Last November Gov. Rick Scott, in Bunnell, said Flagler County had a “great sherif”‘ in Jim Manfre. Earlier this week, the governor censured and reprimanded him over ethics violations.
Cops/Courts
Boy, 13, Arrested in Assault and Robbery of 10-Year-Old Over Sneakers at Ralph Carter Park
A 13-year-old boy and resident of Riverina Drive in Palm Coast was arrested on a second-degree felony robbery charge after allegedly beating down a 10-year-old boy playing Pokemon Go and taking his sneakers at Ralph Carter Park Tuesday afternoon.
Ex-Cop Stavris Pleads, “I Wouldn’t Make It Out of State Prison,” and Gets 3 Years for Lewd Facebook Use Involving Children
Ex-Bunnell cop Michael Stavris had fabricated a Facebook page under his girlfriend’s daughter’s name, solicited boys’ naked pictures and said he wanted to break up his daughter’s relationship because she was dating a black boy.
European Village Resident Ralph Wolff, 68, Critical After 4-Story Fall
Wolff had been locked out of his apartment and was attempting to hop from balcony to balcony to make it hope. A chair may have broken his fall.
Bunnell’s Tucker Upsets Colleagues With Surprise Bid to Merge Fire Department With County
Previously Bunnell Commissioner Elbert Tucker wanted to dissolve the city’s police department to save money. Now he wants to dissolve the volunteer fire department and shift savings to add a police officer. The commission is not enthusiastic.
6 People Rescued From Tugboat on Fire in Ocean Off Marineland
It was not the first recent problem for the Thomas Dann tugboat. Two fireballs were seen from shore, indications of explosions. Its crew was picked up by a fishing vessel, though Flagler County Fire Rescue’s Marine Unit was set to carry out the rescue.
Bunnell’s Dalton Edwards Charged With 2 Counts of DUI Manslaughter in Deaths of 2 Women in Flagler Estates Crash
Katie Stecker, 19, and Victoria Sutton, 20, were killed Jan. 9 in a car crash in Flagler Estates allegedly caused by a drunk Dalton Edwards, who blew through a stop sign and collided with another vehicle. He is being held on on $367,518 bond bond.
66-Year-Old Man Seriously Hurt in Single-Vehicle Wreck on Old Kings Road
A 66-year-old man was in serious condition following a wreck on Old Kings Road, about a mile north of Town Center Boulevard in Palm Coast, at noon today.
Anna Pehota Is Found Guilty of 2nd Degree Murder in Husband’s Killing and Sentenced to Life
A surprisingly quick verdict reflected the jury’s belief that Anna Pehota had killed her husband with intent, even though there’d been no argument or abuse that day, only her fear that he’d leave her.
2nd Trial Day Curdles for Pehota as 3-Hour Tape Shows More Resolve Than Remorse in Husband’s Killing
The defense rested without calling a single witness in Anna Pehota’s murder trial today, and what dementia issues may have played a role in her husband’s killing could not be introduced before the jury. Closing arguments are Friday morning.
Circuit Judge Mark Hulsey Faces Allegation of Racist and Demeaning Comments
Hulsey “offhandedly observed” to an aide that African Americans “should go get back on a ship and go back to Africa,” according to the notice of charges, and of of referring to a female staff lawyer as a “bitch” and worse.
“A Hair Between Sanity and Insanity”: Pehota’s Anguished Account of Killing Husband Marks 1st Trial Day
A video interview of Pehota describing the killing of her husband and the circumstances surrounding it underscored the first day of her trial. She faces a second-degree murder charge. Nothing happened today to shake an aura of sympathy–even empathy–around Pehota.
Bunnell’s Michael Davis, 22, Arrested on Rape Charge Involving 15-Year-Old Boy
Michael Anthony Davis, a 22-year-old resident of Peach Street in Bunnell, was arrested Tuesday on a charge of raping a 15-year-old boy, a first degree felony.
Woman With History of Fabrication Claims Home Invasion-Armed Robbery in W-Section
Brittany Cartier, 21, a caretaker for an elderly homeowner on Watermill Place, claimed she and the homeowner were robbed at gunpoint of $5,000 in cash by two men late Monday. Cartier had fabricated a kidnapping three years ago.
In Jury Selection for Anna Pehota Trial, Pronounced Sympathies for the Killer
Anna Pehota, 76, facing a second-degree murder charge for shooting her husband in the Hammock last September, is benefiting from inherent sympathy going into her trial, which began with jury selection Monday and starts in earnest Wednesday.
Fire Flight Called to Assist in Search for Fleeing Burglar in Palm Coast’s P-Section
Fire Flight was circling the P Section after 9:30 a.m., helping in the search for a suspect who fled the scene of a burglary on Ponderosa Lane, according to a sheriff’s spokesman.
In Bunnell, 100 Black Marchers Chant for “All Lives,” For Unity, But Also For Looking Inward
The Black Lives Matter-themed march Sunday evening around Bunnell was itself a display of the harmony it called for, though it clearly didn not get participation from the county’s whiter surroundings.
