Florida National Guard Public Affairs Office SSG Carmen N Fleischmann informed Historic City News today that Joint Task Force-Florida is continuing to respond in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael. Approximately 3,500 Soldiers and Airmen are involved in a variety of missions such as search and rescue, road clearance, shelter assistance, food and water distribution, and aviation missions.

Historic City News was informed by media contacts at the St Johns County Emergency Operations Center that Hurricane Michael made landfall in the Florida Panhandle earlier this afternoon as a strong Category 4 major hurricane. The EOC remains at Activation Level 3 (Monitoring).

Executive Director Bryan L. Shorstein of the State Attorney for the Seventh Judicial Circuit, reported to Historic City News that Putnam County defendant Jose A Maldonado Sr. pled guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison at the conclusion of his sentencing hearing on Friday.

This morning at about 9:31 a.m., detention deputies at the Flagler County jail discovered the body of an inmate against a cell door, the victim of an apparent suicide. The jail was immediately placed on lockdown while onsite medical staff assisted officers performing CPR until Flagler County Fire Rescue could arrive.