- April 18, 2024
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Updated: 6:10 p.m., June 8
A man shot and killed himself the morning of June 8 in a pickup truck in the parking lot of the Flagler County courthouse on State Road 100 minutes before he was due in court to be sentenced for possession of child pornography.
The man, 48-year-old Mario Arter, had been arrested on May 9, 2020. He'd been charged with 30 counts of possession of child pornography, and had entered a plea agreement in which he'd pleaded guilty to 10 counts. He was scheduled for a sentencing hearing before Circuit Judge Terence Perkins at 10 a.m.
The Flagler County Sheriff's Office blocked off the surrounding area as deputies responded to the shooting.
A Sheriff's Office spokeswoman said that Arter had called the Sheriff's Office at 9:55 a.m., minutes before the shooting, to tell law enforcement where they could find his body.
"By the time we had gotten out there, he'd acted on his threat, unfortunately," Public Affairs Officer Melissa Morreales said.
The Flagler County Sheriff's Office, in a news release about the shooting, said that FCSO deputies, Sheriff Rick Staly, and Bunnell police officers had responded to the scene.
“Our Cybercrimes Unit did an excellent job building a strong case against Arter, and he knew he was likely going to prison," Staly said, according to the news release. "It is unfortunate this was the solution he chose, which will again affect innocent people.”
