A ninth grader and two tenth graders who’d run from Matanzas High School were charged with armed robbery following two incidents in Palm Coast’s F-Section this morning.
Cops/Courts
Suicide By Cop Averted as Deputy’s Taser Ends Stand-Off on Pine Brook Drive in Palm Coast
Stacy Culotta, 36, drew Flagler deputies to her house on Pine Brook Drive in Palm Coast where she confronted them with what looked like a firearm Monday afternoon, until Sgt. Michael van Buren incapacitated her.
Palm Coast Felon Reports to Probation Office With a Loaded Gun. In a Stolen Car.
Christopher Smith, 38, of Palm Coast, carried a .25 caliber pistol and arrived at the probation office in a Ford reported stolen from Dollar Rent a Car.
Duane Weeks, on Bail, Is Stabbed, Suspect Jailed Following Confrontation at a Bar
Weeks, the 34-year-old son of former elections supervisor Kimberle Weeks, was trauma evacuated following the Annie Oakley Saloon incident Sunday.
Suspects Wanted for Attempted Murder Following Failed Home Invasion in Flagler Estates Nabbed
Andrew Phillip Cherry, 22, and Lee Ann Renee Mosher, 24, both of 354 Juanita Ave. in St. Augustine were located by U.S. Marshals today in St. Augustine.
Pedestrian Evacuated in Critical Condition After Being Struck By Pick-Up on A1A in Flagler Beach
Ronald Tristani, a 71-year-old pedestrian and Palm Coast resident, was struck by a pick-up truck on State road A1A in Flagler Beach, at South 5th Street, at 10:42 this morning, and was flown out in critical condition within minutes.
Palm Coast’s William Pedersen, 63, Pleads Child-Rape Charge Down to Molestation, Will Serve 2 Years in Prison
William Pedersen, a 63-year-old resident of 9 Wheaton Lane, had been accused of raping and molesting a close relative when she was between 5 and 12.
Embry-Riddle’s Torrey Barnes, 23, Is Killed in Motorcycle Wreck in Daytona Beach
A motorcycle accident early Saturday morning claimed the life of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University student Torrey Barnes, 23. Barnes died from leg injuries sustained in the crash.
In Trial Day 2, Case Against Publix Falters Over Credibility and Tempers of 2 Main Witnesses
Robert Barry ‘s claim of wrongful termination against Publix frayed Wednesday as his temper and questionable veracity proved to be his biggest liabilities, with Publix’s witnesses yet to take the stand Thursday.
Citing “Thousands” Of Untested Rape Kits, Bondi Seeks More Money For Crime Labs
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is expected to request an additional $35 million in funding during the 2016 legislative session, including $7.76 million to raise the base salaries of people working in crime labs.
Two Palm Coast Teens, 19 and 17, Arrested In Armed Robbery in Flagler Beach
David Eugene Adams, a felon with a history of arrests and convictions , accused Dacotah Clarke and a 17-year-old Palm Coast resident of robbing him at gunpoint in Flagler Beach Saturday.
Flagler’s Push For Trio of Cell Towers Rising Higher Than Statue of Liberty Beams Alarms
Flagler County Emergency Services wants the three towers, including an especially controversial one on John Anderson Highway in Flagler Beach, to improve its communications network, but residents and environmentalists are raising questions.
For Every US Soldier Killed in Afghanistan, 13 Children Were Shot and Killed in America
Between 2002 and 2012, at least 28,000 children and teens 19-years-old and younger were killed with guns. Teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19 made up over two-thirds of all youth gun deaths in America.
Though Likely Profiled and “Harassed,” Flagler Sheriff’s CSI Pazarena Is Reprimanded Over “Conduct Unbecoming” Anyway
An internal sheriff’s investigation completed today makes clear that Pazarena and her boyfriend at no time behaved improperly at a Vitamin shop where the incident occurred, or did anything more than what an overly inquisitive shopper might do, though store employees exhibited behavior identical to profiling.
Dog Bites 8-Year-Old Boy: Should It be Declared Dangerous, Or Does Castle Doctrine Apply? County Commission Will Decide.
The Flagler County Commission on Sept. 9 must decide whether to declare a 2-year-old Labrador dangerous, or whether to rule that the dog was merely defending its home from an intruder.
Men v. Women: Three Domestic Violence Incidents Land Three Men in Jail on Felonies
Three Palm Coast men ended up at the Flagler County jail in a 48-hour span following unrelated incidents that entailed allegations of substantial violence against women and girls–two of the men’s spouses, a girlfriend, and one of them men’s two teen-age daughters. All three incidents resulted in felony charges.
