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Red Cross to share fire safety tips

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PANAMA CITY – The American Red Cross volunteers will spend Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which falls on Jan. 20 this year, canvassing neighborhoods in the Glenwood and Cedar Grove areas to share fire safety tips with residents.

Where residents are not available to speak with, volunteers will leave door hangers printed in English and Spanish with cooking and heating tips and information about the importance of smoke alarms and fire escape plans.

“Fire is the biggest disaster threat to American families — not floods, hurricanes, or tornadoes,” said Jerry Kindle, CEO of The American Red Cross of Northwest Florida, in a press release, “And home fires are one disaster that can usually be prevented when people understand how to protect their homes and families.”

Nationally, the Red Cross provides food and shelter to people affected by as many as 70,000 fires annually, or about one fire every eight minutes. The Central Panhandle Chapter responded to 86 fires in Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson and Washington counties between July 2012 and July 2013 and another 68 fires since July 2013, 29 of which were in Bay County.

The Red Cross is looking for more volunteers to participate in this event. Those interested in volunteering should contact 763-6587 for more information.

The American Red Cross offers the following fire prevention tips:

All heaters need space. Keep all things that can burn (paper, matches, bedding, furniture, clothing, carpets, and rugs) at least three feet away from heating equipment.

Never leave a fire in the fireplace unattended, and use a glass or metal fire screen to keep fire and embers in the fireplace.

Never use a cooking range or oven to heat your home.

Turn off portable space heaters every time you leave the room or go to sleep.

Have wood and coal stoves, fireplaces and chimneys inspected annually by a professional, and cleaned if necessary.

If you must use a space heater, place it on a level, hard and nonflammable surface (such as ceramic tile floor), not on rugs, or carpets or near bedding or drapes. Plug power cords directly into outlets and never into an extension cord.

 

The Florida Department of Health have issued a reminder to take precautions against carbon monoxide poisoning on cold winter nights.

Carbon monoxide is a tasteless, odorless, non-irritating poisonous gas produced by burning fuels such as gasoline, natural gas, charcoal and wood. It often causes flu-like symptons such as headache, nausea, weakness, abdominal discomfort/pain, dizziness and confusion. Other signs and symptoms may include blurred vision, numbness and tingling, ataxia (loss or lack of muscular coordination), irritability, agitation, chest pain, shortness of breath, palpitations, seizures and loss of consciousness. If carbon monoxide poisoning is suspected, go outside immediately and seek medical attention. If someone has collapsed or is not breathing, call 911.

The Florida Department of Health offers these tips to help prevent carbon monoxide poisoning:

• Never use a gas stove or oven to heat the home.
• Never burn charcoal inside a house, garage, vehicle or tent, including in a fireplace.
• Avoid using unvented gas or kerosene heaters in enclosed spaces, especially sleeping areas.
• Install and use fuel-burning appliances according to manufacturer instructions.
• Inspect the exhaust system of each fuel burning appliance every year, including chimneys, flues and vents. Check for blockage, holes and disconnections.
• Have fuel-burning appliances inspected and serviced annually by a licensed contractor.
• Never leave an automobile running in a garage, even with the garage door open.
• Do not leave the rear window or tailgate of a vehicle open while driving. Carbon monoxide from the exhaust can be pulled inside the car, van or camper.
• Never use a portable generator or a fuel-powered tool indoors or in other enclosed or partially enclosed areas.
• Always place portable generators outdoors on a dry surface far away from doors, windows, vents and air conditioning equipment that could allow carbon monoxide to enter. Orient the generator so that it is placed with the exhaust port pointing away from the home.
• Install battery operated carbon monoxide alarms or plug-in carbon monoxide alarms with battery backup inside the house according to manufacturer’s installation instructions or NFPA 720: Standard for the Installation of Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detection and Warning Equipment.
• Install only carbon monoxide alarms that meet the UL 2034 or the CSA 6.19 standards.
• Replace carbon monoxide alarm batteries once a year and test alarms frequently.
• Replace carbon monoxide alarms every five years or as often as recommended by the alarm manufacturer.

For more information about suspected poisoning emergencies, call the Florida Poison Information Center at 1-800-222-1222. To learn more about indoor air pollution and public health in Florida, visit FloridaHealth.gov/healthy-environments/indoor-air-quality/index.html or call the Radon and Indoor Air Program at 1-800-543-8279.
 