“We Don’t Need Vigilantes”: P-Section Man Shoots at Teen Pokémon Go Hunters
Two P-Section residents, 16 and 19, were shot at early Saturday morning by a homeowner on Primrose Lane as they played Pokemon Go and the homeowner mistook them for trouble-makers after hearing a loud noise outside his home.
Black Lives Matter. Period.
Cops are owed all the appreciation and respect their profession commands. Blacks are owed their right to life. The two are not mutually exclusive, but certain differences matter, especially when they falsely paint cops as the victims and blacks as the aggressors.
At European Village and in Bunnell, Separate Events For Fallen Cops and Black Lives as Reactions Multiply
The march in Bunnell and the fund-raiser for the families of fallen police officers at European Village are the latest in a spate of local initiatives that have sought to respond to shootings, by or of police, in various ways.
Fershtay? Appeals Court Rules Florida May Not Halt Offering Kosher and Halal Meals to Prisoners
Florida prison officials argued they had a right to stop offering kosher meals if they got too expensive. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals said no in a unanimous decision.
Flagler Judge Gives Pot Plan a Lift, But Council And Whiff of Politics Again Delay Adoption
The proposal would reduce the penalty for first-time possession of pot to a $250 fine rather than a criminal charge, but it’ll be at least another month before the proposal gets out of a council, if then, and heads for approval (or rejection) by local governments.
Man Stabbed on Palm Coast’s Zenoble Place, Site of Numerous Previous Arrests
The man was stabbed in the neck in what appears to have been a violent confrontattion that damaged parts of the house, but the man was not cooperating with authorities.
At Flagler NAACP Town Hall, Matters of Black Lives, “The Talk,” and the Gap Between Community and Policing
A town hall organized by Flagler’s NAACP branch, with several top officials from the sheriff’s office, took stock of the recent police killings of black men and the killing of five white police officers in Dallas by a black veteran sniper.
Challenge to Florida’s DUI Breath Test May Be Moot After U.S. Supreme Court Ruling
A majority of the U.S. Supreme Court said a law similar to Florida’s, in Minnesota, allowing breath tests for DUI, does not violate the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment, which bars unreasonable searches and seizures.
Home Invasion Assailant Killed by Tenant on Frank Place in Palm Coast, 2nd Suspect Surrenders
Victor J. Betty, 28, was killed in an attempted home invasion on Frank Place in Palm Coast early this morning, and Carl Devore of Palm Coast turned himself in later today as the wanted second suspect in the incident.
An AR-15, a Shotgun, and Claims of Shots Fired: Confrontation in The Mondex
No one would end up arrested, but an investigation is continuing into claims that an assault weapon was brandished, shots fired and threats made.
Proposal to De-Criminalize Pot Possession Again Teetering as Flagler Council Nears Verdict
The Flagler Public Safety Coordinating Council decides Wednesday whether to recommend the de-criminalization proposal, but the reactions from palm Coast, Bunnell and Flagler Beach have been discouraging.
Chris Sousa, 21, Matanzas Graduate and Driven Entrepreneur, Struck and Killed by Car in Ormond Beach
Chris Sousa, a Palm Coast resident of Island Estates and a 2013 graduate of Matanzas High School, was killed early this morning as he walked when a vehicle struck him in Ormond Beach.
Sheriff Manfre Issues Statement on Shootings in Dallas, Falcon Heights and Baton Rouge
“It is my hope during these difficult times in our nation’s history that we use the recent incidents in Minnesota, Baton Rouge and Dallas to continue our dialogue that we have established with our community,” the sheriff said.
At Flagler’s New Jail, Science of Self-Contained Cell Blocks To Make Captivity Safer for Inmates and Guards
It’s in the internal designs, the innumerable details and attention to logic, efficiency and security for inmates, guards and visitors that the jail–which opened today– impresses, and that its $17.3 million cost shows its value.
52 Burglaries Strike Palm Coast’s Major Hotels Overnight, Including Hammock Beach Resort
Some 52 vehicles were targeted in burglaries at four Palm Coast hotels overnight, with smashed windows and stolen belongings in what appears to have been an organized spree.
Tyler Dutton Charged With DUI Manslaughter in Death of Jordan Rineer, 25, on US1 in October
Tyler Dutton, the subject of several arrests in Flagler County over the past few years, was charged with DUI manslaughter in the death of 25-year-old Jordan Marie Rineer early the morning of Oct. 27 on U.S. 1, just south of Old Dixie Highway in Flagler County.
2 Domestic Violence Incidents in Palm Coast End in 3 Arrests, Assaults on 5 Cops and Injuries to 4
Jennifer Caufield, 40, John Kodak, 32, and Randy Blyth, 23–the latter after allegedly assaulting his 17-year-old wife–were arrested on charges including battery on law enforcement officers Sunday in Palm Coast.
