Keith Foreman III, an R-Section resident, is in jail this morning on $11,000 bond, on charges of lewd and lascivious battery and marijuana possession following an incident his alleged 15-year-old victim video-recorded on the Macbook Air issued by the Flagler County School District.
Cops/Courts
Missing 14-Year-Old Alex Cargo of Palm Coast’s B Section Returns Home; Flagler Sheriff’s Office Cancels Alert
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office issued an alert for a missing teenager, 14-year-old Alex Cargo of Palm Coast, at 9:43 Saturday evening.
Palm Coast’s Red-Light Cameras: How the City Council Locked In a Fraud on Taxpayers Through 2019
Palm Coast’s red-light cameras siphon off more than $2.5 million out of the local economy every year, in the share that goes to the state and to ATS, the company that runs the scheme, yet the city council quietly approved the deal through 2019, long past the terms of every one of the council members and some of their successors.
Undiscovered For Several Hours, a Motorcyclist Is Found Dead on U.S. 1 Near Seminole Woods
Peter Lonchar Jr., a 66-year-old motorcyclist traveling north on U.S. 1 early this morning, was killed when he drifted off the highway, struck a concrete culvert and jumped a silk construction fence, ending up near a waterlogged ditch. He was not discovered until after noon.
Four Palm Coast Baker Acts in 24 Hours: A Day in the Life of Flagler Sheriff’s Deputies
In barely a 24-hour period between late Monday afternoon and the early evening of Tuesday (March 3 and 4), deputies were involved in four commitments under the Baker Act, each one is illustrative of the variety of mental health situations deputies are confronting, compelling them to make the determination between simply diffusing a situation, making an arrest or carrying out a Baker Act.
Life Without Parole for Juveniles: Florida Struggles to Comply With Supreme Court Ruling
Florida sentences more juveniles to life in prison without parole than any other state, but the pressure is on the Legislature this year to comply with restrictive U.S. Supreme Court rulings because without sentencing guidelines, the Florida judiciary is filling the gap one case at a time.
Seeking Cool Whip High at Publix, A Couple Is Charged With Inhaling
Gretchen Wentworth, 35, and David Collins, 34, residents of 609 North Ocean Shore Boulevard in Flagler Beach, were arrested for inhaling cool whip. That is, the nitrous oxide that powers the cream out of its canister. They were arrested for allegedly doing so at the Flagler Beach Publix, after they’d aggravated other customers.
A 7-Year-Old Girl Is Baker Acted at Belle Terre Elementary; It’s Not Punishment, District Says
The Baker Acting of a 7-year-old girl at Belle Terre Elementary last week, following a report of her allegedly lacerating the dean of students with thumb tacks, is one of three or four Baker Acts of students in the district every month, though they’re usually older. The district defends the Baker Acts as a necessary last resort that addresses underlying issues, and that must not be seen as retribution or punishment.
Flagler-Based Family Life Center Will Provide Rape-Exam Services, Ending Year of Failures Under Children’s Advocacy Center
The Children’s Advocacy Center failures came to light last spring when it failed to provide a certified nurse following a rape, forcing the victim to wait for hours. The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office will administer the contract, awarded to Palm Coast and Bunnell-based Family Life Center. which says it has Flagler-based nurses to provide exams when needed.
A 44-Year-Old Man Is Found Dead in a Hot Tub in Palm Coast’s F-Section
Robert Brewer, a 44-year-old resident of Forrester Place in Palm Coast, was found dead in a hot tub at his home the morning of Feb. 27, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office reported. Nothing suspicious was found in the immediate area of the pool, and no foul play is suspected.
Yusuf Abdullah, Medic at Flagler Jail and Ex-Firefighter, Is Arrested on Cocaine-Sale Charge
Yusuf Abdullah, 45-year-old part-time paramedic at the Flagler County jail and a former Daytona Beach fire fighter was arrested Friday afternoon on a charge of sale of selling cocaine within 1,000 feet of a convenience store, a first-degree felony.
A Man Is Found Incinerated in a Burning Car in Palm Coast’s Town Center Woods
Henry Cornish, 71, was found in a burning car at 11:30 this morning (Feb. 27) in the heart of Palm Coast’s Town Center, not far from the Epic movie theater, after suffering an apparent medical episode, according to FHP. Town Center access is closed going west at the intersection of Town Center Boulevard and Central Avenue, and going east at Central Avenue and Brookhaven Way.