Florida House panel votes to ban new red-light cameras

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TALLAHASSEE — Installation of new red-light cameras would be banned across the state under a bill that passed a key committee in the Florida House Thursday, signaling a renewed debate over the devices’ use to catch traffic light violations.

The measure, approved 10-3 Thursday by the House Transportation and Highway Safety Subcommittee, would prohibit cities and counties from installing new red light cameras after July 1 and would sharply limit the revenue local governments could raise from the enforcement systems.

The bill would not impact the cameras already in use by the estimated 77 local governments in Florida — including Palm Coast, Daytona Beach and Holly Hill.

“We are not removing the cameras that are already there,” said Rep. Frank Artiles, R-Miami. “What we’re saying is that the local governments are not going to profiteer from it ... If it’s about safety, make it about safety.”

Artiles said leaving the existing cameras in place would meet the safety concerns raised by camera advocates, while at the same time reducing the revenue being generated for the cities, counties and the state. Critics have called the cameras a “back door tax” for local governments.

The bill is opposed by local governments and law enforcement advocates.

“Our message has never changed or wavered,” said Chris Connell, a Tallahassee police officer representing the Florida Police Chiefs Association. “We do believe that the red light cameras are a safety improvement and they do save lives.”

Connell was not able to offer any crash statistics but said his city has seen “a significant decrease” in red-light violations since the cameras have been installed. “That tells us driving habits have been changed,” he said.

Artiles noted the safety statistics are unclear since a quarter of the local governments using the cameras do not provide any crash information to the state.

The bill would significantly impact state and local government revenue from the cameras by reducing the fines from the current $158 per violation to $83.

Additionally, cities and counties — which now receive $75 of the fine for locally enforced cameras — would no longer receive a share of the fines. Instead they would be allowed to levy a “surcharge” that would let them recoup “administrative costs” as well as pay their contractual obligations to the red-light camera companies that operate the systems.

Ryan Padgett, an assistant general counsel for the Florida League of Cities, said the cities would continue to argue that the local governments should retain the right to use or not use the traffic enforcement systems.

He also said with the current $158 fine, which is shared with the state, many cities are running their cameras on a “break even” basis since violations have declined as motorists become more aware of the cameras.

This is not the first time that lawmakers have moved to limit the red-light cameras in the state, which were first authorized under the 2010 Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Act, named after a Manatee County man whose wife fought for years to pass the legislation after her husband was killed when a motorist ran a traffic light.

The following year, the House voted to repeal the cameras, although the legislation died in the Senate.

And this year, the legislation is far from a done deal. The bill next heads to the House Transportation and Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee, where the chairman, Rep. Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, is a staunch supporter of the red-light cameras.
Hooper noted there will be “many opportunities” to alter the legislation as it moves through the process.

“This is not the end of the journey — this is merely the beginning,” he said.

In the Senate, Transportation Chairman Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, who opposes the cameras, is waiting for a legislative study that is analyzing the various issues involved with the cameras, including safety factors as well as issues such as the timing of yellow lights and the amount of money that is being generated by the cameras.

Meanwhile, the Florida Supreme Court is weighing a case that contested the use of red-light cameras by local government prior to the passage of the 2010 law by the Legislature.
 

Sex sting raises entrapment issues

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The question of entrapment can be a sticky one and it may have snared the prosecution against a Longwood man recently acquitted of charges in a Deltona sex sting.

A jury acquitted Michael Llorca, 46, on Dec. 17 of three felonies: use of a computer to solicit, seduce parent/guardian consent, traveling to meet a minor and unlawful use of a communications device. Llorca was accused of traveling to Deltona to have sex with a 28-year-old woman and her 14-year-old sister.

The 28-year-old woman was actually Alachua County Sheriff’s Office Detective April McCray who, along with a task force of law enforcement, had gone to a Deltona home as part of a Volusia County Sheriff’s Office Operation Cyber Sting in September 2011.
Despite the acquittal, the Sheriff’s Office and State Attorney’s Office praised the sting in which Llorca was arrested, along with 14 other men, a number of whom are now in prison.

Llorca, though, walked out of the Volusia County Courthouse in DeLand on Dec. 17 a free man accompanied by his girlfriend.
“There’s a lot of things I wish I would have done differently,” Llorca said after wiping away tears at the time. “That’s a life-changing event.”