Speculate No More: Ex-Undersheriff Rick Staly Declares Run Against Ex-Boss Manfre
Staly’s announcement was long expected and similar to his 2004 run for sheriff in Orange County. He joins a crowded field of Republican contenders vying to take on Democrat Manfre.
Alone Among 50 States, Florida’s Ban on Prison Newspaper Is Upheld
Florida Corrections officials have censored the publications for six years, objecting to certain ads and calling them a security risk. No other state prison system agrees.
Flagler Beach man, 18, Accused of Statutory Rape of 3 Minor Girls After Enticing Them With Drugs and Money
Tyler Harrison, an 18-year-old resident of 2239 South Daytona Avenue in Flagler Beach, was arrested Friday on three counts of lewd and lascivious battery, or statutory rape, after allegedly enticing two 15-year-old girls and one 14-year-old girl with drugs to meet him for sex.
Flagler, Among Top 10 Counties With Most Concealed-Weapon Licenses, Will Fast-Track Permitting
Flagler has 8.24 concealed carry permits for every 100 residents. Starting Jan. 1, the Flagler Tax Collector’s office will accept concealed-weapon permit applications for $134 and renewals for $72.
The Hammock’s Paul Hillman Charged With Attempted Murder In July Attack on Couple
Paul Hillman, a 43-year-old resident of 29 N. Shady Lane in Palm Coast’s Hammock, was jailed overnight on charges of aggravated assault, armed burglary and burglary with assault after he allegedly stormed the house he used to live in and battered both occupants—on of them a blind 55-year-old woman—with a rifle.
Still Under Internal Investigation, Flagler Sheriff’s CSI Pazarena Returns to Full Duties
Laura Pazarena, the Flagler County Sheriff’s crime scene technician hired two years ago to launch the department’s first CSI unit, is under internal investigation, and has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the investigation’s outcome.
Degraded Erika No Longer Severe Threat to Flagler, Though State of Emergency Still in Effect
Though a state of emergency remains in effect in Flagler, Erika has degenerated into a tropical depression and moved wide west of the Florida Peninsula.
Sheriff Plans DUI Checkpoint Saturday at SR100 East of Old Kings Road Saturday Night
The checkpoints typically result in far fewer arrests for drunk driving than for other reasons: drivers may charged with a host of issues that have nothing to do with drunk driving, including for drug possession or for non-moving violations such as non-functioning headlights or tail lights or irregular registration.
Ex-Con With Long History of Arrests Charged in Pizza Hut Stabbing of Homeless Man
Larkland Harris Jr., a Palm Coast resident with a long history of violence and who spent six years in state prison, was charged Tuesday in the stabbing of Raymond Glass, a 21-year-old homeless man, in the parking lot near Pizza Hut off Palm Coast Parkway late Monday night.
2 Men Stab Each Other in Confrontations That End Near Pizza Hut Off Palm Coast Parkway
Two men, one of them believed to be in his 20s, the second believed to be in his early 40s, were both stabbed as a result of an altercation with each other in the parking lot of Palm Coast Parkway Plaza just after 9:30 p.m., authorities are reporting.
Brazen Car Break-Ins at Belle Terre Swim and Racquet, Frieda Zamba Pool and County Park
Unlike the majority of break-ins targeting unlocked vehicles, five break-ins resulted in smashed windows to five vehicles at three county and city parks or clubs and in one private driveway in the B-Section.
Matanzas Woods Construction Forces Temporary School Bus Routes For Nearby Students
As school resumes Monday, transportation changes are afoot in the Matanzas High area, while the sheriff’s office has issued a series of cautions and tips to parents and students.
Gene Spaulding Is Named Florida Highway Patrol Director
Spaulding replaces Col. David Brierton, who retired in May. He’d overseen Troop G. the northeast Florida FHP district that includes Flagler County.
Michael King of the Mondex Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison For Soliciting 3 Under-Age Girls on Facebook
Michael King had created a fake Facebook account and solicited girls in the same neighborhood. He’d refused a plea deal that would have kept him in prison only three years.
For Fire Chief Don Petito, a Family Matter Escalates Into Confrontations and Complaints
Don Petito was seeking to help his father move out of a house when a deputy forbade either to enter the house, causing the fire chief to become “very animated,” in his own words.
A Man Can’t Remember Who Shot Him or How, Another Insists On Being Arrested
Florida Hospital Flagler’s emergency room was the scene of two odd and unrelated incidents that resulted in the arrest of one man and the investigation of a suspicious shooting that injured a man’s foot but that led to no arrests.
Falling Out of a Pick-Up, Palm Coast Man Is Critical After Being Run Over on Seminole Woods Boulevard
Conner Patrick Anderson, 22, Ronald Lewis Stedman, 20, were taking the victim home after a night of drinking when they decided to put him in the bed of their truck because he was acting belligerent.
