DeLand, FL – One of two 18-year-olds wanted for trying to murder a man in the driveway of his DeLand home nearly three months ago is now in handcuffs.

The DeLand Police Department took Daymont Ward into custody around 1 o’clock yesterday afternoon (April 17th) in the western end of the city thanks to a tip on his whereabouts, according to city spokesperson Chris Graham.

“When police arrived at the home, he tried to escape,” Graham added. “[He] was caught shortly thereafter.”

Ward – who was wanted for shooting a 25-year-old man in the arm in the Candlelight Oaks subdivision last January – was arrested in a wooded area near South Dexter and West Winnemissett avenues after an officer tracked him down to a home on West Franklin Avenue earlier that day, according to an arrest report supplement.

The victim’s injuries weren’t life-threatening.

Ward is currently held on no bond at Volusia County Jail on charges of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. More charges could be filed soon, according to Graham.

VCJ records show Ward has been booked there twice before, including last February for violating probation on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and criminal mischief. The other was last October for armed burglary, grand theft, carrying a concealed firearm and other unlisted crimes.

Stephen Bruten – the other suspect in the shooting – remains at-large, per DeLand PD. Detectives are also still trying to identify the other two men they believe were with Bruten and Ward that night.

A motive for the incident hasn’t been firmly established, but police believe it may have been a robbery attempt that went awry.

Anyone with information on Bruten or the unidentified men is urged to contact DeLand PD Detective Anthony Bota at 386-626-7422 or botaa@deland.org.

Anonymous web tips can also be submitted here.

Daytona Beach, FL – Marijuana possession in small amounts has been decriminalized in the City of Daytona Beach.

That’s one of the decisions made by the city commission during last night’s (April 17th) meeting, one which was made without much comment by city leaders during the meeting.

Commissioners agreed to change the city code so that police cannot send anyone with 20 grams of marijuana or less to jail as well as any sort of related drug paraphernalia.

Violators won’t get off totally scot-free, though. They could face a fine which can’t go over $500.

Daytona Beach, FL – One suspect’s in custody, but police are looking for the other man in this photo.

And Daytona Beach police believe that both of those suspects are connected to robberies at two different phone stores in the area.

Just after 6:30 Tuesday night (April 16th), police were notified about an armed robbery at an AT&T store off of Beville Road.

Officers learned from the victims that two suspects, both six-foot-tall with one of them wearing a green and yellow Oakland A’s hat and the other a navy blue hoodie with a face mask, walked into the store.

The suspect wearing a hat pulled out a silver handgun and demanded the two victims, who were employees, to open the safe in the back and hand over all of their inventory.

Both employees took the suspects to the back and unloaded their inventory safe into two large trash bags. After stealing the inventory, both suspects left the store through the back door.

A total of 57 phones were stolen among other items such as smart watches or tablets. The value of all the items stolen was $41,429.38.

A similar incident was reported to police in South Daytona, that took place a couple of days before (April 14th). That robbery was also carried out in a phone store, however that time it was a MetroPCS.

A day later (April 17th), police obtained surveillance footage from the store and nearby businesses in hopes of identifying the suspects.

Police were able to determine that the suspects got away in a maroon 2018 Dodge Challenger with the Florida plate CKN4106 attached to it.

A quick check of the tag found that the car belonged to a 51-year-old Clenon Williams, who has been convicted of robbery before, according to Daytona Beach police.

Police eventually compared Williams’ driver’s license photo to the one obtained from AT&T’s surveillance and it appeared that Williams was one of the suspects.

Both employees from AT&T were brought in to identify the suspect out of a photo lineup. One employee wasn’t able to positively identify Williams, but they did state that he looked the most similar to the armed suspect.

The other employee positively identified Williams as the armed suspect.

After the lineup, Daytona Beach police located Williams and took him into custody.

When asked about both robberies, Williams said that he didn’t commit the robbery at the MetroPCS store in South Daytona, but he did commit the one at the AT&T store in Daytona Beach.

Williams was arrested and charged with armed robbery and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.

