Stephen Douglass Torma’s spiral, in a county rich in jail space but short on mental health and affordable housing options, can be traced in his court file over the last four years.
The 43-year-old Flagler Beach resident has listed his family’s home on South Ocean Boulevard as his over those years. He’s lived there on and off, spending much of his time riding his bicycle around town and gradually becoming a familiar face to law enforcement. He was cited a few times for faulty equipment on his bike.
Two years ago his family evicted him. Soon after that he got his first local drug charges and spent three months in jail on a conviction for possessing a controlled substance. He had further run-ins with law enforcement, more charges for resisting and minor drug charges and convictions but no more jail time than what he’d already served. It was as if he was going to jail intentionally, not having anywhere else to get him three meals a day.
He kept getting cited for improper equipment, kept not paying the citations, his court notices returning to the courthouse undelivered at the address he was now listing: General delivery, Palm Coast.
On Thursday, Torma turned violent and threatening and ended up in jail with two felony charges and four lesser charges.
As witnesses described it, he was sitting on the South 4th Street walkover playing loud music on a bluetooth speaker when a surfer walked by and Torma told him he was God. The surfer didn’t acknowledge him. That angered Torma, who turned confrontational toward the surfer and everyone else around him, screaming obscenities at people and threatening to hurt them. He then picked up a plastic bat, walked toward passers by and continued his rants and threats, and telling everyone he was God. Clearly, he was not in his right mind. Flagler Beach police officers later determined that he was impaired by drugs.
It got worse. He slammed the bat on the railing of the boardwalk, damaging it, and told people walking by with a young child: “Your 5-year-old is going to die! He’s going to get shot!” The moment Torma saw a police car pull up, he dropped the bat and quieted down. No one had been hurt physically.
Officers found pot residue on him and arrested him for that and what would end up being a charge of criminal mischief for the damage to the boardwalk, then the damage to the patrol car, as he slammed his head and feet around, damaging the door. In the patrol car, Torma threatened the cop and his family, promising to hurt them, and threatened to rape the cop’s daughter. He asked to be taken to the hospital, so he was. A physician cleared him to be taken to the jail.
He was booked on $10,500 bond. He remains at the jail, from where he is not expected to bond out until his court appearances.
Gem says
Omg!! So glad i moved to this crap hole place! Lol
R.S. says
If only we had a National Health Service with places for mentally unstable people . . .
Mary Jane says
He needs help and his family needs to get it for him before he hurts someone or himself.
Mothersworry says
His family?? His parents? He is not a teenager, he is 43 years old!! He is a grown man. I’m sure his family has made numerous attempts to get him help through the years. I’m pretty sure that now that it has reached this level the state will step in.
Land of no turn signals says says
Needs a job, he has to much free time on his hands.
Wow says
Exactly! He does not need punishment. Jail is not the answer.
B.B says
Maybe its time for our illustrious governor to stop attacking Disney and the LGBTQ community and start attacking the lack of mental health care in this state.
Bob says
I’m not going to hold my breath.
Laurel says
Okay, so the guy clearly needs some help, but, Flagler Police has cited him, more than once, for faulty equipment on his bicycle? Seriously? What, not enough rubber on his peddles? Was he fined for not enough grease on his chain?
T says
It wasn’t this bad but keep moving people in and no opportunities
Carol says
You can’t help someone who doesn’t want to help themselves
Sherry says
Consider the possibility that the deterioration of mental health services started with Reagan, and this is just a tiny example of the nationwide result. Jail is not the answer for helping the mentally ill!
In 1981 President Ronald Reagan, who had made major efforts during his Governorship to reduce funding and enlistment for California mental institutions, pushed a political effort through the U.S. Congress to repeal most of MHSA. The MHSA was considered landmark legislation in mental health care policy.
Lana Leigh Rose says
While this may surprise you, there are mentally ill citizens in every city across the US. Why are you singling out Flagler Beach/County as if similar incidents never occur anywhere else?
Atwp says
He didn’t get shot. Nobody got hurt Thank God. Mental illness is not good. A lot of police are not trained to deal with mental illness. This is one reason why the cops kill so many people. All if this is a sad situation.
