PANAMA CITY — A man accused of contracting the abduction and assassinations of two local judges will be mentally evaluated in preparation to use insanity as his defense against the charges, according to court documents.

Joseph Russell Schmitt, 48, was approved Friday for appointment of an expert to examine him in anticipation of an insanity defense. Schmitt is accused of attempting to contract the murder of two local judges and has charges related to stalking two previous girlfriends, court records stated.

In Bay County, he will only be evaluated in connection to the two counts of solicitation to commit murder and two counts of solicitation to commit kidnapping, court records indicated. Schmitt faces charges of aggravated stalking and making a false report of child abuse.

His next court date is scheduled for July.

PANAMA CITY — A man who was 17 years old when he was convicted of killing a man over a botched steroid robbery plot will be arguing for a new sentence, according to court officials.

Attorneys and Circuit Judge Michael Overstreet met Friday to discuss a possible date to discuss a new sentence for the now 37-year-old Thomas Robert McGill.

McGill was sentenced to life in prison without a chance for parole in 1996 for the shooting death of fellow football player Tory King during a plot to rob him of steroids. However, due to a Florida Supreme Court decision, McGill will be arguing for a lighter sentence since he was a minor at the time of the slaying, according to court documents.

Jurors found McGill guilty of first-degree murder in April 1996. Prosecutors showed that while McGill was attempting to rob Kind of steroids at gunpoint, he ended up shooting him. King died from his injuries.

McGill’s attorney claimed he was intoxicated on steroids at the time and attempting to get more from his fellow football player, who usually dealt them to him.

McGill’s is among several other cases of juveniles serving life sentences that were retroactively entitled to sentence hearings in the wake of a decision by the Florida State Supreme Court.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2012 in an Alabama case that juveniles cannot be sentenced to life without parole because, in part, their brains aren’t fully developed and there’s a better chance for reform than with adult offenders. The Florida Supreme Court ruled in Rebecca Falcon’s case that the U.S. Supreme Court decision should be applied retroactively.

Falcon was a troubled 15-year-old high school student whose mother sent her from Leavenworth, Kansas, to Bay County to live with her grandparents. She got drunk and sneaked out of her grandparents’ house in November 1997 to meet up with 18-year-old Clifton Gilchrist. They flagged down a cab, forced the driver to go to a secluded area and then shot him in the head in an attempted robbery, according to court records.

Falcon has since been repeatedly used as an example in the argument over whether child murderers should be locked away for life.

McGill’s attorney is expected to argue the same in a resentencing hearing scheduled for Nov. 6.

LYNN HAVEN — Travel Baldwin Road? Starting Monday, you may need to find a new route.

A portion of the road will be closed for at least 45 days. During the roadwork, which is being done by Roberts and Roberts Inc., road closure and detour signage will be posted to direct westbound and eastbound traffic around the construction area via East Avenue, Mosley Drive and Minnesota Avenue.

Traffic will be detoured from just east of Minnesota Avenue to just east of Syracuse Avenue to reconstruct the roadway and permanently repair roadway depressions.

--- MAP: ROAD CLOSURE AND DETOURS»»

The few homes along the segment of Baldwin Road being repaired on the Syracuse Road side still will access their homes throughout the project, said Josie Cyr, engineering division manager for Bay County.

Cyr said the roadwork is taking place on a heavily traveled section of Baldwin Road.

“There are about 10,000 vehicles a day” that travel it, she said. “It’s busy pretty much all the time.”

She said county officials understand the inconvenience to drivers.

“We planned this during a period of time that is the least busy time for the roadway,” Cyr said. “School will be out.

--- MAP: ROAD CLOSURE AND DETOURS»»

“We appreciate the public’s patience and understanding,” she said. “Anybody that has driven that segment understands what the problem is there. This is a permanent solution to the problem. It is bumpy. My kids call it ‘the roller-coaster ride.’ They tell me it’s pretty bad on a bus.”

The segment of Baldwin Road on which the work will be performed is not being widened, but it is part of the overall road improvement project, Cyr said.

“We’re reconstructing the roadway where those depressions are,” she said. “This is part of the overall project, which is a continuation of the four-laning of Baldwin between Harrison (Avenue) and Minnesota (Avenue). That part will be four-laned.”

