It is the latest fallout from an ongoing investigation into whether troopers were told to meet a traffic-ticket quota, Lt. Col. Michael Thomas was a 30-year veteran and deputy director for the FHP.
Cops/Courts
For David Snelgrove, Sentenced in Palm Coast Double-Murder in 2000, Execution Again In Question
The Supreme Court threw out David Snelgrove’s death sentence as unconstitutional because twice juries were not unanimous. A re-sentencing’s complicated road began today before Judge Dennis Craig.
Palm Coast Man Faces Child Abuse Charge in Strangling Grandson Over Power Bill
Kelvin Martinez, 55, on probation for his second DUI guilty verdict in five years, allegedly choked and beat his grandson after being angry that he left his computer on all day.
After Years of Resistance, County May Finally Absorb Bunnell Fire Department In Expansion
Bunnell government appears ready to cede its fire department’s property to the county, which is expanding its ambulance service from seven to eight 24-hour rigs, and would so so in Bunnell.
Graham Swamp, Magnet For Self-Abuse, Nets Two Arrests In Sting For Onanists
A Palm Coast man and a Tennessee man were the latest arrested for allegedly masturbating at Graham Swamp, in front of an undercover cop, the first such arrests there since 2013.
28-Year-Old Man Critical As Car Flips Into Pond at I-95 Palm Coast Parkway Exit
William Birch Jr., 28, was pulled out of his car with fluid in his lungs and in critical condition. His brother Aaron Gordon, 25, was not injured. The two had been arguing just before the wreck.
In Preventive Demonstration, Sheriff Highlights Lethal Danger of Leaving Children in Hot Cars
With an average of 39 children killed each year for being left in hot cars, Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly and DCF officials underscored the danger in a demonstration in Palm Coast this morning.
“I Just Kept Stabbing,” Son Says of Killing Mother in Panicked Argument on Woodhollow
Nathan Shimmel, 22, says his mother Michele Shimmel was threatening to throw him out of the house when he panicked, grabbed a knife and stabbed her “a lot.”
Nathaniel Shimmel, 22, Faces 1st Degree Murder Charge in Stabbing Death of Mother on Palm Coast’s Wooodhollow Lane
Michele Shimmel was stabbed and killed at 47 Woodhollow Lane in Palm Coast this evening, sometime between 7:15 and 7:30 p.m. Her 22-year-old son, Nathanial Shimmel, is in custody.
New Spate of “Stay White” And Other Disturbing Graffiti, But Authorities Suspect Youthful Idiocy More Than Malice
The “stay white” vandalism was one of another half dozen instances of graffiti at homes on Farrington, Farragut and Florida Park Drive in Palm Coast’s F-Section, and on Raeland Lane.
Florida Supreme Court Admits to Mistake But Clears Record 24th Execution on Scott’s Watch
Lawyers for Mark James Asay, convicted of killing Robert Booker and Robert McDowell in 1987, asked for a new hearing after the Florida Supreme Court issued a rare mea culpa for mistaking one of the victims as black.
Palm Coast’s David Shute, 47, Critical Following Motorcycle Crash on Palm Coast Parkway
It is not yet clear what caused David Shute to “lay down” his motorcycle immediately after making a right onto Palm Coast Parkway from Old Kings Road. He was flown to Halifax hospital.
Plane Lands on Flagler Beach Bridge, Two Aboard Escape Injuries Despite Fire
A single-engine plane executed an emergency landing on the Flagler Beach bridge at 7:50 this evening. The plane either was on fire or caught fire after it landed. Two people aboard escaped injuries.
Buddy Taylor Middle School Teacher Travis Holloway Again Arrested Over Domestic Violence Charge
It is Holloway’s third arrest in the past eight years, the second involving domestic violence, a period through which he’s been employed by the Flagler school district.
Misconduct Charges Mount Against Flagler Judge Scott DuPont, Now Pointing To Courtroom Violations
Seven new charges against Circuit Judge Scott DuPont bring the total to 12 and now point to disturbing allegations of violations against people appearing in court and lawyers.
A Man Exposes Himself and Chases After Employee On Florida Hospital Flagler’s Walking Trail
Alonso Ricardo, 51, of Bunnell, faces three charges after exposing himself and chasing after a hospital employee who was exercising on the campus trail on her lunch break Wednesday.
