The defense seriously damaged the credibility of the step-daughter of Michael Bowling, 47, on trial for molesting the step-daughter’s friend when she was 15–and facing more grave charges regarding his step-daughter as well.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
Teacher, Police and Fire Unions Join Call to Fire Craig Coffey, With Help From Milissa Holland
The county’s public sector unions in a powerful joint approach aided by Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland have joined calls to fire County Administrator Craig Coffey.
Three Finger Charlie Bar Owner in Bunnell Busted for Running Alleged Gambling House
Undercover agents of the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco began investigating alleged illegal gambling activities at Three Finger Charlie’s in late July.
From ‘Seven Minutes in Heaven’ to a Teen’s Accusation of Molestation in a Closet
Michael Bowling, 47, in his first day of trial today, is accused of molesting a 15-year-old girl during a game of “Seven Minutes In Heaven” as the two were allegedly in a closet alone.
Overlooking Its Call for ‘Unity,’ Flagler NAACP Claims Sheriff ‘Sought to Bury’ Incident Involving 2 Racist Students at FPC
What the Flagler Branch of the NAACP billed as a “unified public support press conference” for the high school teacher targeted by two students’ racist threats featured more grandstanding and accusations than revelations today.
A Special Taxing District To Repair Palm Coast’s Privately Owned Sea Walls? Not Exactly.
Is Palm Coast looking to create a taxing district to pay for privately owned seawall repairs on the city’s 26 miles of saltwater canals? Not exactly. Certainly not yet. But it’s not off the table.
Like Palm Coast, County Government Plans To Send Small Drone Fleet Airborne
County government plans to spend $20,000 to acquire several drones and use them for public safety, land and infrastructure surveys and incident management, but the county has yet to develop rules and policies.
House With 5 Occupants in Palm Coast’s Z-Section Is Shot Up, But Surveillance Video Was ‘Deleted’
The 1,600-square-foot house at 16 Zircon Court in Palm Coast was the target of a shooting early Sunday morning. Nine bullet holes were detected.
Hammock Group Appeals Captain’s BBQ Plan at Bing’s Landing, and County Questions Filing
The Hammock Community Association filed an appeal of a county planning board approval of the expansion of Captain’s BBQ at Bing’s Landing, drawing a challenge from the county on grounds that the decision is not appealable that way.
Judges Gaustad and Ferebee Join 7th Judicial Circuit Bench, Among Other Changes
The Seventh Judicial Circuit welcomes two new Circuit Judges and announces changes to judicial assignments for several sitting judges.
Katherine May Sanford, 85, Is Killed in Crash on U.S. 1 and Seminole Woods Boulevard
Katherine May Sanford, 85, a resident of Palm Coast, was killed Friday evening in a two-vehicle crash on U.S. 1 and Seminole Woods Boulevard.
Yet Another Student Is Arrested, At FPC, Over School Shooting Threats, Capping Exasperating Week
In the fourth school-safety incident in five school days, yet another student, a 16-year-old attending Flagler Palm Coast High School, was arrested today on allegations that he threatened to shoot up the school.
Two More Students, Both 13, Face Charges Over Shooting Threats Targeting Indian Trails Middle
The reported threats on an after-school bus was the third incident in the last five school days resulting in charges or arrests involving a total of five students.
Eddie Collins, 62, of Bunnell, Dies of Injuries From U.S. 1 Pick-Up Crash
Eddie Collins, the 62-year-old Bunnell man critically injured in a crash on U.S. 1 on Monday (Dec. 10), died Thursday evening at Halifax hospital in Daytona Beach.
Survivor of Half-Failed Double-Suicide May Not Get To Blame Depression in “Assisted Murder” Defense
Bruce Haughton says he planned to kill himself and his ex-girlfriend Katherine Goddard in her R-Section home. She died. He survived. The prosecution sees it only as assisted murder, discounting his mental state.
With Judge’s Help, Sheriff’s Insurance Carrier Corners Employees Over Workers’ Comp Claims as Fate of Building Looms
Some 30 Flagler County Sheriff’s employees have been in a dispiriting battle with their own agency’s insurance carrier and the judge ruling on their workers’ compensation claims, portending little hope that they may prevail.
Ethics Commission Finds Probable Cause School Board’s Janet McDonald and Husband Dennis Violated Law on Disclosures
A state ethics investigation found that both Dennis and Janet McDonald inaccurately reported assets on disclosure forms ahead of election runs. The late Frank Meeker, a county commissioner, filed the ethics complaints shortly before his death in 2016.