The life-changing event began when Llorca responded to a Craigslist ad: “Sisters seeking a fun night! - w4m - 28 Otown.”
Llorca responded with an email which included a picture of his face and his genitals and invited the sisters to meet him at an Orlando hotel for sex.

Detective McCray responded to Llorca on Sept. 4, 2011, that her “baby sister” was 14 and asked whether he had a problem with that. Llorca responded with “Send me some pics and let’s talk!”

In another exchange, McCray said that “Amber” wanted to know what Llorca was going to teach her. Llorca responded that “Neither of you look 14 - not that I care about age ...” and talks about positions he will teach Amber and later also texts that he will teach her oral sex, according to testimony.

But Llorca’s defense attorney Craig Sonner told the jury that the police had created the situation.

“It comes down to a case of really who solicited who?” Sonner said.

Sonner said that the initial ad did not have the age of the second sister or mention a child was involved.

“The state created the situation and then when (Llorca) responded they changed the situation,” Sonner said.

Prosecutor Jim Disinger told the jurors that Llorca did not back off when he was told a 14-year-old girl was involved.

“This case became about what Mr. Llorca decided to do or not do in response to that,” Disinger said. “You are not going to read anywhere where he says ‘14 are you crazy? That’s illegal. Goodbye. I’m not interested.’ That’s not in there. ”

‘NO RUBBER STAMPING’

Public Defender James Purdy said the possibility of entrapment is an issue.

“The question of entrapment is always going to be a sticky one in these types of cases, because you never know whether the individual was willing to have sex with the child before being solicited by the adult,” Purdy said in a phone interview. “Entrapment is a defense that can be raised in these cases but anytime you are talking about a child sex abuse case that is a very difficult defense to convince the jury to accept.”

The jury’s decision is a sign the system is healthy, he said.

“It is an indication that the jury system does work when you see that the jury comes back and makes a decision in a case like that,” Purdy said. “It indicates there is no rubber stamping going on.”

Cases like this ask jurors to read minds, said Tamara Lave, an associate professor of law at the University of Miami School of Law.

“These kinds of cases make people question whether law enforcement is being fair,” Lave said. “And in these types of cases when no sexual contact happens and the person isn’t even a minor, you are trying to get into the head of the defendant: what he is thinking and whether he is trying to entice a juvenile into sex?”

Lave said that law enforcement can create a fictitious 14 year old.

“That’s trickery and that’s allowed under the law,” Lave said. “What’s not allowed under the law is for the police to try to get someone who would not otherwise do something illegal to do something illegal.”

The investigation was flawed by the ages of the sisters, she said.

“When the initial contact was made the person said she was 28 years old,” Lave said. “Most people don’t have sisters who are 14 years younger.”

SOLICITATION QUESTIONED

Lave said the jurors got it right.

“Based on the burden of proof the jurors did the right thing and that’s brave in this world in these types of cases, and I give them kudos,” she said.

About 20 minutes into deliberations which took just over an hour, the jury of three women and three men sent a question to Circuit Judge Randell H. Rowe III: “Is it still solicitation if the defendant did not initiate it?” the jury asked.

Rowe discussed it with Sonner and Disinger and then told jurors that they would have to decide that.

Volusia County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Gary Davidson said no changes have been planned since the jury’s decision, but investigators will huddle with prosecutors to evaluate protocols.

“While we’re disappointed with the verdict, we respect the jury’s decision,” Davidson wrote in an email. “However, in our view, the jury acquittal wasn’t the result of any fundamental flaw in our operational techniques. Rather, it seemed to be based on the jury’s analysis and interpretation of the facts and circumstances specific to this one case as well as questions they appeared to have regarding the relevant legal principles. The overwhelming majority of the cases from these cyber-stings have resulted in successful prosecution.”

David Smith, chief of operations for 7th Circuit State Attorney R.J. Larizza, said that prosecutors would learn from the jury’s decision.

“The VCSO did a great job with highly skilled deputies and a thorough investigation,” Smith wrote in an email. “We do not discuss investigative techniques, but we learn something every day above ground, and working together with the VCSO and our other law enforcement partners we will put today’s lesson to good use going forward.”
 

Police: Cellphone use at theater led to shooting

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WESLEY CHAPEL — Authorities say a man has been arrested on suspicion of shooting two people — one fatally — after an argument over cell phone use at a Florida theater.

Pasco County Sheriff's spokesman Doug Tobin said two couples had been watching "Lone Survivor" Monday at a movie theater in Wesley Chapel, north of Tampa, when the suspect and his wife apparently took issue with the couple in front of them over use of the phones.

