This week, May21-27, is the 43rd Annual National EMS (Emergency Medical Services) Week.
Cops/Courts
Flagler Beach Pier Cleared for July 4 Fireworks, Which Will Go Off Even If Burn Ban Persists
Flagler County Fire Chief has cleared the July 4 fireworks for takeoff while an engineering firm certified the Flagler Beach pier’s safety for the event.
Palm Coast Man Faces Felony for Interfering in Custody of Missing Girl, 17
Christopher McMurphy faces a 3rd-degree felony charge following accusations that he interfered with the custody of a 17-year-old girl reported missing on May 21.
Sheriff’s “Taxi-Patrol Car” Cautions Against Drunk Driving Over Memorial Day Weekend
More than 400 deaths and 47,000 injuries are projected on U.S. roads over the Memorial Day weekend, prompting police agencies to heighten awareness campaigns.
Sheriff’s Request for 15 New Deputies Adds to Budget “Challenges” as Local Governments Begin to Haggle
Sheriff Rick Staly wants 10 new deputies from the county and five from Palm Coast. County government is facing $9 million in “challenges” as budget season launched this week.
A Man Is Killed in Fiery Morning Crash On Old Kings Road South of Graham Swamp
Joshue Rafael Venegas, 30, of Palm Coast, killed was speeding north at 3 a.m. on Old Kings Road, clipping a pick-up truck with three occupants before losing control.
Game Over: Lawmakers, Not Voters, Decide Whether To Allow Slot Machines, High Court Rules
The Florida Supreme Court squashed a broad expansion of slot machines in at least eight counties, saying the decision to allow pari-mutuels to add the lucrative games rests with the Legislature, not voters.
For Overworked County Judge Melissa Moore-Stens, $150,000 Worth of Help May Be Coming
Flagler County is not getting an additional county judge, but the money appropriated will pay for the equivalent of 428 days of service by retired judges brought back on a per-day basis to handle cases.
The Solemn and the Symbolic Mark Flagler Sheriff’s Ceremony Commemorating Fallen
In a departure from previous ceremonies, Thursday’s commemoration included a march and a riderless horse, symbolizing fallen officers, and the unveiling of a Wall of Heroes.
Citing Chronic Crisis, Sheriff Plans Community Summit on Domestic Violence and Task Force
Sheriff Rick Staly intends to call a community summit followed by a task force that would have a few months to produce a set of recommendations to enact. Other domestic violence initiatives are ongoing.
Flagler Grand Jury Indictments: Gore and Singer May Face Death Penalty, Haire Life in Prison
Dorothy Singer, accused of killing her husband, and Bobby Gore, accused of killing his son, may face the death penalty, and Phillip Haire, accused of shooting at a cop and his parents, may never see freedom again, if convicted.
Four Arrests in 4 Separate Violent Assaults in a 24-Hour Period Underscore Domestic Issues
Andrew J. Krupp, 20, of Palm Coast, Qwajon R. Laster, 20, of Bunnell, Raymond Amara, 54, of Palm Coast, and Jacob Robertson of Flagler Beach were all arrested on felony charges stemming from violent confrontations.
Sheriff Warns Against Misleading Medical Pot Scams “Popping Up All Over Palm Coast”
Yard signs in Palm Coast have popped up advertising “legal” weed, but the signs are scams, and a further reflecting of the confusion caused by lawmakers’ inability to agree to rules on medical pot, enabling scammers to fill voids.
Palm Coast Man Accused of Drugging and Raping 13-Year-Old Girl
Fredie Jiles Leon, who goes by the name of Fredie Leon, an 18-year-old resident of 5 Whittier Lane in Palm Coast, was arrested Thursday (May 11) on two counts of raping a 13-year-old girl after allegedly drugging her.
Cyclist Critical After He is Struck By Vehicle on Belle Terre and SR100 in Apparent Hit and Run
Kerry Milich, A cyclist, 57, was struck by a car at the intersection of Belle Terre Parkway and State Road 100 just after 4 p.m. Michael Bailey, the driver of the car, left the scene but was later located.
Wildfire Smoke Shrouds Flagler-Palm Coast From West as Officials Declare Fire Warning
A Red Flag Warning signaling a high-fire danger is in effect from noon to 8 p.m. today, and a 300-acre fire in Crescent City was sending thick smoke over Flagler-Palm Coast today, flooding the 911 center with worried callers.
Supreme Court Orders New Sentencing of Palm Coast Double-Murderer on Death Row
David Snelgrove has twice been sentenced to death for the murders of Glyn Fowler, 84, and his wife, Vivian, 79, on Bannbury Lane in Palm Coast in late June 2000, but never unanimously.