Jail records show he was additionally charged with other possession charges for cocaine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

He’s currently held at Volusia County Jail on no bond.

Anyone with information on the other suspect is asked to get in contact with Daytona Beach Police Department by calling (386) 671-5100.

Ormond Beach, FL – The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office takes down a wanted drug trafficker who took authorities on a chase up and down I-95.

Around 6 p.m. yesterday (April 17th), members of VCSO’s Eastside Crime Suppression Team were requested to the area of West International Speedway Boulevard and Tomoka Farms Road in Daytona Beach.

There, authorities learned that 28-year-old Bijan Johnson, who had an open Volusia County warrant, was seen in the area.

Deputies then began to travel to the intersection in hopes of capturing Johnson.

But, as soon as VCSO’s Air One arrived, Johnson sped off onto Northbound I-95 from ISB.

VCSO followed Johnson onto I-95 as he continued down the highway at a high rate of speed.

Soon, Johnson was almost to the Flagler County line when deputies set up a stop stick trap under the overpass of Old Dixie Highway. Johnson did hit one of the stop sticks and continued north for a bit until he made an abrupt U-turn and began traveling Southbound.

Johnson eventually made it off of I-95 and onto US-1, headed south into Ormond Beach. Deputies tried another stop stick trap on US-1, but they weren’t able to get Johnson.

The chase then continued down US-1 until it came back to I-95 when Johnson tried to drive up the exit ramp for the highway.

For a brief moment, Johnson was traveling northbound in the southbound lanes, but he soon corrected it and continued south on I-95.

Eventually, Johnson pulled off at Exit 268 and onto State Road 40/Granada Boulevard. Down Granada, he made a turn onto Nova Road, before traveling to Division Avenue.

His car continued eastbound until he turned into a business complex on 301 Division Avenue. Johnson parked his vehicle in the most north point of the complex before he left his car and ran off into the woods.

K-9 deputies followed close behind as they tracked Johnson through the wooded area.

But, it wouldn’t be long until one of the K-9’s found and apprehended Johnson.

VCSO returned to his vehicle and conducted a search following his arrest. It was during that search that deputies found a tan Glock 9mm handgun and a small container of marijuana.

Around $5,000 was also confiscated from the vehicle, along with two large bags of methamphetamine.

Jail records show that Johnson was charged with conspiracy to traffic heroin, trafficking in fentanyl, possession of marijuana, paraphernalia and possession of a weapon by a felon.

Johnson was also charged with resisting arrest, aggravated fleeing and armed trafficking.

His bond is currently set at $1.09 Million, according to Volusia County Jail.

Flagler Beach, FL – An 18-year-old woman wanted as a person of interest in a Palm Coast homicide is in custody. Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Teresa Salgado after obtaining a warrant for an incident that happened in January.

FCSO investigators have wanted to speak with Salgado since the murder of 17-year-old Curtis Gray on April 13. The person who deputies say pulled the trigger, 17-year-old Marion Gavins, Jr., was turned over to FCSO by his mother.

The warrant for Salgado was from a traffic stop on January 15, 2019. Deputies found a substance on Salgado that was sent to FDLE for analysis. Lab results received recently confirm that the substance was LSD, a synthetic crystalline compound that is a potent hallucinogenic drug.

Salgado is in the Flagler County Jail, being held on a $5,000 bond.

“We want to thank the community for the tips to help locate Salgado,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “I’ve said before that you can run and hide from us but you will only go to jail tired as we will find you. Salgado is proof that we do not give up!”

Daytona Beach, FL – Things are back to normal on Interstate 95 in Daytona Beach after a man committed suicide by jumping onto the highway from the Beville Road overpass.

It happened around 5:30 last night (April 18th), snarling southbound traffic for nearly three hours and forcing detours to nearby roads.

Daytona Beach police tell us the man had gotten into a fight with his girlfriend at the nearby Pelican Bay gated community just before he drove to the overpass and committed suicide. He died at the scene.

DBPD has not released any information about that man’s identity.

DeLand, FL – Ten people are facing numerous drug charges after law enforcement officials from several agencies conducted a proactive drug buy/bust in the city of DeLand and surrounding areas yesterday (April 18).