Palm Coast Man Arrested For Confronting Teacher (and Ex) in Belle Terre Elementary Parking Lot
Joshua Laks, a 34-year-old resident of Karlstad Place in Palm Coast, arrested for throwing eggs and a souvenir cup at a teacher, has a history of arrests in Volusia.
Christopher Hollinger Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison Over Sex Assault of 2 Teen Girls At Long Creek Preserve
Hollinger was 23 when he got two girls, then 14 and 15, drunk before having sex with them at the Palm Coast nature preserve in March 2016.
Palm Coast Man Who Was Unsuccessful Half of Double-Suicide Pact Is Charged With Manslaughter
Bruce Haughton, 52, had attempted a double suicide with Katherine Goddard, 52, in Goddard’s R-Section house in June. He survived. She did not. He faces a felony manslaughter charge.
Stabbing on Palm Coast’s Kaywood Place Sends Man to Hospital and Another to Jail
Harold “Doug” Cook, 50, was jailed on a felony charge after he allegedly stabbed Jarrett Register, 25, at the end of a fight that had started earlier at the Flagler Cracker Ranch.
As Deadline For Plea Looms, Kimberle Weeks Heads for December Trials On 5 Felony Counts
Former Elections Supervisor Weeks’s attorney filed a second motion to suppress the search warrant that revealed evidence against her, arguing that the remaining counts are fruit of a poisoned tree.
Desir Desinor, 65, Dies, Woman Hurt in Head-On Crash in Old Kings Road Passing Zone
Desir Desinor, 65, of Palm Coast, died and Brianna Peres, 18, was seriously hurt in a head-on collision on Old Kings Road south of Oak Trails in Palm Coast Saturday evening.
Seminole Woods and C-Section in Palm Coast Struck With a Dozen Car and House Burglaries
Jewelry was stolen in one house burglary, four guns and $7,000 in cash in another, but most of the other burglaries seemed hurried jobs that lifted trivial items.
Not This Time: Supreme Court Rejects Re-Sentencing For Murderer of 13-Year-Old Girl
Hitchcock was sent to Death Row after a 10-2 jury recommendation. Attorneys argued that the new unanimity standard should retroactively apply to his case and lead to a new sentencing hearing.
Flagler County Firefighters Ronald Titus and Justin Thomas Off To Help Brethren Battle Oregon Wildfires
The firefighters were activated by the Florida Division of Forestry. Oregon is facing a dozen large wildfires, the largest, the Cinder Butte fire in Central Oregon, having exceeded 52,000 acres.
December Trials Set For 2 Flagler Residents Facing Capital Murder Charges
Bobby Earl Gore, 74, is accused of shooting his won execution-style in Flagler Beach, Dorothy Singer is accused of shooting her husband and burying him in the couple’s backyard.
Woman Reports Armed Robbery on Palm Coast’s Leidel Dr. As Her Son Is In Back Seat
The 29-year-old resident at 35 Leidel Drive in Palm Coast reported she was robbed at gunpoint in her car in her driveway, with her 2-year-old son in the backseat Saturday night.
Longtime Assistant State Attorney David Smith Wins State’s Top Prosecutor Award
Longtime Assistant State Attorney David Smith received the Gene Berry Award at the Florida Prosecution Attorneys Association Conference in Bonita Springs, Florida on July 31.
William Gamble, 66, Dies Three Days After Dog Attack in Palm Coast’s C Section
William Gamble, a 66-year-old resident of Crossgate Court in Palm Coast, was walking his dog, Dahlyla, not far from his home, when another dog attacked. Gamble died Aug. 2.
Woman Charged For Slashing Boyfriend’s Tire and Aggravated Assault After He’s Late To Work
Palm Coast’s Kristin Trotter, 40, of the W-Section, was back in jail for the second time in two years after an allegedly violent altercation with her 28-year-old boyfriend.
For Flagler County’s Specialized Firefighters, Four Technical Rescues in a Week
Two water rescues, one extrication in a car crash and a rescue from atop the Palm Coast Water Tower kept Flagler County Fire Rescue’s specialized teams busy.
New Driver’s Licenses, With Double the Security Features, Intended to Cut Down on Fraud
Each card will have better safeguards, from features that appear only when viewed under ultraviolet light to a pastel-colored linear rendering of the Florida state seal and a large orange “FL.”
Man Faces 6 Counts of Negligence After Provoking Crash on Seminole Woods Blvd., Endangering 2 Families
Six other people, three of them children, were involved in a two-vehicle crash when Larry B. Batson Jr. intentionally drove his car against another on Seminole Woods Boulevard.