Just Back from Open-Heart Surgery, Palm Coast Man Is Accused of Threatening His Wife With a Gun
William J. De Perrio, a 67-year-old resident of Easton Place in Palm Coast, allegedly pointed a gun at his wife’s head as she was trying to help him with his medication and threatened to kill her.
Deputy Richard Petkovsek Is CrimeStoppers’ Flagler Law Enforcement Officer of the Year
Richard Petkovsek, with the sheriff’s office just three years, was recognized for bravery, selflessness and an act of humanitarianism toward a homeless man.
Decriminalized Pot-Possession Program Will Advance in Flagler, But With Little Support From Sheriff
The proposal to decriminalize possession of small amounts of pot possession in Flagler County has been in limbo for almost a year after a key judicial and law enforcement panel approved it last year, before the election.
Curt and Impassive in Appearance Before Judge, Dorothy Singer Is Held Without Bond in Murder Case
Dorothy Singer, 52, accused of shooting dead her husband, will be represented by Public Defender Ray Warren, a seasoned murder-trial lawyer who has represented recent high-profile Flagler defendants.
Wife Arrested on 1st Degree Murder Charge In West-Flagler Killing of Charles Singer
Dorothy Singer, 52, was attempting to flee the county when she was stopped on State Road A1A Monday. Investigators have uncovered an elaborate scheme to hide Charles Singer’s death and body.
Man Arrested Near Winn Dixie on Weapons Charges Invokes “Sovereign Citizen” Claim, Then Trouble Escalates
Michael Grube, 30, refused to be booked at the Flagler jail. The “sovereign citizen” movement is a cultish subculture of extremists whose members don’t recognize most laws or authorities,
Flagler Sheriff Says Arrests Are Forthcoming in Murder of Charles Singer, But Not Just Yet
Individuals at the Pine Tree Lane property, where Charles Singer was found shot and buried in April, were brought in for questioning, but nothing beyond that so far.
Accused Cop-Shooter Phillip Haire Claims Someone Else Is Trying to Kill Him and His Family
Palm Coast’s Phillip Haire, accused of shooting at a sheriff’s deputy Monday, said he was not the shooter and was safer staying in jail as someone is out there trying to kill him and shoot up his house.
London Drive Shootist Phillip Haire Turns Himself In, Faces Attempted Murder Charges
Phillip Haire, 19, is accused of twice driving by his own house on Palm Coast’s London Drive Monday afternoon and firing a gun at a sheriff’s deputy and his own parents.
Man Shoots at Deputy in Palm Coast’s L-Section And Flees After Carjacking
A man shot at a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy in Palm Coast’s L-Section late this afternoon, then fled in his own car, crashed it, and carjacked someone else before fleeing, a sheriff’s spokesman said.
As Details Emerge, Mother Describes Father’s Execution-Style Shooting of Son During an Argument
The victim’s mother described her husband Bobby Gore, 74, walking out to the porch, pointing his gun at her son Lucas Gore’s head, and firing two shots, killing him. Mother and son had been arguing.
Father Charged With 1st Degree Murder After Allegedly Shooting Son Dead In Flagler Beach
Bobby Gore is in police custody Sunday morning following the midnight shooting of his son in a domestic dispute at 1002 South Daytona Avenue in Flagler Beach.
‘Click It or Ticket’ Laws Are Becoming The Norm. But Do They Work?
Not everyone is convinced the tougher laws reduce fatalities. And some opponents say the laws are another example of government interference and can lead to racial profiling.
Palm Coast Girl, 12, Uses New Law to Secretly Record Alleged Assailant, 42, Over Sex Assault
The 12-year-old Palm Coast girl put to use a 2015 law to record Aaron Whitley, 42, apologizing and pleading with her not to reveal an alleged sexual assault he’d committed on her.
School Bus Driver Cited For Carelessness in Crash After “Clearly” Violating Right-Of-Way
Wilrick A. Woods, 60, got a $166 citation for careless driving after driving his school bus in the path of an SUV, whose driver suffered severe injuries in a crash Monday.
Retirement of Two K-9s, Repo and Reno, Highlights Sheriff’s Award Ceremony
The two K-9s had worked eight years and been deployed nearly 200 times, contributing to the arrests of some 40 individuals. Among the numerous awards, deputy Jeff Puritis was recognized for his control of a potential suicide-by-cop situation at the courthouse in March.
Flagler County Will Declare a Burn Ban Effective Monday and For Foreseeable Future
Flagler County is joining at least 21 other Florida counties with an open-ended burn-ban declaration, mostly as a precautionary measure as upwards of 100 fires burn statewide and the local drought index continues to rise.