PANAMA CITY — One of four men charged in connection with the death of a man who was beaten lifeless in front of his son during a confrontation at a field party was sentenced to probation Friday.

John L. Belosic, 18, was waived up to adult court after an October field party off Old Allanton Road led to the death of 48-year-old Jackie D. McClendon. Authorities reported a confrontation ensued after McClendon and two other men showed up to the party. Only Belosic and a group of younger men were charged as aggressors in the melee, according to court records.

Belosic was sentenced to four years of probation Friday for fighting with McClendon’s son, while McClendon was beaten to death. Jay Green, 21, of Youngstown, and Chad Mercer II, 18, of Panama City, initially were charged with his death.

According to official reports, several young people fled the Oct. 18 field party a few miles south of State 22 on Old Allanton Road after a fight broke out about 1 a.m. between some of the partiers and a group of three men who arrived uninvited on four-wheelers. As the Bay County Sheriff’s Officers responded to the scene, drivers flagged them down to say they “needed to hurry because it was bad down there,” officers reported.

About 20 people were still around as McClendon lay on the ground, and his son lay over him with a bloodied face.

A verbal exchange between the younger group and the older men had escalated into a fight moments earlier, witnesses told officers. Witnesses saw Green first punch the son, 27-year-old Danny Mayo Jr., in the face and then knock McClendon out with a punch, officers reported.

One witness told officers Green said “that’s a one hitter quitter; I did that” after punching McClendon.

As McClendon lay unconscious on the ground, Mercer kicked him in the head, officers said. McClendon stopped breathing after the kick, and Mercer was charged with manslaughter.

Meanwhile, Belosic and Matthew Arthur Oberly, 18, further engaged in a fight with Mayo. Belosic brawled with Mayo, and Oberly struck him over the head with a beer bottle, causing permanent disfigurement, officers reported.

Officers said Green and Mercer have confessed to the attack, but what transpired leading to the confrontation remains unclear. Mayo and Green are both Youngstown residents.

Green’s charges have been reduced to aggravated battery and felony battery on another of the older men, 42-year-old Thomas Parker. Mercer also faces battery charges for allegedly attacking Parker.

Both Belosic and Oberly have now pleaded no contest to charges stemming from the attack. Belosic was sentenced to four years of probation for felony battery. Oberly’s charges of battery and disorderly conduct were reduced to misdemeanors and he was sentenced in April to a year of probation.

Both cases of Green and Mercer are pending. Mercer, who’s facing charges of manslaughter, was a student at Mosley High School at the time. 

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Friday's acquittal of a former high-ranking BP executive charged with lying to investigators looking into the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill marked the latest setback for federal prosecutors pursuing criminal charges in the disaster.

A federal jury took about two hours to find David Rainey not guilty of making false statements. Days before, U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt had tossed out a related charge that Rainey obstructed a congressional investigation of the spill. Engelhardt told jurors before discharging them Friday that he agreed with their verdict.

Rainey's acquittal came days after prosecutors asked a federal appeals court to reinstate the conviction of a former BP engineer, Kurt Mix.

Mix, in 2013, had been acquitted on one criminal count but convicted on a charge that he knowingly deleted text messages about the spill. However, that victory for prosecutors was tossed out by a judge who said the verdict was tainted by a jury forewoman's remark — to an apparently deadlocked panel — about something she had heard outside the courtroom.

The appeals court decision in the Mix case is pending.

As for Rainey, he had been tasked, in the days after the Deepwater Horizon explosion, with calculating the amount of oil gushing into the gulf.

Prosecutors said he manipulated his calculations to match a far-too-low government estimate of the flow rate. He was charged with lying about having done so during an interview with federal investigators almost a year later.

“We respect the jury's verdict,” said Leo Tsao, a prosecutor with a federal Deepwater Horizon task force.

Environmental lawyer David Uhlmann said the government faced tough odds in the oil spill case.

“Today's verdict demonstrates how difficult it is to prosecute individuals when the primary culprit is a corporate culture run amok,” Uhlmann, a University of Michigan law professor and former chief of the Justice Department's environmental crimes section, said in an email.

