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Panama City woman dies in crash

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TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE -- A Panama City woman was killed Saturday morning when the car she was driving ran off the road on U.S. 98 east of the Dupont Bridge.

The victim was identified by the Florida Highway Patrol as Janie Wyatt Williams, 69.

FHP said that at about 9 a.m., Williams was driving a 2000 Mustang eastbound on the outside travel lane of U.S. 98 on Tyndall Air Force Base property. The car ran off the road to the right, entering the unpaved grassy eastbound shoulder. The front of the vehicle hit a stop sign and guard rail before the right rear hit two trees. No other vehicles were involved.

Williams was wearing a seatbelt, FHP said.


BCSO searching for robber // VIDEO

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PANAMA CITY BEACH — An armed man held up a Panama City Beach motel Saturday morning.

The Bay County Sheriff’s Office responded to a robbery call at the Hampton Inn, 13505 Panama City Beach Parkway, just before midnight Saturday morning.

The front desk clerk stated a suspect entered the lobby and, holding a handgun, demanded money. After receiving money from the clerk, the suspect left the lobby, BCSO said.

The suspect is described as a white male with a medium build, 35 to 40 years old, about 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall and clean shaven.

The investigation revealed that just 30 minutes before the robbery at the Hampton Inn, a white male matching the description of the suspect at the Hampton Inn, was captured on security video entering the Country Inn and Suites at 10241 Clarence St., Panama City Beach. The suspect also approached the front desk at the Country Inn and Suites and spoke to the clerk but did not demand money or display a weapon.

Anyone with information about this suspect is asked to call the Bay County Sheriff’s Office at 747-4700 or Crime Stoppers at 785-TIPS.

VIDEO

Alford man killed in Bay County wreck

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An Alford man was killed when his 2012 Harley Davidson motorcycle failed to negotiate the curve at County 388 south of Burnt Mill Creek Road Sunday afternoon, Florida Highway Patrol officials wrote in a news release.

David Perez, 48, was eastbound on County 388 when he crossed the westbound lane, the westbound shoulder and eventually struck a tree and was ejected from the motorcycle, the news release states.

The news release also states that Perez was not wearing a helmet. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.  

JCSO deputies searching for escapee

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MARIANNA - A Bonifay man escaped from Jackson County Sheriff's Deputies after he was arrested for felony fleeing and eluding, officials wrote in a news release.

Deputies are searching for Zackery Andrew, 25, of Hatcher Road in Bonifay. Andrew was in a white Ford Mustang Sunday when a deputy spotted him and noticed that the vehicle was not displaying a tag, the news release states. The deputy pursued Andrew into Holmes County and arrested him on Register Lane off North Holmes Creek Road.

After he was arrested, deputies learned that Andrew's license had been suspended and that he had methamphetamine in his vehicle. However, Andrew was able to escape custody and is still on the loose, the news release states.

When he is arrested again Andrew will be charged with felony fleeing and attempting to elude, escape, possession of methamphetamine and driving while license suspended or revoked.  

Marianna police release names in fatal fire

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The Marianna Police Department released the names of the dead in a fatal fire Monday morning. 

Gertrude Smith Pete, 68, Ruth Elisa Pete, 95, Sarah Lee Johnson, 85, and Cynthia Verdell Pete, 46, all died in the New Year's Day blaze. Six children and three other adults escaped the fire.

No other details were released about the status of the investigation into the blaze. Officials have not yet said if they know what caused the fire.  

JCSO: Man died in the cold in Jackson County

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Graceville - A man died in Monday's night's cold weather while lying in a plowed field near Piano Road, Jackson County Sheriff's officials wrote in a news release.

Deputies said they have identified the man but are not releasing his name until his family is notified. The news release states that investigators believe the man had been spotted in the same area acting disoriented and wearing weathered clothes Monday morning. Deputies searched for him but were unable to locate him.  

There is no evidence of foul play, officials added. Temperatures were in the 20s overnight in Jackson County. 

Woman burned with grease, brother charged

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PANAMA CITY — A woman was hospitalized with second-degree burns early Tuesday morning after her brother allegedly doused her with hot grease, according to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.

Michelle Telfare was taken to a local hospital and then transported to a clinic specializing in treatment of burns after deputies found her with second-degree burns on her head and torso around 4 a.m. Investigators learned she had been arguing with her brother before she was hurt.

