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UPDATE: Man who killed new dad sentenced to 14 years

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PANAMA CITY — A man who accidentally shot and killed a father during his newborn son’s homecoming celebration has been sentenced to 14 years in prison just weeks before he was scheduled to go on trial, according to court records.

Charles Shisler, 63, pleaded guilty to manslaughter, felon in possession of a firearm and possession of methamphetamine Friday for the June shooting death of 33-year-old Steven Justin Ayers.

Shisler was sentenced to 14 years in prison for the death of Ayers, who hd just brought home his baby boy to a gathering of several close family members, court records indicated. Police found Ayers’ lifeless body near the entrance to his home.

Ayers and his wife had gathered family members June 17, 2014, to celebrate the homecoming of their 3-day-old baby — born on Father’s Day — but the celebration at 2502 Michigan Court ended shortly after 6 p.m. when the stray bullet entered the home from more than 200 feet away.

Family members initially thought the house was under fire from a sniper or someone “using a scope,” police reported. In fact, a single gunshot had entered the Ayers’ house through a sliding glass back door, traveled about 30 feet across the living room and struck Ayers in the head as he was walking toward the front door to retrieve takeout food for his relatives.

He was killed instantly.

Glancing out the sliding glass door when they arrived moments later, police could see Shisler standing at a 60-foot-wide, medium-density tree line that separated the nearly 150 feet between the homes. As officers confronted Shisler with guns drawn, he told them, “I don’t have a gun; I just set off an M80 (firework) earlier,” police reported.

Inside the patrol car, once he was informed his neighbor had been shot and killed, Shisler told officers he had a 9mm handgun under a mattress in his bedroom. The gun belonged to his wife. He’d been putting the gun under the couch in the living room when it accidentally went off earlier.

“The damn gun doesn’t usually shoot,” Shisler’s arrest report quoted him as saying. “You have to squeeze the hell out of the trigger to shoot it.”

Investigators determined the bullet traveled out of Shisler’s window screen, through the woods, through the Ayers’ back porch glass door and into their home before striking Ayers in the back of the head.

Shisler was arrested and a blood test taken more than four hours after the incident indicated he was not under the influence of narcotics and had a blood alcohol content of 0.079, slightly below what is normally considered intoxicated, officials said.

During their investigation into the shooting, officers also found a glass pipe and “shake and bake” kit in Shisler’s residence, which both tested positive for methamphetamine residue. However, Shisler’s attorney protested the manner in which that evidence and the gun were obtained. He also claimed Shisler’s comments following his arrest were illegally obtained and no evidence existed that Shisler was read his Miranda rights or understood those rights.

The motion to suppress that evidence from being heard in court still was pending as Shisler pleaded guilty Friday. He also waived his right to appeal the pending motion.

Shisler was sentenced to the minimum mandatory prison stint of 14 years, according to court records. He will have to serve all 14 years of his sentence.


Man accused of robbing bank posted video on Instagram

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VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — A man arrested for robbing a bank posted a photo and videos of the theft on social media — but said he shouldn’t have been charged because he didn’t threaten anyone and politely asked for the money.

Dominyk Antonio Alfonseca, 23, was arrested on Monday in Virginia Beach about 20 minutes after a TowneBank branch was robbed.

Alfonseca told media outlets in interviews from jail Wednesday that he posted a photo of the note he handed to a bank teller, and two videos of her reading it and handing over the money, to Instagram. They still appeared on his account Wednesday night. He didn’t say why he posted them, but said if it had been a real robbery, he never would have done so.

--- MORE NEWS OF THE WEIRD»»

“I videotaped it. If it was a robbery, I don’t think I would videotape it, post the picture of the letter and do that all to come to jail,” he told WAVY-TV. “I’m basically asking permission for money. In my eyes I did not commit a robbery, and I feel I’m being charged without reason.”

A photo posted to Alfonseca’s Instagram account shows a handwritten note in which the writer remarks that it would probably take three or four minutes for police to arrive, so “I would appreciate it if you ring the alarm a minute after I’m gone.” It also says to “make sure the money doesn’t blow up” on his way out. The videos show a bank teller reading the note and putting money into a bag.

Online court records did not show whether Alfonseca had an attorney. He told the television station he recently moved to the area from California and that he is a rapper.

Alfonseca was quoted by the Virginian-Pilot as saying that he has been the victim of theft, with businesses and artists stealing ideas from his Instagram account.

He told the newspaper it’s as if there’s a chip in his brain that tells people what he thinks before he says it.

BCSO arrest log (April 29-May 6)

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Information is provided by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office on people arrested on charges April 29 through May 6. Those arrested can contact The News Herald if charges are dropped or if they are acquitted. Addresses are those given by the defendant during arrest.