“In its case against David Rainey, the Justice Department also faced a significant evidentiary hurdle, which is that no one knows how much oil gushed into the Gulf of Mexico during the Gulf oil spill,” Uhlmann added.

Indeed, Rainey's attorneys built much of their defense on the inability of anyone, in the early days of the spill, to figure out how much oil was flowing. And, they argued, an estimate was largely irrelevant because an all-out effort was being made to cap the well, regardless of how much was spewing.

“It was a fool's errand,” defense lawyer Reid Weingarten said of Rainey's task. “It was demanded by politicians and the press. And he reluctantly took up the cudgel and came up with his best response.”

BP declined comment Friday. Rainey, whose defense was paid for by his former employer, smiled but declined to talk to reporters as he walked briskly out of the courtroom to hug family members.

The government has had some successes. In November of 2012, federal authorities and the oil giant announced a settlement of criminal cases arising from the explosion, the resulting deaths of 11 rig workers, and the aftermath. The corporation agreed to plead guilty to charges including 11 felony counts of misconduct or neglect of a vessel's officers, one felony count of obstruction of Congress, and one misdemeanor count each under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Clean Water Act. Penalties totaled $4.5 billion.

Trial is pending for BP well-site leaders Robert Kaluza and Donald Vidrine, who have pleaded not guilty to manslaughter charges stemming from the 11 deaths. They are charged with repeatedly disregarding abnormal high-pressure readings that should have been glaring indications of trouble just before the blowout.

The Deepwater Horizon explosion resulted in the nation's worst offshore oil spill — an 87-day underwater gusher. A federal judge overseeing civil litigation in the case acknowledged this year that estimates of how much oil was released vary widely, but he settled on a figure of about 3.19 million barrels — a rate of more than 36,000 barrels per day.

Various early estimates were much lower. Rainey's trial focused on an early National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimate, days after the spill began, of about 5,000 barrels a day, and whether Rainey had “backed into” his own calculations to match that estimate.

Associated Press reporter Rebecca Santana contributed to this report.

Information is provided by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office on people arrested on charges May 27 through June 3. 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.

Danielle Renee Nummy, 2906 Orlando Road, Springfield, possession of controlled substance without prescription

TorranceMondread Davis, 25, 3742 E. 26th St., Panama City, burglary

Mark Antoni Abruzzo, 39, 1820 Missouri Ave., Lynn Haven, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without the intent to kill

Jennifer Rene Johnson, 41, 2004 Clay Ave., Panama City, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Ortelio Antolin Gutierrez, 40, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Michael Bryan Barfield, 37, 2975 Everly Road, Bonifay, grand theft

Collin Louis Cassel, 20, 4909 McCall Lane, Panama City, grand theft

Roman Eric Lawson Aaron, 18, 409 School Ave., Panama City, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Kade Nicholas Johnson, 18, Carencro, La., aggravated battery causing bodily harm or disability

William Cecil Culbreth, 29, 928 Grace Ave., Panama City, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Cindy Marie Lisenby, 28, 158 Heather Drive, Panama City Beach, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Joyce Dorothy Bradly, 24, 1224 Plantation Drive, Panama City, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Alexander Blaine Balfantz, 19, Ponchatoula, La., possession of controlled substance without prescription

Slathan Dain Schneider, 19, Marrero, La., possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

James Chadwick Mond, 23, 14708 Banks Drive, Sand Hills, possession of cocaine

Sheila Renea White, 39, 716 E. Eighth St., Panama City, aggravated battery causing bodily harm or disability

Linnette Lissette Catala, 24, 128 Kacy Lane, Calloway, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver, possession of cocaine

Tammy Lee  Clark, 38, 3120 Minnesota Ave., Panama City, felony or domestic battery by strangulation

Alexis Lynn Finney, 31, Bainbridge, Ga., abuse child without great bodily harm

Ben Bennett Rippetoe, 32, 2121 W. 28th Court, Panama City, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Lisa Marie Deese, 37, 300 25th St., Lynn Haven, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Alexander Loflin Redburn, 43, 2626 Redwood Drive, Panama City Beach, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Jennifer Ann Hartley, 21, 116 Linda Ave., Panama City, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Marrion William West, 37, 3115 Emerald Lane, Chipley, sexual assault

