A jury of six women and one man was chosen from a pool of 50, as potential jurors were excused for a variety of reasons, many of them over the anxieties triggered by the trial’s subject matter.
Flagler, Palm Coast & Other Local News
Death Sentence Commuted to Life For William Gregory, Double-Murderer of Flagler Beach
William Gregory was on Death Row for the 2007 murders of his ex-girlfriend Skyler Dawn Meekings, 17, and her boyfriend of two months, Daniel Arthur Dyer, 22, at a house on John Anderson Highway.
In Reorganization, Hansen Takes County Chairmanship, Sullivan Is on Canvassing Board
The county commission chairmanship gives Hansen added visibility during an election year, while Sullivan takes over a canvassing board position with a fraught history.
Flagler Beach Pier May Reopen Dec. 15, But City’s Library To Remain Closed For Now
The Flagler Beach Pier and the city’s library were both damaged again by Hurricane Irma even after reeling from Hurricane Matthew. But a tentative date is set for the pier’s reopening.
Upwards of 1,100 Flagler Volunteers Are Recognized For Indispensable Help During Irma
More than 1,130 volunteers were documented to have lent a hand during the Hurricane Irma emergency and many more helped but were never added to lists.
FPC’s Dancers, Singers and Artists Bring Talents and Christmas Cheer to Assisted Living Residents
The residents of Brookdale, an assisted living community in Palm Coast, were treated to a spectacular holiday show on November 29 by students from Flagler Palm Coast High School.
At Flagler Playhouse, An Urbane Expansion for a Community Theater Celebrating 4th Decade
The Flagler Playhouse, now in its fourth decade, marked the opening of a new, 2000 square-foot wing that’ll give theater-goers a place to chill, drink and snack before shows and at intermissions.
In Latest Complication, Judge Craig Recuses Himself From David Snelgrove Death Row Case
The Supreme Court has ordered a re-sentencing in the case of David Snelgrove, sentenced to die 15 years ago in the double-murders in Palm Coast of an elderly couple.
Dozen Men Arrested For Soliciting Prostitution In Sheriff’s Sting at Palm Coast Hotel
Some 100 people inquired in response to the ad, but only 12 showed up at a room at the Days Inn in Palm Coast. Seven were from Palm Coast, one from Bunnell, the others from out of town.
Getting Over Resistance Against Apartments in Palm Coast: Less Prejudice, A Bit More Height
Housing, real estate and local government officials this morning diagnosed the sources of Flagler-Palm Coast’s affordable housing crisis and proposed a few solutions in a unique discussion at the Hilton Garden Inn.
Flagler Beach’s Christmas Parade Is Saturday, Starlight Parade in Palm Coast On Dec. 9
Flagler County’s two biggest holiday parades take to the streets over two successive weekends, with awards and peripheral events rich in photo ops with Santa.
Flagler County Warns of Scam Under the Guise of Waste Management Trash Hauler
Waste Management notified Flagler County officials about a scam in another state asking “valued customers” to wire transfer money to a different account
Investigation and Officials Detail Ordeal in Alleged Rape Case That Ended Off Old Kings Rd
Obtravies Watkins, a 34-year-old registered sexual offender, faces attempted murder, rape and kidnapping charges after the alleged brutalization of a 25-year-old woman found naked and pleading for help Tuesday morning.
Flagler Education Foundation’s Connect Bus Showcases School District’s Tech Evolution
The Connect Bus, which just scored a $15,000 donation from Ameris Bank, is appearing more and more around town, a school district showcase of evolving classroom technology.
Sex Offender Arrested on Rape and Kidnapping Charges in Attack Extending Between Volusia and Flagler
Obtravies Watkins, 33, of Palm Coast and Daytona Beach, a felon and sex offender with a long record, is accused of kidnapping a woman in Volusia and raping her there and in Palm Coast.
Not Dead Yet: County Must Formalize Medical Pot Ban By Ordinance, Giving Advocates Another Go
The Flagler County Commission’s Nov. 20 vote to ban medical marijuana dispensaries was only one step: commissioners must still pass an ordinance formalizing the ban, twice, giving proponents of dispensaries another chance to make their case.
Defense Will Argue That Bobby Gore Suffered From “Battered Spouse Syndrome” When He Killed His Son
Bobby Gore, 74, shot and killed his son Lucas in Flagler Beach in April and pleaded guilty to manslaughter. To reduce his life sentence, his defense attorney will argue that Lucas had been terrorizing his father to the point of reducing him to the equivalent of a battered spouse.