“I’m Putting My Faith In You,” Judge Tells Predator Granted Less Severe Probation Term
Dorian Coppedge, 37, a Palm Coast resident designated a sex predator just last week, had been rendered homeless by a two-year sex-offender probation term, which Judge Matthew Foxman today agreed to alter to simple probation, thus possibly making Coppedge’s living arrangements less restrictive.
Trial in Gas Station Murder Likely in Late Summer But Suspect, On Meds, Still Unpredictable
Joseph Bova, the impenetrable 28-year-old suspect in the execution-style murder of a Palm Coast’s Zuheili Roman Rosado at a gas station in 2013, appeared in court today for the first time in almost a year, stable but still hinting at the unpredictable.
Flagler Beach Parent Accused of Brutalizing And Humiliating 2 Children Over Chores
Jason Moffit, 36, faces first-degree felony charges of aggravated child abuse for allegedly beating and punching two children age 13 and 12, cutting the girl’s hair and shaving the boy’s, among other acts.
Data, Drones, Apps: Rush to Protect Privacy Raises Concerns Of Stifling Rights and Innovation
As technology redefines the limits of privacy, some of the restrictions, such as those on drones and body cameras may infringe on free speech protections, and some may be smothering innovation.
Palm Coast Offender Branded a Sexual Predator 5 Years After Prison, With No New Sex Crime
The sheriff’s office announced Thursday that Dorian Buzz Coppedge, 37, a “sexual predator,” is now living in Flagler, yet he’s lived here five years. Only his designation changed, even though he committed no new sex crime.
Father-Daughter Injured in Motorcycle Collision With U-Turning Car on Seminole Woods Blvd.
A man and his daughter riding a motorcycle north on Seminole Woods Boulevard were hospitalized early Friday afternoon after they collided with a car that was performing a U-turn on Seminole Woods Boulevard, and that had apparently not seen the motorcycle heading its way.
Man Rearrested on Burglary and Assault Charges After Allegedly Attacking Mother In Front of Her Children
Jeffery Ricky Ray, 34, was barely out on bail when he allegedly burglarized a W-Section home in Palm Coast and attacked his girlfriend there ion front of her young children, demanding money. Ray had served two previous stints in state prison.
Flagler County Jail Triple Its Old Size Set To Open July 7 in Camera-Ready “Ceremony”
The opening, which a county release dubs a “ceremony,” will also feature the trappings of a campaign event: It is scheduled less than eight weeks from the primary, giving incumbents a chance freely to bask in the shadow of a major, completed construction project.
Victory for Sunshine Law Rather Than Weeks as Judge Tosses 3 of 12 Charges Against Ex-Elections Supervisor
A judge ruled that three of the 12 felony counts against Kimberle Weeks related to a recording that had already been disclosed at a public meeting. Sharing the recording therefore could not illegal after that, even if the recording itself was.
Walmart-Bound Tractor Trailer Hauling 30 Tons of Juice Overturns on I-95; Driver Hurt
A tractor trailer hauling some 30 tons of apple and cranberry juice overturned early this morning on a straight stretch of southbound I-95, between the U.S. 1 and Matanzas Woods Parkway exits. The driver was taken to Halifax hospital in Daytona Beach with a severe leg injury, according to authorities at the scene.
Greg Lynn Jewelers Struck Again, But Detectives Track Suspect To His R-Section Home
Greg Lynn Jewelers in Palm Coast’s Flagler Plaza was burglarized for the second time since last July but suspect Craig A. Chavez, 51, was arrested and produced several of the jewelry items allegedly stolen from the store.
Separate Incidents Land 2 in Jail on Assault Charges for Targeting Cops and Landscaper
Amber Fugit was charged with three counts of battery on cops and domestic assault, Jay McCarthy was charged with assault on his former boss, a landscape company owner. Both incidents took place in Palm Coast.
At Flagler Sheriff’s Forum, Eight More or Less Angry Men, Mostly at Incumbent Jim Manfre
The only candidate forum featuring all nine sheriff’s candidates before the Aug. 30 primary sparked with verbal sniping between incumbent Jim Manfre on one side and ex-Sheriff Don Fleming and ex-Undersheriff Rick Staly on the other, though remaining candidates were no less agitated, given the chance.
John Dopp, Sheriff’s Detective, Union Leader and Fierce Advocate, Promoted to Corporal
Jon Dopp, 30, a 10-year veteran of the force, will supervise one of the county’s two squads. His role in the union’s leadership, representing cops, will not change.
Wife Charged In Killing Richard Resnicoff, Guitarist for the Famous, in Grand Haven in ’13
Lucille Horton, 69, is charged with vehicular homicide, a second-degree felony. In a civil lawsuit, Horton claims Resnicoff had been abusive and violent and that day had threatened and shoved her, prompting her to flee–and throw him off her car.
Salvaged by Revels’s Diplomacy, Pot-Decriminalization Proposal Will Now Seek Cities’ Approval
The proposal would allow cops to issue civil citations to people caught with small amounts of marijuana, avoiding a criminal record. But its success depends on approval from all cities and the county commission, which is yet to come.