William J. Murphy, 37, and Connie Whitaker-Roberts, 33, should have probably known better than to test the limits of the law in a public park in Bunnell: both know the criminal justice system from the inside, having had their share of previous arrests, some of them serious in Murphy’s case, including felony convictions.
Late Sunday afternoon, they were both arrested after a 12-year-old boy biking home through Joanne B. King park in Bunnell allegedly saw them having sex on a park bench.
The boy told police he saw a woman bent over on the bench with her pants off, according to the two individuals’ arrest report, and a man behind her with his pants off as well, as the two were “going back and forth.” The boy immediately went home and told his father, who called 911 then went to the park to see if the individuals his son had spotted were still there. They were: the boy’s father told police the two were on the park bench, and the woman was putting her pants back on.
Murphy and Whitacker-Roberts denied to police that they’d been having sex there, saying they had merely been kissing on the bench. Whitacker-Roberts said they had also been “dry-humping,” according to the arrest reports, and claimed that “no one saw us.”
Almost a year ago Whitacker-Roberts and Murphy were both arrested at Whitaker-Roberts’s home (where Murphy also lives) after an argument with each other–Murphy for violating the terms of his probation, which required him to stay off alcohol at the time (the arresting officer determined that he’d been drinking) and Whitacker-Roberts for slapping her mother in front of law enforcement. She was charged with domestic battery. Whitacker-Roberts pleaded no contest to the first-degree misdemeanor and was sentenced to four months at the county jail.
In 2002 he also faced a drug charge (adjudication was withheld), and was found guilty of forgery the same year (a felony). In 2000, he was found guilty of obstruction.
Murphy, whose residence is listed as 19 Langdon Drive in Palm Coast, according to his Flagler County jail booking, was being held on $5,000 bond. Whitaker-Roberts lists a Palm Coast address but had previously lived with her mother at 703 N. State Street in Bunnell. She was being held on $5,000 bond. Both face a charge of lewd and lascivious exhibition, a second-degree felony. As of Monday afternoon, both were still in jail.
Tator Peel says
Sky rockets in flight……AFTERNOON DELIGHT !!!!!
BIG JOHN says
MURPHY’S LAW SAYS GET A ROOM!
scott says
So what were they arrested for?
groot says
Oh, the humiliation! Felonies! Uh oh.
Barb says
Good to see they made up!
wow-really says
WOW really. GET A ROOM IS RIGHT.
susan says
Really with all the real crimes in Palm Coast and Bunnell we are going to waste taxpayers money with 2 people having a quicky in the Park. Don’t you think a stern warning would of been more cost efficient instead we house them in jail..tax payers money and they the time to clog up the already over-burdened court rooms to prosecute. This is ridiculous.
Real crimes are happening that have not gotten the attention this stupid case is getting. SMH
ryan says
At 12 I’d have rounded up some of my boys to check out the action instead of my pops. My…times have changed. Even with the law. Have a good day Ma’am.
Ur mom says
This is exactly why palm Coast sucks. What kind of jerk do you have to be to run out and check if people are having a lil naughty time, then you go and call the fuzz on them? This whole town is a bunch of up tight testifiers. Shame on ya !!!
PCer says
I believe they will now both be listed as sex offenders.
Anonymous says
The crime here is they were seen by a juvenile. If trry were not seen the incident never happened. If a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it did it make a sound?
Freddy says
If a tree falls in the woods and no one was around did it make a sound? If you have sex in the park and a boy did not see it did you commit a crime?
Outsider says
Wow, some really brilliant responses here. Would you want you ten year old daughter to see this? I doubt we have to worry about these two love birds much longer. Social Darwinism will rear it’s ugly head, and the other will end up bent over his prison cot with big Bubba at the helm for the rest of his life.
Anonymous says
No doubt, the next time the lovers are featured on the pages of Flaglerlive, it will be for a domestic violence arrest.
Brian says
Gives new meaning to the term “benchwarmer”.
Retired says
What is it that you don’t understand Susan! The deputies responded to a call for service from a father whose 12YOA son witnessed two idiots having sex in the open at a public park having sex. Had the deputies found them, yes they would have discretion. However, if the parents of the boy wanted to pursue this, the deputies have no choice if they established PROBABLE CAUSE that a crime had taken place.
I am not sure if you are a parent or not, but I am and I would not want my 12 year old to ride up on this type of thing. Believe it or not there are some 12 year olds who have not been tainted by the social media and they do still have an innocence about them. I wonder if you are a parent? Have you ever wasted the schools time because of some stupid little incident involving your child and something that has happened at school. This was not a waste of time, a felony was committed and it was their action(S) that brought it about.
I thank the father for calling the FCSO in to investigate.
carol says
They don’t have money for a room!!
BTW, they don’t even have where to live!!!
Veteran says
I hope you are joking PCer.
THE VOICE OF REASON says
Susan: Did you read the full story? These people have committed those “real crimes” you talk about against each other and relatives. It’s not such a short leap to one of them pulling a gun on somebody who cuts in front of them in line at Wal Mart.
David S says
Been there done that but in a car which was not a crime back then now who knows?
Anonymous says
@Carol–Here’s an idea. How about one and/or the other stop having sex in the park long enough to look for a job so they can afford a room of their own to have sex in. How’s that for an idea? Or, perhaps you feeol that would be an intolerable infringement on their freedom. Perhaps, instead, they should continue having enough sex in public for her to get pregnant so she/they can bear a child who will have to suffer the rigors of being homeless. That sounds even more fair. Sorry–No pity party for them.
Algernon says
URmom – it was in Bunnell, not Palm Coast. You may want to restate your objection.
Freddy says
Anyone remember doing it in the back seat of the car while at a drive in movie?
layla says
I know that this man has a rap sheet of battery against this woman. Not exactly what you’d call a healthy, loving relationship.
Barry Hartmann says
Ur Mom… Read the story it occurred in Bunnell not Palm Coast
Dean Carpenter says
Doing what? I guess I don’t remember.