Michael Stavris, now 34, of Palm Coast’s F-Section, allegedly admitted to creating a fake Facebook account and impersonating the same girl he’d impersonated in 2014, resulting in computer pornography charges and an eventual plea deal with a shorter prison sentence.
Cops/Courts
Criminal and Civil Cases In Mobil Mart Murder of Store Clerk Zuheily Rosado Approaching Trial, Or Resolution
Joseph Bova, the man accused of murdering Zuheily Rosado at a Palm Coast gas station six years ago, will have his competency for trial evaluated in two weeks, and a civil case may reach a settlement before an April trial date.
Details Emerge in Death of April Descartes: ‘No Foul Play,’ But Cause May Not Be Known For Months
The medical examiner found no reason to think someone had harmed April Mancuso Descartes, 39, who was found dead in her bed Saturday at her home in Palm Coast.
Pick-Up Rear-Ends Bunnell-Bound School Bus With 40 Students Aboard in Palm Coast’s LL Section
A pick-up truck rear-ended a school bus that was approaching the end of its morning run in Palm Coast’s L Section this morning, a collision one witness described as “like a bomb.” One child suffered neck pain, the drivers were not hurt.
Detectives Investigating Death of April Descartes, 39, in Palm Coast’s R-Section
Flagler County Sheriff’s detectives, deputies and the Crime Scene Investigation units have been at 37 Robinson Drive since this morning, investigating the death of April Descartes, 39, who owned the house there.
Sheriff Fires Armor, Jail Health Provider at Center of Anthony Fennick’s Death, and Institutes Immediate Changes
Sheriff Rick Staly is firing Armor Correctional Health and instituting a series of measures at the jail making family-inmate contact easier in critical times, and information more readily accessible.
In Re-Trial, Michael Bowling Is Found Guilty Of Molesting 15-Year-Old Girl at Sleep-Over
Michael Bowling, 48, was found guilty at the end of a week-long trial of molesting a 15-year-old girl two years ago in a Mondex mobile home, when she’d been visiting his step-daughter.
Employees Will Sue Sheriff Over Sick Operations Center, and the Sheriff Is All For It
The law firm representing 27 Flagler sheriff’s employees served the sheriff notice of a lawsuit for negligence over the Operations Center, a move Sheriff Rick Staly is supporting.
Suspected Armed Robbers Lead Volusia and Flagler Cops and K-9s on Chase, Ending in Arrests
Jamier R. Scott and Darryl Duffy, both of them 29, both of them from Palatka, face armed robbery and other charges after their arrest off the Bimini Bar woods, with K-9s tracking them down.
An Angry Tom Bexley Freezes County’s Attempt To Cede 1st Floor of Courthouse to Sheriff
Clerk of Court Tom Bexley was angered by a sheriff’s proposal, which the county would have had to approve, to use the first floor of the courthouse for the foreseeable future as the sheriff’s exile from the Operations Center continues.
Latest Twist in Bowling Molestation Trial: Defense Seeks to Impeach Its Own Witness
The lawyer for Michael Bowling, accused of molesting a 15-year-old girl visiting his stepdaughter, is arguing that the two girls made up a story to keep one of them from returning to Kentucky.
A Boy Bullied at Rymfire Elementary Turns to Self-Harm on a School Bus. He’s 5 Years Old.
The Rymfire Elementary student appeared to have attempted to choke himself, and told a deputy he was being bullied at school. Paramedics cleared him and he was turned over to his father.
Matanzas High Student, 16, Arrested Over School-Shooting Threat on Snapchat and Blames Bullying
The 16-year-old Palm Coast girl allegedly made threats against other girls at school she claims had been bullying her, but she now faces a felony charge and expulsion from Matanzas High School.
Palm Coast’s Sean Farrelly, 47, Charged With Bribing and Doping 16-Year-Old Girl for Sex
Sean Farrelly, who works in construction and excavation, was arrested on a charge of statutory rape and charges of unlawful sexual activity with a minor, and is being held without bond at the county jail.
After Mistrial, Michael Bowling Is Again on Trial On Accusations He Molested Girl During Sleepover
After December’s mistrial, Bunnell’s Michael Bowling, 48, was back on trial anew today, facing his accuser who says he molested her in a dark closet during a sleepover at her friend’s house.
County Rebuffs Sheriff’s Request for ‘Critical’ Evidence Storage Space in Latest Operations Center Snag
County commissioners don’t want to spend money piecemeal on short-term solutions for the sheriff’s exile from the Operations Center, but the sheriff says space needs are critical.