City Market Place Briefly Evacuated After Resident Brings In Grenade Found in Backyard
The St. Johns County Bomb Squad was called in to claim the grenade, which the resident turned in to the sheriff’s Palm Coast Precinct at City Market Place.
Renewed Push For Tougher Texting While Driving Penalties May Face Resistance in Flagler
A Florida state legislator, Emily Slosberg, who survived a violent car crash caused by distracted driving, is campaigning across the state to make texting and driving a primary offense.
Palm Coast’s Erin Vickers Set For September Trial on Child Rape in 1st of 49 Charges
Erin Vickers, 23, and then-boyfriend Paul Dykes, 20, face a combined 90 charges of raping children as young as 1, and taking and transmitting pictures and video of child porn.
Special-Ops Firefighters Rescuing Man Taken Ill Near Top of Palm Coast Water Tower
A contractor working on the water tower for the city fell ill, possibly of heat stroke, and required a rescue by the county’s and Palm Coast’s paramedics, and a special team.
It’s Not Just Palm Coast: Credit Card Skimming at Gas Stations Up 160% in Florida
State figures show 315 skimmers had been discovered at Florida gas pumps through July 18, compared to 120 skimmers discovered through the first seven months of 2016.
Prescription-Drug Overdoses Swamp Medical Examiners, Putting Accuracy In Question
The concern is that performing more than the recommended limit of 325 autopsies in a year, in addition to other duties such as testifying in court, could result in errors.
Palm Coast Pill House: “You’re Using Drugs?” “No Mom, I’m Selling Drugs.”
A 30-year-old woman was arrested while her 5-year-old son slept in a bedroom sheriff’s deputies said was stashed with hundreds of oxycodone pills, bags of pot and close to $9,000 in cash.
Tracy Vandament, 48, Found Dead In Suicide on Palm Coast’s Cimarron Drive
Tracy Vandament, originally from Oklahoma, had been depressed from going through a divorce and not seeing his children.
Fraud Alert: Credit Card “Skimmers” Found at Four Palm Coast Gas Stations
The defrauding skimming devices have been found at gas stations along Palm Coast Parkway and Palm Harbor Parkway. There are no arrests and no suspects.
PAL and Flagler District Agree to Middle School Sports Programs, But Student Records Would Not Be Private
The Flagler Sheriff’s Police Athletic League will run several middle school sports programs this year, but participation is conditional on PAL having access to attendance, grades and progress reports.
West Flagler Man Shoots Himself Twice With .22 and Survives, But in Critical Condition
John Joseph Kipe, a 54-year-old resident of Panda Bear Lane in Bunnell, is in critical condition after what appears to be an attempted suicide by gunshot Tuesday evening.
Shots Fired Outside Frieda Zamba Pool While Children’s Camp Was Still Active
A man fired two shots at a car leaving the parking lot outside Palm Coast’s Freeda Zamba pool Monday afternoon, next to Belle Terre Park. The pool was still open for another hour.
Palm Coast Woman Arrested on Animal Cruelty Charge In Death of Dog and Neglect of Another
Georgia A. Rose, 39, of 16 Princess Luise Lane in Palm Coast, was arrested on a charge of cruelty to animals following the death of a young dog she had been caring for, and persistently neglectful conditions surrounding a second dog that survived.
Judge Kim C. Hammond, Legend From Seminole Gridiron to Flagler Courtroom, Dies at 72
Judge Kim C. Hammond was appointed to the bench by Gov. Bob Graham in 1979 and spent his entire judicial in Flagler County, where the county courthouse now bears his name.
Alleged Meth Lab Busted on 2.5-Acre Property With 9 Buildings in Mondex, 5 Arrests
The search was conducted at 2345 Blueberry Street, netting the arrest of Gage Ryan Watts, 21, and four others before an extensive search operation that uncovered meth labs.
WESH 2 Pilot Finds Plane that Crashed With With 2 People On Board Over Pellicer Creek
The plane, a Piper PA44 Seminole, was returning from Brunswick, Ga., on its way to Ormond Beach Municipal Airport, fell off radar at 11 p.m. Thursday near Marineland.
Fireworks Stolen in Burglary From Bunnell Shop Blamed For Severe Injuries to 2 Boys
Fireworks that had been altered or corrupted and that injured two boys, ages 7 and 8, were traced to a burglary from a shop off U.S. 1 operated by Brett Lyons for one month a year.