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office operation included members of the VCSO West Volusia Narcotics Task Force, along with members of the Deltona Narcotics Enforcement Team and West Volusia and East Side Crime Suppression Teams. They worked with detectives to conduct undercover purchases of drugs in areas where open sale of narcotics has been a recurring issue.

During yesterday’s (April 18) operation, twelve people were arrested, two of them on non-drug related charges. During the investigation leading up to yesterday’s (April 18) operation, an additional 13 others were charged with various drug infractions. There are another five active arrest warrants for suspects still outstanding.

Here’s the list of those arrested on Thursday: 31-year-old Darious L. Gardner, 48-year-old Bobby J.Barber, 51-year-old Anthony Q. Knight, 36-year-old Charles Turner, 53-year-old Willie A. Smith, 48-year-old Kandi F. Bernsdorf, 40-year-old Angela M. Carlone, 33-year-old Olaodah A. Pryce, 40-year-old Horace A. Bryan, and 33-year-old Patrick R. Rose.

A search warrant executed at Fearless International Motor Corp. at 636 S. Spring Garden Avenue resulted in the seizure of: 17 grams MDMA, 1 gram hash oil, 3 grams cannabis, Raven Arms 25 Caliber semi-auto pistol and drug paraphernalia

The two non-drug-related arrests made during Thursday’s operation were 29-year-old Richard K. Smith and 43-year-old Christopher Pummill.

UPDATE (04-19-19): All Volusia County Beach Safety lifeguard towers are closed.

Volusia County, FL – A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect for Volusia County that lasts until 10 p.m.

That’s according to the National Weather Service of Melbourne, who says the area can expect some strong to severe storms in the afternoon with a very low risk for a brief tornado.

The line of storms is moving northeast at around 50 to 60 knots. High winds are to be expected along with heavy rain and thunder.

Meteorologists with NWS say that the storm in the Daytona Beach area could last up to two hours.

For more information you can follow NWS Melbourne on Twitter.

Daytona Beach, FL –  The World Center of Racing and its parent companies continue a tradition that’s gone on for almost 10 years.

Today (April 22nd), in celebration of Earth Day, employees of Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR and the International Speedway Corporation will be planting trees.

Something they’ve been doing since 2010.

“Typically around Earth Day, we have visited a lot of locations in both Volusia and Flagler County planting trees,” said Andrew Booth, Spokesman for DIS. “It’s a great way to get out into the community and help do something to make our community look a little bit better.”

In the past, speedway employees have planted trees at Mainland High School, the Daytona Beach International Airport and the Yvonne Scarlet Golden Cultural Center

This year, the selected location is Palm Terrace, which is just north of the speedway in Daytona Beach.

“Got about 30 to 40 trees that have been purchased locally,” said Booth. The types of trees include citrus trees, magnolias, weeping bottlebrush trees and crepe myrtles to name a few.

The event isn’t open to the public, but employees will begin planting at 9:30 A.M.

Daytona Beach, FL – The home of the Falcons will also be home to a pair of National Junior College Athletic Association championships.

Just recently, Daytona State College announced that the NJCAA has selected DSC to host two different championships come 2021. Those championships will be the NJCAA Women’s National Golf Championship and the NJCAA Women’s Soccer Championship.

A win-win situation, according to DSC’s Athletics Director, Will Dunn.

“It’s an opportunity for us to help bring a great event and exposure to the local Daytona Beach area,” said Dunn. “It’s also a combination of our athletics and academic programs working together.”

Daytona State is no stranger when it comes to hosting championships. Last November, DSC hosted the NJCAA Division 1 Men’s National Soccer Championship, which brought 12 teams to the area.

That championship, which was won by Arizona’s Pima Community College, came just a year after DSC wrapped up construction on their brand new soccer stadium.

The 2021 women’s golf championship will also be the 14th time DSC has hosted the tournament at LPGA. The championship is scheduled for May 10th through the 13th, with a practice day on the 9th.

Then, a few months later, the women’s soccer championships will run at their soccer stadium on campus from November 15th to the 20th.