--- MUGSHOTS»»

Donella Renee Brooks, 36, 12433 Hauser Road, Panama City, possession of controlled substance without prescription

Candace Rae Erickson, 53, 119 Sims Ave., Panama City, neglect elderly or disabled adult

William Craig Erickson, 53, 119 Sims Ave., Callaway, neglect elderly or disabled adult

Cody Michael Lamonica, 28, 131 Southfields Road, Panama City Beach, felony or domestic battery by strangulation

Raven Noel Gladin, 20, 307 N. Palo Alto Ave., Panama City, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver, possession of controlled substance without prescription

Alonzo Keys III, 26, 739 Bay Ave., Panama City, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

James Paul Autrey, 53, 418 E. Ninth St., Panama City, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Antoine Gwen Polk, 29, 518 Everitt Ave., Panama City, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Daniel  Myzel, 44, 2141 W. 29th St., Panama City, possession of heroin

--- MUGSHOTS»»

Lisa Fay Moore, 53, 4603 Hwy 231, Panama City, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Joshua Gregory Maulden, 29, 2624 Headland Ave., Panama City, possession of controlled substance without prescription

Damian Willie Roberts, 32, 1211 N. East Ave., Panama City, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without the intent to kill

James Harold Mobbs, 42, 11005 Old Bicycle Road, Panama City, felony battery

Cynthia Jean Jacobs, 48, Crawfordville, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Kevin Lynn Powers, 50, 530 Skyview Drive, Panama City Beach, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver, possession of methamphetamine

Gerald Richard Breen Jr., 33, 3711 W. 22nd St., Panama City, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

--- MUGSHOTS»»

Corey Dean Griffin, 29, 258 N. Bayshore Drive, Panama City, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Jamie Dale Minnis, 26, 924 N. Tyndall Parkway, Panama City, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Tyler Anthony Tholen, 19, Leesburg, Ga., burglary

Michael Derick Barnes, 21, Albany, Ga., burglary

Romar Balin Gresham, 31, 160 N. Fox Ave., Panama City, aggravated battery

Karen Kay Turner, 51, 3604 Betsy Lane, Panama City, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver, possession of controlled substance without prescription

Terry Devon Shivers, 18, 127 Springfield Ave., Panama City, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Eric Ray Orme, 42, 2131 E. 26th St., Panama City, burglary

--- MUGSHOTS»»

Crystal Lynn Bell, 23, 2400 Mckinnon St., Port St. Joe, possession of weapon or ammunition by felon

James Edward Lamar, 48, 152 Springfield Ave., Springfield, kidnapping/false imprisonment

Deonte Richard Williamson, 22, 1211 E. 26th St., Lynn Haven, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Larry Eugene Moore, 49, 104 Wisteria Ave., Panama City Beach, burglary

Kyle Dylan Brooks, 32, Griffin, Ga., possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Joshua David Steele, 33, Fort Myers, possession of opium or derivative with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Robert Frank Bliss, 33, 1135 Plantation Drive, Panama City, possession of synthetic narcotic with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Preston Eugene Langley, 22, grand theft

Brett Allen (Ouzo) Creamer, 29, 1940 Sherman Ave., Panama City, grand theft, burglary

ChadAlan Stevens, 34, 1302 Grace Ave., Panama City, trafficking amphetamine

--- MUGSHOTS»»

Karim  Bien-Aime, 32, aggravated battery with use of a deadly weapon

Jennifer Karol Cunningham, 20, 1406 S. Berthe Ave., Panama City, burglary, grand larceny

Spencer Michael Merriam, 19, 1201 Tyndall Drive, Panama City, possession of cocaine

Brandon Lee French, 25, 1424 W. Park Lane, Callaway, burglary, grand theft, possession of weapon or ammunition by a felon

Emily Sue Burkholder, 21, Crawfordville, Ind., possession of controlled substance without prescription

Panama City Beach releases Spring Break crime statistics

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PANAMA CITY BEACH — Guns and drugs during Spring Break pervaded the day-to-day lives of Beach Police just as it did with county deputies, according to newly released crime figures.

The figures released by the Panama City Beach Police Department echoed the reports released earlier by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, and both set new records for the agencies in drug-related arrests and gun seizures.

In total, the agencies confiscated 93 guns in the six weeks encompassing the college holiday and made 507 drug arrests, according to the agencies’ statistics. Last year, those numbers were significantly less, with 38 guns being taken off the streets and only 201 people arrested on drug charges.

