Date: October 19, 2026
Prepared by: Jake Arthur, Public Information Officer
Email: PIO@flaglersheriff.com
Release #: 2026 – 227
Flagler County Sheriff’s Office deputies made 14 arrests during Biketoberfest between 6 a.m. on Thursday, October 15, 2026, and 6 a.m. on Monday, October 19, 2026. Deputies handled 830 calls for service and made 196 traffic stops.
Palm Coast Woman Strikes a Nurse and a Deputy at the Hospital After DUI Crash
On Friday evening, deputies arrested a Palm Coast woman for DUI after a crash on Palm Coast Parkway NE, then added battery charges after she struck a nurse and a deputy at the hospital.
At approximately 5:19 p.m., deputies responded to a reported hit-and-run crash on Palm Coast Parkway NE. The driver, later identified as Melissa Delaney, 32, of Palm Coast, told deputies an unknown SUV had struck her while she was driving. Deputies determined she had actually run into a street sign.
Melissa Delaney (Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility Mugshot)
Once the crash investigation was complete, a deputy started a DUI investigation. Delaney said she was coming from European Village and heading home and told the deputy she had not been drinking, but the deputy smelled alcohol on her breath. Her eyes were watery and glassy, her speech was slurred, and she could not stand in one spot without swaying back and forth.
She agreed to field sobriety exercises but as the deputy began them, she became agitated and shoved another deputy. Deputies handcuffed her and took her to the hospital to be medically cleared before being taken to jail.
At the hospital, she asked to be treated for the crash, then became aggressive with the medical staff. She then struck a nurse in the chest with both fists. When the deputy restrained her, she tried to bite him, hit him in the chest, and kicked him several times while he held her arms to the bed.
A blood draw at the hospital showed a blood alcohol content of .192, more than twice the legal limit. Later that night, she provided two breath samples of .086 and .084.
“Our nurses and deputies are there to save lives, not to take punches, and anyone who puts their hands on them will answer for it with a felony charge,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “Alcohol ruins lives every day, and it doesn’t wait for a crash to do it. This time it was a street sign. Next time it could be a family on their way home. If you drink, don’t drive. If you are impaired and drive, we will show you some new bars at the Green Roof Inn.”
Deputies arrested Delaney for DUI with property damage, battery on a law enforcement officer, and battery on an emergency medical care provider. She was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, where she was later released on a $12,500 bond.
Unlicensed Motorcyclist Tosses THC Vape on His Riding Partner’s Fender During Traffic Stop
On Sunday morning, deputies arrested a Pennsylvania man for tampering with evidence and possession of fentanyl after he tried to ditch a THC vape on another motorcycle during a traffic stop on U.S. 1.
At approximately 11:17 a.m., an FCSO sergeant saw an orange and black Yamaha motorcycle traveling north on U.S. 1 near Cemetery Road in Bunnell without its headlight on and pulled it over.
The rider, Cody Varga, 38, of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, had no registration and handed the sergeant a Pennsylvania ID card instead of a driver’s license. He said the motorcycle wasn’t registered and the tag came with it when he bought it. The New York tag expired in April 2021 and belongs to a Suzuki motorcycle. Varga then told the sergeant he could have the motorcycle because he wasn’t going to ride it anymore.
Cody Varga (Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility Mugshot)
Varga appeared nervous and kept trying to put distance between himself and the sergeant. He walked to the front of another motorcycle that had been riding with him and dropped something on its front fender. The sergeant walked over and found a THC vape.
Varga’s Pennsylvania driver’s license is suspended for DUI, and his New York license is suspended as well. He does not have a Florida driver’s license or a motorcycle endorsement. Having multiple driver’s licenses in different states is also illegal.
A second deputy arrived and they checked the sling bag on his chest for weapons. Inside was another vape, which Varga called a “weed vape,” adding that he didn’t have a medical marijuana card. The liquid inside tested positive for THC hashish oil. In Varga’s right front pocket, the deputy found a small plastic container with a white powder residue that Varga called “dabs.” Which tested positive for fentanyl. Deputies also found a grinder containing cannabis.
“He told our sergeant he could keep the motorcycle because he wasn’t going to ride it anymore. That may be the most honest thing he said all morning as the motorcycle was impounded,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “Dropping a THC vape on your buddy’s fender right in front of a sergeant doesn’t make it disappear, and neither did the fentanyl in his pocket. Biketoberfest ended for him at the Green Roof Inn.”
Deputies arrested Varga for tampering with evidence, possession of fentanyl without a prescription, possession of hashish, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving while license suspended with knowledge, attaching a tag not assigned, and operating a motorcycle without a motorcycle endorsement. He was also cited for riding without a headlight and for having an expired registration for more than six months. Varga was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, where he is being held on an $8,450 bond.
The post Flagler County Sheriff’s Biketoberfest Roundup: October 15-18 first appeared on Flagler County Buzz.
