- March 1, 2025
A Palm Coast woman and her boyfriend were arrested Sunday on outstanding warrants for child neglect and child abuse after the woman’s 3-year-old child was brought into a local hospital for treatment for a broken arm in September, deputies said.
Joanna Flynn-Carroway, 27, and Douglas Destin, 26, were arrested by Flagler County Sheriff’s Office deputies at their home on warrants that were signed Nov. 1 by Circuit Court Judge J. David Walsh.
Deputies were called to Flagler Hospital Flagler on Sept. 20, where medical personnel reported that a 3-year-old child had a broken arm that had occurred at least two days before the child was brought in for medical treatment.
During their investigation, detectives determined that on Sept. 18, Flynn-Carroway had the child by the wrist. The toddler pulled back and dropped to the floor when his mother heard what was described as “an air bubble going through the bone.” Detectives said the child fell on a floor several hours later and landed on the same arm.
Flynn-Carroway said she had no transportation to get to the hospital, and Destin didn’t think it was a good idea to go to the hospital, deputies said. And so, on Sept. 19, Destin fashioned a handmade splint with a piece of wood and a bandage to treat the arm. The woman took her child to a pediatrician Sept. 20, who informed her that the child needed hospital attention.
Detectives reported that, in the past, Destin was known to sit the child by the front door from 10 minutes to an hour as a means of punishment. He also would put the child’s legs behind their head causing pain to the groin area and pour cold water on the child during an unscheduled naptime.
The Division of Children and Families is investigating the incident and has taken the child and two other children, ages 6 and two months old, from the home and into protective custody.
Flynn-Carroway and Destin were released from the Flagler County Inmate Facility after posting $7,500 bond on the charges.
