- December 15, 2025
Flagler County has seen a spike in the numbers of people who are charged with felonies or misdemeanors but do not appear on their appointed court dates. In 2009, the total was 231. In 2011, it was 499, or a 116% increase in two years.
Chief Deputy David O’Brien, of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, says the overpopulated jail is the key factor in the increase.
(See the Saturday Read for more: "Behind the Barbed Wire.")
If someone is suspected for committing a misdemeanor, for example, the deputy could take them to jail. Instead, the Sheriff’s Office is issuing a notice to appear, which requires the suspect to appear in court on a specific date.
That reduces the burden on the jail because the suspect is not booked and doesn’t occupy a holding cell overnight.
But as the data indicate, it also increases the numbers of failures to appear.
Referring to the overpopulated jail, O’Brien said: “The snowball effect is, we’re letting people stay out on the street.”