From March 1 through April 12, PCBPD responded to 13,301 calls for service. Those numbers increased from the 11,632 calls for service police worked last year. BCSO saw a similar trend, according to their figures. Officers responded to 6,138 calls for service while the previous year was 4,110.

PCBPD arrests increased from 1,219 last year to 1,332 for the current year’s Spring Break six-week period. BCSO arrests saw a vastly more significant increase, leaping from 324 last year to 1,091 this year.

In total, officers arrested 2,423 people in just a few weeks in Panama City Beach this year.

Beach Police Chief Drew Whitman did not return a request for comment on the increased figures.

Several factors could have contributed to the increases, such as more people making the journey to the Beach, changes in laws and a significant increase in police presence.

BCSO implemented a policy to book people on misdemeanors this year and established a six-man “sand patrol” unit with $150,000 they received from the Tourist Development Council (TDC) to place more officers on the beach. PCBPD also received $150,000 from the TDC for additional resources during Spring Break.

Officers from 13 different jurisdictions along the Panhandle were brought in to help combat the multitudes of party-seeking spring breakers, BCSO reported, similar to the type of response a major natural disaster would receive. Also, a new ordinance enabled police to approach people drinking on the beach and arrest them if they had no identification, where they wouldn’t have been able to initiate contact in previous years.

After a house party shooting at March’s end that left seven injured, both the Bay County Commission and the Beach Council approved even more funding for additional officers. The Beach Council approved up to $200,000 for PCBPD to police the dwindling crowds directly following the shooting. The Bay County Commission later approved a total of $148,000 for BCSO, including $40,000 to police a “Freaknik”-type event that was canceled. The funds did not make their way back to the coffers, however, according to officials.

Law enforcement received approval to spend up to $648,000 in additional funds to police Spring Break this year.

While most arrests increased from 2014 to 2015, several crimes were on the downswing. Police arrested fewer people under 21 in possession of alcohol and fewer people driving under the influence this year. Robbery, theft, hit and run, resisting officers without violence and public nudity arrests also decreased this year, according to police reports.

UPDATE: Latest Zimmerman dust-up linked to prior road rage incident

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LAKE MARY (AP) — George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who has had a series of run-ins with girlfriends, his ex-wife and random strangers since killing an unarmed black teenager, narrowly missed getting shot Monday after a mysterious dispute.

The dispute this time was with the same man that authorities said was involved in a road rage incident with Zimmerman last year. A bullet missed his head, spraying glass from the vehicle's windshield, said his attorney, Don West. He said the bullet lodged somewhere in the vehicle. He was treated at a hospital and released.

No charges were immediately filed against either man.

Lake Mary Police Officer Bianca Gillett said during a news conference Monday that Matthew Apperson called 911 to report the shooting shortly after Zimmerman flagged down an officer to say someone had shot at him. Both Zimmerman and Apperson have yet to be interviewed formally by investigators, she said.

“We have not determined how or why the incident or altercation began,” Gillett said.

A woman who answered the phone at the disability-benefits business where Apperson works asked a reporter never to call again. Nobody answered the door at his Winter Springs condominium, where there is a “for sale” out front and a lock box on the door.

Last September, Apperson said Zimmerman threatened to kill him, asking “Do you know who I am?” during a confrontation in their vehicles. Apperson decided not to pursue charges, and police officers were unable to move forward without a car tag identified or witnesses.

“I explained to Matthew that without the tag, witnesses, and/or clear video identifying the driver as George Zimmerman, it might be difficult to prove the alleged suspect was in fact Zimmerman,” the Lake Mary police officer wrote in a report last September.

West said before the news conference that Zimmerman thought he knew who was responsible for the shooting and is cooperating with authorities.

Zimmerman was acquitted in the 2013 killing of Martin, an unarmed black teenager, in a case that sparked protests and national debate about race relations. The Justice Department later announced it was not bringing a civil rights case against Zimmerman.

Since then, Zimmerman has had several brushes with the law, including:

  • He was charged with aggravated assault after being accused of throwing a wine bottle at an ex-girlfriend, Brittany Brunelle. The case was dropped in January after she recanted her story and refused to cooperate.
  • Following another domestic confrontation, he was arrested on charges of aggravated assault, battery and criminal mischief after his then-girlfriend said he pointed a gun at her face during an argument, smashed her coffee table and pushed her out of the house they shared. Samantha Scheibe decided not to cooperate with detectives, and prosecutors didn't pursue the case.
  • Zimmerman was accused by his estranged wife of smashing an iPad during an argument at the home they had shared. Shellie Zimmerman initially told a dispatcher her husband had a gun, though she later said he was unarmed. No charges were filed because of a lack of evidence. The dispute occurred days after Shellie Zimmerman filed divorce papers.