“These tournaments are an excellent opportunity for us to showcase Daytona State College on a national level,” said DSC President Tom LoBasso.

The Lady Falcons will also be hosting this year’s golf championship at LPGA, which is slated to run between May 13th and 16th, when they will vie for their 11th national title in 17 years.

Daytona Beach, FL – One of the largest Jeep only events in the country is coming back to the World’s Most Famous Beach.

Today (April 22nd) marks the start of the week-long event, Jeep Beach, which will bring Jeep enthusiasts to the area to celebrate a passion for off-road vehicles.

And since before the event, Volusia County Beach Safety has been preparing.

“We’re expecting thousands of Jeeps over here on the beach and beachside,” said Captain Tammy Malphurs with Volusia County Beach Safety.

Malphurs said that VCBS will be all hands on deck, with additional help coming from outside their agency.

“We’re working with other agencies as well to make sure everyone is on the same page and that we have enough people down here,” said Captain Malphurs.

The kickoff event for Jeep Beach begins at 9 p.m. tonight at Daytona Stadium off of LPGA Boulevard.

Tomorrow (April 23rd), One Daytona will be hosting their own Jeep Beach event with free live entertainment and over 100 Jeeps on display.

As for the local impact, visitors and residents can expect traffic delays on the International Speedway Bridge and the Main Street Bridge as people head to the beach.

For anyone looking for more information on Jeep Beach events, you can visit their website by clicking here.

Palm Bay, FL – A motorcycle crash on Saturday ended the lives of a Daytona Beach man and his mother. Florida Highway Patrol reports that 30-year-old Mark Buffington and 53-year-old Heidi Buffington were struck by a pickup truck while riding at around 4:15 p.m.

Troopers report that the Buffingtons were riding southbound on Babcock Street in Palm Bay when 72-year-old Roger Colvard attempted to make a left turn in front of them. Colvard’s pickup truck hit them on the right side, ejecting both Mark and Heidi Buffington from the motorcycle.

Heidi Buffington was pronounced dead at the scene. Mark Buffington was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Colvard was not injured in the accident.

The crash is still under investigation and charges are pending against Colvard.

Daytona Beach, FL – The new report from AAA says Florida gas prices fell five cents, but another hike could soon be on the way.

According to AAA, after imposing sanctions on exports of Iranian oil last November, the United States granted allowing Iran’s eight main oil-buyers to continue making limited purchases.

But, a column in the Washington Post suggests that the U.S. will announce today (April 22nd) that those countries (the largest being China and India) must stop importing Iranian oil or face sanctions.

Just before midnight, the price of WTI crude oil had risen almost $2 to nearly $66 per barrel, in response to the report. Gasoline futures were up more than 5 cents from the previous daily closing price.

“This is news that could certainly restore upward pressure on prices at the pump, but to what extent remains to be seen,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman for AAA. “Ending Iran sanction waivers could contribute to what is already considered to be a tightening oil market due to OPEC production cuts, sanctions against Venezuela, and political unrest in Libya.”

Floridians are currently paying an average of $2.74 per gallon of regular unleaded gas statewide. That’s five cents less than a week ago, but 13 cents higher than last month.

Locally, Volusia drivers are looking at an average of $2.73 per gallon of regular unleaded, which is six cents less than last week’s average of $2.79.

Flagler drivers are seeing an average of $2.71 per gallon of regular unleaded at the pump, two cents less than Volusia and seven cents below last week’s $2.78 average.

The AAA gas report shows that drivers in the West Palm Beach-Boca Raton area are paying the most in the state again with an average of $2.84 per gallon of regular unleaded, while Jacksonville drivers pay the lowest state average of $2.66.

Bunnell, FL – For the first time in decades, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is adding a bloodhound to the K-9 unit and is asking the community for help in naming the male puppy.

When FCSO expressed the need for a bloodhound of their own after a 5-day search for juvenile Ricky Wheeler, the Honorary Consul of the Portuguese Republic in Florida, based out of Palm Coast., Dr. Caesar De Paco, personally donated the money. Dr. De Paco and his wife are known for their philanthropic work involving law enforcement.