Tobin said the argument led to the shooting. Both victims were taken by ambulance to a Tampa-area hospital. The man later died, but the female victim's injuries weren't considered life-threatening.

The sheriff's office says a bystander detained the suspect until deputies arrived. Authorities didn't immediately identify the suspect.
No charges have been reported.
 

Blotter: Just because you’re paranoid …

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

A woman called police to report her car had been burglarized overnight.

Her purse was taken, but there was nothing inside except for some work papers. The value of what she lost was about $25.

The police came and began to investigate. It had rained, so taking fingerprints from the outside of the vehicle wouldn’t work, and the officer swabbed the area of the car where the victim left her purse hoping to get some DNA evidence that might lead to a suspect.

But the officer went a little too far with the investigation when he tried to take a DNA sample from the victim. She explained that she was a conspiracy theorist, and she refused to give the sample.
 

Retired police captain shoots, kills moviegoer over texting

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WESLEY CHAPEL — An argument over texting in a Florida movie theater ended with a retired Tampa police captain fatally shooting a man sitting in front of him, authorities said.

The former police captain, Curtis Reeves, 71, has been charged with second-degree murder. It’s not immediately clear whether he has retained an attorney.

“Somebody throws popcorn. I’m not sure who threw the popcorn,” said Charles Cummings, who, as a birthday treat, was about to watch the movie “Lone Survivor” at The Grove 16 Theater on Monday.
“And then bang, he was shot.”

Pasco County Sheriff’s officials said the shooting happened when Reeves asked 43-year-old Chad Oulson to stop texting at the theater in Wesley Chapel, a suburb about a half hour north of downtown Tampa.

Reeves and his wife were sitting behind Oulson and his wife. Oulson told Reeves he was texting with his 3-year-old daughter, Cummings said.

“It ended almost as quickly as it started,” said sheriff’s spokesman Doug Tobin. The sheriff’s office says an off-duty Sumter County deputy detained Reeves until police arrived.

Cummings and his son Alex — who both had blood on their clothes as they walked out of the theater — told a group of reporters Monday afternoon the show was still in previews when the two couples started arguing.

Cummings said the man in the back row — later identified as Reeves — got up and left the auditorium, presumably to get a manager. But he came back after a few minutes, without a manager and appearing upset. Moments later, the argument between the two men resumed, and the man in the front row stood up.

Officials said Oulson asked Reeves if he reported him to management for using his phone.

Cummings said the men started raising their voices and popcorn was thrown. Authorities said Reeves took out a gun, and Oulson’s wife put her hand over her husband, and that’s when Reeves fired his weapon, striking Nichole Oulson in the hand and her husband in the chest.

“I can’t believe people would bring a pistol, a gun, to a movie,” Cummings said. “I can’t believe they would argue and fight and shoot one another over popcorn. Over a cellphone.”

Cummings, who said he was a combat Marine in Vietnam, said Oulson fell onto him and his son.

“Blood started coming out of his mouth,” said Alex Cummings. “It was just a very bad scene.”
Charles Cummings said his son went to call 911, while Cummings and another patron who claimed to a nurse began performing CPR on the victim.

A man sitting next to the shooter grabbed the gun out of his hand, and the suspect did not attempt to get away, Cummings said.
Oulson and his wife were taken by ambulance to a Tampa-area hospital, where the Chad Oulson died, Tobin said. His wife’s injuries were not considered life-threatening.

Tampa Police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said in a news release that Reeves was a captain when he retired from the department in 1993. She added that he was instrumental in establishing the agency’s first tactical response team. After he retired, Reeves worked security for the Busch Gardens theme park and was on the board of a neighboring county’s Crime Stoppers organization. Reeves’ son also is a Tampa officer, police said.
 

Woman killed in Holmes County wreck

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A 22-year-old Geneva, Ala. woman was killed in a single vehicle wreck in Holmes County Tuesday night, officials wrote in a news release.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol Raegan Everett Kelly was driving a 1996 Nissan Pathfinder west on State 2 near Early Lane when her vehicle crossed into the westbound shoulder until it hit a driveway and became airborne. The vehicle flipped over and Kelly was ejected, troopers wrote. 

She was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash is under investigation. 

