Andrew Dandurand has a long history of arrests on violent charges in Flagler County. A week ago he was arrested for violating an injunction and on an aggravated battery domestic violence charge. A week earlier he was arrested on another aggravated assault charge, also for domestic violence. In 2012 he was arrested for leaving the scene of an accident where he’d caused an injury. He’s also been charged with drug possession and dealing in stolen property, and more battery and assault charges in 2007.
On Sunday, Flagler County dispatch got word that Dandurand, 24, a resident of 9B Ryall Lane in Palm Coast, had gotten hold of a possibly stolen assault rifle, bought himself some ammunition, and was looking to shoot his ex-girlfriend, her current boyfriend, and himself. His ex-girlfriend lives in St. Augustine.
St. Johns County Sheriff’s deputies were able to intercept Dandurand after a brief chase and arrest him.
The incident had its roots on April 28 in Palm Coast when, at 1:30 in the morning, according to Dandurand’s ex-girlfriend, he showed up at her door and confronted her about a car parked across the street. He then, according to the incident report, picked up a plastic pipe and threatened to hit her with it. She was able to lock him out, but Dandurand kept trying to force his way into the house, and finally did by shattering the rear sliding glass door. He threatened the woman again, according to the report, forcing her to flee the house in fear for her life. Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies arrived in time to arrest him and jail him. His ex-girlfriend got the injunction.
He got out of jail, but was booked again a week later for violating the injunction and for aggravated assault, and again got out of jail, posting bail on $7,000 bond.
After receiving word that Dandurand was allegedly on the hunt for his girlfriend and her boyfriend, deputies in St. Johns Count went on the look-out for Dandurand’s Toyota pick-up at 4:30 Sunday afternoon d. The pick-up is red with a distinctive blue hood. Dispatch got a report that he was seen at a Hess gas station on U.S. 1. A deputy got there and saw the Toyota, then noticed the blue hood, confirming with dispatch that he had Dandurand in his sight. The gas station is about a mile from the ex-girlfriend’s house.
But very quickly Dandurand fled, jumping the curb out of the gas station’s parking lot, going airborne, and ending up going across U.S. 1, driving south in the northbound lanes. Other deputies converged on the scene. Soon Dandurand corrected his direction, swerving into the southbound lanes, but as soon as he did so he was forced into a ditch by a deputy’s cruiser going about 40 mph, after striking a sign, according to an incident report. He got out of the Toyota and was immediately ordered to the ground at gunpoint by two St. Johns County Sheriff’s deputies, then cuffed and placed in the back of a patrol car.
A deputy observed, in plain sight, “an assault rifle with a magazine in the magazine chamber,” the incident report states. It was a loaded SKS rifle, a semi-automatic weapon of Soviet make. There was a round in the chamber. Further investigation revealed that Dandurand had stolen the rifle that very day.
Dandurand then said he’d taken several grams of cocaine, some methamphetamines, and several other substances, and said he wasn’t feeling well. He was transported to Flagler Hospital in St. Augustine.
In the emergency room, Dandurand, without being asked, told a deputy that “he was in front of his girlfriend’s house but did not kill her because he did not know where the kids were,” according to the incident report.
Dandurance now faces a fleeing and eluding police charge, a second-degree felony, and an aggravated stalking charge, a third-degree felony. He is being held at the St. Johns County jail. Bond was set at $500,000.
The Truth says
What great work by our local FCSO. I don’t think they get as much credit as they do. This could have ended very badly for many people and effected the families of the victims for a very long time. Hopefully, this man will be locked up for some time and will get the help that he needs. FCSO works to save lives every day and yesterday, they did just that.
TruthBeTold says
It was sjso not fcso
Anon says
It wasn’t FCSO lol… SJCSO did all the work, according to the article.
James says
And, he is constantly let out of jail, because?
Kendall says
But we don’t need anyone interfering in the right to bear arms. Just ask the NRA.
DJH says
What do you mean about the NRA?He had no rights to own a firearm.He had a long history of violent crime.The NRA would agree he shouldn’t of had a fire arm.
Sean says
Really Kendall, HE STOLE THE GUN. Don’t let that inconvenient fact cloud the issue. This guy should never get out of jail. The NRA does not support criminals having weapons, and this guy broke a ton of laws. Felons can’t possess weapons legally, so he stole one.
Anita says
Okay Sean, but if you can afford a gun of that caliber, shouldn’t you be able to afford a gun safe to secure it. If a felon steals your Rolex, chances are, nobody dies. If he walks off with your semi-automatic, odds are he’s going to do grave damage to someone. It goes to responsibility.
Clueless reader says
Why blame the NRA? Didn’t you read in the story that this guy stole the weapon??
just saying says
Yes, because the the darned NRA is the reason he violated the injunction that precluded him from possessing firearms or ammunition, and purchased a stolen rifle. That darned NRA.