UPDATE: 2 charged after gunshot reported at motel

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PANAMA CITY — Two men were arrested, including one on a litany of gun and drug charges, after authorities responded to a gunshot at a local motel, the Panama City Police Department reported.

Bobby Gene Brogdon III, 19, of Panama City, and Nathaniel Pitts, 17, of Chipley, were charged after police responded to the Days Inn, 4111 W. U.S. 98, at 12:30 a.m. Monday after management reported a gunshot through a window on the premises, PCPD reported. Officers seized numerous drug contraband, a KEL TEC .380 caliber semiautomatic handgun, a Taurus .45 caliber semiautomatic handgun and ammunition, police reported.

Pitts received the most charges, including carrying a concealed firearm, possession of a firearm with an altered serial number, tampering with or destruction of evidence, discharging a firearm over the right of way, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of alprazolam with intent to distribute, possession of methamphetamine and minor in possession of alcohol. Brogdon was charged with carrying a concealed firearm and tampering with or destruction of evidence, police reported.

Alleged stalker arrested

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PANAMA CITY — A tip through Crime Stoppers helped investigators identify a man they believe recently stalked a woman as she walked home and then tried to force her into his vehicle, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office reported Monday.

The incident occurred recently when the victim went to a convenience store in Southport, made her purchase and began to walk home. As she neared her home, a man driving a late-model burgundy Suburban drove up to her. The man grabbed her and tried to get her into his vehicle, but she resisted and got away to call law enforcement. The victim stated she remembered seeing the man at the convenience store.

The suspect’s image was captured on store security cameras and released to the public. A tip identified the suspect as Douglas James Conklin, 65, deputies reported. Investigators with the BCSO Criminal Investigations Division discovered Conklin owned a business in Southport called Southport Auto, and they located Conklin Monday at his home at 4515 E. Lakeland Drive.

Conklin was arrested and charged with aggravated stalking.

Woman sentenced to 11 years in prison for DUI manslaughter

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PANAMA CITY — A woman who ran over a teenager on his high school graduation trip was sentenced Monday to 11 years in prison and four years of drug offender probation on a DUI manslaughter charge.

Lee Creary, 51, was found guilty of DUI manslaughter in March in connection with the May 22, 2014, death of 17-year-old Mark Garrard Robertson. Robertson, of Louisiana, was run down at midnight by a 1991 Chevrolet Suburban and killed while walking on a sidewalk along South Thomas Drive.

Creary stuck by the claim she had been drugged and did not remember the drive that night. However, Circuit Judge James Fensom sentenced Creary to 11 years in prison Monday to be followed by four years of drug offender probation. Robertson’s friends and family had sought the maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

“We do not want to live anymore,” Mark Robertson’s parents, Annette and Randolph Robertson, told the judge Monday. “We are living our greatest fear. The thought that an impaired driver snatched his beautiful body into death makes us physically ill.”

Creary wept aloud as friends, family members and classmates of Robertson echoed the cry for a maximum sentence. Defense Attorney Walter Smith pleaded for the minimum sentence, a little more than 10 years, citing Creary’s remorse following the incident, her lack of a criminal history and an insurance settlement to the Robertson family.

“She has been extremely remorseful,” Smith said. “This was an aberration in her life. … She has been a responsible person.”

Smith still contended there was something they could not explain in the trial that led to her demonstrating such a high blood alcohol content following the crash. Creary testified during her trial that as she drove from Pineapple Willy’s, 9875 S. Thomas Drive — after not consuming any alcohol — a strange feeling suddenly rushed over her.

“I heard static; then it just panned down to black, and it was silent …” Creary told jurors. “Then I saw a bright light, then darkness.”

In the five hours that ensued, during which she fought with emergency crews and police, Creary said she did not remember anything. Smith claimed Creary had been drugged with “pow-cohol,” a dehydrated form of grain alcohol, to explain Creary’s memory loss and violent behavior.

“She was involuntarily intoxicated to the point that she was legally insane,” Smith said.

Blood samples taken about an hour after the crash indicated she had a blood alcohol content of 0.258 percent; the legal limit for adults is 0.08. Prosecutors also highlighted she had methamphetamine in her system. Creary then tested positive for meth while out on bond awaiting trial.

The night he was killed, Robertson was returning to his room at the Boardwalk Beach Resort at about midnight. The honors student graduated from high school days earlier and had traveled to Florida on a senior trip. He was drinking a milkshake when an SUV traveling east toward the intersection at Alvin’s Island Department Store drove up on the sidewalk and struck him.

Robertson was drug in the SUV’s undercarriage until he was dislodged by Creary running over another curb.