FPC Teacher Pursues Hate Crime Charges On 2 Racist Students Who Threatened Her
Two 16-year-old students who exchanged a string of online, racist threats about their language arts teacher during class on Monday face misdemeanor assault charges with a possible enhancement under Florida’s hate-crime law.
Palm Coast Man, 23, Faces Molestation Charge After He’s Found With Girl, 15, at Flagler Beach Park
T.J., 23, of Palm Coast, was found with a 15-year-old girl in his car between 3 and 4 a.m. at Flagler Beach’s Betty Steflik Park Monday, but says no sexual contact took place.
2 FPC Students’s Threats Targeting Teacher Were Racially Motivated; Criminal Charges Still Possible
Two students claiming they were just joking made explicit, racist threats against their teacher in written chats uncovered Monday, and may yet face criminal charges, contrary to earlier claims.
Disputed Wetlands Restoration In Flagler Beach Will Proceed as St. Johns River Board Unanimously Approves $500,000 Project
The St. Johns River Water Management Board unanimously approved the 100-acre, $500,000 wetlands restoration project on the Intracoastal Waterway near Gamble Rogers Recreation Area in Flagler Beach.
Kimberle Weeks Pleads to Another Felony Count and, Months Late, Files Appeal
Kimberle Weeks, the former Flagler County elections supervisor, pleaded to the eighth and final felony count against her the day her attorney filed an appeal with the Fifth District Court of Appeal.
Two FPC Students Barred From Campus After Allegations of Online Threats Against Teacher
Two students at FPC were allegedly exchanging online chatter about the time and place to harm a teacher. The Sheriff’s Office investigated and declined to pursue charges, though the students face discipline from the district.
Judge Lowers Bond in Revenge Porn Case from $20,000 to $2,500, Enabling Release
Au’qoin Kendrell Neeley, 20, of Filbert Lane in Palm Coast, faces a felony charge of transmitting child pornography by an electronic device and a misdemeanor charge of cyber-harassment.
Palm Coast Man Accused of Attacking Mom, Fiancée and Cop Before He Is Tased
Gregory Thilesen, 28, of Palm Coast, faces a felony charge of assaulting a law enforcement officer and two misdemeanor charges of domestic battery.
Jeffrey Foust, 11, Donates Year’s Allowance to Flagler Deputies in His Cop Father’s Memory
Jeffrey Foust, 11, bought 54 gift cards worth $600 to donate to 54 Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies, most of whom paid them forward at the Christmas With a Deputy event Friday.
Buddy Taylor Middle Student Arrested With Loaded Gun in Math Class; .45 Was Stolen From Unlocked Car on Point Pleasant
A 14-year-old student was arrested for bringing a loaded gun to Buddy Taylor Middle School today. The gun had been reported stolen out of an unlocked car in Palm Coast in April.
Joseph J. Faircloth, 38, Killed in Motorcycle Crash On Palm Coast’s Rickenbacker Drive
Joseph James Faircloth, a 38-year-old Palm Coast resident, was killed in a motorcycle crash on Rickenbacker Drive in Palm Coast early this morning. No one else was involved.
Christmas With a Deputy Tonight: A Record $16,717 Raised For 124 Children
Christmas With a Deputy at Target this evening will feature 124 children riding in 110 police cars from Town Center to the shopping center for a Christmas spree.
Flagler-Palm Coast’s Crime Rate Falls Sharply in First 6 Months of 2018, Arrests Up 35%
The drop in crime in Flagler and Palm Coast was reflected across almost every category and the addition of 23 new deputies led to a steep rise in arrests in the first six months of 2018.
Holland and Cuff Put Their Differences To Work in Search for New Palm Coast Manager
Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland and Council member Bob Cuff disagreed on key search parameters for a new manager, but the disagreements only shaped a more synthesized process that may yield a new manager by late winter.
Flagler Will Try a Different, Riskier Strategy to Protect Its Short-Term Rental Regulations
Flagler County government may lobby lawmakers less intensely than they have over the past three years on vacation-rental regulations, hoping instead that the county is carved out of a potential statewide retreat on such regulations.
Judge Orders Sheriff’s Operations Center Tested for Toxins Again, On Behalf of Employees
Sheriff’s employees have been seeking for months to have an independent round of testing for toxins inside the troubled, evacuated Sheriff’s Operations Center. That will take place on Dec. 13.
Many Questions Remain as County and City Approve $100 Million, 50-Year Beach-Protection Plan in Flagler Beach
Flagler County will be on the hook for nearly half the almost $100-million cost of the project over its 50-year span, with the federal government responsible for the rest.