Rick says
For those of us who correctly & lawfully bear them Kendall, you’re absolutely right.
confidential says
Because is said not enough jail room available? We need to ask the judges why they keep on releasing him.
Good job FCSO and please be careful out there with all these gun totting nuts!
Anonymous says
Dont do drugs kids…
StringCheese says
What a CRAZY even his mug shot looks creepy. PLEASE lock this guy up and throw away the key!!! We do NOT need someone like this in our city!!!!!!!!!!!! Why do these people continue to get out of jail??!!!
Anonymous says
He stole ir from my moms house. the sks. while my sister was sleeping
DJH says
Why was the firearm not properly secured?
Anonymous says
it was it was locked but he happend to find the key to the lock
A.S.F. says
Anonymous says–Your sister was sleeping? And he just happened to find the key to the lock? I’m sorry…but that explanation sounds a little dicey.
STATUTES says
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBhOjWHbD6M
Thank god there are gun safes, right?
Anita says
“I think safe company’s think that everyone who buys a safe is stupid!
1st off, good luck finding my safe. It’s bolted down, in a specially designed closet with reinforced walls. So your not getting it on the ground. Which leaves you in a tiny space, to small to even turn around… More or less use any type of pry bar!
The fact is, ANY safe can be cracked with time, tools and man power. But hiding it and securing it down makes it 10x harder to pop.
Think with your head… Not your wallet!”
A.S.F. says
@James says–Because he is getting bond and someone is stupid enough to post it for him. He needs to have his bond revoked. He needs to get NO BOND AT ALL! Does his family have some kind of pull? Perhaps the next judge who is foolish enough to assign him bond needs to have their name advertised in Flaglerlive.. Public Accountability tends to make people in authority think a little more about their decisions. For sure, he won’t.
A.S.F. says
Since he has children with the intended target of his violence, I hope Protective Services is paying attention.
BOOK EM' DANNO says
What about “conspiracy to commit murder”?
m&m says
If the jails are full why not some razor wire and tents with room for expandtion.
Retired FF says
It wasn’t FCSO that arrested him. It was St. Johns County. The guy is a creep that needs to remain in jail. The problem is that the law allows for this slim ball to be bonded out on his past charges. I bet he will eventually get bonded out on this charge also and will be back on the street doing drugs and acting crazy.
Brandon says
It should be noted that the SKS is not an assault rifle as much as the sensationalist title wants it to be. 1. It doesn’t have a detachable box magazine. 2. It isn’t capable of automatic fire. 3. It’s legal to own.
Anita says
1) Every rifle is, by definition, an “assault” rifle, even if it’s only used to “assault” tin cans in practice. 2) Automatic or not, it only takes one bullet to take a life. 3) Legal ownership is one thing. Responsible ownership is another. If the weapon is not secured, or in some way disabled until needed, then the owner bears the responsibility of his/her gun used in a crime. Period.
Frank Zedar says
Brandon – Amen. Amen. Amen.
Anita – No one of sound mind wants violence, but have you read the paper these past 2000 years or so? The world is full of evil, violent, mentally challenged, deranged men… and also those who hate the US and want us (that’s right, you and your family, too) destroyed… dead… gone… In said world, is it not common sense to be prepared to defend oneself? And with ill intent, your coffee pot is an assault weapon. OBTW, the piece on the same topic in the News-Journal called it a “rifle.”
Anita says
Fred, the world has always been full of murderous people since Cain slew Abel. Your point? Mine was about the responsibility of ownership and safeguarding the weapon from those who should not be allowed to possess it, Second Amendment/NRA be damned (and yes, Fred, there are people who should be forbidden access to guns). True, my coffee pot, under extreme and dire circumstances may be used to assault someone, but that was never the purpose for which it was created anymore than an assault weapon/rifle/gun/firearm or cannon was intended to brew a cup of coffee. We clear on this?
STATUTES says
If you want to get technical, per the State of Florida:
784.011 Assault.—
(1) An “assault” is an intentional, unlawful threat by word or act to do violence to the person of another, coupled with an apparent ability to do so, and doing some act which creates a well-founded fear in such other person that such violence is imminent.
784.03 Battery; felony battery.—
(1)(a) The offense of battery occurs when a person:
1. Actually and intentionally touches or strikes another person against the will of the other; or
2. Intentionally causes bodily harm to another person.
So per Florida Statute, an assault rifle can only be guilty of assault if it uses word or act to create a well- founded fear. Since is can’t speak and it didn’t “do” anything other than get stolen from a secured residence and then illegally sold, it couldn’t have caused an act.