According to BCSO reports, Telfare and Atkinson live together with their mother in an apartment at 2205 E. 17th St. Deputies arrived around 4 a.m. and spoke with their mother, Grace Atkinson, who told them Albert Atkinson, 58, had been heating grease to cook something.

She said she turned off the stove and went back to bed in the room where Telfare was sleeping. A few moments later Albert Atkinson came into the room, threw grease on Telfare and told her she was going to die tonight.

Albert Atkinson left the house before deputies arrived, but they caught up with him a short time later at his girlfriend’s house. He didn’t make any incriminating statements to investigators, but he apparently told his girlfriend he’d burned his sister and “taken care of his problem.”

Deputies arrested Albert Atkinson and charged him with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

Telfare’s injuries are not expected to be life threatening, but it is possible she might be permanently disfigured, authorities said. The Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, Ga. didn’t provide any information about her condition Tuesday evening.

Report adds details to fatal boat wreck

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NICEVILLE — A report was released Tuesday that sheds more light on events before and after a fatal boating accident at the Mid-Bay Bridge late Dec. 4 or early Dec. 5.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office released documents concerning the wreck that killed 47-year-old former Bay High basketball coach Robert Williams, 21-year-old Jamilia Beltz and 18-year-old Taylor Evanoff. All three were from Niceville.

Beltz’s boyfriend told investigators he last saw the young woman Dec. 4 as he was leaving for work. When he returned home, he found two cold drinks on the kitchen table and Evanoff’s purse.

“He thought the two had gone out to a local nightclub because this was a normal activity for the two women,” according to the Sheriff’s Office report.

Two days later a pair of fishermen discovered Evanoff’’s body in Choctawhatchee Bay near Niceville. Her body bore multiple bruises and cuts.

A fiberglass boat drawer was floating nearby. Investigators also noted stamps like those used to identify bar patrons on her hands and breasts.

In Evanoff’s back pocket they found a card for Emerald Coast Cab with the name of a cab driver. The driver told investigators from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission that he had taken three people to Legendary Marina on Okaloosa Island about midnight.

He told the officer that “it was an older man and two … very young females,” the report said.

Williams’ body was found the morning of Dec. 7 near his wrecked 336 Cobalt boat, which had crashed into a piling of the Mid-Bay Bridge.

Williams, a father of five, had been reported missing by his fiancée Dec. 5 after he failed to return home. She said Williams had told her he “was going to a Choctawhatchee High School basketball game … and was going to meet a friend,” the report said.

There was no game that day. The friend Williams said he would meet told officials he hadn’t seen Williams that night, according to the report.

On Dec. 7, Evanoff’s sister went to Beltz’s home to pick up her purse and told Beltz’s boyfriend that Evanoff’s body had been found the previous day.

The man called local hospitals and law enforcement agencies to try to find Beltz and reported her missing.

Beltz’s body was found that night on a beach behind homes in the area of Sixth Street and Beach Drive in Destin.

The FWC is continuing to investigate the crash.


Blotter: If you’re going to risk lying to police, at least lie all the way

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The Blotter is a look at some of the unusual things that happen on the crime beat in Bay County.

Police on patrol spotted a suspicious man cutting through a dark parking lot of a business that was closed and stopped to talk to him.

The man gave police a name and the room number of the local hotel where he was staying. He let police search him, according to a report, and the officer found a bunch of twin-packs of deodorant and some snacks inside the liner of the man’s jacket. The officer also found a metal smoking pipe.

As the officer attempted to take the man into custody—for the pipe, presumably—he ran away. But he wasn’t hard to find, because though the man had given police the last name Shann, his real name is actually Shannon. And while he lied about his name he wasn’t lying about where he stayed.

Police found him hiding under the bed in the room he told them he was staying in and arrested him for the pipe, for running away, for violating probation and for lying to police.
 

Baby dies of accidental smothering

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BELLEVIEW — Deputies say a 5-week-old north Florida baby is dead after his mother fell asleep with him on her chest and rolled over on him during the night.

A man told deputies his girlfriend went to the living room to wake up her daughter Monday morning and didn't see the baby.
The Ocala Star-Banner reports the baby was under the woman, wedged in some cushions. They immediately called 911 and a paramedic pronounced the baby dead at 6:46 a.m.