George Howard Jr Polk, 52, 1323 Lincoln Drive, Panama City, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Douglas Brian Tucker, 29, 536 Dogwood Way, Panama City, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Colleen Rene Honto, 42, 5204 Beach Drive, Panama City Beach, aggravated assault with use of a deadly weapon without the intent to kill

Vincent Charles Barrile, 44, 8011 Front Beach Road, Panama City Beach, grand theft

Marc Anthony Mills, 48, 902 N. Tyndall Parkway, Panama City, possession of weapon or ammunition by felon, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Stephen Lee Hinkle, 329 Newman Point Road, Southport, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Shane Michael (Allen) Rouse, 27, 908 Radcliff Ave., Panama City, burglary

Marwan Isa Belion, 37, 3742 Pipeline Road, Panama City, possession of weapon or ammunition by felon

Information is provided by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office on people arrested on charges May 27 through June 3. 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.

Danielle Renee Nummy, 2906 Orlando Road, Springfield, possession of controlled substance without prescription

TorranceMondread Davis, 25, 3742 E. 26th St., Panama City, burglary

--- MUGSHOTS»»

Mark Antoni Abruzzo, 39, 1820 Missouri Ave., Lynn Haven, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without the intent to kill

Jennifer Rene Johnson, 41, 2004 Clay Ave., Panama City, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Ortelio Antolin Gutierrez, 40, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Michael Bryan Barfield, 37, 2975 Everly Road, Bonifay, grand theft

Collin Louis Cassel, 20, 4909 McCall Lane, Panama City, grand theft

Roman Eric Lawson Aaron, 18, 409 School Ave., Panama City, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Kade Nicholas Johnson, 18, Carencro, La., aggravated battery causing bodily harm or disability

William Cecil Culbreth, 29, 928 Grace Ave., Panama City, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Cindy Marie Lisenby, 28, 158 Heather Drive, Panama City Beach, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Joyce Dorothy Bradly, 24, 1224 Plantation Drive, Panama City, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Alexander Blaine Balfantz, 19, Ponchatoula, La., possession of controlled substance without prescription

Slathan Dain Schneider, 19, Marrero, La., possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

James Chadwick Mond, 23, 14708 Banks Drive, Sand Hills, possession of cocaine

Sheila Renea White, 39, 716 E. Eighth St., Panama City, aggravated battery causing bodily harm or disability

Linnette Lissette Catala, 24, 128 Kacy Lane, Calloway, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver, possession of cocaine

Tammy Lee Clark, 38, 3120 Minnesota Ave., Panama City, felony or domestic battery by strangulation

Alexis Lynn Finney, 31, Bainbridge, Ga., abuse child without great bodily harm

Ben Bennett Rippetoe, 32, 2121 W. 28th Court, Panama City, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Lisa Marie Deese, 37, 300 25th St., Lynn Haven, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

--- MUGSHOTS»»

Alexander Loflin Redburn, 43, 2626 Redwood Drive, Panama City Beach, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Jennifer Ann Hartley, 21, 116 Linda Ave., Panama City, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Marrion William West, 37, 3115 Emerald Lane, Chipley, sexual assault

George Howard Jr Polk, 52, 1323 Lincoln Drive, Panama City, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Douglas Brian Tucker, 29, 536 Dogwood Way, Panama City, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Colleen Rene Honto, 42, 5204 Beach Drive, Panama City Beach, aggravated assault with use of a deadly weapon without the intent to kill

Vincent Charles Barrile, 44, 8011 Front Beach Road, Panama City Beach, grand theft

Marc Anthony Mills, 48, 902 N. Tyndall Parkway, Panama City, possession of weapon or ammunition by felon, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Stephen Lee Hinkle, 329 Newman Point Road, Southport, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Shane Michael (Allen) Rouse, 27, 908 Radcliff Ave., Panama City, burglary

Marwan Isa Belion, 37, 3742 Pipeline Road, Panama City, possession of weapon or ammunition by felon

PANAMA CITY — The Bay County Sheriff’s Office is warning people to watch for a scam involving a person impersonating a BCSO employee.