Tennyson sentenced to 35 years for wife's murder

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A Lynn Haven man scheduled for trial Wednesday on a count of second-degree murder for his wife’s slaying in 2012 pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 35 years in prison Tuesday.

Gary Wesley Tennyson, 37, was expected to plead not guilty by reason of insanity during a bench trial scheduled to begin Wednesday. He was arrested in May 2012 after police found 28-year-old Glenda Tennyson’s body in a shed behind the couple’s home.

Gary Tennyson had been using meth and behaving erratically in the time before Glenda Tennyson was killed. She was pregnant with twins when she died.
 


Man charged with molesting child

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ALTHA -- An Altha man was arrested this week after a child told her father she had been molested.

According to the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, Charlie James Crenshaw of Altha is being charged with four counts of sexual battery on a person under 12 and two counts of lewd and lascivious molestation on a child under 12.

CCSO said the investigation began that on Dec. 31 after a parent notified the Sheriffs Office that he believed his 9-year-old daughter had been the victim of sexual abuse. The victim told her father that she had been molested by a family friend who lived in their house. The father later discovered footage from an in-home security camera system that had captured in the crime in March.

The suspect was brought in for questioning and subsequently admitted to sexually abusing the victim on numerous occasions.

Former builder sentenced in Walton scam

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NICEVILLE -- A former builder has been sentenced to six years and three months in prison for fraud and theft of his ex-wife’s identity, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Lawrence Allen Wright, 46, of Niceville, was sentenced by Senior Federal District Court Judge Lacey A. Collier and ordered to pay more than $3.7 million in restitution.

Wright’s sentence came after his guilty plea in October to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, two counts of bank fraud, one count of mail fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, and one count of making a false statement to federally insured financial institution, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Wright admitted to conspiring with others to commit bank fraud and money laundering. As a part of that scheme, Wright solicited people to act as straw buyers to purchase unimproved lots in Walton County so he could use loans from Countrywide to build homes on the lots. While soliciting the straw buyers, Wright promised to make payments on the fraudulent loans and pay the earnest money deposit and closing costs, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.

Wright told the straw buyers he could sell the properties for a profit after he built the homes and that he would then share a portion of the proceeds with them.

Three of the counts concerned Wright causing another person to sign his ex-wife’s name on legal documents without his ex-wife’s permission. They included mortgage loan documents, promissory notes and tax returns.

In addition to the conspiracy charges, Wright pleaded guilty to defrauding Regions Bank, Beach Community Bank and GulfSouth Private Bank.

Armed robbery suspect caught

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PANAMA CITY BEACH -- Police arrested a 23-year-old man on suspicion of robbing a gift shop and repeatedly using a stun gun on a clerk who tried to call 911, according to the Panama City Beach Police Department.

Nikolas Subbotin Nicolaevitsch, of Panama City Beach, is charged with two counts of armed robbery and tampering with a victim after he was arrested Wednesday.

Police said Nicolaevitsch went to the Party Shack on the 10000 block of Front Beach Road around 11 a.m. Wednesday with a gun and a ski mask and demanded money and merchandise from the clerk. He left the store with merchandise and an undisclosed amount of cash, but the clerk chased him while trying to call police.

Nicolaevitsch used an “electronic stun device” on the woman, who fell to the ground. He kicked her and took the phone from her, and then he fled in a vehicle.

The clerk and other witness gave police a description of the suspect and the vehicle, and police arrested Nicolaevitsch as he arrived at the Shores of Panama.

Nicolaevitsch was booked into the Bay County Jail to await his first court appearance.

Suspect looked to cop for help in caper

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PANAMA CITY — A Panama City man’s alleged caper conspiracy was foiled Tuesday when he was arrested because one of the men he enlisted to help rob his employer was a cop.

Daniel Norona, 24, approached an off-duty Panama City police officer earlier this week and offered him $10,000 to help him steal gold and cash from the pawn shop where he worked.

Police took Norona to the Bay County Jail on suspicion of conspiracy to commit burglary and bribery of a law enforcement officer. A judge ordered him to pretrial release Wednesday during his first court appearance.

Police began investigating Norona earlier this week after he allegedly approached an off-duty officer whom he knew personally and offered $10,000 from the proceeds of the crime for police intelligence that would make it more difficult for detectives to solve the crime.

The officer was not in uniform or on duty at the time, but “[Norona] most definitely knew he was a cop,” said Sgt. Mike Brewer.

