A Cowpens, South Carolina resident and firefighter with two Spartanburg County departments is in “extremely critical condition” at a burn center in Augusta, Ga., following a plane crash in Florida Sunday morning, according to authorities.

Four Cowpens Fire Department firefighters, including Chief Tony Blanton, and members of Pelham-Batesville Fire Department left Monday morning to be with Patrick Schultz's family at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center, said Cowpens firefighter Steve Quinn. Schultz, 36, is a volunteer with Cowpens and works for the Pelham-Batesville Fire Department, which has coverage areas in Spartanburg and Greenville counties.

“It's tough on our department right now,” Quinn said Monday. “(Schultz is) an excellent firefighter, a family guy, a church guy.”

Three other people were killed when the small plane Schultz was piloting crashed and caught fire in a wooded area north of Fountain in Bay County, Fla., the News Herald in Panama City reported. The victims have been identified as Schultz's mother Kathleen Schultz, his aunt Nancy Moore and 14-year-old nephew Nicholas Hoang. Schultz was transported to a burn unit in “extremely critical” condition, according to Florida authorities.

A Florida native, Schultz, his wife of 10 years, Jessica, and their 4- and 12-year-old daughters drove from South Carolina to Florida Friday to be with family for vacation, Quinn said.

Pelham-Batesville Capt. Scott Harris said Schultz, who began working with the department last July, was burned on 30 percent of his body. He was undergoing surgery Monday afternoon, with surgeons looking for internal burns to determine his prognosis. According to initial reports, Schultz was burned on his legs, face, chest and back.

Bay County sheriff's deputies were called about 9:25 a.m. Sunday after a witness reported a small plane had crashed just southeast of U.S. 231 and County 167, according to News Herald reports.

Fire crews from three counties responded to battle the wildfire sparked by the plane's explosion.

The remote location of the crash challenged deputies, as vehicles got stuck in the sandy terrain, the News Herald reported. Crews with the Florida Forest Service on bulldozers worked to clear a passage to the crash site.

It appeared to investigators the plane crashed shortly after taking off from a small grass airstrip nearby. The wreckage was in such a condition that deputies could not determine the type of plane. Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said it was a Piper PA28 and that the FAA is investigating, the News Herald reports.

“There's not much of the aircraft that remains,” said Bay County Sheriff's Office Maj. Tommy Ford, in the news account.

National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Nicholas Worrell said Monday the investigator at the scene was just beginning an investigation that would likely take between six months and a year. The investigator was documenting the scene and interviewing witnesses Monday, but it will likely be a few more days before the wreckage is even removed, Worrell said.

The Pelham-Batesville department's chaplain, Gary Rogers, led a group of about 75 people, including firefighters and neighborhood residents, in prayer about 8:30 a.m. Monday. Harris said the department received an email Monday morning stating that Schultz was undergoing “the first of many surgeries.”

Pelham-Batesville firefighters described Schultz as energetic.

“In the mornings, he's the energy in the room,” said firefighter Christopher Currin. “He's outgoing and comes in with high fives.”

Harris said Schultz was always shaking hands and “just glad to be here.” He was in the process of taking an EMT course.

“He kind of makes the best of everything,” Harris said.

Firefighters are in the process of setting up an account for donations to the Schultz family. They are asking for prayers.

“With his injuries, he will have a long recovery,” Harris said. “And dealing with the emotional part...It's going to be a battle for him.”

PANAMA CITY BEACH - Deputies have arrested two people in connection to an armed robbery. The incident happened early Tuesday morning in the parking garage at the Shores of Panama, officials wrote in a news release.

A short time after the robbery was reported a Bay County Sheriff's Deputy located a stolen vehicle in the area of Beach Boulevard and Silver Street. Victor D. Davis, 31, of Panama City was driving the vehicle and Eric T. Zeigler, 23, of Prattville, Alabama was the passenger, according to a news release. Zeigler fled the area but was captured and found to be in possessioin of two handguns and some of the victim's property, the news release states.

Zeigler was charged with armed robbery and grand theft of a vehicle. Davis was charged with principal to armed robbery and grand theft of a vehicle.   

PANAMA CITY -- The organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) has nominated local prosecutor Bob Sombathy, prosecutor for the state attorney’s office, for recognition at the 2014 MADD Florida State Law Enforcement Recognition Conference Aug. 1 in Fort Lauderdale.

