Injured
Michelle Taylor, 16, a student at Matanzas High School, was killed, and 21-year-old Elizabeth Sherman was injured. They were struck just past the intersection with Laramie Drive.
Stephen Schoembs, 43, Celebrated Chef and Flagler Native, Found Dead at Walmart Parking Lot
Stephen Schoembs had been reported missing the day before. The cause of death has not been determined. He was the executive chef at Hammock Dunes Club after a stint abroad.
Dog Gets Killed by Neighbor’s Dog. That Was Only Part of the Problem for Responding Deputies.
A young Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy became the object of a woman’s aggression after cops had been called to the address over a disturbance with neighbors, and a dead dog.
Flagler Beach Police Department Now Permanent Site To Get Rid of Unwanted Prescription Drugs
No questions asked: You don’t have to wait for drug take-back days to drop off your unwanted prescription drugs anymore. The department’s new Drug Collection Unit is accessible daily from 8 to 5.
Watch Out: Sheriff Staly Is Tonight’s Watch Commander on Flagler Streets
Sheriff Rick Staly has asked all his command staff to put in stints as shift commanders–including himself, so as to better understand the challenges of deputies and get a pulse of the streets.
“Mass Chaos” At Walmart Girl Scout Cookie Stand as Clash Turns Violent Over $20 Debt
Palm Coast’s Daniel Kennedy, 18, and his 16-year-old brother, were arrested after destroying a Girl Scout cookie stand and allegedly attacking three people at Walmart Saturday when they were told they could not take cookies instead of money allegedly owed them.
Palm Coast Woman, 18, Charged With Home Invasion Robbery in Confrontation With Ex
Armed with a knife, Kaitlin McBride, 18, of Zerington Court, had gone to her ex-boyfriend’s house at 3 a.m. today to claim a cat and a computer game, and surprised him in bed with another woman after going in allegedly uninvited.
Elderly Man Injured in Attack by Pit Bull Mix At Palm Coast’s Canopy Walk Dies
James E. Bennett, 79, had been severely injured last Sunday and his 7-year-old Yorkshire killed Sunday in an attack by a Labrador-pit bull dog. He died of an apparent heart attack.
At Belle Terre Elementary, 60 Readers Get In Black History Groove With Ellington, Tar Beach and Even Cops
Belle Terre Principal Terence Culver wanted to atone for ignoring Black History Month for five years by hosting a read-in featuring community leaders including the sheriff, many cops and firefighters, school board members, the Palm Coast mayor and many more.
Jury Finds Palm Coast’s John Schenone, 32, Guilty of Raping Girlfriend’s 11-Year-Old Daughter; Will Spend Life in Prison
John Schenone, 32, had been the father figure to the girl and her mother’s live-in boyfriend for six years in Palm Coast’s W-Section, but had been assaulting the girl for a year.
“I Slam-Dunked Her To the Ground,” Palm Coast Man Says of Woman in Road Rage Incident
Two Palm Coast residents dueled in a road-rage incident that started with mutual flipping near McDonald’s in Town Center, and ended with injuries and a jailing.
From Inside Charred Aftermath of Last Week’s 435-Acre Fire, A Cautionary Warning of Season Ahead
In a tour of the forest partly charred in last week’s fire south of Bunnell, Florida Forest Service officials cautioned of a fire season ahead they expect will be more active because of drought and higher temperatures.
Man Faces Felony Child Abuse Charge in Assault of Girl, 14, After Accosting Children at Bus Stop
A man who children say had been accosting them at their Palm Coast bus stop was later charged with child abuse after slapping a 14-year-old girl on the butt. An investigation revealed other concerns.