Sheriff’s Deputy of the Year and Flagler Fire Truck Involved in 2 Separate Crashes in 4 Days
Austin Chewning, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Deputy of the Year, was involved in a crash in the Hammock Saturday. Firefighters on a tender truck were involved in a crash this morning on Education Way and U.S. 1 in Palm Coast. Two civilians were involved.
Anthony Fennick’s Death and The Sheriff’s Green Roof Inn Smear
Much is unknown in the death of inmate Anthony Fennick, but much is known, including the sheriff’s responsibility for hiring trouble-ridden Armor Health–and for showing inmates contempt from the outset with his “Green Roof Inn” sign.
Indian Trails Middle Student, 14, Arrested For Threatening Girl With a Gun in a Video Message
The 14-year-old Indian Trails Middle School student made the threat in a video he recorded while holding a gun belonging to his parents. The incident took place off campus.
Thomas Rando, a Convicted Felon, Is Arrested in Crash Death of 10-Year-Old Hannah Beard
Thomas Rando, a 32-year-old resident of 2551 North State Street in Bunnell, was arrested Thursday and charged with a felony count of driving on a suspended license and causing a death.
From Drug Court To Vigil For Anthony Fennick, an Unexplained Death Continues To Rattle
A dusk vigil for Anthony Fennick, 23, who died Saturday after his health degraded at the Flagler jail, mixed celebration of his life with anger at his death, while Circuit Judge Terence Perkins this morning tried to address it in Drug Court.
Buddy Taylor Student, 13, Alleged Target of Bullying, Arrested For Threatening to Shoot Up School During Xbox Game
The student was playing on Xbox Live with two friends when he made threats to bomb and shoot up the school as he was losing. He acknowledged anger issues but faces a felony.
Flagler’s Addiction Crisis Has a Treatment Problem: There’s Barely Any. Council Talks, With Little Action.
In the opioid crisis, first responders are doing their part, only to see the same individuals adrift the moment they’re out of first responders’ hands: The front lines are meeting the challenge. The rear isn’t.
Judge Denies End of Sex-Offender Probation For Ex-Matanzas Teacher Who Had Sex With Student
James Wolfe was found guilty in April 2014 of engaging in unlawful sex with one of his students, who was 16 at the time, and whom he was coaching in cross-country. He was 30.
Dubai, a Police State, Hosts Flagler Sheriff, 8 Deputies and 60 Other Teams in SWAT Competition
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly and eight members of the agency’s SWAT team are in Dubai on an all-expenses-paid trip through Feb. 14 for an international SWAT competition paid for by the UAE Interior Ministry.
Flagler Jail’s Private Provider Says Its Nurses Did Nothing Wrong in Fennick’s Death–and Asks for Reimbursements
Armor Correctional Health relieved two nurses of duty at the Flagler jail at the sheriff’s request, placing them on administrative leave and asking the sheriff to pay their salaries and their replacements’ salaries.
Suspected Palm Coast Car Thief Takes Deputies on Chase Through Hospital Grounds Before He’s Tased
Yuli Ilchenko, a 29, a resident of Prescott Lane in Palm Coast, led deputies on a brief car chase and a foot chase before he was wrestled to the ground and Tased, then slapped with four felonies and two misdemeanors.
A Woman Is Seriously Hurt When Car Crashes Through Guardrail and Into West Flagler Canal
Jessica May, 34, was severely injured when she drove her car through a guardrail and went into a canal Sunday evening at State Road 100 and County Road 305.
Anthony Fennick Will Die Saturday Morning, Days After Degrading at Flagler Jail. Family Awaits Answers.
The family of Anthony Fennick, 23, will gather around him Saturday morning, when his breathing machine will be disconnected. He was brain dead after suffering days of high fevers at the Flagler jail, where his care was neglected, his family says.
Man Who Threatened to Blow Up Sheriff’s Office and Kill the Sheriff Gets 3 Years in Prison
The sentence against Raymond Crown of Palm Coast is a reflection of the vanished tolerance even in the judiciary for threats inspired by bombings or mass shootings.
Inmate At Flagler Jail Complains Of High Fevers For Days and Is Pacified. He’s Now Brain Dead.
Anthony Fennick, 23, was at the jail on a minor drug charge, developed severe fevers, saw nurses but was not allowed to see a doctor, and on Monday went into cardiac arrest and lost all brain activity.
GPS Ankle Monitors Give Local Cops Stronger Means of Enforcing No-Contact Orders
Alleged domestic violence and other offenders released from jail to await trial usually must stay away from their victims, but such no-contact orders were harder to enforce until GPS devices have been attached to the offenders.
