Joseph A. Kelemen was found dead in an empty lot near the intersection of Eagle Harbor Trail and Eagle Crest Path in Palm Coast early Tuesday morning. The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is attributing the death to a likely suicide by hanging.
Cops/Courts
Mindful of Orlando Massacre, FDLE Seeks to Extend Federal Terrorism Crimes to State Laws
Intent on preventing another mass nightclub shooting or a repeat of incidents this past weekend in New York and New Jersey, Florida’s top cop wants to bulk up the state’s anti-terrorism efforts.
Startling Robbery in Walmart’s Parking Lot as Thieves Grab Palm Coast Woman’s Purse
A 43-year-old Palm Coast woman was putting away in her car’s trunk the merchandise she’d just bought when a silver Hiunday pulled up and a woman grabbed her purse and fled, in the middle of the day Monday.
Mercy Lives: 24-Year-Old Horse Pulled Out of Septic Tank in 2 1/2-Hour Rescue in Mondex
A dozen agencies and veterinarians were mobilized to rescue Mercy, a 24-year-old horse that fell in a septic tank Tuesday morning, managing the rescue after two and a half hours of efforts.
Mother Arrested at Bus Stop in Violent Confrontation With Deputies as Children Watch
Deputies resorted to force, taking down Tyisha Davis, 36, as she allegedly refused to let a school bus continue its route after she was told her son had been in a fight.
Sally’s Safe Haven at Year 2: Where Children Traumatized by a Violent Parent Can Still Visit
Sally’s Safe Haven in Bunnell, which has served almost 100 families so far, allows supervised visits for parents otherwise restricted from seeing their child. The haven is underwritten by a federal grant and run by the county and the the Children’s Home Society.
Everyone Else Ready for Trial, Man Accused of Child Rape Asks, and Gets, Delay and New Lawyer
John J. Schenone, 33, of Palm Coast, accused of raping the 11-year-old daughter of his then-girlfriend, claimed his court-appointed lawyer had a conflict of interest with another molester she is defending, and was granted a new lawyer and court date.
10-Year-Old Girl Made Up Story of Man Suspiciously Photographing Children at F-Section Bus Stop
The 10-year-old girl’s report that a man was following her in an SUV and taking pictures and video of her at her bus stop touched off alerts, fears and an investigation, which concluded with the girl’s story being held to be false.
Flagler Residents Get 2-Week Amnesty From 40% Collection Fee on Traffic and Court Fines
Residents can save–for example– $82.40 on a $206 speeding ticket that’s gone to collection with the two-week amnesty, starting Sept. 19 and running through Sept. 30. There are no plans to renew the amnesty in the future.
In Latest Delay, Flagler’s Civil Citation Proposal for Pot Users Will Wait Until Late November
Though recommended for approval in Flagler County by a key law enforcement, judicial and government panel, the de-criminalization proposal and judicial panel, the proposal will wait until after the election because of expected changes at the county commission and on the Palm Coast City Council.
Man Suspiciously Taking Pictures and Video of Young Children at F-Section Bus Stop
A 10-year-old girl reported a man following her from her house to a bus stop in his SUV, where he then takes pictures and video of her and other children. The sheriff’s office is looking for the public’s help to identify the man.
Suspect in Greg Lynn Jewelers Heist Found Hanging in Florida Hospital Flagler Bathroom
Two days after checking into Floria Hospital Flagler, Craig Anthony Chavez, the 52-year-old Palm Coast resident arrested in late June for the alleged robbery of a jewelry store, was found dead in his hospital room’s bathroom of an apparent suicide.
Justice Perry Will Retire, Giving Gov. Scott 1st Chance to Appoint a Conservative to High Court
Perry is among five jurists who make up a liberal-leaning majority of the seven-member court, which has drawn the wrath of the Republican governor and the GOP-dominated Legislature.
Silver Alert for Palm Coast’s William Wheat, 79, Missing and Endangered
William Wheat was last seen Sunday at 3 p.m. at his home in Palm Coast’s LL Section. He is believed to be driving a 2015 blue Dodge Ram 1500 two-door truck with Florida tag 873-8HV.
Facing Prison for Threatening to Skin an In-Law, Bunnell Man Gets 6 Months’ Probation
Daniel Nickonovitz, a 38-year-old Bunnell resident and felon with a violent past, had threatened to skin his father-in-law and kill him over child-support payments he owed. He had made death threats in a previous arrest and conviction, but has never been sentenced to prison.
Man Wounded By Gunshot Limps Into Hospital, But Cops Skeptical of Shooting Account
Alfred Wright arrived at Florida Hospital Flagler with a gunshot to the thigh and claimed he’d been shot by an assailant either in Palm Coast or Flagler Beach. His story unraveled from there, with his girlfriend providing a different account.
6 Students Implicated in “Detailed Plan to Attack” Flagler Palm Coast High School, No Arrests
Six students were at Flagler Palm Coast High School were tied Wednesday to what a district spokesperson described as “a detailed plan to conduct a coordinated plot against Flagler Palm Coast High School.” The alleged plot was to have involved guns.
