Nov. 8 Update: The State Attorney today filed charges against Timothy Draper following the October 29 shooting incident at Herschel King park in Flagler County. He was charged with knowingly and willfully discharging a firearm from a vehicle, within 1,000 feet of a person, a second degree felony with a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. He was also charged with using a firearm while under the influence of alcohol, a second-degree misdemeanor.
Riding and Shooting a .22 at Herschel King Park, With Baby on Board, Leads to Arrest
October 30–Late Monday evening, authorities got word that someone was firing a gun at Herschel King Park, off of Colbert Lane in Palm Coast.
The caller to 911 had described a vehicle going into the park, then hearing two rounds being fired from what he believed to be a .22-caliber rifle, just after the vehicle had gone in. A third round was fired shortly afterward, the caller reported, from Grady Prather Drive, just before the vehicle was leaving the park.
A Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy reporting swiftly to the scene saw a Chevrolet truck leaving the park. The deputy stopped the truck. Jeremy Blackwelder, 26, of Wheaton Lane in Palm Coast, was at the wheel. Timothy Draper, 26, of Pierson, was in the passenger seat, with a black rifle between his legs. The barrel was pointing toward the floor. Two women were in the truck–26-year-old Melinda Blackwelder, and 21-year-old Merrandia Shope. So was a child in a car seat in the rear.
After a deputy spoke with the Chevrolet’s occupants, Both Blackwelders and Shope told the deputy that Draper had fired the rifle–a Marlin Firearms Co. .22–while they were riding around in the park. He did so, according to one of the occupants, as the truck was being driven along the circular dirt road near the restrooms. Deputies found a live round in the chamber and two live rounds in the rifle’s magazine.
“During the investigation,” the deputy reported, “I detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on Timothy’s breath. Post Miranda, he advised that he had been consuming beer during the night. Jeremy refused to cooperate during the investigation and continuously advised that a gun was never fired, but could not explain why one was between his legs during the traffic stop.”
The deputy added: “Let it be noted that Grady Prather Drive runs parallel to streets in the Grand Haven Community and Herschel King Park is within 1,000 feet of residences.” No other vehicles had gone into, or left, the park during the investigation, and none were located in the park.
Draper was charged with discharging a firearm in public, a felony, and possessing or using a firearm while under the influence of alcohol. He posted $2,000 bond and was released.
Blackwelder was not arrested, though he’d twice been booked at the Flagler County jail before–on a battery charge in April, and a drunk driving charge four years ago.
Guns are not disallowed in public parks, including county parks, and Florida law prohibits local governments from restricting firearms in public parks, public buildings or near schools, for example. But firing a gun in public–absent extenuating circumstances–is still against the law.
ANONYMOUSAY says
DUMB and DUMBER.
Ron says
I’m not sure which is scarier – the degree of stupidity here, or the fact that it appears at least one of them is procreating.
Morons.
Gia says
Stupid law make stupid people like these 2
Geezer says
Gee, but they look like such studious young men.
Can the charges be true?
The stories of stupidity run amok in Palm Coast never cease to amaze me.
We need a new division created within the Flagler County Sheriff’s office:
THE STUPID POLICE. Dedicated to catching “stupids” before they do harm.
Specializing with the policing of:
-Men self-loving in parks and public places
-Slovenly antisocial types calling in bomb threats to schools
-Felons pointing AK-47’s at family members for amusement
-People with plastic-chrome mirrors robbing pro-Romney dwellings while being recorded
-Dolts shooting rimfire rifles in public parks for no legit reason while drunk
How many of these specialty deputies would we need?
I’d say we need a lot.
downinthelab says
Armadillos, gotta get those armadillos.
Come over to my place!
Clint says
What is the world coming to when you can’t even shoot up the public restrooms while driving around drunk with you sweetie and baby hanging out in the backseat ? Maybe they were trying to scare some of those “self pleasuring” freaks that hang out in the restrooms at all the Palm Coast parks. Yee Ha Jethro !
wsh302@msn.com says
a product of the educational system here.
Jackie Mulligan says
How about endangering the welfare of a child????
Doesn’t that count?
What idiots.
Ron says
Filing felony charges seems like a no-brainer to me.
Was there ever any doubt?
downinthelab says
SAVE THE SWALES!
Geezer says
Is he competent to stand trial? He wasn’t equipped to thrive in this life.
An empty cranium does make for an excellent defense.
I submit to you that there’s an infinite void between his ears.
Deep South says
If these guys wanted to shoot the rifle, they could have gone to the gun range. But no, now they are facing felony charges. This will be a good one for ” Dumb Criminals”.
His Previous Assult Victim says
Not to mention, TC is already a convicted felon and is not allowed to posses a firearm. I hope he serves the entire 15 years. Such a scum bag.