The nomination is for achievements that embrace MADD’s mission to eliminate drunk driving and support victims.

Sombathy earned jury verdicts of “guilty as charged” on four high profile cases last year involving alcohol impaired drivers whose actions resulted in the death of innocent victims.

“I am honored and humbled to be nominated. This nomination really belongs to all of the law enforcement investigators, victim advocates and the dedicated staff at the State Attorney’s Office who have helped me win these cases,” Sombathy said. “It is a team effort in every way. Mothers Against Drunk Driving is a driving force in keeping our highways safe, how can you not support such a worthy cause?”

The nomination was made by Lynn Ivey, local MADD victim services specialist for Northwest Florida. Ivey personally attended all four jury trials in support of families of the deceased victims.

PANAMA CITY — Police have arrested two men in connection to a Millville shooting during which two men died and a third was injured.

Frederic Jones, 22, of

Police later found Marqueze McGhee, 25, Xavier M. Buckler, 23, and Dalreco Franklin, 26, at the Petro suffering from gunshot wounds. McGhee and Buckler were pronounced dead upon arrival at Bay Medical Center Sacred Heart Health System.

Franklin was treated and released for a gunshot wound to the leg.

Neither of the suspects has been charged with the deaths of McGhee or Buckler. However, police have charged Jones with aggravated battery with a firearm, which they said occurred when Franklin was shot in the leg.

According to his arrest affidavit, Jones drew a small handgun during an altercation at the Petro. Police said video and witness accounts identify Jones as discharging the handgun about three times afterward, hitting Franklin once in the leg. West also is accused of displaying a small caliber handgun during the altercation.

Both men also were charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm or ammunition.

The investigation is continuing. 

PANAMA CITY — Police have arrested a man in connection with a fatal shooting early Wednesday, the city’s third slaying in less than a week.

Residents of the 1300 block of Roosevelt Drive reported hearing gunshots at about 12:30 a.m. in the residential Glenwood neighborhood. When police arrived, they were led to the body of a single victim, shot to death at close range on a grassy area separating the residential backyards of Carver and Washington drives.

Police identified the victim as 38-year-old Leonard Price, also known as Charles Banks, of 1940 Sherman Ave. Police reports released Wednesday left unclear the details of what transpired prior to the shooting. However, police arrested Michael R. Davis, 28, for the shooting and charged him with an open count of murder.

During the course of their investigation, detectives said they learned Davis was involved in the shooting and later arrested him at his residence, 511 E. 13th St., without incident, according to police reports.

Two eyewitnesses saw the shooting, according to arrest records. Both identified Davis’ address as being the residence of the shooter. One positively identified Davis in a photo lineup.

Investigators said the shooting was not an act of self-defense or in defense of others.

PHOTO GALLERY

Officials also said Wednesday’s slaying was not related to an unsolved double homicide Saturday, which also was in Panama City.

The investigation into Wednesday’s slaying is ongoing, and anyone with information in reference to this case is asked to contact Detective Roger Rossomondo at the Panama City Police Department, 850-872-3100, or tips can be reported anonymously to CrimeStoppers at 850-785-TIPS (8477).

An earlier version of this story is posted below:

PANAMA CITY — Investigators ended their hunt for a suspected murderer Wednesday after a fatal early morning shooting, the third slaying in less than a week.

Panama City police have arrested Michael R. Davis, 28, for a shooting near the 1400 Block of Carver Drive in the Glenwood community. Davis was charged with an open count of murder after residents of the area reported hearing gunshots at about 12:30 a.m.

Residents then led officers to the body of a single victim dead on a grass eve separating the residential backyards of Carver and Washington drives.
Once on scene, police identified Leonard Price, also known as Charles Banks, 38, as the victim and pronounced him dead at the scene.

Details of what transpired prior to the shooting were unclear Wednesday. However, during the course of the investigation detectives learned that Davis was involved with the shooting and later arrested him at his residence without incident, according to police reports.

Davis was questioned by detectives and transported to the Bay County Jail.

Officials said Wednesday’s slaying was not related to an unsolved double homicide Saturday, which also was in Panama City.