Family members said he had a promising future, with plans to go to LSU.

“We all face a lifetime of heartache that penetrates our souls,” Annette Robertson said. “Mark was the best 17 years of our lives. We will never see him graduate college, marry his girlfriend or grow old enough to care for us.”

Creary faces four years of drug-offender probation to follow the sentence. If terms of the probation are violated, she could face additional prison time. Her driver’s license was permanently revoked.


Murder prosecution: Cadaver dogs find evidence of human remains

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DeFUNIAK SPRINGS — The talents and efforts of a couple of dogs with a unique specialty were the topic Monday at the murder trial of Barry Davis.

Rob Roy and Rosco are cadaver dogs, or more politically correctly, human remains detector dogs. Their owner and trainer, Mary Starnes Saunders, took the stand as the third week of the Davis trial opened to describe work they’d done on behalf of the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.

“We train the dogs to find the odor of human remains,” Saunders said.

On Oct. 18, 2012, both dogs were tasked at separate times with sniff testing a Cadillac Escalade that belonged to South Walton County resident John “Greg” Hughes, who had been missing since early that May.

Prosecuting attorney Bobby Elmore hopes to convince jurors that Davis used the truck to remove Hughes’ body, and the body of Hughes’ girlfriend Hiedi Rhodes, from Hughes’ residence. Elmore theorized the bodies were stored in the Cadillac for as long as two days before Davis disposed of them, likely by burning them.

Saunders described for the court Monday how her dogs train and how they work. Finally, she testified as to how first Rob Roy and then Roscoe alerted on the Escalade and indicated they’d found the odor of decomposing human remains even though the seats and carpeting in the truck had been removed and the vehicle interior scrubbed clean.

Saunders was followed on the witness stand by Ken Strutin, an academician who for more than 20 years has studied “what chemicals dogs use to find forensic substances.”

Strutin described the unbelievable canine sense of smell and discussed how dogs can be faithfully employed to use their noses to find anything from explosives to trace amounts of dried blood to human remains.

Asked if a trained cadaver dog could detect human remains in a truck, scrubbed clean, that was left sitting in a hidden location for five months, Strutin said yes.

The prosecution’s case continues this morning. The trial is expected to run through at least this week.

BCSO Junior Deputies and Explorers holding Saturday fundraiser

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PANAMA CITY — The Bay County Sheriff’s Office Junior Deputies and Explorers program will hold a fundraiser this Saturday.

The members of the program will conduct a beach cleanup Saturday from 3 to 6 p.m. on the beaches beginning at Rick Seltzer Park on Thomas Drive and heading west.

The group is looking for contributors to sponsor an individual junior deputy or explorer for a specific amount per half-hour spent cleaning up the beach. The amount per half-hour is up to the sponsor to determine. Cpl. Larry Grainger, the director of the program, will keep a log of each member’s participation.

All money raised will be used to fund a summer trip for the kids, BCSO reported.

The BCSO Junior Deputies and Explorers program offers teens an opportunity to learn about law enforcement and cultivate leadership skills. The group also gives back to the community by volunteering at large events such as Relay for Life, Cops and Kids and Jazzfest. Several current deputies at the BCSO joined Junior Deputies and Explorers as teens.

Anyone interested in sponsoring a Junior Deputy or Explorer is asked to contact Cpl. Larry Granger at 850-248-2162.

UPDATE: P.C. motorcyclist killed in hit-and-run crash; PCB driver charged

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PANAMA CITY BEACH — A Panama City motorcyclist died Monday night following a hit-and-run crash on Front Beach Road, according to a Florida Highway Patrol news release.

James S. Dutton, 34, was driving a 2008 Harley-Davidson in the outside eastbound lane of Front Beach Road Monday night about 7 p.m. as he approached Allison Avenue. Meanwhile, Michael R. Morgan, 48, was driving a 2005 Dodge pickup west toward the left turn lane of Front Beach, east of Allison, FHP reported.

According to FHP officers, the pickup turned left to enter Allison Avenue and collided with the front of the motorcycle, throwing Dutton from the motorcycle.

Morgan, of Panama City Beach, fled the scene of the crash, FHP reported. Bay County Sheriff’s Office deputies located him at about midnight at a residence on Lagoon Knoll, a few blocks away, officers reported.

The intersection of Allison Avenue and the outside lane of Front Beach Road were closed for hours as officers investigated. BCSO sent out an all-clear report at about midnight.

Dutton, who was wearing a helmet, was taken to Bay Medical Sacred Heart Health Center where he was pronounced dead from the crash, according to the report. Morgan sustained no injuries and was charged with a hit and run involving death, a first-degree felony, according to FHP. He appeared in court Tuesday for first appearances.

