By all appearances from the council’s discussion this morning, the council is ready to end its program as it is now configured, with a final decision to be taken on March 3.
Cops/Courts
For Second Time in Five Days, R-Section Houses Are Targets of Several Bullet Shots
A house at 7 Rolland Lane and another at 6 Roxboro Drive were each sprayed with five bullets within five days of each other, and in each case a bullet struck a vehicle inside a garage. No arrests have been made.
For Flagler Cop Sam Bell, Stopping
Bad Guys Didn’t End With Desk Duty
Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy Sam Bell was sidelined from regular duty after a drunk driver caused his knee injury, but twice in the past three weeks he helped lead to the arrest of two suspects.
Don’t Expect Supreme Court’s Latest Review of Lethal Injection to Kill Death Penalty
States changed from hanging to electric chair because it was a modern, supposedly painless method of execution. Botched executions have rendered that assumption problematic.
“I’m So F— Sorry”: In 911 Call of AK-47 Shooting, Regret and Worries of Going to Jail
In the 911 call, Brandon Williamson describes how he shot his friend Shane Huber and apologized repeatedly as Huber sat or stood near him for 8 minutes before deputies and paramedics arrived.
18-Year-Old Shot With AK-47 In House Across From Wadsworth Elementary in Apparent Accident
18-year-old Shane Huber of Palm Coast was shot in the chest with an AK-47 Tuesday afternoon at a house on Parkview Drive, across the street from Wadsworth Elementary. The school by then had let out.
Judge Orders Dennis McDonald and Attorney to Pay Palm Coast $15,900 Over Frivolous Suit
Circuit Judge Michael Orfinger’s order calls for the sum to be paid equally by McDonald and his attorney. The decision signals to local anti-government activists that governments will not leave certain attacks unanswered.
Sheriff’s Deputy Erik Pedersen Reconnects 94-Year-Old Mondex Woman To the World
When Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy Erik Pedersen discovered that 94-year-old Ann Parker was without a phone in her Mondex home, he bought her one and refused payment.
83-Year-Old Palm Coast Woman Seriously Hurt in Rear-End Collision on US1
Both US1’s southbound lanes south of the White Eagle Lounge in Korona closed for 90 minutes Tuesday morning after Palm Coast’s Olivia Braxton was seriously injured in a rear-end collision.
Palm Coast Mother Charged With Child Abuse For Tasing Her 15-Year-Old Son
Rhonda Gulsen, a 54-year-old resident of Fairfax Court in Palm Coast, before allegedly tasing her son, had egged on a relative who was beating on the 15-year-old boy.
Flagler Commission Approves $18 Million Jail Expansion, Tripling Capacity to 404 Beds
The expansion of the jail will cost the sheriff and the county more to run. Those annual costs, drawn from property tax revenue, have not yet been provided.
Glitches Fixed, Flagler’s Upgraded 911 System Readies For Launch, With Text-to-911 Next
The $266,000 upgrade enables dispatchers to more quickly and accurately zero in on cell callers’ location. In the near future, text-to-911 capabilities will make it easier for the deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired to use 911.
Inmate Asks Florida Justices to Block Execution Pending Supremes’ Ruling on Lethal Injection
Attorneys for condemned killer Jerry William Correll filed an emergency petition as the U.S. Supreme Court considers the constitutionality of a sedative that is the first drug administered during a three-step process in executions.
13-Year-Old Girl Walking Home From Indian Trails Was Molested, Incident Report Shows
The subject is described as a white male, 30-40 years of age, large build with brown hair (possibly balding) and brown eyes.
Sheriff Manfre Will Ask For 5% Pay Raise For Ranks, First Substantial Increase in 6 Years
Flagler Sheriff’s deputies finally got a 1 percent raise promised them since October but embargoed for disputed reasons as Sheriff Jim Manfre on Thursday said he’d move forward with a request for the first substantial raises in six years come budget season.
Ex-Felon Arrested in Palm Coast’s P-Section For Owning Assault Rifle and Selling Pot
Anthony DiBella, 55, of 23 Pilgrim Drive in Palm Coast, was arrested this morning for selling marijuana out of his garage and owning an assault rifle despite a felony conviction for robbery in 1980.
Previously Accused of Bigamy, Palm Coast Man Is Arrested on Child Porn Possession Charges
Paul Wayne Stout, a 47-year-old resident of Patchogue Place in Palm Coast, was arrested Wednesday after an FDLE investigation dating back to last summer.