A complaint was filed from a victim of the scam. She said she received a phone call on her house phone from a man using the name of an employee of BCSO.

The man told the victim she had neglected to show up for jury duty and a warrant had been issued for her. The victim denied receiving a notice to appear for jury duty, but eventually agreed to pay to avoid arrest.

The caller instructed the victim to go to a specific discount store and purchase $978 in PayPal cards. The victim did as the caller told her and then gave transaction code on the back of the cards to the caller.

BCSO says it does not contact anyone with an outstanding warrant to get payment to cancel the warrant.

If anyone receives a phone call from someone who claims to represent the BCSO and asks for payment, contact the BCSO immediately at (850) 747-4700.

PANAMA CITY — Most places “Maximus” goes he gets looks.

A large, albino Great Dane, deaf and blind, he tends to stand out in the crowd. Other than his distinct features, Maximus is probably most recognizable from the attention he and numerous other Great Danes, that became known as the “Bay County 13,” received after being rescued from what authorities called a Youngstown “puppy mill.”

Maximus, named for sharing mannerisms with a spirited horse in Disney’s movie “Tangled,” has settled down in a forever home back in Bay County.

--- VIDEO: MAXIMUS FINDS A HOME»»

“He’s so well mannered, so well behaved,” said Dan Broadstreet, Maximus’ new owner, alongside his wife, LaDonna Broadstreet. “He’s really a social dog, and that is surprising because he has the scars to prove that he has been through hell.”

The Broadstreets said after hearing of the “Bay County 13,” shortly after the death of their previous Great Dane, who also was disabled, they began the adoption process with the Northwest Florida Great Dane Rescue, where the dogs had been taken to recover.

“He’s as good as a dog without disabilities,” LaDonna Broadstreet said. “You just have to have patience.”

Maximus can’t go anywhere without garnering a comment of recognition from his January rescue. He was discovered at a 7010 Troy Road home in Youngstown. At the time, he was emaciated, weighing only about 50 lbs. Now, nearly a half-year later, the almost 2-year-old is at a little more than 100 lbs with a hefty appetite.

People still recognize him from the disturbing images in the newspaper and on TV, the Broadstreets said.

Although the group of Great Danes originally were known as the “Bay County 13,” charges later were amended. Lindsay R. Sanders, 33, owner of the dogs, was charged with 17 felony counts of animal cruelty following the raid on the Youngtown property, where officers found two dead puppies within the home and 15 malnourished Great Danes outside. Sanders’ and her husband, 38-year-old Mark Tyus, said they were honeymooning at the time of the mistreatment but officers said it would take much longer to subject the dogs to that amount of neglect, according to arrest reports.

Sanders’ case in Bay County is pending. Tyus remains in custody at the Hillsborough County Jail on unrelated charges. Authorities said they expect to extradite him to Bay County to face animal cruelty charges once he is released from Hillsborough County.

Needing homes: Despite Maximus’ storied past and local recognition, several other deaf and blind Great Danes in Northwest Florida Great Dane Rescue cannot find a permanent home.

Many of what are called “lethal whites,” similarly disabled albino Great Danes, are put down at birth in puppy mills because they lack profitability. The Great Dane Rescue has had trouble finding people to adopt and keep blind and deaf dogs because of the additional effort that goes into their care and training.

“It takes more patience, more work,” Dan Broadstreet said. “It takes someone willing to … be their eyes and ear, watching for trees holes in the ground and even parked cars.

--- VIDEO: MAXIMUS FINDS A HOME»»

“We’ve had to learn in life not to move our furniture,” LaDonna Broadstreet said.

Unlike dogs without disabilities, dogs with hearing or seeing difficulties depend much more on their caregivers to provide them stability and with a constant reassurance that the surrounding environment is safe and that they are nearby. In the Broadstreets’ history with disabled dogs, the desire manifests itself as an increased desire to nuzzle and be affectionate. That reward far outweighs all the additional efforts, LaDonna Broadstreet said.

“At the end of the day, laying in bed all they want to do is cuddle and hug,” she added. “They’re such an appreciative dog because they know they’re with someone who will take care of them forever.”

CALLAWAY — Callaway will have a boil water notice starting at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.

