Volusia County News
Volusia Headlines
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Runaway boat hits child in Edgewood park: report
A boat hit a child in the water on Sunday at George R. Kennedy Memorial Park in Edgewater, according to a report by WFTV. The driver was thrown from the boat and it continued on, striking the unidentified child, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission told the television station. ...
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Port Orange police search for suspect after woman stabbed more than 100 times
A man authorities suspect of stabbing a woman over 100 times remains at large, the Port Orange Police Department said Wednesday. Thomas C. McMullen Jr., 37, owns the house where 32-year-old Diana Mihaela Kessler was found dead on Monday by a friend who was swinging by to feed McMullen’s cat. Chief...
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Pedestrian killed in Volusia crash, troopers say
A 39-year-old Deltona man was killed Saturday evening when he was hit by a pickup truck, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Charles Hammett was walking at 8:30 p.m. on the southbound shoulder of U.S. Highway 1 near Gowers Drive, facing northbound, when he walked into the direct path of Ormond...
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Volusia deputies set up cameras to catch people in lewd acts in public park
Volusia County deputies arrested eight men accused of exposing themselves to an undercover deputy and captured dozens of people “openly engaging in sex acts” in front of hidden cameras installed at Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Preserve and Sleepy Hollow Park, a spokeswoman said. “To people practicing...
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Volusia County deputies investigate shooting of Deltona man
A 35-year-old Deltona man was shot early Monday morning and is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies responded to the area near Providence Boulevard and Doyle Road in Deltona about 3:26 a.m. On his way to the scene, a deputy...
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Volusia County student denied lunch after being 15 cents short: report
School students know that 15 cents can add up to three nickels, or a dime and a nickel, or 15 pennies. A student at University High School can tell you that being 15 cents short of purchasing lunch adds up to an empty belly, according to a story by WKMG-Channel 6. A sophomore at University High...
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Coast Guard rescues stranded boaters on Disappearing Island
The U.S. Coast Guard rescued two boaters Sunday after their boat got stuck on Disappearing Island in Volusia County. The operator of a 19-foot pontoon boat called for help at 4 a.m. after being stranded for seven hours when he beached his boat and couldn’t relaunch it, the Coast Guard's 7th District...
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No charges expected for city truck driver who fatally hit woman in Daytona Beach, police say
A city-owned vehicle fatally struck a woman on Thursday in Daytona Beach, police said. A large, flatbed truck from the Public Works Department was heading south on Atlantic Avenue, near Main Street, around 3:00 a.m. when the driver ran over 34-year-old Dawn Klenk, Police Chief Craig Capri told...
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DeLand cops seek Burger King burglar in possible fast food heist spree
Police in DeLand released video of a person suspected of burglarizing at least two fast food restaurants in the city in recent days — and possibly a third. The video released by police shows the suspect raiding cash registers inside a Burger King restaurant. Two of the chain’s locations were raided...
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DeLand police officer demoted, suspended for profanity aimed at trespasser
A DeLand police officer was demoted and suspended three days without pay for using profanity at a trespassing suspect outside a 7-Eleven in June, according to the department. Officer Ken Ramkissoon, who was on a probationary period as a corporal, also was disciplined for not turning on his body...
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NASCAR CEO Brian France goes on leave after being charged with DWI in New York, police say
NASCAR CEO and Chairman Brian France took an indefinite leave of absence from the company Monday, a day after he was arrested on Sunday in the Hamptons of New York on charges of aggravated driving while intoxicated and possession of a controlled substance, NASCAR issued this statement Monday afternoon:...
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Sheriff Chitwood defends Volusia deputy's decision to shoot man who grabbed Taser
A Volusia County deputy who shot to death a 29-year-old Seville man Friday night while responding to a domestic-violence call likely saved a woman’s life, Sheriff Mike Chitwood said. A worker at a domestic abuse center called the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office saying Emmanuel Alquisiras was beating...
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Woman ran over tow-company owner with her car in Volusia County: report
A woman who wanted her car back from an impound lot ran over a Volusia County tow-company owner before ramming a fence this week, Fox 35 Orlando reported. A Volusia County deputy’s body-cam video shows him yelling at the woman behind the wheel: “Sheriff’s Office! Get out of the car! Get out of...
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A first: Daytona Beach police use drone to find man on roof after 2-hour search
Police officers in Daytona Beach made their first-ever arrest using a drone Wednesday when they found a man accused of attempted burglary hiding on a roof, a department spokeswoman said. Officers first saw 23-year-old Anthony Rivers Jr. just before 3 a.m. pacing around a backyard pool on North...
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Troopers find possible hit-and-run vehicle in Volusia cyclist's death
Florida Highway Patrol troopers believe they found the vehicle involved in a hit-and-run accident that left a 72-year-old man riding a bicycle dead in west Volusia County early Wednesday morning. Troopers found a 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe with significant front-end damage about two miles from the crash...