The Department of Children and Families sent an investigator to the scene.

No further details were immediately available.
 

Deputies: Juvenile attacked grandmother, stole car and shotgun

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The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office says a juvenile attacked his grandmother and stole her shotgun Thursday morning.

The victim told deputies that the juvenile was trying to get her car keys and when she refused to give them to him he choked her, took her purse, cut the phone lines, stole her shotgun and fled the area, according to a news release. 

The victim was able to contact authorities and with a good description of the suspect and the vehicle in hand a Marianna Police Officer spotted the vehicle at about 1:30 a.m. Jessie Folsom, 16, was taken into custody without incident and that time. 

The news release states Folsom was attempting to flee the area because he could be in trouble with law enforcement over another, unrelated, incident. 

An incident report was not available Thursday. Folsom was charged with battery on person over 65, domestic battery by strangulation, grand theft auto, grand theft firearm and tampering with a witness. The JCSO turned him over to the Department of Juvenile Justice.

An earlier version of this story is posted below:

 

The Jackson County Sheriff's Office says a juvenile attacked his grandmother and stole her shotgun Thursday morning.

The victim told deputies that the juvenile was trying to get her car keys and when she refused to give them to him he choked her, took her purse, cut the phone lines, stole her shotgun and fled the area, according to a news release. 

The victim was able to contact authorities and with a good description of the suspect and the vehicle in hand a Marianna Police Officer spotted the vehicle at about 1:30 a.m. The juvenile was taken into custody without incident and that time. 

The news release states the juvenile was attempting to flee the area because he could be in trouble with law enforcement over another, unrelated, incident. 

The juvenile's name was not released. He was charged with battery on person over 65, domestic battery by strangulation, grand theft auto, grand theft firearm and tampering with a witness.

BCSO arrests sexual battery suspect

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The Bay County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man accused of sexual battery on a child Thursday after a brief chase.

Joshua Lutz, 32, was wanted for violation of probation-felony battery. The charges stem from a case involving the sexual battery of a child that occurred in January, officials wrote in a news release.

Lutz was charged with lewd and lascivious molestation and sexual battery of a child after he was arrested in January 2013. He pleaded no contest in September to felony battery and was sentenced to five years of probation and required to complete sexual offender treatment, but he allegedly violated probation when he failed to complete the treatment.

Shortly before 8 a.m. Thursday morning deputies attempted to arrest Lutz near Sunrise Drive and Big Daddy Drive. Lutz fled on foot, made it to a vehicle and escaped but not before striking a parked vehicle and a stationary BCSO patrol vehicle, officials said.

Lutz was arrested later in the morning without incident in the area of 15201 Front Beach Road, BCSO said.

 

An earlier version of this story is posted below:

 

 

The Bay County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a man accused of sexual battery on a child.

Joshua Lutz, 32, is wanted for violation of probation-felony battery. The charges stem from a case involving the sexual battery of a child that occurred in January, officials wrote in a news release.

Shortly before 8 a.m. Thursday morning deputies attempted to arrest Lutz near Sunrise Drive and Big Daddy Drive Lutz fled on foot, made it to a vehicle and escaped but not before striking a parked vehicle and a stationary BCSO patrol vehicle, officials said.

The pursuit of Lutz was terminated by BCSO supervisors due to safety considerations and school traffic, the news release states.

Lutz was last seen in a two-tone silver/gray 1989 Ford truck, bearing Florida tag T32 4GX. 

Anyone with information about Lutz is asked to contact the Bay County Sheriff’s Office at 747-4700 or Panhandle Crimestoppers at 785-TIPS(8477).

Suspects arrested for bar robbery

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CALLAWAY -- Two men have been arrested on suspicion of robbing a bar around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.

Michael Wayne Lingerfelt, 23, and Keith Eric Copeland, 32, admitted their involvement in the robbery of Ginny’s Alibi Bar and were booked into the Bay County Jail on charges of robbery and battery, according to a BCSO press release.

Investigators said Lingerfelt put a female employee in a headlock and implied he had a gun, and then forced her to open a cash register so he could get the money. Copeland forced a customer to the ground and took money from the register as well, according to the BCSO.