Brewer declined to identify the officer Norona is accused of attempting to bribe. However, court paperwork prohibits Norona from having any contact with Matt Cole, who is a PCPD officer.

“Our general orders tell us if we are approached … to commit a criminal act to take it straight to the chief,” Brewer said. “So the officer did what he was supposed to do.”

A complaint against Norona indicates he planned to rely on a co-worker to disable the alarms and cameras at Dan’s Pawn Shop on Beck Avenue. Brewer said the investigation is ongoing and he declined to say whether any other employees might’ve been involved in the alleged scheme.

Avery Adcock, who owns Dan Pawn Shop locations in Panama City and Springfield, said he didn’t know the details of Norona’s plan, but he pointed out that a crime in a pawn shop could’ve been a very dangerous undertaking. He praised the police for preventing the crime before it occurred.

“I’m very glad the police department was able to catch him before he went through with it and prevented him from robbing us, and I want to thank them.” Adcock said. “Because of them and the extraordinary work of their investigative team, we were able to prevent any loss of property or injury. Nobody got hurt.

“At no point was any of our customers’ pawned merchandise at risk. We have strong, multi-layered security and good loss prevention procedures.”

Adcock said Norona, who has no significant criminal history in Bay County, had worked at Dan’s Pawn Shop for about eight months, but he had been terminated.

“Both stores are open for business as usual — minus one employee,” he said.

UPDATE: Man sentenced in human trafficking case

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JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A man arrested as part of a kidnapping and human trafficking investigation was sentenced Thursday to one year in prison for transporting a woman across state lines for prostitution.

Ruperto Moncillo Flores was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Hattiesburg on one count of a violating of the federal Mann Act. The sentence is to be followed by three years supervised release, court officials say.

Flores and another man were arrested June 27 after a woman walked into the Hattiesburg, Miss., Police Department and said she’d been abducted in Panama City Beach, Fla.

Authorities have said Flores had no knowledge of the abduction, but was asked to transport the woman to Louisiana for prostitution.

Authorities say Flores, of Lawrenceville, Ga., was arrested in Mississippi when his van broke down before picking up the kidnapping victim.

Another woman with him at the time said Flores was taking her to Louisiana for prostitution, authorities say. He pleaded guilty in October to transporting that woman for prostitution.

When Flores pleaded guilty, assistant U.S. Attorney Annette Williams said the victim heard her abductors call someone to take her to a “house of prostitution” in Baton Rouge, La.

Williams said at the time that the abduction started an investigation into a “multistate prostitution ring and human trafficking organization.”

Feliciano-Francisco, also known as Uriel Castillo-Ochoa, is charged in U.S. District Court in Panama City with kidnapping the former witness. He pleaded not guilty on Aug. 12 to five charges, including kidnapping and retaliating against a witness.

Authorities said the victim was in her yard in Florida when Feliciano-Francisco and an unidentified man forced her into a car and drove to Feliciano-Francisco’s house in Hattiesburg. Investigators say Feliciano-Francisco sexually assaulted the victim and planned to force her to work as a prostitute.

The kidnapping victim escaped through a bathroom window that evening and went to the Hattiesburg Police Department about 6:30 p.m.

Feliciano-Francisco was arrested at the house that night. Flores was arrested on Interstate 59 in Jones County.

 

An earlier version of this story is posted below:

JACKSON, Miss. — A man who pleaded guilty to transporting a woman across state lines for prostitution as part of a multistate kidnapping and human trafficking investigation was scheduled for sentencing Thursday afternoon in Mississippi.

Ruperto Moncillo Flores and another man were arrested June 27 after a woman walked into the Hattiesburg, Miss., Police Department and said she'd been abducted in Panama City Beach, Fla.

Authorities have said Flores had no knowledge of the abduction, but was asked to transport the woman to Louisiana for prostitution. The woman had been a witness in a prior human trafficking case, which led to numerous convictions in Tennessee and Kentucky.
Authorities say Flores, of Lawrenceville, Ga., was arrested in Mississippi when his van broke down before he made it to pick up the kidnapping victim.

Another woman with him at the time said Flores was taking her to Louisiana for prostitution, authorities say. He pleaded guilty in October to a violation of the federal Mann Act for transporting that woman.

Sentencing is scheduled to take place in U.S. District Court in Hattiesburg.

When Flores pleaded guilty, assistant U.S. Attorney Annette Williams said the victim heard her abductors call someone to take her to a "house of prostitution" in Baton Rouge, La.