Sheriff Rick Staly said the shepherd K-9 officers are trained for narcotics and tracking but a bloodhound will make a difference in finding missing persons with dementia, suicidal persons and others that may need to be followed quickly.

Name suggestions for the male puppy can be submitted on the FCSO Facebook page. The deadline is this Thursday and Sheriff Staly will announce the new name on Friday.

Daytona Beach, FL – A 31-year-old man is charged with the fatal stabbing of a Daytona Beach man.

The Daytona Beach Police Department is not releasing the victim’s name at this time but they have arrested Juan Barranco in connection with the stabbing.

DBPD officers responded to the 300 block of Taylor Ave on Easter Sunday just before 4 p.m. Other officers were responding to witnesses who flagged them down near the intersection of Elm St. and Taylor Ave. at about the same time.

Those witnesses identified Barranco as the man who stabbed the victim. They also reported that Barranco had knocked on the victim’s door, at which point, they got into an argument. The victim tried to walk away but tripped and fell. One witness said that’s when Barranco started stabbing the victim.

After Barranco stabbed the victim, the witnesses reported him walking off down Elm St. The officer reported that he saw Barranco open and close a trash can near 529 Elm St. The knife was found later in a nearby empty lot. That’s when he noticed the police officer and took off, making a couple of turns before the officer caught up with him at the intersection of N. Segrave St. and George W. Engram Blvd.

The officer drew his weapon to keep Barranco in place. He was arrested but refused to speak with law enforcement. Officers observed that Barranco was bleeding profusely from both hands but did not see any other injuries. He was transported to Halifax Hospital.

At this time, it’s not clear whether Barranco is still at Halifax Hospital or has been transferred to the Volusia County Jail. The charging affidavit states the charge as unpremeditated second degree murder. There is no information on bond set in this case.

Bunnell, FL – Flagler County deputies need the public’s help in identifying a suspect wanted for a shooting.

According to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, a shooting occurred just after eight o’clock on Easter (April 21st) at a Circle K gas station off of Moody Boulevard.

One male was shot in the back in the gas station parking lot. The victim was then transported to the hospital where he is expected to survive.

The incident was captured on surveillance footage at the gas station and detectives are now looking for the suspect.

The suspect is described as a thin black male, around 5’6″ and 5’10”, in his late teens or early 20’s. FCSO believes he fired at least four rounds at the victim.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office at (386) 313-4911 and mention Case Number 2019-37325 or Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida at 1-888-277-TIPS (8477).

Crime Stoppers will award up to $5,000 for any tips leading to the arrest of the suspect.

Daytona Beach, FL – Volusia County Schools with the highest rate of chronic absenteeism will be the first to benefit from a partnership with AdventHealth. A $2-million, five-year partnership between the two is in the first phase of providing healthcare services to students that began on Monday with Westside Elementary School in Daytona Beach.

AdventHealth spokesperson Lindsay Cashio said the chronic absenteeism is considered missing 10 or more days during the school year, which creates barriers to learning, getting good grades and even graduating. The number of chronic absentees account for about 17 percent of students, which comes to about 11-thousand childen.

In the coming months, 35 additional schools will be added to the program. Cashio said each school clinic will be provided with a tablet containg the AdventHealtheCare app and a printer. Using the app, students and their parents will have a face-to-fave video visit with a board-certified physician or nurse practitioner for a range of urgent care issues.

Students would receive a diagnosis for minor ailments, learn about treatment options, receive follow-up instructions and even obtain a prescription if necessary. The cost for an AdventHealth eCare visit is normally $49 without insurance. However, with the partnership, the hospital system has a fund for the school district to manage that will cover the cost of the student visits.

Addressing chronic absenteeism is just one of the three focuses of the AdventHealth partnership with Volusia County Schools. The others are student athlete health and career development opportunites within the healthcare industry.