The effected area is 1408-1699 Gay Avenue, 5903-6101 Howard Road, Tina Avenue, Calvin Avenue and Bay Front Drive where the city is repairing a fire hydrant. 

The boil water notice will be in effect until a bacteriological survey shows the water is safe to drink. Water will be shut off until 1 p.m. on Tuesday in the affected areas.

PANAMA CITY — A 21-year-old man discovered with a bounty of cash and cigarettes he acquired in an armed robbery has been sentenced to 25 years in prison, according to court documents.

Jessie Floyd, of Panama City, was sentenced Monday for a March 2014 robbery of a Panama City gas station at knifepoint. Floyd represented himself during the trial of the case before jurors convicted him of robbery with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, court records indicate.

Circuit Judge Brantley Clark Jr. sentenced Jessie Floyd on Monday to 25 years in prison for an armed robbery of a Panama City Texaco.

Assistant State Attorney Christine Smallwood took Floyd to trial May 13, where he was found guilty as charged of robbery with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

On March 10, 2014, Floyd robbed a clerk at knifepoint at the Texaco on 11th Street and Florida Avenue. According to police records, Floyd ordered the clerk to empty the cash register into a bag at knifepoint at about 6 a.m. that day. As she did, he grabbed several packs of cigarettes off the shelf and then fled the store on foot.

She called police as he fled, relaying the course of his travel to a 911 operator.

Floyd was found minutes after the robbery, within a few blocks of the Texaco, with the gloves and kitchen knife used in the robbery, as well as $486 stuffed in a black plastic bag and several packs of unopened cigarettes.

Clark sentenced him to 25 years in prison for the robbery charge and five years in prison for the aggravated assault, but ordered the sentences to be served at the same time.

PANAMA CITY — A culinary instructor at Gulf Coast State College has pleaded not guilty to charges he used stolen ice in sculptures he sold for profit, according to court documents.

Billy James Redd, 53, was arrested May 22 on charges of grand theft, a felony. Redd, a culinary instructor at GCSC, is accused of using an ice machine owned by the college to make 12 ice sculptures he then sold for about $5,400, Bay County Sheriff’s officials reported.

Redd, of Panama City Beach, was held on a $2,500 bond. He posted bond, has since pleaded not guilty and begun a pretrial release program. Redd is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges July 7.

Gulf Coast officials did not return requests for comments Monday about Redd’s employment status with the college.

PANAMA CITY — Bay County is beefing up its security at the County Commission meetings after a man who regularly lashes out at commissioners was charged with possession of a firearm while attending the recent Tyndall Air Show.

A base officer charged Gary Beck on April 12 with possession of a firearm/dangerous weapon in a federal facility and issued a notice to appear in the U.S. District Court. Beck, of 2001 Beech St. in Panama City Beach, was found with a backpack containing a Charter 2000 Undercover .38 special snub-nosed revolver, a knife with a 4½-inch blade, and a 3-foot-long “Black Jack” with a lead weight attached, the citation states. The officer confiscated the weapons.

Starting at its next commission meeting, the county will be searching the purses and bags of people going into the meetings and will use a wand to scan people going into the meetings for weapons, said Valerie Sale, a county spokeswoman. Sale said they will not be frisking people coming into the meetings, just scanning them for weapons with the metal-detecting wand.

“I think it is important for people to know they may want to leave their bags in their car,” she said. “They can bring them in, but they are subject to being searched.”

Sale also said the county is putting in a new, less bulky podium in which it’s easier for commissioners to see whether something is being concealed by the person speaking to them.

Beck commonly vents his rage at the County Commission and Panama City Commission. He frequently has chastised county commissioners for not taking seriously his offer to provide an asteroid-zapping machine he invented, and he regularly lambastes commissioners for “violating his Constitutional rights.”

Beck, who could not be reached for comment Monday, is scheduled to go before a federal judge Tuesday on the charges.

On his Facebook page, he explains he has a legal permit to carry the gun and blames county officials for the incident at Tyndall. He writes that he now has to go in front of a judge “that is related more than likely to Bay County government, who has been trying to frame me and kill me since they stole $35 million from BP for my oil spill inventions.”