Anita says
Okay, “STATUTES” , can we for a moment just pretend to be adults and talk about what is going on in this country? Clearly the author of the statute recognizes that a gun is an inanimate object, animated only by a human with intent. It would be pointless to label a bullet an assault “weapon”, even though it is actually what causes the physical damage to whatever it hits, man, woman, child or watermelon and I do not expect to see too many bullets doing time in jail anytime soon.
That said and semantics aside, I really don’t give a damn how many guns (or bullets) anyone chooses to own, but my problem is with carelessness. If you can’t or don’t have the intelligence or wherewithal to make as certain as humanly possible that your weapons cannot be used without your permission, you shouldn’t have them.
STATUTES says
Shouldn’t people feel secure in their own homes? Isn’t a locked door as good as a secure residence. Should we give up all together and post 12′ fences, armed guards and bank vault doors around our homes? What, your minds, gives a higher level of security to firearms than the rest of your valuables? My TV is just as valuable to me as any rifle, So I lock my doors, but I don’t feel the need to put my TV in a safe when I leave my house.
Anita says
“Shouldn’t people feel secure in their own homes? Isn’t a locked door as good as a secure residence.”
If people felt as secure in their own homes as a locked door implies, then there’d be no need for the damned gun, would there?
“Does it make you morally superior victim if your burglar does not steal your firearms? You’re still a victim, the burglar commits multiple felonies.”
Not sure I follow your question, but I’ll try: it’s not a question of moral superiority that no one steals my firearm, it’s a question of my responsibility as an adult, a good neighbor, a good parent and a good citizen. I’m not happy that someone is dead, but I’m relieved that it wasn’t because of my negligence that lives were lost.
You also asked if I’d place “a higher level of security on your TV over your gun”? I’m assuming you mean in terms of the results of its misuse. Statutes, if you can’t tell the difference between your TV and your gun, give up the gun, you don’t need it, and try hitting the next person who comes into your home without an invitation intending to do you harm, with your TV. See how that works for you. Peace out.
STATUTES says
Let me ask you this:
Does it make you morally superior victim if your burglar does not steal your firearms? You’re still a victim, the burglar commits multiple felonies. I completely agree that is great that you’ve limited your losses, but your lose is done by criminal act.
Seminole Pride says
Where’s the Three Strike Law for these people ?
Sherry Epley says
Why? Why? Why? Is it legal for this obviously dangerous person to have an assault rifle???
Why? Why? Why? Has he been released again and again, while those that were arrested for possession of a little pot rot in jail???
Obama 2014 says
Another good guy with a gun not watching their gun falling into the hands of a bad guy . Anyone else tired of these 2nd Amendment morons? Have all the guns you want , but lets tax the crap out of the ammunition so we can cut down on the debt that Obama has created with all his wars and tax cuts (wink Wink).
It works with Pot and Smokes and remember they don’t kill people either. They are just tools.
Geezer Bag O'Donuts says
You’ve been in the dark so long that light now hurts your eyes.
Geezer Bag O'Donuts says
There’s a lot more of this to come, as these incidents are merely the “coming attractions.”
Get yourselves a large popcorn with extra butter and settle into your easy chair – quiet now
– dimming the lights – the main attraction is about to start.
FYI: Turn off your damned cellphones or be shot.
A.S.F. says
I wonder if authorities have been foolish enough to try to trust this guy to act as an “informant” for them on the street.
Flagler County born and raised says
“Firearms are second only to the constitution in importance; They are the peoples’ liberty’s teeth”. -George Washington
“Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both”.-Benjamin Franklin
Guns are a god given right. We need to stop punishing the tool and concentrate on punishing the individual. More deaths happen anually by bats and kitchen knives than guns. Statistically your more likely to get bludgeoned to death than shot. As for this individual, they need to put him away and get him the help he needs.
A.S.F. says
@Flagler County born and raised says–Please don’t use the word “guns” and the term “GOD GIVEN right” in the same sentence. She might object. Heads up for that lightning bolt!
STATUTES says
Then go Constitutional, Guns are an unalienable right. Which is what the 2nd is trying to limit the government from interfering with.
Obama 2014 says
1st off your comment for George Washington was never said by him, It was a quote Playboy used and had to retact it in the 1990’s.
2nd Ben Franklin never said that quote. He said
They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.
3rd owning a gun is not your God Given right. Find gun in the bible.
4th Guns are not tools. They are weapons. They are only made to kill. Bats are made to hit a baseball, and knife are used to cut.
If a Guns can help me tune up my lawnmower and put up sheet rock, then I will call it a tool.
From 2000 to 2008 86,000 Homicides happened because of guns. (deaths)
16,547 from Knifes and 5,782 from Blunt Objects.
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/law_enforcement_courts_prisons/crimes_and_crime_rates.html
I am pretty sure if Ben and George saw those stats, they would update that 2nd amendment to be more clear.
Flagler County born and raised says
@A.S.F. Luke 22:36- He that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.