2-Year-Old Girl Brought to Hospital Bruised and Unresponsive; Palm Coast Man Charged With Aggravated Child Abuse
Stanley Wykretowicz, a 38-year-old resident of Palm Coast, claimed his 2-year-old daughter fell in the tub, but doctors discovered extensive internal and external injuries that required emergency surgery after the child was taken to a children’s hospital in Jacksonville. Wykretowicz is at the Flagler jail on $150,000 bond.
Flagler Beach Woman and St. Johns Man Face Capital Charges of Raping 2 Girls Younger Than 12
Rhonda Lynn Wilkerson, 49, of Flagler Beach, faces one rape charge and William C. Dillow, 27, of St. Augustine, faces two rape charges, after girls in a Flagler County school revealed the alleged incidents to staff. The incidents took place in St. Johns County.
3 Minor Traffic Stops Lead to 3 Arrests on Crack Charges as Detectives Point to Cocaine Uptick
Three separate and unrelated traffic stops for minor infractions over the weekend led to three arrests on cocaine possession charge, an indication, according to the Sheriff’s Office, of a noticeable rise in the drug’s circulation, and in reaction to the crackdown on prescription drugs.
Baker Acts, Age and Social Responsibility: Sheriff Manfre’s Alert to Emerging Perils and Possible Solutions
In a broad-ranging discussion before the Palm Coast City Council, Flagler Sheriff Jim Manfre described a deteriorating mental health landscape affected by age and other stresses, but also pointed to mental health courts and other ways to address the growing problem without turning to cops and jails.
Ex-Con Believed To Have Carjacked Orlando Couple Is Arrested in Flagler After Chase and Crash
Dyson Graham, who will be turning 25 on Friday, was released from state prison 11 months ago after serving three years on a conviction for carrying a concealed weapon as a convicted felon. Sunday morning, Graham and a 16-year-old girl missing from Hillsborough County were arrested in Flagler County following a carjacking in Orange County and a car crash in Palm Coast.
Cops Net 61 Pot Plants in Mondex Grow House; Sheriff Doubts Owner’s “Personal Use” Claim
Dwayne Reed, a 49-year-old resident of 5637 Nutwood Avenue in Bunnell was fingered to police by an anonymous source as having marijuana plants, but claimed he used them because of illness, not for distribution. He faces a third-degree felony, pending the State Attorney’s review of the case. Reed meanwhile remains free.
Charles Ownbey, 72, Is Killed In Motorcycle Wreck on I-95, South of Palm Coast Parkway
A motorcyclist riding a Harley-style bike south on I-95 was killed early this afternoon when one of the motorcycle’s tires reportedly blew, sending the bike across the paved shoulder and into the wood-line.
Jamal “Jamie” Nejame, 3-Time Candidate for Office in Flagler Beach, Jailed on Stalking and Injunction Violation Charges
Jamal “Jamie” Nejame, who three times ran for public office in Flagler Beach and had been a frequent and vocal presence at city commission meetings, was arrested and jailed Wednesday evening on charges of aggravated stalking and violation of an injunction. He also faced a stalking charge in 2009.
12-Year-Old Rymfire Elementary Girl Faces 2 Felony Charges in Knife Incident at Bus Stop
The 12-year-old Palm Coast girl faces charges of aggravated assault and the reckless display of a weapon, both felonies, for allegedly pulling a 12-inch knife on a 10-year-old boy and threatening to slash him. Both the boy and the girl accuse the other of teasing repeatedly in the past.
Suspect, 18, Accused of Battering a 71-Year-Old Employee at CVS Over a Phone Charger
Dakota S. Walls, 18, of Palm Coast, is accused of slugging a 71-year-old employee of CVS pharmacy after allegedly trying to steal a phone charger then claiming that the employee had taken his $20. Karen Breen, a Palm Coast resident, is accused of a similar charge after allegedly purposefully colliding with her elderly parents during an argument, and in front of a cop.
Fire Police’s Bob Hudak Among Top Winners in Palm Coast Fire Department’s Annual Awards
Hudak was named the 2014 Fire Police Officer of the Year Saturday evening, bringing some attention to one of the more thankless and least-rewarded aspects of emergency operations. Firefighter-Paramedic David Faust was named Career Firefighter of the Year, and Lt. Paul Matarazzo was honored as Volunteer Firefighter of the Year, among other awards.
Patrick Amaral, 32, Kills Himself By Laying in Path of 2 Palm Coast Drivers on I-95
Patrick Amaral, a 29-year-old Palm Coast resident and father of a toddler, was killed in an apparent suicide Friday evening as he laid himself in the center lane of I-95 and was struck by two cars.