21-Year-Old Palm Coast Man, in Prison for Burglary, Now Faces Child-Rape Charge
The girl, 14 or younger at the time, was impregnated, and told her grandmother and her aunt of the alleged rape, only to be brushed off, she told her father and authorities.
School Bus Depot Building Behind FPC Briefly Evacuated After Worker Reaction from Mysterious 55-Gallon Drums
The large hangar at the school bus depot behind Flagler Palm Coast High School was briefly evacuated shortly after noon today when an employee there was indisposed after catching a whiff from an undetermined liquid in one of nine barrels behind the hangar.
Another Wave of Break-Ins and Car Thefts in Palm Coast Targets Mostly Unlocked Vehicles
Some of the break-ins could not be properly investigated because the vehicle owners had disturbed the vehicles before the arrival of police. None of the break-ins yielded any arrests.
Citing High Costs and an Arrest, Council Says No to a Fence Around Ralph Carter Park
An arrest in spring and the $70,000 to $160,000 cost of a fence dissuaded council members from giving in to Richardson Drive residents demanding a fence around Ralph Carter Park.
Palm Coast’s $2 Million Training Facility: Old Buildings Turned Over to Firefighters Before Demolition
Properties on Bulldog Drive the city acquired for $2 million are the scenes of firefighter training for the Palm Coast Fire Department this week before the buildings are demolished and the properties placed on the market for commercial developers.
Report on Active-Shooter Exercise at FPC Points to Serious Flaws in Command, Communications and Cooperation
The unvarnished after-action report paints a troubling picture of sheriff’s and fire rescue operations that worked poorly as a coordinated, cooperative and unified response, though they worked well in their individual parts.
Flagler Beach Man Accused of Burglarizing Shell Station After Hiding in Bathroom Ceiling
John Dugent Jr., a 20-year-old resident of 5906 John Anderson Highway had snuck into the Shell station on A1A in Flagler Beach before closing time.
1-Year-Old Palm Coast Boy Dies From Fall Into Exposed Septic Tank While Visiting Ocala
Wyatt Steed, the 1-year-old son of Palm Coast resident Linsay M. Steed, 25, died Sunday when he fell into a septic tank near an apartment complex in Ocala, where the boy and his mother were visiting.
Jailhouse Porn
Fort Apache: Flagler
There’s nothing to be proud of in the pornography of incarceration: Flagler had no reason to triple the size of its jail other than to amplify an indefensible architecture of disproportionate punishment.
Java Joint Burglary: Suspect In Custody in Georgia, Wanted on Numerous Break-Ins
Joseph C. Hodge, 52, of Jacksonville, has been sitting in a county jail in Georgia on a burglary charge for the past 39 days, and was tied to a burglary at Java Joint, the restaurant in Flagler Beach, in late June.
Flagler’s Irresponsible Gun Owners: 37 Firearms Stolen Since 2014, Mostly From Unlocked Cars
Just seven of the stolen guns have been recovered. The rest are in the hands of criminals, putting residents and police at greater risk, the Flagler sheriff’s office warns.
Trauma Alert and 1 Child Among 6 Hospitalized After 2-Car Wreck on A1A Near Bing’s Landing
Six people were hospitalized, one of them in serious to critical condition and one of them a child, after a two-car collision on State Road A1A at the entrance to Bing’s Landing late Wednesday afternoon. Three Flagler County Fire Rescue ambulances and Flagler County FireFlight, the county’s emergency helicopter, transported patients. Fire Flight transported one […]
Driver at Origin of 2 Wrecks That Killed 6 People is Fined $1,000 and Loses License
Roy White, 39, was found to have caused the wreck on I-95 in Palm Coast in June 2014 that killed two people, and that caused a back-up that led to a second wreck in which four people died.
Case Dismissed: No Penalty Against Brian Szmitko, Responsible for Death of Elisa Homen in Whiteview Wreck
Because of a technicality on the careless driving citation, Szmitko walked off free of any penalty or so much as points on his license for the crash, let alone a license suspension.
Mother Accused of Assaulting Her 13-Year-Old Daughter, Then Going After Her Protectors
Dawn Nickonovitz, 39, of Palm Coast, previously arrested for abusing 911 and violence against her daughter, was re-arrested for violating an injunction and allegedly assaulting her daughter’s father and grandfather.
Lawmakers Reload to Allow Students to Carry Concealed Weapons on Florida Campuses
The proposal drew heavy debate during the 2015 legislative session, with gun-rights advocates supporting the idea and many university-system leaders opposing it.
Rethinking Restrictions on Food Stamps and Welfare Benefits for Drug Felons
The bans on welfare and food stamps assistance apply only to drug felons, in accordance with a 1996 federal law, unless states choose to waive them.