- March 6, 2025
+ Car involved in hit-and-run to bicyclist later found at Daytona State
Charges are pending for Marquis T. Norwood, 19, after he allegedly struck a man on a bicycle and fled the scene.
The crash happened just before 8 a.m. Monday as Norwood drove eastbound down the outside lane of Palm Coast Parkway, according to Florida Highway Patrol report. Norwood struck Terrance J. Conley, 61. Conley, a Palm Coast resident, was ejected from his bicycle and later transported by Life Flight to Halifax Trauma Unit with serious injuries.
Norwood left the scene, but his car was later discovered in the Daytona State College parking lot. Alcohol was not related.
+ Deputies coax mentally distressed man from residence
Deputies responded Thursday evening to a call from a woman who said her son, Josephy Strople, had a shotgun in his possession and was saying he wanted to kill himself.
Units on scene secured the perimeter of Strople’s home on Utah Place. At first, a male wearing clothing matching Strople’s description exited the residence with the shotgun in hand; however, the man was later identified as a friend of Strople’s who convinced him to release the shotgun.
But law enforcement knew there was still a hand gun in the residence. A deputy spoke to Strople on the phone and was able to coax him out of the residence without incident or injury. Just under two hours elapsed between when dispatch received the call and when Strople left his home. He was transferred to Halifax Hospital in Daytona Beach.
+ Men arrested for fleeing police, throwing pot from moving car
A Sheriff’s deputy noticed a red Buick with an inoperable tag light driving on Colbert Lane near Waterside Parkway on Friday evening, so he pulled behind the vehicle and activated his emergency lights.
The car didn’t stop. Instead, a passenger started throwing clumps of a dark substance out of the Buick’s window. Those clumps bounced against the deputy’s window, so he was quickly able to identify the substance as marijuana.
The car finally stopped about a mile later after throwing an unknown amount of the substance out the window. The car’s driver, 19-year-old Donavan Ruiter, was arrested for fleeing and eluding and possession of cannabis under 20 grams. The passenger, 20-year-old Michael Scarpa of Palm Coast, was arrested for arrested for tampering or destroying evidence and possession of cannabis under 20 grams.
When the two were transported to the Flagler County Inmate Facility, a deputy found more marijuana on Ruiter’s person, so he was additionally charged with introduction of contraband into a detention facility.
Ruiter remained in jail Monday on $2,500 bail. Scarpa remained in jail on $1,500 bail.
+ Deputies asking for public’s help to ID burglary suspects
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in identifying two females who are believed to be connected with the April 3 break-in of a Palm Coast home.
Deputies responded to the home at 1 Egan Drive around 4:44 p.m., after the homeowner reported there had been an attempt to enter his house. Deputies said a home surveillance video shows the two women, possibly white or Hispanic, approaching the home at 2:48 p.m., just minutes after the homeowners left the residence.
The two first rang the doorbell, and when there was not answer, they walked around the back of the house, entered the screen porch and attempted to gain entry through several doors. When the two found out that all the doors were locked, they began to pry one set of doors open.
When the door popped, the home alarm was triggered, causing the two to run from the scene.
Both women were picked up by a large, black SUV, possibly a 2005 Infiniti QX56. The vehicle had a luggage rack on the roof and chrome trim panels along the middle of the doors on both sides.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office's Investigative Services Division at 586-4081 or Crimestoppers at 1-888-277-8477, or text 274637 with your message. You may remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.
+ County closes Wadsworth dog park
In an abundance of caution, Flagler County has shut down its dog park at Wadsworth Park in Flagler Beach to allow the county time to determine whether the park was contaminated with the Parvovirus.
An area veterinarian contacted Flagler County advising that a dog in his care was being treated for Parvovirus. The dog had visited Wadsworth Park the day before. The county has made contact with the University of Florida to determine if there is a problem at the dog park.
