Archive

PALM COAST -- A 61-year-old biker from Palm Coast was killed Wednesday night when he ran off a curve on U.S. and crashed, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

Harry J. Marrolli was pronounced dead at the scene of the 7 p.m. accident near Seminole Woods Boulevard, according to the highway patrol.

The rider was not wearing a helmet in the crash that resulted in him being thrown from the motorcycle, which flipped a number of times, FHP reported.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Senior citizens always need to keep up their guard against those looking to prey on them and that's why a new course at the Brannon Center could prove very useful.

Whether the threat comes from a mugger, rapist or terrorist, your life is at stake and you must be prepared to do whatever it takes to survive. Fighting for your life is no game – there is a difference between sport rules and street combat – must give up any notion of fair play.

DELTONA -- Fearing the heat from law enforcement in South Florida was getting too intense, a close-knit group of marijuana traffickers searched for a location where they figured their operation would be more likely to escape detection, Volusia Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson said.

They chose Volusia County. Big mistake.

Earlier today, the group discovered that the move was a huge miscalculation, as narcotics agents toppled an extensive operation in a series of synchronized raids that dismantled about a dozen marijuana grow houses, primarily located in the Deltona area.

LAKE HELEN -- A single-family home under renovation and valued at $85,0000 was completely destroyed by a fire this afternoon, Volusia County spokeswoman Shelley Szafraniec said.

Firefighters from Volusia County and DeLand responded to the 12:29 p.m. blaze at 1220 Emmel Road that had fully engulfed the single-story concrete block home, she said.
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"The owner was renovating the house so it was unoccupied," Szafraniec said. "The cause of the fire is not yet known and is under investigation."

There were no reported injuries to firefighters.

DEBARY -- DeBary Hall is calling for artists to submit work for consideration for the 2009-2010 season of its Artist of the Month program. Selected artists are honored with a month-long exhibition in the historic house museum and an artist reception on the first Friday of the month.

All media, styles and subject matters are welcomed; however, artists who focus on Florida subject matter or local art are especially encouraged to apply. Artists interested in applying should send a submission packet including:

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- A 51-year-old Auburn Avenue man was taken into custody and transported to the hospital for a mental evaluation last night after refusing to put down a rifle while on his porch and at one point putting the barrel end into his own mouth, threatening suicide and asking cops to shoot him, New Smyrna Beach police said.

The SWAT team was called in and negotiators were called out after the gunman, identified as Duane Henry Grove refused to put the rifle down after police responded to an 8:36 p.m. 911 call of a male threatening to commit suicide.

DAYTONA BEACH -- A 23-year-old father was being held at the Volusia County Branch Jail on a neglect charge after his 2-month-old son was treated at Halifax Medical Center for broken ribs, a broken arm and a hemorrhaging eye after he gave police conflicting stories as to how the injuries occurred.

DELTONA -- A flasher who has been exposing himself to young girls in Deltona may have struck again, Volusia Sheriff's officials said, after a 10-year-old girl in the extreme
northern section of Deltona reported being flashed Thursday by a man in a black pickup truck.

Officials believe there are enough similarities to three previous episodes to believe that the same suspect may be responsible. The incidents are under investigation by the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, which continues to appeal to the public for help in identifying the culprit.

EDGEWATER -- Train traffic was shut down Thursday afternoon for about an hour in a wooded area just southwest of the Indian River Elementary School on Roberts Road and some nearby homes while firefighters tended to a brush fire.

Firefighters contained and extinguished the blaze that consumed 1 1/2 acres in the westtward moving fire about 2 p.m. that that included the Florida East Coast railway easement and within a stone's throw of of homes on India Palm Drive.

DELTONA -- The arrests continued on Friday when a spin-off from this week's massive drug bust in Southwest Volusia turned up another fully-functioning marijuana grow house on Friday that, all told, produced $5.5 million in marijuana, the Sheriff's Office said.