sexual abuse

Jury Deadlocks, Mistrial Declared In Case of 47-Year-Old Accused of Molesting Girl at Sleepover

FlaglerLive | December 21, 2018

Michael Bowling, 47, will remain in jail on numerous charges even as numerous inconsistencies led a jury today to deadlock over charges he molested a 15-year-old girl.

Why Women Don’t Report Sexual Assault

FlaglerLive | September 23, 2018

That urge to discredit accusers of sexual assault like Christine Blasey Ford is exactly why it takes so long for some to come forward in the first place.

Palm Coast Physician Florence Fruehan Accused Of Groping Female Patient; State Orders Him Restricted

FlaglerLive | August 8, 2018

Long-time physician Florence R. Fruehan of Palm Coast Urgent Care, who is also an elected official, is under an Emergency Restriction Order from the State Department of Health.

For Some Victims, Reporting a Rape Can Bring Doubt, Abuse — and Even Prosecution

FlaglerLive | November 24, 2017

There are many reasons for women to think twice about reporting sexual assault. But one potential consequence looms especially large: They may also be prosecuted.

Palm Coast Girl, 12, Uses New Law to Secretly Record Alleged Assailant, 42, Over Sex Assault

FlaglerLive | April 28, 2017

The 12-year-old Palm Coast girl put to use a 2015 law to record Aaron Whitley, 42, apologizing and pleading with her not to reveal an alleged sexual assault he’d committed on her.

Plea Lessens Palm Coast Child Rapist’s Sentence to 10 Years in Prison, 20 on Probation

FlaglerLive | February 4, 2016

Andrew S. Wilson, 55, of 82 Brushwood Lane in Palm Coast, had been arrested on a count of raping a child younger than 12, based on incidents that took place two decades ago.

Flagler’s Family Life Center Now a Certified Rape Crisis Center, Ensuring Critical Services

FlaglerLive | January 31, 2016

Until Family Life took over the service in an arrangement with the sheriff’s office in March 2014, Flagler County had been without a reliable crisis center because the Children’s Advocacy Center had quit providing that service.

Family Life Center Appoints Jodi Lodolce and Laura Perkins to Board; Seeking 2 More Members

FlaglerLive | September 29, 2014

The two new members join an 11-member board. The Family Life Center is seeking two additional board members. Those interested should contact Trish Giaccone at 386/437-7747.

Facebook “Relationship” Status Between Man, 21, and 15-Year-Old Palm Coast Girl, Leads to Statutory Rape Charge

FlaglerLive | September 23, 2014

Tavarez Calloway met the girl at the Flagler County Fair then was allowed to move in when he had no other place to go, as long as the cpouple did not date, according to what a parent told police.

Domestic Violence: Challenges Go Beyond A Brute’s Fists or White, Middle-Class Women

FlaglerLive | September 22, 2014

Because the movement to help battered women largely has been driven by white, middle-class women, the attention has generally been on generic domestic violence, with absent attention to the nuances of race and class.

Thomas Underwood of Palm Coast Sentenced to Life in Prison for Raping Children He Babysat

FlaglerLive | July 9, 2014

Thomas Underwood was sentenced to two consecutive life terms on seven counts of raping children and one count of lewd and lascivious molestation. Flagler County Circuit Judge J. David Walsh imposed the sentence today on cases dating back to the 1990s.

Flagler Beach Woman and St. Johns Man Face Capital Charges of Raping 2 Girls Younger Than 12

FlaglerLive | February 25, 2014

Rhonda Lynn Wilkerson, 49, of Flagler Beach, faces one rape charge and William C. Dillow, 27, of St. Augustine, faces two rape charges, after girls in a Flagler County school revealed the alleged incidents to staff. The incidents took place in St. Johns County.

5 Years After 7-year-old Gabriel Myers’s Suicide, Psychotropic Drugs Still Overprescribed in Foster Care

FlaglerLive | February 11, 2014

At the time, about 5 percent of all U.S. children were treated with psychotropic medications, but in Florida’s foster care system, 15.2 percent of children received at least one such medication. Of these, more than 16 percent were being medicated without the consent of a parent, guardian or judge. Not much has changed.

Rarely Punished, Guards May Be Responsible for Half of Sexual Assaults in Prisons and Jails

FlaglerLive | January 25, 2014

The federal report is based on data from all of the nation’s federal and state prisons as well as many county jails. It shows more than 8,000 reports of abuse each year between 2009 and 2011, up 11 percent from the previous report, and extremely rare prosecutions.

Rape Crisis Failure:
How the Children’s Advocacy Center Betrayed a Victim at Her Most Vulnerable

FlaglerLive | July 1, 2013

After a Flagler Beach woman was allegedly raped on June 14, the Children’s Advocacy Center in Daytona Beach was responsible for providing a certified nurse to conduct an exam and gather evidence in a private setting. It failed on all counts. A FlaglerLive investigation reveals the extent of a failure that local police have been contending with since the center opted to cut its ties with the provider who’d ensured a functioning system for many years.

For Abuse Victims, Navigating Government Help Can Be Another Defeating Challenge

FlaglerLive | April 8, 2013

Using stories drawn from real-life cases, participants a Domestic Violence Summit for police agencies in Flagler, Volusia, St. Johns and Putrnam counties tried to understand what it would be like to walk in the shoes of victims coping with the criminal justice system–and discovered the numerous obstacles victims face.

Justin Rushing of Bunnell Accused of Sexually Abusing a Younger Sister Over Several Years

FlaglerLive | October 17, 2012

Justin rushing, a 22-year-old resident of North Old Dixie Highway in Bunnell, is being held at the Flagler County jail, without bond, on a half dozen charges of lewd and lascivious conduct and child molesting in a case involving a younger sister. The alleged incidents took place over several years, according to Rushing’s arrest report, and involved the girl when she was between 12 and 16, and in other instances, younger than 12.

Chronic, Scandalous Abuse and Worse at a Florida Brain-Injury Center Demands Attention

FlaglerLive | August 10, 2012

It is impossible to look at the pages-long list of abuse allegations at the Florida Institute for Neurologic Rehabilitation and not wonder how it is allowed to remain open: Sexual abuse. Mental abuse. Burns. Broken bones. Bruises. Cuts and punctures. Bizarre punishment. And much worse.

Palm Coast Man Accused of Abusing Girls for Almost a Decade

FlaglerLive | May 7, 2010

Two sisters, now young adults, claim Phillip Maida abused them from the time they were 12 until as recently as this year.