The report also noted alcohol results are pending for both men.

Wood sentenced to death for retired game warden’s murder

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CHIPLEY — Zachary Taylor Wood was sentenced to death in a historic decision Tuesday.

Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Judge Christopher Patterson announced the sentence for Wood’s part in the murder of retired game warden James “Coon” Shores. While it was not the first death sentence to be recommended by a jury, the sentence is the first to be handed down by a judge in a Washington County courtroom under the county’s modern judicial history.

Wood delivered a statement to the court during the sentencing, both apologizing to the victim’s family and stating he felt Patterson would give him the death penalty to “further his political career.”

“I’m convicted of something I didn’t do,” Wood said. “Killing me isn’t going to bring Mr. Shores back.”

A jury recommended death for Wood in February after finding him guilty of first-degree murder, burglary of a structure while armed with a firearm and robbery with a firearm.

Washington County sheriff’s deputies found Shores, 66, shot to death on his Johnson Road property in April 2014. Deputies arrived after they received information from Alabama law enforcement that a vehicle connected to the shooting of a state trooper was registered to Shores.

Testimony indicated Shores found Wood and his co-defendant, Dillon Rafsky, on his family land after they had burglarized his family’s old homestead, which is located on the property.

According to law enforcement, Shores told the men to leave and was then beaten, bound at his feet and hands, and shot execution-style. Prosecutors stated Shores also was doused with an accelerant in an attempt to set him on fire.

In addition to the death penalty for Shores’ murder, Wood is sentenced to serve 100 years each for the burglary and robbery counts.

Wood offered to testify against Rafsky during his trial, which is expected to take place this fall.

The sentence is subject to automatic review by the Florida Supreme Court, and Wood’s family says they are preparing for an appeal.

“This has been a miscarriage of justice,” said Wood’s sister, Heather Griffin. “Zack wasn’t tried by a jury of his peers; he was tried by a jury of Mr. Shores’ peers. He was not given a fair trial.

“Zack is not responsible for Mr. Shore’s death. He is a victim. The co-defendant beat and shot Zack” before Shores’ murder. Griffin added that she believed Wood’s guilty verdict was rendered in part because of his romantic relationship with Rafsky.

“If this would have been a traditional relationship, Zack would have not been punished for his abuser’s crime,” she said. “I am truly sorry to the Shores family, but there is no peace without forgiveness in your heart.”

Shores’ family says they are simply glad the trial and sentencing are over.

“We’re glad it’s over with, but we’re not excited about it because (Wood’s family) lost a loved one, too,” said James Shores’ older brother, Joe Boy Shores. “We feel for their family.”

BCSO seeks IDs of stolen credit card suspects in video

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PANAMA CITY — The Bay County Sheriff’s Office released video Tuesday of two men captured on security cameras as they used stolen credit card information to make purchases in Bay County.

A local woman discovered her credit card information had been compromised April 21 and used at several businesses in Bay County to make fraudulent purchases, BCSO reported. The victim still was in possession of her credit card, so BCSO investigators believed the suspects encoded the stolen credit information on a counterfeit card and used it to make purchases.

--- VIDEO: SEE THE SUSPECTS»»

The suspects are described as two males, possibly Hispanic, who appear to be in their late 20s or early 30s. One suspect has a muscular build and is of medium height. He was wearing a green short-sleeve shirt, pink shorts, dark shoes and baseball cap. The second suspect is of medium height and medium build and was last seen wearing a white v-neck shirt with gray pants, a light gray sweatshirt, dark shoes and dark sunglasses.

Anyone with information on these two suspects is asked to contact the Bay County Sheriff’s Office at 747-4700 or CrimeStoppers at 850-785-TIPS (8477).

Wewa man charged after diving off Lynn Haven bridge

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LYNN HAVEN — Police arrested a Wewahitchka man who allegedly dove from the Bailey Bridge and then resisted officers as they tried to bring him aboard a rescue vessel, the Lynn Haven Police Department reported.

Bradlye Scott Bozeman, 44, was arrested Tuesday at about 3:15 p.m. on several charges connected with the incident.

LHPD reported receiving a call about a man who parked his vehicle on the Bailey Bridge and jumped into the water. Police saw Bozeman floundering in the water and called the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Lynn Haven Fire Department to the scene.

While officers were attempting to rescue Bozeman, he allegedly resisted their efforts and would not comply by getting into one of their vessels while at the same time he attempted to physically strike officers as they were attempting to render aid. Bozeman eventually was pulled from the water and charged with resisting an officer with violence, resisting an officer without violence, leaving a vehicle unattended on a bridge and jumping from a bridge.

