- April 25, 2024
-
-
Loading
Loading
+ Sheriff announces Juvenile Assessment and Monitoring program
Flagler County’s juvenile offenders have someone watching them under a new enforcement program initiated by Sheriff Jim Manfre.
Under the new Juvenile Assessment and Monitoring program, juveniles who are on probation will be contacted by the Safe Neighborhood Unit. Deputies who contact the juveniles will be making sure the juveniles are following their probation guidelines.
On Friday, the third JAM operation was conducted, during which deputies accompanied by state probation officers chose to spot check 10 juveniles who were on probation. Seven of the 10 were found to be in violation of their probation conditions.
One of the seven was arrested and transported to the Division of Youth Services. Three others were arrested and released to their parents. Charges against the remaining three of those in violation have been forwarded to the State Attorney’s Office.
Of those in violation, six had broken their curfew and one tested positive in a drug screen.
In the first operation, which happened Jan. 19, deputies and state probation officers checked on 13 juvenile probationers. Six of the 13 were in violation of their probation conditions. The check found two had violated their curfew hours; two others tested positive for their drug screens and two were given violations for both curfew and positive drug screens.
In the second operation, held Feb. 22, deputies and state probation officers checked on 30 juveniles across the county. Seven of the 30 checked were found to be in violation of their probation conditions.
One subject was unable to be located; two were arrested and transported to the Division of Youth Services and four were arrested for curfew violations and released to their parents.
“These juveniles are on probation as a result of a judge’s order,” Manfre said. “We want to be sure they are following the directives of the court. If the judge says, ‘Be home by 10 p.m.’, then they need to be there, or they will be arrested.”
Additional operations will be scheduled in the future.
+ 15 arrested, accused of unlicensed contracting
Law enforcement officials arrested 15 unlicensed contractors Thursday after implementing a undercover investigation.
In the coordinated, two-day operation, investigators placed calls to individuals who had advertised services that would have required that they possess a Florida contractor’s license. The ads appeared in newspapers and on the Internet.
Investigators then scheduled appointments with these unlicensed individuals to receive an estimate for work at a home on South Railroad Avenue, in Bunnell. After completing the operation earlier in the week, investigators moved in Thursday to arrest 10 individuals on charges of performing construction without a license or performing electrical work without a license. Five of those arrested Thursday have previous convictions for violations of the state licensing requirement.
The investigators working on the operation involved deputies assigned to the Safe Neighborhood Unit of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, who worked with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, the city of Palm Coast's Business Tax Department, the Flagler County Building Department, and the Florida Department of Financial Services — Divisions of Fraud and Workers Compensation .
“The individuals caught in this sting operation prey on residents of our county, taking money out of the pockets of hard working legitimate business owners,” Flagler County Sheriff Jim Manfre said in a statement. "Many of these phony contractors have prior criminal records and are people you really don't want inside your house or around your family."
Jay Maher, supervisor of the Business Tax Department for the city of Palm Coast, urged residents to check the state’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation website as well as the Flagler County and Palm Coast websites to see if a contractor is licensed. He also suggested that before any money changes hands, residents request the contractor provide proof of insurance.
“Many of those arrested are people we get complaints on all the time,” Maher said. "Homeowners need to be aware of the risk they take when they hire someone who is not licensed. What initially may seem like a good deal often ends up costing the homeowner a lot more.”
Flagler County Administrator Craig Coffey was pleased with the outcome of the undercover operation.
“It is important for our residents to receive the services that they are paying for when hiring a contractor and that the work is performed to the safety standards provided in the State building code,” Coffey said. “Flagler County and the City of Palm Coast staff members cooperated in this effort to ensure the residents are getting licensed and certified contractors.”
To see the names and charges of those caught, see www.PalmCoastObserver.com.