A Rape in Palm Coast, a Shooting in Flagler Beach, Yet Sheriff’s Office Suppresses All But Trickle of Information
In a 24-hour span on Sept. 6, a woman reported twice being raped and a man reported being shot in separate incidents, both ending up at Florida Hospital Flagler, yet the sheriff’s office is suppressing all but a trickle of information on either case.
Container-Loaded Semi Jackknifes Over Deep Gully on I-95, Snarling Traffic
Labor Day weekend traffic came to a near standstill on both sides of I-95 just north of State Road 100 in Palm Coast late this afternoon after a tractor trailer jackknifed in the rain and ended up hanging over a deep gully, half its rear wheels off the ground. Somehow the metal guardrail and perhaps trees helped the truck from going over.
1st Hurricane Hits Florida in 11 Years; Flagler Spared, Tropical Storm Warning Cancelled
Hurricane Hermine was mostly a non-event in Flagler County, with limited rain and a bit of wind. Most government offices remained open Friday. The story was uglier in Florida’s Big Bend, where the hurricane made landfall.
Several Shots Fired Near Midnight at House on Palm Coast’s Bronson Lane
Bullets were found in the front of the house and in the garage door. The resident and his wife, both in their 40s, were the only occupants in the house at 65 Bronson Lane in Palm Coast. Neither was injured.
2016 Flagler Jail Bookings and Sheriff’s Crime and Incident Reports (Archived)
Archived 2016 Flagler County jail bookings, day and night shift commanders’ crime and incident reports investigated by Sheriff’s deputies and archive.
Tropical Storm Hermine: Flagler Included in State of Emergency, But No Major Threat Expected
Tropical Storm Hermine has moved north, Flagler is not in a tropical storm watch, school’s open Thursday, but some wind and rain are expected and authorities are taking a few precautions.
Flagler’s Primary Results: Shocks, Coronations and Probabilities
There were one or two shocks in the Flagler primary election results, not least of them another dismal turnout, but for the most part the numebrs produced expected winners and losers. Here’s a full analysis.
Man Hurt, 200 Lose Power After Car Crashes Into Utility Pole on Old Kings Road
A driver was seriously hurt–and had to wait for rescuers to get to him until his car was “de-energized,” as live electric lines were on top of it–and 200 customers lost power after a vehicle crash took down a utility pole at Kings Colony Court and Old Kings Road at 6:45 this evening.
Holland Is Palm Coast’s New Mayor, Lenhart Wins Supervisor, Conklin Wins School Board, Manfre Is Out, Staly Beats Lamb
Primary election results for Flagler County races including school board, sheriff, county commission, Palm Coast City Council, supervisor of elections, judges, and state congressional races.
Motorcycle Masturbator Sought in String of Incidents Involving Women in R, P and W Sections
The man, described as young, black and fit, scopes out a woman walking her dog or sitting in her garage, pulls up next to her, takes out his penis and starts masturbating.
Appeals Court Sides With Florida Prisons in Public Records Dispute With Miami Herald
The Florida prisons department was required to provide item-by-item legal explanations for its decisions to black out information on public records requested by the Herald — a process known as redacting the information.
Retired Palm Coast Nurse Accused of Suffocating Husband, a Cop, in Hospital Bed
Henry Soschalski, 64, and his wife Jan Sochalski, 61, had lived in their Palm Coast home 13 years. She faces a second-degree murder charge over his death in a hospital bed. He had been in a coma for weeks.
In Palm Coast’s F-Section, a Man Stabs Another in the Back Then Stabs Himself in the Throat
Two men, 19 and 18, were involved in an argument and had been drinking at 17 Felshire Lane when one of them stabbed the other in the back then stabbed himself in the neck. Both were hospitalized.
Does Diversifying Police Forces
Reduce Tensions? Not Necessarily.
Beyond diversity, hiring officers who know and understand the community, asking officers to build better relationships with neighborhoods they serve, reducing officers’ use of aggressive arrest tactics and increasing officer training is shown to be more effective than changing the color of the ranks.
Nasty, Brutish and Shrill: Flagler Sheriff’s Race Tests Edge of the Believable as Attacks Multiply
Rick Staly, one of six GOP candidates for sheriff, launched attacks on Don Fleming and Jim Manfre but reserved particular wrath for John Lamb, though claims in the shape of a smoking gun turn out to be more gossipy than substantive.
Two Wednesday Fires in Seminole Woods Now Suspected Acts of Arson By Youths
A fire that was close to consuming a house on Sellner Place Wednesday, followed by another four hours later a few lots down, are now suspected to be the work of youths who set them intentionally.