After being medically cleared, Bozeman was taken to the Bay County Jail to await first appearance.

2 of 3 PCB Spring Break rape suspects appear in court

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PANAMA CITY — Two of three college students arrested in connection with a group sexual battery of an incapacitated female spring breaker were arraigned on the charges Tuesday.

Delonte Martistee, 22, and Ryan Calhoun, 22, both have pleaded not guilty following their arrests for what authorities labeled a Spring Break “gang rape” on a crowded beach in broad daylight in March. Both men have been charged with sexual battery by multiple perpetrators, according to court documents.

Martistee declined to comment following Tuesday’s arraignment, and Calhoun could not be reached for comment. A third man, 21-year-old George Davon Kennedy Jr., also has been charged as a principal to sexual battery by multiple perpetrators. He did not respond Tuesday to calls for comment.

The arrests stem from a video taken in March on the beach. Several men are surrounding a young woman who appears to be incapacitated on a beach chair. As she tries to push their hands away from digitally penetrating her, utterances to the effect of “she isn’t going to know” and a comment about “Molly,” the street name for the illegal drug MDMA, can be heard from the men.

The victim did not remember the incident, but she wanted to press charges, BCSO officials reported.

The video was obtained April 2 by police in Troy, Alabama, during an investigation into a shooting in the college town, officials said. Officers discovered the video while searching the phone of a witness to the shooting and contacted BCSO.

Calhoun, a sophomore from Mobile, Alabama, and Martistee, a senior from Bainbridge, Georgia, were arrested in Alabama on April 9 in connection with the incident. Both men were students at Troy University.

In the video, one man can be seen holding the victim’s arm and leg to restrict her movements. She later identified that man as Kennedy, BCSO reported. Since his arrest near Atlanta, officers have reported Kennedy and the woman at one time had been in a romantic relationship, and he accompanied the victim to the beach.

However, Calhoun and Martistee were not acquaintances, she told investigators.

Calhoun and Martistee were arrested on $50,000 bonds. They have been scheduled for a pretrial hearing on June 18. Kennedy, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, posted a $75,000 bond on April 27 and is scheduled to hear the charges against him June 9.


Police seek information on motorcycle thefts

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LYNN HAVEN — The Lynn Haven Police Department received three reports of stolen cafe style motorcycles on or about May 5-6 from Eagles Landing and the Enclaves.

The stolen motorcycles are: a red 2007 Honda CBR with Florida tag 2517NL, a black and green Kawasaki Ninja 1400 with a Guam tag and a pearl white 2006 Kawasaki ZX10 with Alabama tag M129166. Anyone with information is asked to call the LPD at (850) 265-411 or CrimeStoppers at (850) 785-TIPS.

Police: Florida toddler dies after being left in hot car

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LAKE CITY — The father of a 16-month-old little girl suspected of dying after being left in a car Tuesday is an assistant public defender in Lake City while the child’s mom is an assistant state attorney, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

The mother is Third Circuit Assistant State Attorney Wendy Timonera Kwon, and the father, Assistant Public Defender Young Kwon.

Initial information provided to responding Columbia County sheriff’s deputies indicated the father forgot to take the girl to day care Tuesday morning and did not discover her until he returned home Tuesday afternoon, according to the FDLE.

Deputies went to 111 SW Stafford Court, a residential address, after a 911 call came in at 3:14 p.m., the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office reported.

The caller said the child had been in a car and was no longer breathing. Deputies arrived with Columbia County Fire Rescue officials and discovered the body.

“The suspicion is the child had been in the car,” Cpl. Murray Smith, a CCSO spokesman, told The Sun Tuesday. “From what I understand, the parent had forgot to drop the child off at day care, and the baby was in the car all day.”

The sheriff’s office requested that FDLE handle the investigation because the agency regularly works with the prosecutor’s and public defender’s offices.

A staff member for State Attorney Jeff Seigmeister said he will not comment on the incident, on Wendy Kwon’s work status or whether he would request the case be transferred to a different circuit should charges be warranted.

FDLE spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger said the investigation on the child’s death is still underway.

“We’re still in the process of conducting interviews, and forensics are still being done,” Plessinger said, adding that the length of the investigation “depends on what we find as those things come back.”

“Young and Wendy are both wonderful parents, absolutely wonderful, and my heart goes out to both of them,” Public Defender Blair Payne told the Florida Times-Union newspaper. Payne refused comment to The Associated Press.

Prosecutors: Murder defendant Barry Davis forged victim's signature

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DeFUNIAK SPRINGS —  Outgoing calls from a Santa Rosa Beach man authorities believe was killed and burned continued long after his disappearance, jurors heard Wednesday.