A K-9 deputy followed a track from the bar to 208 Bob Little Rd., where deputies found Lingerfelt and evidence connecting him to the robbery. Copeland was arrested at 318 S. Gay Ave. No guns were recovered during the investigation.

Date set for re-retrial in murder case

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PANAMA CITY -- Attorneys set a date Thursday to try a Fountain man on a murder charge for the third time after the previous two attempts to prosecute him resulted in mistrials.

Phillip Dean Brock, 57, is scheduled for trial beginning April 14 on a count of first-degree murder as well as robbery and theft charges. He faces life in prison if he’s convicted, but prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty.

Brock is accused of killing Terry Brazil in his home in December 2012 and stealing thousands of dollars worth of collector coins.

Because it is a capitol felony, Brock has the option of choosing to have a 12-person jury hear the case instead of a six-person jury. In two previous cases, he has chosen to have 12 jurors, and both have resulted in mistrials after jurors deadlocked.

Quick arrest in vehicle burglary spree

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MARIANNA -- Deputies tracked down and arrested a suspect in eight overnight vehicle burglaries Friday and recovered nearly all of the property taken, according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.

The first burglary report came into the JCSO just after 5 a.m., and by 7 a.m. deputies had identified 27-year-old Travis Duane Brookins as a suspect when someone attempted to use a victim’s debit card at a local store. Deputies found him at his home in the 4300 block of Kelson Avenue, where a search turned up guns, computers, purses and other items that had been reported stolen.

Brookins was arrested and jailed in the Jackson County Correctional Facility.


Gulf Power asks customers to watch for phone scams

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PANAMA CITY -- Gulf Power Company is warning customers to continue to be aware of scam artists who are calling residents and businesses in Northwest Florida and impersonating utility company employees.

The company has received an large number of calls from customers reporting fraudulent calls in December and early in January. Customers are being told their electric bill is past due and that their electricity will be cut off if the customer does not provide a credit card payment or other forms of immediate payment.

Gulf Power advises customers that:

• Gulf Power employees will never call a customer at home seeking any personal information, including credit card numbers.

• Gulf Power representatives will never ask a customer for money when they visit a residence.

• All Gulf Power representatives carry badges with picture identification that includes the employee’s name and the company’s name and logo.

Customers should call Gulf Power at 1-800-225-5797 if they have questions about the identity of anyone representing Gulf Power.

Gulf Power is working with local law enforcement agencies to identify the perpetrators. If anyone has been victimized by one of these schemes, or has any information about suspects, they are asked to call local law enforcement and to contact Gulf Power at 1-800-225-5797.

Parker Sanitation to be sold

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PARKER — Parker residents soon will have fewer options for trash service.

Trucks labeled “Parker Sanitation” made what could be their last weekly rounds Friday as Parker’s main service provider for trash services. Waste Management, one of the largest trash haulers in North America with more than 20 million customers in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico — and Parker’s number two service provider — was in the process of acquiring the company earlier that day.

Neither Waste Management nor Parker Sanitation’s parent company, Advanced Disposal, would discuss conditions of the sale, whether employees could expect to keep their jobs or the going price as negotiations continued Friday, anticipating a final deal by 5 p.m.

Though all private trash hauling companies within Parker are required to have contracts with the city, officials were not notified of the possible consolidation of its top two trash haulers.

“Our city wasn’t notified and per their contract we were supposed to be notified when sales occur,” Mayor Richard Musgrave said Wednesday. “Since I’m also a customer, up until now, the customers haven’t been notified either.”

Permission to conduct trash business in Parker hinges on a franchise agreement with the city. In October, officials discovered some garbage haulers — namely Parker Sanitation — were not heeding the city’s price limitation of $20 plus a 5 percent franchise fee. Some of the companies were required to provide customers with refunds.

Council members removed price limitations and gave the city’s six trash haulers a chance to decide their rates, list their rates with the city and modify those rates annually in November.

The question is whether Waste Management will respect rates set by Parker Sanitation, though little difference exists between the two. Parker Sanitation charges $21 for weekly pickup and $30 for twice a week, while Waste Management charges $20 for weekly pickup. Both provide trash cans.

Rene Faucheux, Waste Management’s regional communications officer, would not say if customers could expect their twice-weekly service to be discontinued.