Flagler Deputies’ Thanksgiving Break: A Half Dozen Domestic Violence Arrests
Cases included a siblings’ brawl that turned into charges of felony child abuse and strangulation and the case of a repeat domestic-violence offender biting his wife on the head after she declines sex.
New Regulations Give Flagler Government Policing Powers Over Towing Companies
A new Flagler County ordinance sets out requirements, fees and penalties for the county’s three towing companies, reining in what the county administration said had been some abuses in the industry.
Nine Flagler County Firefighter-Paramedics Get Lifesaving Awards For I-95 Truck Rescue
Crews were called out to a rollover crash on Interstate 95 and worked four hours to extricate the driver, Scott Breidenstein, from the crushed cabin – a mere 24 inches of space to maneuver.
How Residents of One Street, Citing False Information, Got 3 Flagler Commissioners To Ban Medical Pot Dispensaries
Residents of Treetop Circle in Plantation Bay made false but popular claims about medical pot dispensaries to convince Commissioners Greg Hansen, Charlie Ericksen and Dave Sullivan to ban dispensaries in unincorporated Flagler.
Armed Robbery Victim in Hammock Seeks Out and Finds Suspect, Leading to Arrest
Cody Wilson, 26, was booked at the Flagler jail on $110,000 bond after he allegedly robbed at gunpoint a man who was smoking marijuana in his driveway in the Hammock.
Paul Miller, Serving Life for Murder of Dana Mulhall in Flagler Beach in 2012, Returning To Court
Now 70, Paul Miller shot and killed his neighbor Dana Mulhall, 52, in a dispute over barking dogs in 2012. Miller is arguing that he did not get a proper defense from his attorney.
Flagler Sheriff’s Deputy Bret Wood Injured in Crash Caused By Fleeing Hit and Run Suspect
Sheriff’s Deputy Bret Wood was bleeding significantly after crashing his motorcycle when a fleeing driver stopped abruptly then fled.
Sheriff Again Urges Transportation Secretary to Improve Safety at “Deadly” White Eagle Intersection
The transportation department last February largely ignored recommendations by Sheriff Rick Staly for more safety measures at the crash-prone intersection on U.S. 1. Staly again wrote the transportation department on Tuesday.
In Rare Move, Sheriff Is Publicly Critical of Judge’s Decision to Let Shooting Suspect Out of Jail
Judge Margaret Hudson allowed Michael McRoberts, 21, to go under house arrest at his home even though he violated probation and is a suspect in the Nov. 13 double-shooting on Seamanship Trail in Palm Coast.
Gordon Therrien, 60, Killed When Motorcycle and Semi Truck Collide on U.S. 1 at White Eagle
The White Eagle Lounge intersection claimed its 6th traffic-crash death in nine month when a motorcyclist and a semi truck collided in mid-afternoon.
On Defensive, Flagler Government Makes Its Case To Lawmakers To Preserve Vacation-Rental Regulations
Flagler’s own lawmakers are cautioning that the law will likely change, diminishing Flagler’s ability to regulate its own vacation-rental properties. In response, property owners’ opinions are divided.
Man at Wheel of Truck in Crash That Killed 10-Year-Old Arrested on Drug Charges; Cited 3 Times in Last 6 Months For No License
Thomas Rando, the Palm Coast man at the wheel of an SUV that crashed Friday, killing 10-year-old Hannah Beard, was arrested Sunday trying to leave a house allegedly with backpacks of drugs and has a long history of driving without license.
Hearing Over Development at Lakeside on A1A, Expected to Be Contentious, Postponed to Dec. 18
Lawyers representing three different sides of the proposed 185-home development have all asked for a postponement, and the county attorney has advised commissioners to agree.
Hannah Beard, 10, Is Killed, 3 Seriously Hurt in Single-Car Crash on I-95 South of Palm Coast Parkway
The crash took place at 6:39 p.m., involving a single vehicle that somehow lost control, rolled and ended up on its flank on the driver’s side, facing north in the grassy shoulder next to the center guard rails.
Robert L. Emmanuel, 60, Is Murdered at His Home. Bunnell Police Refuse To Release Information.
Robert Emanuel was the victim of a brutal beating at his home in mid-September, and died either this week or last, but Bunnell police has refused the sheriff’s assistance in investigating a case it may have bungled.