The last of those calls from John “Gregory” Hughes was intended for Barry Davis, who is charged with his murder and the murder of his girlfriend, Hiedi Rhodes of Panama City Beach.

Hughes and Rhodes were reported missing about three years ago after May 7, 2012, the date prosecutors say Davis killed them in at Hughes’ home.

Authorities believe Davis, 34, then burned their bodies to cover his tracks and systematically emptied Hughes’ home while allegedly forging checks as moving payments.

During Wednesday’s testimony in DeFuniak Springs, jurors learned that calls from Hughes’ phone nearly dropped off completely after May 7, save for a few attempts to contact his bank, his voice mail and his credit card company before a call May 19, 2012, to Davis’ phone  number. Outgoing calls ceased altogether after that.

Prosecutors also tried to reinforce evidence that Davis stole Hughes’ money and possessions after he and Rhodes went missing.

Assistant State Attorney Bobby Elmore questioned handwriting analyst Kate Butler for much of the morning. The analyst highlighted several striking similarities among characters from Davis’ known handwriting and three checks the prosecution say he forged after Hughes’ death for up to $3,000 each.

However, Hughes regularly would allow people to fill out the body of checks for him because a construction accident had left him disabled, according to family members who testified earlier.

The accident left him with a sizeable settlement and led Hughes to abbreviate his signature to the three letters, “J G H.”

Butler could neither eliminate nor identify Hughes as the signator of the three checks, and claimed the signature appeared “distorted.” She also could not conclude Davis authored the signature, either.

Elmore highlighted that of seven examples of Hughes’ signature, none matched those of the three checks.

Leading up to the trial, investigators asked Davis to provide writing samples of various words containing either J, G or H for analysis. On all the samples, Davis submitted blocked and “unnatural” writing, Butler said. She said Davis willfully changed his natural writing style, and the sample hampered her study.

“Due to the distorted nature of the exemplars, I was not able to use them in the comparison,” she said.

Defense attorney Spiro Kypreos asked Butler questions intended to point out that variations occur in a signature over time.

Kypreos also indicated that he might argue Davis never saw Hughes’ signature. But after a series of objections to a question from Elmore alleging that Davis had control of Hughes’ home and the documents there after killing him, Circuit Judge Kelvin Wells allowed Butler to answer.

“If someone was in my house, they could gain access to my documents and create a forgery,” Butler said.

Prosecutors hope to prove Davis killed Hughes to get the money from his injury settlement.

Davis’ girlfriend, Tiffani Stewart, is expected to testify that she and Davis went to Hughes’ home the night of May 7 for a dinner party, but that Davis had ulterior motives, investigators reported.

After Stewart and Rhodes returned from an errand, they found Hughes bleeding and motionless on the floor. Stewart told authorities that Davis then strangled Rhodes into unconsciousness and submerged the couple’s heads in a bathtub.

Davis later told her he burned their remains, Stewart told investigators.

Davis faces the death penalty if convicted. The trial is expected to continue through next week.

Man convicted of robbing Panama City gas station at knifepoint

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PANAMA CITY — A Bay County jury convicted a man for robbing a Panama City gas station.

Jessie Floyd, 21, who listed his address as 989 W. 15th St., robbed a clerk at knifepoint March 10, 2014, at the Texaco at 11th Street and Florida Avenue. He was found minutes after the robbery with the gloves and knife used in the robbery, as well as the stolen cash and cigarettes.

Jurors found him guilty as charged Wednesday of robbery with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He faces up to life in prison when Circuit Judge Brantley Clark Jr. sentences him June 8, according to a news release.

Man critically injured in Holmes County crash

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A man was injured in a single-vehicle crash Wednesday night in Holmes County, the Florida Highway Patrol reported.

Stephen Brian Bray, 28, of Bonifay, is listed in critical condition at Southeast Alabama Medical Center in Dothan, Ala., after his vehicle overturned and struck a tree, FHP reported. The crash happened at U.S. 90 and Vesta Lane at 7:20 p.m. Wednesday, according to the FHP.

Bray traveled East on U.S. 90 when he lost control of his 1994 Pontiac Grand Prix onto the south shoulder, FHP reported. The vehicle continued through the south shoulder before it traveled back onto the paved portion of the roadway and crossed both lanes onto the north shoulder, FHP reported. The vehicle overturned on its left side and the roof collided with two trees before it rested still on its side, according to the report.

Bray was wearing a seatbelt and alcohol results are pending, FHP said. Charges also are pending, according to the FHP.

FHP also reported a traffic fatality in Holmes County Thursday afternoon. No details of the crash were immediately reported.

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