“It’s an open market, although we do have to have a franchise agreement,” he said.

Musgrave was unsure if Waste Management was legally required to respect an agreement between Parker and Parker Sanitation but said he would attempt to hold the company to it until the agreement expires.

Faucheux directed any customer inquiries to 850-874-8006.

2 fires, 1 injury

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PANAMA CITY — Two fires Friday left one person injured and another couple homeless.

A mobile home fire Friday night left a Panama City couple unharmed but wondering where they would spend the night.

The fire on the 2300 block of Drummond Avenue left Diane Hobbs and James Jerkins without clothes, medications, money or a place to stay.

“I don’t know where we’re going to go now,” Hobbs said as she watched firefighters from the Panama City Fire Department and Bay County Fire and Rescue rummage through the trailer that had been her home for nearly two years.

Jerkins, who served in the Army, believes he lost all of his military records and Veterans Affairs documentation. The 62-year-old said he’s been under a lot of stress.

Battalion Chief Darrel Wise said the cause of the fire is under investigation, which would include assistance from the Fire Marshal’s Office. He said he had contacted the American Red Cross to assist Hobbs and Jerkins.

Earlier Friday, one person was taken to a medical facility with what firefighters believe were minor injuries after an early morning fire.

At least six people were in the home when the fire started, but everyone escaped the house by the time fire crews with the Panama City Fire Department arrived at 719 Williams Ave., interim Assistant Chief Gary Swearingen said. Firefighters treated one person for smoke inhalation on the scene before emergency medical services took the person to a hospital for additional treatment and evaluation.

Swearingen said he didn’t know that person’s condition, but he believed their injuries were not life-threatening. The fire appears to have started when a pan of grease on a stove top ignited and spread to the cabinets.

Firefighters arrived about three minutes after the alarm and brought the fire under control within 20 minutes. Fire damage was contained primarily to the kitchen. The fire department estimated about $5,000 in damages to the building and $2,000 in damages to items inside.

The fire department did not identify the residents. The American Red Cross responded to the scene to assist the family.

A PCFD fire report indicates the home was not equipped with smoke detectors. Some of the people in the home were sleeping, but one of them discovered the fire and awakened everyone else.

Swearingen said they were fortunate.

“When you go to sleep without a smoke detector, you’re taking a gamble,” Swearingen said.

Swearingen said smoke detectors save lives, and he recommended people change the batteries in all smoke detectors twice a year. He suggested people change batteries when they change clocks for daylight savings.

Toddler dies after being found in tub

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PANAMA CITY BEACH — Police are investigating the death of a 1-year-old child who was found unresponsive in a bathtub around 2 p.m. Friday.

Gaudalupa Ritchie Martinez was taken to Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center, where the emergency room doctor pronounced him dead, Panama City Beach Police Chief Drew Whitman said. First responders had performed CPR, which was already in progress when they arrived, on the way to the hospital.

“It’s a tragic situation when someone dies that young,” Whitman said.

Investigators were at the scene Friday night at Edgewater Golf Villas, where Gaudalupa and his family moved about three months ago from Tennessee, Whitman said. The toddler, his mother and two siblings were home at the time, and Martinez might have been unsupervised for “a short period of time,” he said.

“We don’t expect foul play, but we’re making sure there was no neglect of the child,” Whitman said.

It’s too early to tell whether any charges will be filed in connection to the toddler's death.

“We’re not going to do anything until we get the investigation completed and get the results from the autopsy,” he said.

It’s unknown when the Medical Examiner’s Office will perform an autopsy

Man robs hotel; suspect in earlier case

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PANAMA CITY BEACH -- Authorities are searching for a man who held up the Sugar Sands Hotel at 20723 Front Beach Road at about 6:50 p.m. Friday.

The Bay County Sheriff’s Office said a white male,  approximately 5 feet, 8 inches, wearing black clothes, a brown wig and a fake moustache approached the clerk armed with a black semiautomatic handgun and demanded money from the register, BCSO said. The male fled on foot eastbound along Front Beach Road.

Investigators believe that the same suspect is responsible for the armed robbery at the Hampton Inn on Back Beach Road last week.

Anyone with information on this suspect is asked to call the Bay County Sheriffs Office at 747-4700.

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