Without Evidence, Bondi Blames Governor’s Staff For FDLE Chief’s Firing as Scott Calls Bailey a Liar
Bondi acknowledged she had no proof to back her opinion and had not discussed the matter with Scott on a controversy that has inundated the governor’s administration as Scott begins his second term.
Flagler’s 911 System Goes Dark For 24 Minutes Tuesday as Back-Up Also Fails, Missing 10 Calls
Flagler County’s 911 system failed at 11:30 Tuesday morning and the back-up didn’t kick-in as technicians were working on a major upgrade of the system at the county’s Emergency Operations Center.
70-Year-Old Palm Coast Man Critical After His Car Overturns Into Ditch on Belle Terre
Victor Jesus Ortiz, 70, of Palm Coast, was in critical condition Monday evening after he lost control of his car, swerved, and overturned in shallow ditch on Belle Terre Parkway, just south of the Palm Coast Fire Department’s Station 25.
For Palm Coast, Florida Park Drive’s Heavy Traffic Is an Old Bane Without Ready Solutions
Residents along Florida Park Drive have complained year after year about the heavy traffic, the noise and the pollution, but Palm Coast officials say there’s little they can do legally to alleviate an old ITT mistake.
Heroin Overdoses Spike After Florida
Cracks Down on Prescription Pill Abuse
Five years ago, Florida was the prescription drug capital of the U.S. Seven people died every day from overdoses. The state cracked down, but this year, heroin overdose deaths are expected to be double those number four years before.
Second Armed Robbery in 2 Days Hits Palm Coast Store, This Time at 7-11 Near Starbucks
Thursday evening’s robbery took place at the Mobil station and 7-11 convenience store on Palm Coast Parkway, near Starbucks and Old Kings Road. No one was hurt. The robber escaped with about $94 in cash.
11 Deputies, Several of Them Military Veterans, Join Flagler Sheriff’s Office
The 10 men and one woman, all starting at $33,012 a year, include a retired police chief, four veterans of the U.S. military, and several deputies with college degrees.
Publix at Palm Coast’s Town Center Is Target of an Armed Robbery Wednesday Evening
The Publix store at Palm Coast’s Town Center was robbed late Wednesday evening by a man claiming to be dying of AIDS and feared to be armed. No one was injured, but the robber got away and has not been located.
Teen Who Twice Fled Home Returns; Stepfather Opts to Drop Charge Against Him
Dawson Blaine King, a 15-year-old resident of 47 Westmount Lane in Palm Coast who’d gone missing on Jan. 15, was brought home only to get into a fight with his parents and run away again late Tuesday night.
Rick Scott’s Firing of FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey Unravels Political Motives
The firing of a police commissioner because he would not allow his agency to be politicized sends the worst possible message to FDLE and the entire law enforcement community, writes Dan Gelber.
Candles and Prayers Flicker in Memorial For Elisa Homen, Victim of Jan. 9 School Bus Crash
Some 50 people, including her nearly 4-year-old son and her fiancee, gathered for a memorial to Elisa Marie Homen, the 22-year-old recent Palm Coast resident who was fatally injured in a collision with a school bus on Whiteview Parkway on Jan. 9.
Florida Prison Ban on Beards Violates Muslim Inmates’ Religious Rights, Supreme Court Rules
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Florida and six other states could not ban inmates from growing beards for religious reasons. The case originated in Arkansas.
Sheriff’s K-9 Units Sniff 2 Drug Busts; Unusual Heroin Arrest Echoes National Crisis
Two Palm Coast residents arrested in separate traffic stops were arrested on numerous drug-trafficking charges, including, in one case, heroin trafficking, which reflects the rise in the use of the drug nationally.
Palm Coast Fire Department Unveils New $360,000 Truck and Logo on Jan. 27
The public can see Palm Coast’s new fire truck and its new logo on Jan. 27 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the City Marketplace parking lot.
Tuesday Evening Memorial Set for Elisa Homen, Victim of School Bus Crash on Whiteview
A memorial service is scheduled for Tuesday at 5 p.m. for Elisa Marie Homen, the 22-year-old Palm Coast resident who succumbed to her injuries four days after a collision with a school bus on Whiteview Parkway on Jan. 9.
American Sniper: For North Miami Beach Police Chief, Targeting Blacks Isn’t Profiling
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2015, Florida is still making national news over racism. Thank you for that, Police Chief J. Scott Dennis, writes Nancy Smith.
Legal Aid For Poorer Floridians Diminishing, Commission Starts Work on Seeking Fair Fix
With Gov. Scott opposed to moire funding, the 27-member Florida’s Commission on Access to Civil Justice will have to figure out how to provide additional funding for civil legal aid without simply asking for money from state legislators.