Darryl Fultz, 51, Harvey Perly, 83:
Two Suicides in 3 Days in Palm Coast
Darryl L. Fultz, 51, of 69 Eric Drive, took his life using a gun on Dec. 2, Harvey Perly, 83, did so on Dec. 4 in his front yard at 55 Christopher Court South in Palm Coast.
Stephen Bickel, Tireless Physician for the Poor, is FHF Foundation’s Humanitarian of the Year
Flagler Physician Stephen Bickel is a moving force behind Flagler Cares, the Flagler Free Clinic and numerous other local initiatives focused on the under-insured and such needs as diabetes and HIV prevention.
Sheriff Staly: County Administrator ‘Destroyed Our Working Relationship and It Is
Not Recoverable’
Sheriff Rick Staly stopped just short of explicitly asking for the resignation of County Administrator Craig Coffey in an address to the County Commission, but in effect, he was calling for nothing less.
The Story Behind A 28-Year-Old Flagler Veteran’s Suicide: Strife, Depression, And a Father’s Questions
Abdul Ganiyu Ayanwale, a 28-year-old Army National Guard veteran, killed himself by gunshot at his Bunnell apartment on Nov. 16 after a series of personal and legal difficulties.
Craig Coffey Isn’t Fired, But Meeting Is Set to Decide His Fate As Sheriff and Others
Blister His Management
Though Commissioner Joe Mullins’s motion to fire Craig Coffey failed, the commission unanimously approved setting a Jan. 14 meeting to discuss his possible firing.
In Big Victory for Bing’s Proponents, Commission Votes 4-0 To “Sidetrack” Lease With Captain’s BBQ
The commission, led by Dave Sullivan, who switched sides, agreed to reconsider the lease with Captain’s BBQ at Bing’s Landing through more vetting and analysis.
Barbecuing Bing’s
With even Captain’s BBQ owners willing to get “back to the drawing board,” there’s plenty of room for Flagler government to fix what remains a dirty deal that hurts all sides.
Man Who Tried to Get Into Wadsworth Elementary and Referred to a School Shooting Is Identified
The man walked up to the front desk at Wadsworth Elementary Thursday morning and asked where the school’s book fair was, but also asked when the school was last shot up.
$22.4 Million A1A Rebuilding and Sea Wall Construction in Flagler Beach Starts in January
The Florida Department of Transportation just awarded a $22.4 million contract to a Jacksonville contractor to start construction, sea wall and dune repairs on three segments of A1A in Flagler Beach.
Watermain Leak Shuts Down Service in Bunnell and Leads to City-Wide Boil-Water Notice
Bunnell residents, businesses and government offices, including the courthouse, have been under a boil-water notice since Thursday following repairs to a watermain on East Moody Boulevard.
Rejecting Lesser Term, Judge Sentences Jonathan Canales to Life in Prison in Attempted Murder of Ex-Girlfriend
Jonathan Canales, 31, was sentenced to life in prison without parole in the attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend Tiffany Norman in their Mondex home in 2014. The judge declined to exercise his discretion, which would have allowed him to sentence him to anywhere from 25 years to life.
Roundabout Construction at U.S. 1 and Old Dixie Begins in Weeks; Expect Detours
The $4.1 million project at U.S. 1 and Old Dixie Highway will bring the first roundabout to a major road in Flagler, re-engineering one of the most dangerous intersections in the county.
Is Craig Coffey Getting Fired?
Word of His Demise May Be Premature.
Newly-elected Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins has pledged to fire Administrator Craig Coffey, and may try to do so at Monday’s meeting, but the outcome is anything but certain.
Flagler’s Legislative Delegation Is Taking Requests: Hutson and Renner Hear Wish Lists Dec. 7
House Rep. Paul Renner and Sen. Travis Hutson, who represent Flagler in Tallahassee, are holding their annual legislative meeting for Flagler governments and residents on Dec. 7 at 3 p.m. in Bunnell.
Mondex Man Accused of Raping an Unconscious 31-Year-Old Woman
Kenneth Steele, a 62-year-old resident of Daytona North, or the Mondex, is at the Flagler County jail following an arrest on a rape charge involving a 31-year-old woman, who was unconscious at the time of the alleged assault.
In a Surprise, Bunnell Commissioner John Sowell Is Resigning, With Eye on County Seat
Bunnell City Commissioner John Sowell is resigning Friday and moving to a different part of the county, and is considering a run for the county commission seat held by Dave Sullivan.