Williams said at the time that the abduction started an investigation into a "multistate prostitution ring and human trafficking organization."

Feliciano-Francisco, also known as Uriel Castillo-Ochoa, is charged in U.S. District Court in Panama City, Fla., with kidnapping the former witness. He pleaded not guilty on Aug. 12 to five charges, including kidnapping and retaliating against a witness.

Authorities said the victim was in her yard in Florida when Feliciano-Francisco and an unidentified man forced her into a car and drove to Feliciano-Francisco's house in Hattiesburg. Investigators say Feliciano-Francisco sexually assaulted the victim and planned to force her to work as a prostitute.

The kidnapping victim escaped through a bathroom window that evening and went to the Hattiesburg Police Department about 6:30 p.m.

Feliciano-Francisco was arrested at the house that night. Flores was arrested on Interstate 59 in Jones County.
 

73-year-old man charged with molestation

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SPRINGFIELD -- A 73-year-old Springfield man was arrested Wednesday on three counts of lewd and lascivious molestation on a child under 12 years old.

Arrested was Bobby Gene Hays, according to the Springfield Police Department.

Police received a report that Hays had been committing a sex act with a child. During the investigation, Hays told officers that he molested the victim on three occasions during the past six months.

Each count is punishable by up to life in prison, according to Springfield police.
 

BCSO issues scam alert over suspicious calls

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PANAMA CITY - The Bay County Sheriff’s Office issued a Scam Alert Thursday to inform the residents of Bay County of a new scam that has generated several complaints recently.

Bay County residents have received telephone calls with a message claiming to be from a financial institution. The message informs the intended victim that their debit or credit cards have been restricted due to possible fraud. The recorded message then directs the victim to type in their card numbers to “verify transactions”.

Each intended victim has hung up and not participated, so there are no additional details to release at this time on the scam. The concern of authorities is that with recent media attention on the security breaches at Target and Neiman Marcus, there may be some confusion that the call is related to those events and therefore legitimate.

Thos who believe they have been victimized by this scam are asked to contact Inv. Craig Romans at the Bay County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 248-2075 or by email at craig.romans@bayso.org.
 


Man charged with murder for crash

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PANAMA CITY — Authorities have arrested a man suspected of leading police on a chase that ended in a deadly crash in St. Andrews last spring.

Devonte Harp, 20, of Albany, Ga., was booked into the Bay County Jail Wednesday on several charges, including third-degree murder and fleeing and eluding law enforcement. He is suspected of driving a car that crashed into an empty home at the intersection of 16th Street and Louise Avenue on March 6.

The crash killed 34-year-old Shantay Beach, a passenger in the car.

Panama City Police had attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the 2001 Chevrolet Malibu not far from where the crash occurred after an officer noticed it failed to stay within its lane and its registration came back as invalid. But the car took off, and police chased it through a residential area of St. Andrews. 

The officer in pursuit discontinued the chase just a few blocks from where the car lost control, clipped a fire hydrant and smashed into a carport, which collapsed, police records indicate.

The Florida Highway Patrol conducted the investigation that led to the arrest because of the involvement of the Panama City Police Department.

Harp is charged with third-degree murder, vehicular homicide, aggravated fleeing and eluding, driving without a license resulting in bodily injury or death and leaving the scene of an accident involving death, which are felonies. He also faces misdemeanor charges of driving without a license and reckless driving.

Man arrested in child sex sting

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PANAMA CITY BEACH -- Police arrested a Panama City man for attempting to lure a cop posing as a child into sex, according to the Panama City Beach Police.

Richard Edman Philyaw, 33, is charged with traveling to meet a minor for sex and unlawful use of a two-way communications device. Police posing as a child on social media corresponded with Philyaw on an unnamed social media website, where he propositioned the officer for sex.

Philyaw later told investigators he believed the officer was a 13-year-old child when he drove to the Majestic Beach Resort for sex on his lunch break, according to police.

Execution of trooper’s killer rescheduled

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A drug trafficker convicted of killing a North Florida state trooper with a pipe bomb is once again scheduled to die.

Gov. Rick Scott on Friday set Paul Augustus Howell’s new execution date for Feb. 26, according to a letter Scott sent to the warden of Florida State Prison.

Scott signed a death warrant for Howell last January, but the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily blocked the execution. Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi certified on Wednesday that the stay had been lifted.

