This is Marcia Lane, your roving reporter.
A St. Augustine man arrested during the Jan. 6 rally in Washington has died and the federal government says they won’t continue prosecution efforts. John Anderson, a 61-year-old U.S. Marine Corps military veteran, was facing seven counts in connection with the U.S. Capitol breach. He was arrested in late February in St. Augustine and released pending trial. Anderson, whose cause of death in hospital hasn’t been release, was fighting the charges. His lawyer says video evidence shows Anderson never hurt or touched a single police officer, one of the charges.
Several road closures will cause some delays this week. Current Florida Department of Transportation projects include portions of State Road 207. In St. Johns County a $15 million resurfacing project on U.S. 1 from State Road 207 north to the City Gates, just north of State Road 16 is ongoing. Overnight lane closures from. 9:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. are underway from SR 207 to West King Street. Another project has contractors replacing all on-street parking for 3.5 miles along U.S. 1 with bike lanes. That’s not a welcome change in a town where parking spaces are at a premium.
Law enforcement officers from half-a-dozen counties including Putnam continue to search a 3,000-acre area for Patrick McDowell, a suspect in the shooting of a Nassau County deputy Friday. On Sunday Putnam County Sheriff’s SWAT officers were on the scene southwest of Callahan, on Monday Putnam Sheriff’s detectives were taking part. McDowell, a former Marine described as skilled in survivalist training, allegedly shot Deputy Josh Moyers during a traffic stop.
Putnam County commissioners are meeting today at the County complex on Crill Avenue. Regular meeting is at 9 a.m. with a transportation workshop set for 2 p.m.
A 50-year-old Flagler County mother was briefly jailed Sunday after an anonymous caller reported numerous underage people drinking and doing drugs at a house on Selden Court in Palm Coast.Christan Myers was arrest on one count of holding an open-house party with alcohol and one count of causing the delinquency of a minor. She told deputies she was not aware the juveniles were drinking and she was drinking alone. She had a beer in hand as she talked to deputies and said the party was a small gathering for friends of her daughters. Marijuana paraphernalia and oxycodone were found. Fourteen teens admitted they were drinking. All were sent home.
The Palatka Fly-In at the city airport didn’t happen this year in part because of COVID-19, but it will be back in 2022 under private sponsorship. Airport Manager John Youell came up with the idea in 2011. The event has grown in popularity and now includes a classic car show with more than 8,000 turning out for the last show in 2020. Local attorney Charlie Douglas, a pilot, has been working with Tomlinson Aviation out of Ormond Beach and the group will be running the event. Palatka City Commission has given the Airport Advisory Board the okay.
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