Deltona, FL – Murder indictments were returned by a Volusia County grand jury today (April 23) for two heroin dealers arrested in VCSO’s October 2018 “Operation Geronimo.” The pair, 43-year-old Sergio Perez and 27-year-old Melanie Cunningham are charged as the result of investigations into the deaths of  34-year-old Joshua Lacy and 51-year-old Heather McCurdy in 2018.

Lacy was found dead in his father’s home in Deltona on April 13, 2018. His cell phone showed text messages and a record of calls from heroin connections. The investigation determined that he’d bought heroin the night before he died, leading detectives to Perez and Cunningham. Lacy’s autopsy showed cause of death as heroin toxicity.

McCurdy died in a Deltona Winn-Dixie parking about 16 minutes after buying heroin on June 22, 2018. The last text messages on her phone were from a contact named “Melanie.” Detectives found that McCurdy purchased the heroin from Cunningham around 3 p.m. The autopsy determined time of death as around 3:16 p.m. and that cause of death was fentanyl toxicity.

Today’s murder indictments are numbers three and four in overdose deaths being investigated by VCSO since 2017.

In June 2018, a grand jury indicted 31-year-old Steve Montilla of Sanford in the October 2017 fatal heroin overdose of 34-year-old Jacqueline Griggs of Deltona. In September 2018, a grand jury indicted 24-year-old Hunter Romaine of DeBary in the February 2018 overdose death of 33-year-old Ashley Barrett, who died with a combination of cocaine and fentanyl in her system.

“Every drug overdose death in Volusia County is going to be investigated as a homicide, and every dealer responsible is going to receive the full attention of our deputies and detectives,” Sheriff Chitwood said. “The victims in these cases are not just the addicts – they’re the families, and sometimes the young children, who are left behind. I want to thank our detectives, the State Attorney’s Office and the members of the grand jury for all their work in helping remove these merchants of death from our streets.”

The Perez and Cunningham cases are being prosecuted by the office of State Attorney R.J. Larizza, who stated: “We at the Seventh Circuit State Attorney’s Office are proud to be a part of the tri-agency partnership with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Attorney General’s Office in making our communities better and safer for our families, friends, and neighbors.” 

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate several other fatal drug overdose cases where murder charges are possible.

Daytona Beach, FL – A victim who was attacked at the Volusia Mall tells police that he doesn’t want to press charges against his attackers.

That’s according to Daytona Beach police, following an attack that took place over the weekend.

The report from DBPD says that the attack happened just before 4 p.m. on Saturday (April 20th). The victim, who owns a shirt shop in the mall, got into a verbal altercation with a group of unknown males over pricing and wait times.

During their argument, one of the men spit in his face then left the area.

A few moments later, a large group of males returned to the store and began to attack the vendor, striking him multiple times in the face and neck area, causing injuries.

He was found by police in the bathroom following the attack as he tended to his facial wounds.

While police investigated, the victim told police he did not want to press charges or complete a written statement.

Bunnell, FL – A reported stolen vehicle in Volusia County led the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office to the arrest of a man wanted for questioning in multiple weapon complaint incidents. The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office and the Daytona Beach Police Department were already on the trail of the man, identified as 23-year-old Treshawn Smith of Daytona Beach.

VCSO’s Air One Emergency helicopter was following the stolen vehicle when it crossed the county line into Bunnell. FCSO deputies found the vehicle be driven recklessly and tried to stop the suspect on South Bacher St. Smith did not stop and crashed head-on into an unmarked FCSO patrol car. At point of impact, the airbags deployed, making the stolen car inoperable. The crash caused the unmarked vehicle to hit a fully marked FCSO Mustang patrol car.

Deputies conducted a felony traffic stop with Smith still inside the stolen vehicle. He was secured and taken into custody. Smith is charged with fleeing and eluding, grand theft and driving without a license. Also, Smith had two outstanding bond revocation warrants for armed trafficking in heroin and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

“He picked the wrong exit,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “Fortunately, we got him off the streets so he cannot be a danger to the public any longer, Unfortunately, he damaged two of our patrol cars in the process. Luckily, no one was injured.”

Smith’s first stop is the Flagler County Jail to face local charges there. His second stop will be the Volusia County Jail to face the warrant charges. He is being held without bond.