“Now they are trying to frame me again because of the corruption I have exposed,” he wrote.

Beck often speaks at the Panama City Commission meetings, as well.

Mayor Panama City Mayor Greg Brudnicki said the commission has decided Beck is so disruptive that he will have to submit his comments in writing instead of being able to speak out at future meetings.

Security elsewhere: Panama City has no metal detector but does have two armed officers at every meeting, Brudnicki said. He said he’s not sure whether the city would follow suit with the county and start checking bags and purses for weapons.

“We may have to do that,” Brudnicki said, adding that the issue should be brought up at the commission meeting.

The potential threat of violence breaking out in a government chambers was highlighted in December 2010, when a disgruntled individual, Clay Allen Duke, fired four shots at six Bay District School board members but missed them all. Duke was then shot several times by a security guard and shortly afterward killed himself with a shot to the head.

Despite that incident, the school district didn’t install metal detectors. A sheriff’s deputy does sit in on the meetings.

“I remember the superintendent saying after that (shooting) happened that we’re not going to build a fortress because it is not going to do any good,” district spokeswoman Karen Tucker said. “People can find a way to do things. They now make plastic guns” that can get through detectors.

The city of Lynn Haven is the only local municipality that makes people going into commission meetings go through a metal detector. Mayor Margo Anderson said residents don’t seem to mind.

“I don’t think it’s been problematic. I think most residents feel OK about it,” she said.

Lynn Haven City Manager Joel Schubert said the city not only has the metal detector but also an X-ray machine that looks for weapons. The machine was donated to the city as government surplus. Schubert said even though the machines are older models, they could detect a weapon.

He said it doesn’t take an excessive amount of time to get into the meeting going through the machines. “We’ve not have one complaint,” he said.

Parker Mayor Rich Musgrave said the city has an armed officer at its council meetings. He said several years ago someone had donated a metal detector and it was used a few times to screen people going into meetings, “but the council nixed it and took it out,” he said.

Springfield Mayor Ralph Hammond said the police chief sits in at the commission meetings. He said he’ll talk to the chief about whether more security is needed.

“Normally, we also have a roving officer close by, whether in the hallway or a police car,” Hammond said.

PANAMA CITY — The Bay County Sheriff's Office announced Monday that Lt. Koren Colbert was honored at the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence 2015 Bienniel Institute’s Trauma-Informed Advocacy Conference held last week in Orlando.

Colbert was presented with the Vincent Mazzara Law Enforcement Leadership Award, which was created to recognize those individuals who have set the standard and dedicated themselves to pursue justice and healing for victims of domestic violence, dating violence and sexual assault, BCSO officials reported.

“I am very proud of Lt. Colbert and her tireless work in the area of domestic violence,” Sheriff Frank McKeithen said. “Demonstrating compassion for victims and working to hold perpetrators accountable for their actions are equally vital in reducing the incidents of domestic violence.”

Colbert is the first recipient of this award and was chosen by Vince Mazzara himself prior to his death, BCSO reported.

SNEADS — A woman died in a two-vehicle crash in Jackson County Tuesday morning, the Florida Highway Patrol reported.

Alisa Danielle Humphrey, 23, of Grand Ridge, was pronounced dead at the scene following the crash at 2:40 a.m. on Interstate 10, FHP reported. The driver of the second vehicle, Joe M. Harris, of Borger, Texas, had no injuries, according to the FHP.

Harris traveled east on I-10 in a 2011 Peterbilt Truck and stopped in the outside emergency lane east of the eastbound scales entrance driveway, FHP reported. Humphrey traveled eastbound in a 2008 Kia Optima on I-10 in the outside lane, according to the report.

Harris moved eastbound and attempted to merge into traffic while in the path of Humphrey, FHP reported. Humphrey did not have an opportunity to avoid a collision and she struck the left, rear portion of the truck, according to the FHP.

The investigation is ongoing and FHP noted in the report that charges are pending.

PANAMA CITY — The third man to be arrested in connection with what authorities called a Spring Break “gang rape” has been arraigned on the charges against him after testifying he has known the victim since grade school, according to court records.