51 Years Later, Honor Is Resurrected for Flagler Sheriff Homer Brooks’s Line-of-Duty Death
Homer Brooks was first elected Flagler County Sheriff in 1956. A News-Journal reporter, Tony Holt, uncovered the circumstances of his death in 1965, leading the sheriff’s office to add Brooks’s name to the list of Flagler cops who died in the line of duty and honor Brooks today.
“A Very Good Save”: Firefighters Beat Back Wildfire Within Inches of a House in Seminole Woods
The fire had burned into the eaves of the house at 7 Sellner Place when firefighters arrived, positioned themselves between it and the house, and beat it back this afternoon. The fire burned the entire neighboring, empty lot.
Flagler Beach Commission Considers Biggest Tax Hike Since Recession, and New Fire Costs
The Flagler Beach City Commission is considering a budget that would significantly raise taxes while restoring such positions as the fire and police chief, positions eliminated three years ago.
Zaire Roberts, 17, Gets 7 Years in Prison in Shooting of Phillip Haire in Palm Coast Last Summer
Zaire Roberts was 16 and Phillip Haire 18 when they got in a fistfight on an L-Section street in Palm Coast and Roberts shot Haire twice in July 2015. Haire today pleaded for mercy on behalf of Roberts.
For Bunnell’s Tucker, Sharp Loss on Firehouse Consolidation Signals Return to Minority
Bunnell Commissioner Elbert Tucker’s proposal to fold the Bunnell Fire Department into the county and shift savings to the city’s police department was rebuked Monday, and Tucker’s role on the commission appears to return to where it had been years ago: as a dissenter.
Three Arrested in Palm Coast Are Tied to String of 11 B-Section Car Burglaries
Palm Coast has been the target of several burglary sprees. In this case, the alleged burglars are believed to have committed their spree in their own neighborhood.
Richard Gordon Dies By Gunshot in Palm Coast’s L Section, 4th Apparent Suicide in 11 Days, 3rd By Firearm
The numbers are startling for Flagler County, which has averaged a total of 15 suicides per year over the past 10 years. The latest suicide took place just after 8 a.m. at 56 Londonderry Drive in Palm Coast.
John Timoney, 1948-2016
A Good Cop
John Timoney, who served as the top cop in Philadelphia and Miami, where he radically reduced police shootings, was a good cop. No small thing in America, in 2016.
Long-Time Jeweler Robert Zetrouer Sentenced to 25 Years for Raping Child He Blamed
Palm Coast Jeweler Robert Zetrouer, 65, blamed the 13-year-old girl he raped and claimed he assaulted her only to prepare her for boys: that evidence was revealed today just before he was sentenced to what amounts to a life sentence in prison.
Palm Coast Man Accused of Abusing 8-Year-Old After Taunting He’d Feed Him to Alligators
Dereck Alan Dunn, a 28-year-old resident of Kings Colony Court in Palm Coast, is facing a felony child abuse charge after local school officials found evidence of physical abuse on an 8-year-old boy’s face, arms, legs and behind.
Judge Allows European Village Shooter Daniel Noble to Seek Help in Indiana Pending Trial
Daniel Noble, an Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran, brandished an assault weapon and fired two shots at European Village before being wrestled to the ground in 2014. He’s been in treatment since, awaiting trial on assault charges.
Flagler Veterans Court Pitch Framed in Crude Attack on Court System by DeSantis Envoy
Randall Stapleford, a part-time staffer for Rep. Ron DeSantis, questioned the veracity of a Flagler County judge and leveled repeated attacks at Chief Judge Terence Perkins for allegedly delaying information related to a potential veterans court during a Flagler County Commission workshop Monday.
Armed Robbery at Shell on Old Kings Is 3rd in 2 Months in Palm Coast
A Palm Coast convenience store was again the target of an armed robbery, the third in two months, this time at the Shell gas station on Old Kings Road near Celico Way and the Staples shopping center.
Coby Allan Queen, 16, Missing From Seminole Woods Home Since Aug. 9
Coby Queen’s backpack and bike were found at the Flagler Beach pier the evening of Aug. 9, when his friends told police he was seen with Josh LeMaster, who has a long arrest record in Flagler County.
Shandra Llewellyn, 40, Dies From Gunshot in Apparent Suicide on Palm Coast’s Llanes Place, 3rd in 4 Days
Shandra Llewellyn, 40, was pronounced dead this evening just before 6:30 p.m. at 19 Llanes Place in Palm Coast, the second such self-inflicted shooting in the county in four days.
Woman Faces List of Charges, Including DUI, After Fleeing Cops, Crashing on I-95 and Attempting Escape
The incident started at a Palm Coast convenience store, culminated in a crash on I-95 that closed the northbound lanes of the Interstate, and ended with an attempted escape at Florida Hospital Flagler.
Flagler Beach’s Nick Nelson, 28, Is Killed In Motorcycle Wreck on State Road A1A
Nick Nelson, 28, had finished his shift at Captain’s BBQ at Bings Landin in Palm Coast’s Hammock when, hours later, he failed to negotiate a curve on State Road A1A and was thrown from his motorcycle.