Case Against Kimberle Weeks Now Hinges On Judge’s Precedent-Setting Decision on Searches in Electronic Age
Ex-Elections Supervisor Weeks’s attorneys argue that the search warrant that produced incriminating evidence against her was an illegal fishing expedition. Without it, the case against Weeks collapses.
Florida Adds 125,000 Jobs, Dropping Unemployment to 3.6%, Flagler’s at 3.8%
In essence, the state saw little negative effect from Hurricane Irma despite its severity and the disruptions it spread over Florida.
Threat of Violence at FPC, Mirroring Pranks Elsewhere, Prompts Heightened Cop Presence
The threat of violence in a boys’ bathroom told students not to show up today at FPC. It is similar to threats made at schools elsewhere on social media.
Flagler County on Periphery of Opioid Crisis, But Deaths Report Signals Lethal Spikes
Deaths related to heroin and fentanyl use are rising locally, and deaths related to prescription drugs spiked 22 percent as the region proves not immune to the opioid crisis.
A Pair of Fights At Matanzas High School Spill Over Into B Section, Implicating Several Teen Girls
Battery charges were forwarded to the State Attorney’s Office against several Matanzas High girls following a series of fights that stretched over several days and locations.
School Taxes Would Rise To Pay For Per-Student Increase, But Formula Could Further Hurt Flagler
Flagler is the 6th-highest taxed district in the state, by legislative formula, yet gets back the 65th lowest dollars per student. A governor proposal to increase education funding could make that worse for the district.
Five New Towers Part of County’s Plan to Replace $11 Million Emergency Communications System
Flagler government unveiled vast new plan to replace the aging emergency communications system starting next year, keeping mum on final cost estimates, which will be steep.
Samantha Posella, 17, Missing Three Weeks From Her Llama Trail Home
Samantha Lynn Posella, a 17-year-old resident of 45 Llama Trail in Palm Coast, walked out of her house on Oct. 25 and hasn’t been seen since.
Armed Robbery at Taco Bell Leads to Chase and 2 Arrests, But Flagler Deputy Injured In Crash
Craig Rossi, a 10-year veteran of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, was injured when his car collided with the fleeing vehicle,w hose two suspects were arrested soon afterward.
The Last Weeks of Savannah Deangelis, 23, Who Died Monday From an Opioid Overdose
Savannah Deangelis of Palm Coast, a Matanzas High graduate, overdosed in late October after being expelled from a recovery program in dubious circumstances after the hurricane.
Joy McGrew Makes It Official: She Will End Dozen Years on Flagler Beach Commission
McGrew, the most forthright and colorful member of the commission, said it’s time for a new generation of leaders. She all but endorsed Eric Cooley as her successor.
7-Eleven Owner Eric Cooley Will Run for Joy McGrew’s Flagler Beach Commission Seat
Eric Cooley, 43, serves on three Flagler Beach advisory boards and has been a near-permanent presence at city commission meetings, speaking for business and echoing McGrew, who may not run again.
Evidence Was Illegally Obtained, But Judge Rules It Admissible In Dykes Child-Sex Case
The defense’s attempt to suppress illegally obtained evidence against Paul Dykes, the Palm Coast man accused of raping a child, fell to an exception to the Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate oneself.
2 Men Shot on Seamanship Trail in Seminole Woods; Sheriff Looking For Woman of Interest
Two men were critically wounded in a shooting involving “a lot” of gunshots after midnight this morning outside 28 Seamaship Trail, Sheriff Rick Staly said from the scene.
The 34th Annual Palm Coast Yacht Club Holiday Boat Parade Set For Dec. 16
Mayor Milissa Holland will serve as Grand Marshall for this year’s Holiday Boat Parade, which in 2016 drew a record 33 boats along the Intracoastal.
A Man For All Seasons, Sisco Deen Is Flagler County Veteran Of the Year
Recognized at today’s county ceremony marking Veterans Day, Sisco Deen served two decades in various branches of the military, including during the Vietnam War, and is the long-time archivist of the Flagler County Historical Society.
Flagler Beach And Troubled Golf Course Aim For Reset But Still At Odds Over “Bad Business”
The president of the troubled Ocean Palms Golf Course promised city government to be more hands-on, but the two sides remain at odds over how much compensation is owed.
Matanzas High Student Fabricates Gun Incident, But School’s “Security Status” Was Not Changed
A Matanzas High School student’s fabrication of a gun sighting on campus around noon today led to a localized lockdown in the school’s parking lot, car searches and a lot of police activity on campus.