Howell was convicted of killing Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Jimmy Fulford with a bomb placed inside a gift-wrapped microwave oven 22 years ago. Authorities said the booby-trapped package was intended to kill two women in Marianna because they knew too much about a drug-related murder in Broward County.

Fulford stopped a car for speeding as it was transporting the package on Interstate 10 in Jefferson County just east of Tallahassee on Feb. 1, 1992. The trooper was killed instantly when he opened the package after sheriff’s deputies had picked up the driver, who lacked a valid license, along with a passenger. Fulford was a father of two.

The trooper’s wife, Keith Ann Fulford, later asked a judge to condemn Howell to death at his sentencing hearing, saying he could have told Fulford not to open the package. “What Paul Howell did was murder my husband in cold blood,” she told the judge.

A prosecutor said Fulford’s death likely saved many other lives. It also launched a multistate investigation that unraveled a major crack cocaine ring, resulting in the convictions of 28 people on federal drug charges including Howell.

Child porn suspect gets limited web access

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PANAMA CITY — A judge granted limited access to the Internet to a Lynn Haven man charged with possession of child pornography.

Darius Goodin, 50, needs to be able to access the Internet in order to keep his job as a civil servant at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Panama City, where he has worked for 28 years, according to a motion seeking a modification of the conditions of his bond.

Judge Shane Vann set Goodin’s bond at $10,000, with the special condition that he not access the Internet, on Dec. 19 during Goodin’s first court appearance after he was arrested and charged with 16 counts of possession of child pornography.

Judge James Fensom signed an order Wednesday that will allow Goodin to access the web for work purposes only on United States government networks, computers and other devices. Goodin needs to be able to respond to work emails sent to his phone, and uses the web to perform research, make travel arraignments and perform other tasks.

Goodin’s attorney, Ben Bollinger, declined to comment.

Goodin was arrested 10 months after investigators with the Bay County Sheriff’s Office searched his home with a warrant on suspicion that he was downloading child pornography using a peer-to-peer file sharing network called Ares. Deputies seized his computer and an external hard drive and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement found 16 “notable child pornography files.”

When Goodin was interviewed during the search, he said he didn’t download child pornography and if it popped up on his computer he deleted it.

BCSO: Wig-wearing robber nabbed // VIDEO

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PANAMA CITY — A suspect in a string of robberies by a wig-wearing bandit was arrested Saturday.

The Bay County Sheriff’s Office said Raymond Charles Wagner, 35, was charged in connection with several armed robberies of area businesses and hotels.

On Dec. 23, the Tom Thumb Convenience Store on Back Beach Road was robbed by a male brandishing a firearm.

On Jan. 2, a white male armed with a handgun and wearing a wig robbed the Hampton Inn at 13505 Panama City Beach Parkway. Information was developed that the suspect possibly left the scene on a black motorcycle.

VIDEO OF HAMPTON INN ROBBERY

On Jan. 10, a white male armed with a handgun and wearing a wig and fake moustache robbed the Sugar Sands Hotel at 20723 Front Beach Road.

On Thursday and Friday, BCSO and Panama City Beach Police conducted a joint operation conducting surveillance on area hotels in reference to the recent beach area robberies.

But Friday at about 8:30 p.m., the Panama City Police Department responded to the Ramada Inn at 4306 U.S. 98 in reference to a robbery involving a white male wearing a wig.

About four hours later, a BCSO patrol sergeant saw a motorcycle matching the description of the one possibly seen during the Hampton Inn robbery, in the area of Front Beach Road and Joan Avenue. The motorcycle was being followed by a white Chevrolet Tahoe. The sergeant watched the motorcycle park at a restaurant, and the driver entered the passenger side of the Tahoe.

A traffic stop was conducted, and the passenger, later identified as Wagner, fled the area on foot. Investigators with BCSO and Panama City Beach Police responded to assist. Following a brief foot chase, Wagner was apprehended.

The investigation led to a search warrant being served at the Executive Inn in Panama City Beach. During the search, a handgun, wig, fake moustache and clothing consistent with clothing worn during the robberies was seized. Wagner confessed to the four robberies, BCSO said. Also, investigators concluded the motorcycle Wagner was driving had been reported stolen.

Wagner was charged with armed robbery and was booked into the Bay County Jail. Additional charges are anticipated.

In a press release, Sheriff Frank McKeithen credits hard work and great working relationships between law enforcement agencies with solving the case.

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