George Davon Kennedy Jr., 21, was not present in court Tuesday, waiving his right to hear the principal to sexual battery charge against him in person. However, court records partly revealed the actions of Kennedy, and the victim, leading up to the incident.

Kennedy, a student of Middle Tennessee University, was one of three men arrested in connection with a Spring Break sexual battery on a crowded beach in broad daylight in March. A video of the incident surfaced during an investigation into a Troy, Ala., shooting, which led to their arrests. The video depicted four men assisting or participating in digitally penetrating a young, incapacitated woman on the beach.

During a first appearance to argue for a bond reduction, Kennedy testified he knew the victim, whose identity has not been released, since the fifth grade, and the two had been dating at the time of the incident. They’d spent the night at the home of Kennedy’s mother in Atlanta before driving to a hotel room in Panama City Beach that they had rented together, Kennedy said.

Even after the incident, the couple stayed at the hotel together for two more days before driving back to again stay the night with Kennedy’s mother, he said.

Kennedy’s attorney asked if she displayed any fear of him or complained about his behavior during the days that followed the incident.

“No, sir,” he replied, under oath, to both.

Kennedy admitted to witnessing the incident during the hearing but later said he looks forward to vigorously defending himself against the charge. Kennedy could not be reached by phone for comment Tuesday.

The judge refused his request for a $10,000 bond, instead setting it at $75,000; Kennedy posted the bond the following day. He also was ordered to not have any contact with the victim and could face up to 30 years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted as charged.

The Bay County Sheriff’s Office arrested Kennedy on April 14, reporting the victim wanted to press charges against those involved in the attack despite her familiarity with Kennedy. The two other men arrested in connection with the incident were not acquaintances, BCSO reported.

Delonté Martistee, a 22-year-old senior from Bainbridge, Ga., and Ryan Calhoun, a 23-year-old sophomore from Mobile, Ala., were arrested in Alabama on April 9 in connection with the incident. Both men, students at Troy University, have been charged with sexual battery by multiple perpetrators.

Calhoun and Kennedy have pleaded not guilty.

One more suspect in the video remains unidentified and at large. BCSO said they continue actively searching for him.

PANAMA CITY — A substitute teacher in Bay County has been arrested on a warrant from Miami-Dade County, according to Panama City police.

Mike Jones, safety and security officer for Bay District Schools, told officers that Gerald Bernard Curry, aka Gerald Anderson, was wanted for grand theft and battery.

Curry was picked up and taken to the Bay County Jail to wait to be returned to Miami-Dade, police reported.

SOUTHPORT — Two juveniles were arrested in connection with a burglary at Southport Elementary School, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office reported.

The male juveniles were both charged with grand theft, burglary and criminal mischief, police reported. One of the boys said he stole tools and fire extinguishers from the school along with two other juveniles, according to the BCSO.

Deputies responded to the school at 5:52 a.m. on Wednesday after administration called in a burglary. A janitorial supply closet and storage room was broken into, with several fire extinguishers stolen, police said. It also appeared the extinguishers were sprayed on walls and floors in the school and a large plastic bin filled with tools also was missing, police reported,

Soon after, a call from a citizen on Nassau Street near the school alerted authorities to several discarded fire extinguishers, police said. Deputies responded and learned of a group of juveniles living nearby, the BCSO reported.

Deputies went to the residence and observed a skateboard and bike covered in fire extinguisher “dust” and a plastic bin of tools, police said. Deputies spoke with a parent at the residence and two juveniles living in the home, when one stated he had been at the school with two other boys and participated in the burglary, according to police.

The BCSO said the investigation is ongoing.

PANAMA CITY — Fire crews battled an early morning house fire Wednesday, according to a Panama City Fire Department press release. No one was injured in the blaze.

Alarms sounded for fire crews at about 1 a.m. to respond to 705 Cactus Ave. About 25 percent of the single-story home was engulfed in flames when the firefighters arrived, PCFD reported. The fire was under control in about 20 minutes, officials said.

The home was left uninhabitable and the contents were a total loss, PCFD reported. Residents of the home were uninjured and are being assisted by the American Red Cross, officials reported.

PCFD determined the fire was accidental, reminded the public to use caution when disposing of smoking materials and to check the operation of their smoke detectors regularly.