Momma mia says
Think again! My family member has been homeless with mental health problems for years. There is no place to put them. Those places were closed down years ago because of abuse. The only thing they have now is rehab facilities. Mental health patients mixed in with alcoholics and drug abusers is not a good mix.
Flip says
Yes they have tried to help all of his life. Please don’t condemn the parents. It’s very sad for the parents. They don’t have control over their adult son.
YankeeExPat says
Mr. Torma couldn’t be God, it just doesn’t add up!
1 He doesn’t wear a red MAGA hat.
2. He doesn’t operate a gas powered vehicle.
3. He is not televised on TBN.
4. He is not demanding you to tithe 10% of your income or he, as God would go out of business.
5. He is wielding a plastic bat, ……and God could only be a college football fan.. Go Gators!
So life’s journey to find God goes on , maybe we should look in the Mondacks or Palatka as Flagler Beach seems to be dried up.
G A says
What Sherry said is true. Hey Flagler county. Why not a mental health facility instead of more storage units??? Something that can benefit all of us directly or indirectly.
Nephew Of Uncle Sam says
Are you offering him one?
Danm says
It was President Ronald Reagan who got most large mental health facilities closed in his quest for less government. Mentally ill people were forced to deal with it.
Jail has become their new home . Leave it to beaver, Mrs Cleaver.
Roberto says
Exactly. What a joke. I guess that his how they like to roll.
ASF says
There are some Jail Diversionary programs but this man does not sound like a good candidate for any outpatient rehabilitation. He needs long-term Dual Diagnosis inpatient treatment, preferably located somewhere far away from the people places and things that led to his downfall in the first place. Long-term treatment with aftercare support hardly exists anywhere these days.
Ronald Reagan was not the only reason why such services dried up. Insurance companies have been famously derelict in paying for such services even when people are insured. The days that inpatient facilties afforded treatment shrunk, in a mtter of a few years, from a year, to six months to maybe a month to two weeks to nothing.
I used to work in the field. I saw prisons take the place of detox and rehab centers and once people hit the streets, the cycle would begin again. Even when people were receiving psychotropic medications in prison, they were too often released with a bus ticket to nowhere and MAYBE a couple days worth of meds.. Many would end up in the ER or back in jail. Rinse. Repeat. And many of the rest who didn’t perished along the way, sometimes taking others with them.
No Political Affiliation says
Who is going to hire a person with untreated mental illness? How is he going to pay for treatment without a job? Free programs require you to jump through hoops of fire, and provide minimal quality services, and that’s IF you qualify. People like to say America has the best healthcare in the world…not if only a fraction of the populace have access to it.
No Political Affiliation says
Probably riding a bicycle without a light at night. Super common, and definitely dangerous for everyone.
marlee says
yea….now Jacksonville.
Laurel says
No: Slow day.
Laurel says
ASF: Man, you got that right! And now, as a country dropping in empathy, it is not in fashion to be kind or supportive. People have gone into the me, me, me mode, and anyone who has an understanding of people in need of help are considered weak. We have leaders who want to “slit throats” or “throw the bum out.” We’re in a sad state right now, and hopefully, it will soon pass.
Been There says
We don’t know that this man is mentally ill. Years ago Pierre wrote a story about a School Board employee who ran naked in front of the GSB during the workday yelling, “I love grass” and other nonsensical things. The tone of the article and consensus of the commenters was that there is no place for drug addicts and dangerous people like this, especially not in our schools, and “thank God” he was caught.
This was a good man. He was my son’s favorite teacher. I KNEW this wasn’t a drug induced rant this man was on. Guess what? Turns out he had a bacterial infection that affected his brain. Easily cured with antibiotics. Did anyone apologize? No. His reputation was damaged. He was humiliated.
Why are we so quick to jump to unkind assumptions of the nature of people we don’t know?
Apparently, the guy in this story has issues. Are they being addressed with mandated treatment? Nope? Then we’ll see him again and again and again.
Anonymous says
He is mentally ill and has numerous mental health issues, and sadly that has cost him a lot in his life including not taking care of himself or his daughter.