Michael Halford, 61, Is Killed After His Truck Plunges in Canal at Belle Terre and Royal Palms
Though Michael Halford of Palatka was initially rescued from the canal by an off-duty Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy, the 61-year-old man later died at Halifax hospital from injuries sustained in a wreck authorities cannot yet explain.
On Old Haw Creek Road, a Confrontation So Hostile That a Cop Asks For It To Be Videotaped
Stuart Denison, who’d been arrested three times in the last few months on domestic battery charges, allegedly threatened to kill his girlfriend and the cops who arrested him Sunday; separately, Michael Testa was arrested for the ninth time.
Downed Power Line Triggers Fire Along Seminole Woods Blvd., But Blaze Is Controlled
A road crew was working on the east side of Seminole Woods Blvd., clearing brush in the first step of construction of a path, when a track hoe severed a power line that set a 70-by-70 fot area on fire. No residential or commercial properties were in danger.
Domino’s Pizza Delivery Woman Reports Being Shot at in Palm Coast’s P-Section
The pizza delivery woman was asking for directions from two men on Powder Hill Drive when one of them displayed a gun, and reportedly fired it as the woman backed up to escape. A bullet struck the car’s console, but the woman was not injured.
Kelly S. Melton, 49, Critically Injured in 3-Motorcycle Wreck on U.S. 1 and Palm Coast Parkway
Kelly S. Melton was riding with Gordon E. Drady, 61, and Michele L. Tola, 42, of Jacksonville when all three slowed on the approach to a red light at Palm Coast Parkway, but Melton, who was not wearing a helmet, lost control, and crashed on the pavement.
Ignoring PTSD Crisis at Home: Americans Shot and Stabbed In Their Own Neighborhoods
Americans with traumatic injuries develop PTSD at rates comparable to veterans of war. Just like veterans, civilians can suffer flashbacks, nightmares, paranoia, and social withdrawal. But Americans wounded in their own neighborhoods are not getting treatment for PTSD. They’re not even getting diagnosed.
Robert Cronin, 62, Is Killed in Single-Car Wreck on Palm Coast’s Whiteview Parkway
Robert Cronin, a 62-year-old Palm Coast resident, was at the wheel of a Toyota Camry early Saturday morning, speeding east on Whiteview Parkway in Palm Coast, when he lost control of the car and crashed against a tree. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Suspect in W-Section Crime Spree Is Pulled Out of Class at FPC and Arrested on 7 Warrants
Matthew Wright, who just turned 18, is accused of being Danquelle Nash’s accomplice in a burglary and car theft crime spree on Jan. 6. A mother’s attempted strangling her juvenile daughter lands the mother in jail. A man is accused of battery on his pregnant girlfriend.
Florida Supreme Court Orders Review of Lethal Injection Cocktail Ahead of Feb. 26 Execution
Before the scheduled execution of inmate Paul Augustus Howell on Feb. 26, Justices have ordered a circuit court to hold an evidentiary hearing on whether substitution of the drug midazolam violates the constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment by the government.
Arrested For Felony Child Abuse and Pot Possession: The Mother’s Account
Sophia Zhudro is the 30-year-old resident of Palm Coast’s B-Section who was arrested on Jan. 24 for marijuana possession as she was parked with her 15-month-old on the side of a residential street in her neighborhood. She tells her side of the story, taking issue with the way the incident was related by police.
FDLE Arrests Crime Lab Chemist Joseph Graves in Evidence-Theft Case Affecting 35 Counties
Former Pensacola crime laboratory chemist Joseph Graves was arrested Tuesday evening, three days after revealing that crime evidence at an FDLE crime lab may have compromised cases in up to 35 counties statewide. Flagler County is not among those counties.
With 132 Death Row Inmates Readied for Execution, Lawyers Contest Fast-Track Law Before Florida Justices
More than 150 lawyers and Death Row inmates are challenging the so-called Timely Justice Act, signed by Gov. Rick Scott in June, intended to speed up executions. Lawyers argue it violates the constitutionally protected separation of powers as well as inmates’ rights to due process.
Bunnell Names Tom Foster, Veteran of Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Its New Police Chief
Tom Foster, 57, retired as a captain from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in March 2012 after a year as head of the street crime section of the special operations division, which oversaw gang enforcement, juvenile arrests and “problem-oriented policing.”
Two Palm Coast Men Held on $250,000 Bond For Armed Robberies at Two Pharmacies
Daniel Lindsey, 29, and Matthew Barker, 27, of 72 Leidel Drive in Palm Coast, were arrested following the robberies of a pharmacy in Palm Coast and one in St. Augustine over the weekend. Narcotics were stolen.