Ollie North Patrols Flagler With Sheriff Staly, One of 5 Finalists for NRA’s Officer Of the Year
Oliver North, the ex-felon of Iran-Contra fame and current NRA president, was in town to film footage with Sheriff Rick Staly, one of five nominees for the NRA’s Officer of the Year Award.
After December Mistrial, Michael Bowling Will Be Tried Again on Molestation Charges Feb. 18
Michael Bowling is facing two counts of molesting a 15-year-old girl who’d been visiting his stepdaughter for a sleepover in Bunnell’s Mondex.
Billye Boyd Jones, 75, Dies of Self-Inflicted Gunshot in Palm Coast’s C-Section
Billye Boyd Jones, 75, of Coral Reef Court in Palm Coast, shot herself the evening of Feb. 4, greatly despondent over having recently retired from the company she built, according to her daughter.
2 Severely Injured in Head-On Collision on U.S. 1 Near CR 304 After a Car Drives the Wrong Way
Two vehicles collided head on, igniting a fire, on U.S. 1 at County Road 304 Sunday night, sending two victims to the hospital with severe injuries and closing the highway’s southbound lanes.
DeSantis Backs More Money for Armed Staffers in Schools, But Also More Flexibility in District Spending
DeSantis is proposing renewing nearly $100 million in school security funds but wants school districts to have more choice in how they spend the money.
Van Towing RV Flips on I-95, Closing Southbound Lanes South of Matanzas Woods
The crash closed I-95 southbound from Matanzas Woods. Southbound drivers are advised to exit I-95 at U.S. 1 at the Flagler-St. Johns county line.
Ramping Up Surveillance, Sheriff Will Have Access to Live Video and Data From 44 Palm Coast Traffic Intersections
Palm Coast government and the Flagler Sheriff’s Office are teaming up to use a “traffic-optimization” camera network at intersection as a surveillance mechanism as well.
Louis Mamakos, 85, Kills Himself With a Gun in B-Section After Citing Intolerable Pain
Louis Mamakos, a long-time resident of Palm Coast’s Boxwood Lane, had been Baker Acted two weeks earlier after attempting to kill himself with a gun. His wife had stopped him.
Vehicle Strikes 12-Year-Old Student on Bike Near Buddy Taylor Middle
A 12-year-old student bicycling south from Buddy Taylor Middle School this afternoon was struck and injured by a vehicle at the Belle Terre Parkway-Pritchard Drive intersection.
9 Years in Prison For Tyler W. Dutton in DUI Manslaughter Death of Jordan Marie Rineer, 25
Tyler Wayne Dutton was sentenced to nine years in prison followed by five years’ probation in the death of 25-year-old Jordan Marie Rineer on U.S. 1 in October 2015.
“Spiraling Down For a While”: The Violent Story Before the Stand-Off With Fugitive Michael E. Moore
Michael Eugene Moore’s wife describes in an interview the history of a man spiraling down since his release from prison, leading up to Saturday’s 3-hour standoff in Palm Coast.
3-Hour Standoff Ends Peacefully With Arrest of Man Previously on America’s Most Wanted
The standoff on Beaverdam Road in Palm Coast involves a suspect believed to have carried out an armed robbery in Virginia. He refuses to leave his car.
Cory McClure, 25, a Palm Coast Realtor, Takes His Own Life
Cory Michael McClure, a 25-year-old Realtor who’d struggled through agonizing physical pain for several years, took his own life at a house on Kashmir Trail in Palm Coast Wednesday morning.
Lawmakers Again Trying to Ban
Red-Light Cameras Across Florida
As of December, 49 local governments in Florida had red-light cameras in operation, according to the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
Girlfriend, 16, Hospitalized, Boyfriend, 18, Faces Felony Assault Charge on Pregnant Woman
Tyler R. Torres, 18, of Palm Coast, was charged with aggravated battery on a pregnant woman after allegedly repeatedly punching his 16-year-old girlfriend.
Thomas Binkley, 62, Found Guilty of Molesting 2 Girls, 6 and 8, and Faces Life in Prison
Thomas Binkley of Bunnell was living with the girls at the time of the incidents. Their parents had taken him in because he’d fallen on hard times and was in poor health.
In Restoration of Felons’ Voting Rights, Meaning of ‘Murder’ Becomes Stumbling Block
A new constitutional amendment grants “automatic” restoration of voting rights to felons who’ve completed their sentence, but it excludes people “convicted of murder or a felony sexual offense.”
Sheriff’s Cmdr. David Williams Appointed Palm Coast Liaison, Replacing Mark Carman
Cmdr. David Williams, who’s been with the agency since 2001, was named the liaison to Palm Coast, replacing Mark Carman, who’s to be the police chief in Crescent City.