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Volusia sheriff slams Orange deputies' handling of gun-shop burglary as 'how people get killed'
Orange County deputies followed a stolen car driven by a group of teenagers to a Volusia County gun shop Saturday morning, then watched as the teens cut electricity to the business, broke a window with a brick and drove away with nearly $15,000 worth of stolen firearms. But they did not try to...
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5 teens arrested after stealing 18 guns from store in DeBary, deputies say
Orange County deputies arrested five teenagers Saturday morning after the group stole 18 firearms from SWUB Tactical, a gun store in DeBary, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. The suspects were all from Orange County, including 19-year old Jaquez Tuijay Smith. The other four suspects...
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Video shows roadway arrest of Sanford man suspected in Deltona shooting
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office released helicopter footage Monday showing the dramatic arrest of a Sanford man suspected in a recent shooting in Deltona. The arrest played out on U.S. Highway 17-92 just before 1 p.m. The suspect, 20-year-old Jacobi Barringer, is seen driving in an inside lane...
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3-year-old boy drowns in backyard pool in Deltona, sheriff's office says
A 3-year-old boy drowned Saturday in a backyard pool in Deltona, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. Connor Smith was found unconscious at the bottom of the above-ground pool at a home on Elkcam Boulevard at about 3:46 p.m., according to reports. Paramedics could not revive the boy....
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Jacksonville doctor sexually battered 15-year-old boy in DeBary, deputies say
A doctor from Jacksonville was arrested after he was found in bed with a 15-year-old boy Thursday morning in DeBary, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said. At about 1:45 a.m. the doctor’s childhood’s friend reported finding 30-year-old Alexander Ralys in the boy’s bed, deputies said. Both were...
Other News
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VP Mike Pence criticizes New York Times op-ed, rallies for Rick Scott in Orlando
The New York Times should be “ashamed” it printed a column by an anonymous Trump Administration official who claimed there is chaos within the White House, Vice President Mike Pence told reporters in Orlando on Thursday. Pence, in town to stump for Gov. Rick Scott in his bid to become a U.S. senator,...
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No charges, case closed on mom who gave 3-year-old son toilet 'swirly,' prosecutor says
A Leesburg mom’s punishment of her 3-year-old son by holding him upside down with his head inside a flushing toilet is “deplorable,” but it wasn’t child abuse, so no charges will be filed against her, a prosecutor said Thursday. “There is no evidence of sufficient physical or emotional harm or...
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NTSB investigating report of engine failure on Delta jet headed to Orlando
Safety investigators said Thursday that they are looking into a reported engine breakdown on a Delta Air Lines jet shortly after takeoff. The National Transportation Safety Board tweeted that it was investigating a reported "uncontained" engine failure on Wednesday night's Delta Flight 1418 from...
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Orange County fixes water main break on International Drive
Orange County Utilities fixed the busted water main that flooded apartments and shutdown lanes along International Drive, a spokeswoman said. A reclaimed water pipe burst open around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. Pictures showed water gushing into the street and on apartments. Lanes of northbound I-Drive...
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Ron DeSantis picks Miami Rep. Jeanette Nuñez as running mate
U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis on Thursday chose as his running mate Miami state Rep. Jeanette Nuñez, the first Cuban-American woman to become a candidate for lieutenant governor in Florida history. “I’m picking a very special person for lieutenant governor,’’ said DeSantis at a Republican rally at the...
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DeSantis, Scott, Pence come to Orlando — highlights of big day in Florida politics
Thursday has been quite a day for Florida politics, and almost all of the action is happening here in Orlando. Here are some highlights: • U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, the GOP nominee for governor, announced his choice for lieutenant governor: Miami Rep. Jeanette Nuñez, the first Cuban-American woman...
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Orange-Osceola state attorney to review cases for wrongful convictions
Orange-Osceola State Attorney Aramis Ayla's office will review cases of people who say they were wrongfully convicted, a spokeswoman said Thursday. Anyone convicted of a crime they did not commit in Orange and Osceola counties can fill out an application on the state attorney’s website and request...
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Deputies seek man, woman after Orange County death
A man died Thursday morning after a confrontation at a home near Lake Weston, an Orange County Sheriff’s spokesman said. Deputies released few details about the case but said they are looking for a man and a woman seen outside the Satel Drive home. Spokesman Jeff Williamson called the two “persons...
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Army veteran tried helping a stranded driver — a hitman who'd been hired to kill him, cops say
When Carlos Cruz-Echevarria was found dead along the side of a Deltona road in November, Volusia County detectives believed he was a good Samaritan, randomly shot as he tried helping a stranded driver. An investigation soon revealed that the story went much deeper. The stranded driver who Cruz-Echevarria...
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Florida K-9 officer goes viral after nabbing a suspect on the run
A Pasco County K9 officer went viral Wednesday after a video of him nabbing a suspect was posted to the Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook page. A body cam video worn by Deputy Nick Carmack shows K-9 Shep in pursuit of a suspect who fled from a traffic stop Tuesday in New Port Richey in a red Nissan Rogue...