Flagler Deputies Now Equipped With Bean-Bag Firing Shotguns For Less Lethal Encounters
As debates about police tactics in violent encounters with individuals continue, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has converted 30 shotguns from its existing stock to use as less lethal weapons in such potentially perilous situations.
Elisa Marie Homen, 22-Year-Old Involved in Friday’s School Bus Crash, Has Died
Elisa Marie Homen, the 22-year-old Palm Coast woman involved in a school bus crash that sent 25 children to a local hospital, died on Tuesday from her injuries, FHP and family report.
Palm Coast Staples Store’s General Manager Is Arrested Over Refund Fraud Scheme
Robert M. Harper, the general manager of the Staples store on Old Kings Road in Palm Coast, was arrested Tuesday after confessing to defrauding the store of at least $3,000 by creating fake refunds to himself since last April. Customers were not involved.
Child Thrown From Bridge in Tampa Prompts New Look at DCF’s Porous Safety Net
Records of the case reveal that many answers were already available — in the form of arrests that could have raised alarms at the state abuse hotline operated by the Florida Department of Children and Families.
Attorney At Center of Suits Against Palm Coast and County, Is Arrested on Battery Charge
Joshua Knight, the Palm Coast attorney hired by two Ronald Reagan Assemblies members to litigate actions against Palm Coast and the county that were found frivolous, was arrested on domestic battery and false imprisonment charges Monday afternoon.
Rain and Pair of Wrecks Snarl Traffic on I-95 in Both Directions From SR100
A pair of wrecks involving up to four vehicles but with relatively minor injuries snarled traffic on I-95 Monday afternoon as rain fell heavily in the area of State Road 100. Both wrecks took place around mile marker 284.
Judge Will Decide How Much of $18,000 McDonald and Attorney Owe Palm Coast in Frivolous Case
Palm Coast brought sanctions against Dennis McDonald and his attorney for filing a frivolous lawsuit in 2013, alleging, falsely, that the city was about to cut down trees around Palm Harbor shopping center.
At Imagine School, Fire Inspection Is Cause For Caution, But “Just For Next Couple Of Weeks”
Palm Coast’s fire chief is incensed by the deception of a cautionary email to school staff this week that warns of a coming fire inspection, but also suggests that problem items must be removed or rearranged only “until after the inspection.”
Four Gay Couples Get Marriage Licenses at Flagler Courthouse in Quietly Momentous End to Long-Standing Prejudice
It was a quiet but significantly historic day at the Flagler County Courthouse as Florida’s ban on marriage equality ended across the state Tuesday and couples celebrated the issuance of same-sex marriage licenses ahead of marriage ceremonies after the three-day waiting period.
Christmas Arch at Town Center’s Fantasy Lights Display Is Vandalized
For the second time in two years, Tiffany’s Fantasy Lights at Palm Coast’s Town Center were vandalized, this time when the Christmas Arch at the entrance of the park was toppled over.
Bunnell’s Faith Foust, 22, Killed, Boy Critical, Infant Saved in Head-On Crash on South Old Dixie
Faith Foust, 22, of Bunnell, was killed and her two children injured, in a head-on collision with a raised pick-up truck driven by Roberto C. Mcleskey, 22, of Gainesville.
After Confrontation, Police Taser and Arrest Bunnell Man Seeking Suicide By Cop
Henry Brock, 25, was arrested in several counts of police assault after cops stopped a fight between Brock and another man, at which point Brock threatened the cops and himself until he was incapacitated by two Taser shots.
Federal Judge Orders Florida Clerks to Issue Gay-Marriage Licenses Across Florida Starting Tuesday
U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle warned that clerks of court who refuse to comply with the ruling expose themselves to be a party to the suit, allowing successful plaintiffs to recover costs and attorneys’ fees.
6 Cars Broken Into or Tampered With at Outback and Nearby Lot Tuesday Evening
Four of the six cars had a window smashed out and items of varying value stolen in a crime spree that took place during dinner hours Tuesday evening.
Argument Over Facebook Images Turns Violent, Landing P-Section Woman in Jail
A violent domestic confrontation between a man and a woman over Facebook images on a cell phone spilled onto the street in Palm Coast Tuesday morning.
Deputies Kill St. Augustine Man in “Suicide By Cop.” Man’s Wife Found Shot Dead.
Timothy West, 48, is believed to have shot his wife before a brief confrontation with deputies who urged him to drop his shotgun before opening fire Monday evening.