Judge J. Michael Traynor’s Alarming Equivalence Between an Attempted Murderer and His Victim
When Judge J. Michael Traynor sentenced Nathaniel Juratovac to four years in prison for the attempted murder of Flagler County firefighter Jared Parkey last week, the judge managed to blame both men for the violent incident that led them to the courtroom, a stunning and immoral leveling of blame in a state that too easily excuses gun violence.
Flagler Cases Not Among Those Affected By Extensive Drug-Evidence Theft at FDLE Crime Lab
A chemist who worked nearly 2,600 cases for 80 law enforcement agencies spanning 35 counties and 12 judicial circuits is on paid leave pending an investigation into pain-killer pills stolen from an FDLE evidence vault and replaced with over-the-counter drugs.
Flagler Beach Police Launch Initiatives to Protect Residents and Property, But Public Records Expose Vulnerability
Though the initiatives are very well-meaning, participating residents who want their house watched while they’re away or who live alone and need a daily check-in must fill out detailed applications that reveal a lot of personal information and details about their property. The documents are public records, and may potentially create vulnerabilities for the very residents police are aiming to protect.
In an Unusually Brutal Arrest, a Palm Coast Woman Is Charged With Child Abuse Over Minor Pot Possession
Sophia Zhudro, 30, was parked on a quiet, residential street in Palm Coast’s B-Section when she was detained, then arrested and charged with child abuse because deputies found a small amount of marijuana in her car (near in in the child seat). Zhudro’s traumatized child was forced out of her arms by four deputies and turned over to DCF.
They Don’t Just Write Tickets: FHP Trooper Steven Howard Saves Woman’s Life on I-95
Florida Highway Patrol Homicide Investigator Cpl. Steven Howard, a 13-year veteran, was on patrol just north of Palm Coast Parkway when he lucked by a driver in severe distress, seizing or possibly having a stroke, and was able to immediately intervene and ensure the dispatch of a rescue unit. The woman survived.
Palm Coast OK’s 3-Year Policing Deal With Sheriff, and Extra Protection For City Commander
The $2.6 million contract for 38 deputies leaves costs virtually unchanged over the past five years. The contract builds in special protections for Mark Carman, the Palm Coast Precinct commander, as a buffer against Sheriff Manfre’s mercurial ways with staffing and reorganizations.
Supreme Court Clears Medical Marijuana Pot Proposal; Floridians Vote On It November 4
In a significant victory for advocates of the initiative, a divided Florida Supreme Court on Monday ruled 4-3 that the wording of the proposed constitutional amendment to legalize medical marijuana passes legal muster and can now appear on the November election ballot, giving Floridians a direct say. Polls have shown a 3-to-1 majority of Floridians favoring legalization.
3 Men and 16 Year Old Of “Grove Street Gang” Charged in P-Section Armed Burglary
Three men, none older than 20, and a 16 year old were arrested Sunday and charged in the armed burglary of a house at 24 Pine Brook Lane just 800 feet from one of the suspect’s home. The site of the burglary is in the heart of Palm Coast’s P-Section.
Rarely Punished, Guards May Be Responsible for Half of Sexual Assaults in Prisons and Jails
The federal report is based on data from all of the nation’s federal and state prisons as well as many county jails. It shows more than 8,000 reports of abuse each year between 2009 and 2011, up 11 percent from the previous report, and extremely rare prosecutions.
Ex-Flagler Beach Cop Juratovac Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison in Attempted Murder of Flagler Firefighter
Nathaniel Juratovac, the 41-year-old ex-Flagler Beach cop who twice shot an unarmed Flagler County firefighter in what was then termed a road-rage incident by the side of U.S. 1 was sentenced this afternoon to 51 months in prison in a plea agreement. Had he been convicted at trial, he could have faced up to 25 years in prison on the attempted murder charge.
Florida Is 7th Worst State For Lax Highway Safety Laws, Including Teen Protection
Florida is “missing rear primary enforcement seat belt law, all-rider motorcycle helmet law, booster seat law, 4 of the 7 teen driving provisions, an ignition interlock law, and an all-driver text messaging restriction,” according to a new report.
A Palm Coast-Based Referee, 66, Is Accused of Inappropriately Touching a Star 14-Year-Old Girl During a Game, and a Team Is Rattled
Marion Al Jennings, a Palm Coast retiree who officiates with A-1 Officials Association, faces a battery charge for allegedly grabbing a 14-year-old girl’s buttocks and rubbing her breast as he officiated her game earlier this month at Calvary Christian Academy. A-1 referees also officiate at Matanzas and Flagler Palm Coast High School.