- May 5, 2024
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When Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly deals with domestic violence calls, one particular case comes to mind — it’s one he won’t ever forget.
While serving in Orange County in the mid-1980s, Staly and his deputies, after receiving a 911 call, arrived at the home of a man who had allegedly been beating his wife over a period of 48 hours.
The suspect, who was a defense attorney, would not let law enforcement into his home to confirm if his wife was OK. Eventually, he permitted her to come to the door.
What Staly saw shocked him.
“She was the most physically abused person I had ever seen in my career who was still alive,” Staly recalled. “That’s how bad she was beat up.”
Deputies were able to arrest the man after he was caught driving while intoxicated shortly after. He was taken to court. Law enforcement had no evidence of the woman’s injuries, and she testified that her husband did not abuse her.
The jury came back with a not-guilty verdict.
“That case has always stayed with me,” Staly said. “I can still see her face today.”
Flagler County has seen a 7.1% decrease in domestic violence offenses and a 10.3% decrease in domestic violence arrests from January to September, according to Staly, who addressed the FCSO's domestic violence initiatives at his most recent domestic violence summit the morning of Thursday, Oct. 17, at the Kim C. Hammond Justice Center.
"I think that’s a great trend," he said. "I’m hoping that that continues.”
The FCSO has since received more than $300,000 in grants, part of which pays the salary of detective Fiona Ebrill, who is dedicated to domestic violence cases. The grants also fund GPS monitors for assailants on pre-trial release.
In addition, Assistant State Attorney Jason Lewis said that while the State Attorney's Office used to go forward with about 35% of its domestic violence cases, that number has increased by about 5-10%.
"I attribute that some to Fiona," he said.
Lewis added: “We’re not going to be able to solve every problem. But we’re going to do what we can to make sure victims are safe.”