No Longer in Juvenile Court, Jesse Fisher, 18, Faces Aggravated Assault Charges Over Pointing Shotgun at Family
Jesse Fisher had initially been charged as a juvenile after allegedly pointing a shotgun at a family in a car he was following in Palm Coast’s L-Section, but the State Attorney had the charges transferred to adult court Monday.
As Flagler Considers Countywide Burn Ban, Fire Units On Stand-By to Help Elsewhere
Twenty-one counties have a burn ban in effect, though for now that has not been declared in Flagler, where firefighters are on stand-by to assist battling forest fires in Southwest Florida if necessary.
4 Hurt in Head-On Crash Between SUV and School, Bus at Royal Palms and Rymfire
Four people were hurt including two children in a crash involving a school bus and an SUV at the intersection of Royal Palms Parkway and Rymfire Drive in Palm Coast this morning just before sunup.
Vernell Dixon of Palm Coast, 45, Killed in Single-Vehicle Crash on State Road 11
Vernell E. Dixon, a 45-year old resident of Palm Coast, was killed late this morning when he crashed his car into a tree on State Road 11, south of Bunnell.
Life in Prison for Palm Coast Man as Jury Finds Him Guilty of Molesting 11-Year-Old
A two-second feel over the clothes of an 11-year-old in a Palm Coast home by her guardian four years ago will result in a life sentence for James Taylor, a previously convicted sex offender.
At Man’s Trial, Weighing the Line Between A Parent’s Touch and Outright Molestation
Defense attorneys for James A. Taylor, the man on trial for allegedly molesting his ex’s 11-year-old daughter in Palm Coast, effectively plundered his accuser’s and her sisters’ credibility in four hours of testimony today.
James Taylor Trial: A History of Violence and Rapes of Women and Children, But Jury Won’t Hear It
The single charge of molestation James A. Taylor faces as he went on trial in Flagler County today is deceptive: the sex offender has a history of brutality, rapes and assaults involving women and children, but it’s all off limits.
Two Killed, One Critical in Single-Vehicle Crash On Hammock Dunes Parkway
An elderly couple was killed and a man, Arthur Thornton, was in critical condition after a single-vehicle crash on Hammock Dunes Parkway just after 6 p.m. Easter Sunday evening.
Google’s Links to Flagler Sheriff’s Office Hacked By Malware, Porn and Clickbait
Users trying to reach the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office through Google are being redirected to pornographic websites, malware and dangerously infected links. Other search engines are not affected, nor is the sheriff’s site itself.
A Suicide By Gunshot Jolts 911 Call as Sheriff Observes Flagler’s Dispatch Center in Action
A gunshot suicide took place live as a 911 dispatcher was on the phone Wednesday, while Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly sat in as a “trainee” to mark National Public Safety Telecommunications Week.
Carrabba’s on Palm Coast’s Cypress Edge Drive Is Target of a Bomb Threat
A bomb threat was called into Carrabba’s restaurant on Cypress Edge in Palm Coast late this afternoon with a “pretty straight-forward” threat by the caller, according to the sheriff’s office.
UPS Truck Driver Trapped 4 Hours in Crashed Cab On I-95; Brittany Fortner, 24, Killed 30 Miles North
Two separate, serious crashes involving three tractor trailers and a car, injuring a driver and killing Brittany Fortner, 24, of St. Augustine, unfolded in Flagler and St. John’s portions of I-95, within 14 minutes and 30 miles of each other Thursday night.
Goons With Guns, Sheriff Edition
A Florida sheriff’s ISIS-like video warning to drug dealers and the brutalizing of Dr. David Dao on a United flight in the same week are no coincidence, but symptoms of a re-emerging authoritarianism.
2 Teens Face Felonies For Firing BB Gun at Full School Bus and Vehicles on Belle Terre
There were 40 students returning from Bunnell Elementary when the school bus was the target of boys allegedly firing a BB and an air soft gun at the vehicle on Belle Terre Boulevard Wednesday afternoon.
Charles Singer Was Murdered, Sheriff’s Office Says After ID of West Flagler Man Missing 2 Months
Nobody is in custody at the moment, though several individuals have been interviewed in connection with the discxovery. Singer was found buried in his backyard at 80 Pine Tree Lane in West Flagler last week.
With 3 Large Flagler Fires in 2 Months and 107 Burning in the State, Scott Declares Emergency
Gov. Scott’s declaration of a wildfire emergency comes in the wake of several large fires in Flagler County and more than 100 ongoing fires elsewhere. It will allow for swifter sharing of firefighting resources, including the use of the National Guard.