This investigation is ongoing and if you have any information in reference to this case, please contact Detective Roger Rossomondo at the Panama City Police Department, 850-872-3100, or you can report your tips anonymously to CrimeStoppers at 850-785-TIPS.
 

An earlier version of this story is below:

PANAMA CITY — Investigators are hunting for a suspected murderer Wednesday after a fatal early morning shooting, the third slaying in less than a week.

Residents in the area of the 1300 block of Lincoln Drive near the State 77/U.S. 98 intersection reported gunshots about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday and sent police to the scene where they found a body. Police have been piecing together what happened ever since and have been searching for both the suspect and the murder weapon. At one point this morning detectives were seen combing through Henry Davis Park, a play area near the slaying. 

Investigators have not released the identity of the victim or any information about the alleged killer.

Officials said Wednesday's slaying is not related to the unsolved double homicide Saturday, which also was in Panama City.

The white male depicted in the following photographs was involved in the theft of a motor vehicle in the Bel Aire area of Lynn Haven in the early morning hours of Sunday, May 25, 2014, according to a news release from the Lynn Haven Police Department.

The white Ford pickup was later recovered at the former Panama City Airport on State Road 390. Anyone with any information concerning the identity of this subject or his accomplices should call the Lynn Haven Police Department at 265-4111 or Crimestoppers at 785-TIPS.

CALLAWAY -- An arrest warrant has been issued for a driver involved in a vehicle crash on April 27, charging him with DUI with serious bodily injury and felony driving on a suspended license, Bay County Sheriff’s Office officials said Wednesday.

BCSO Callaway substation responded to the scene of the crash in the 5800 block of State 22. Investigators determined the driver of the car traveling west on highway 22, David Anthony Ortiz, crossed the center line into the eastbound lane crashing head-on into a vehicle. This resulted in critical injuries to the driver and two passengers in the vehicle that was struck, BCSO said.

BCSO said Ortiz’s blood alcohol level was .216, which is more than two and a half times the legal limit of .08.

Ortiz, 25, is currently being held in the Volusia County Jail on unrelated charges. A hold will be placed for him to be transferred to Bay County as soon as the charges in Volusia County are resolved. 

PANAMA CITY — A Fountain man accused of murder will remain in jail while attorneys prepare for a fourth trial, a judge ruled Wednesday.

State prosecutors will continue with a fourth attempt to prove Philip Dean Brock took the life of Terry Brazil. Brock has been in custody at Bay County Jail for almost 17 months for the shooting, stabbing and bludgeoning death of Brazil. Despite three separate juries not being able to reach a consensus as to Brock’s guilt or innocence, Judge Brantley Clark Wednesday denied the defense’s request to set a bond.

Defense attorney Kim Jewell appealed for Brock’s release to assist her with locating evidence within Brock’s residence that could exonerate him.

“We’ve obviously came to a stalemate in this case,” Jewell told the court. “His assistance is critical to my defense of this case.”

However, prosecutors with the State Attorney’s Office argued the three previous verdicts have favored the state — with between eight and 10 jurors prepared to convict Brock — as reasonable cause to deny the bond request.

Larry Basford, lead prosecutor, said the sum of testimony and gradual evidence unveiled throughout the trials would convince jurors toward a unanimous verdict of guilt.

“It’s sort of like hitting a moving target,” Basford said.

Brock is charged with murder, grand theft and robbery with a firearm in the December 2012 slaying of 65-year-old Brazil. Brazil was found bound, beaten, shot once in the abdomen, cut and stabbed.

Though the gun and knife were never found in the investigation, State Attorney Glenn Hess has pointed to Brock’s DNA evidence on a bedpost and roll of duct tape, believed to be used in the violent murder of Brazil, as a compelling cause to retry the case.

The number of retrials of a case that ends in a hung jury is not limited by Florida statute. The prosecution can continue to request a retrial until a jury reaches a consensus or the prosecution drops its case.

Brock faces life in prison if convicted.

A hearing to decide the fourth trial’s date will be held June 5. 

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

Some criminals are a couple tents shy of a campsite.

One decided to solve that problem.

Recently, a man entered the garden department at a local store. He inconspicuously tucked an item under his arm and simply walked out – with a 10-by-10-foot tent, capable of sheltering 10 people.

Apparently, the ease of the escape was not lost on him. He returned and took another 10-by-10-foot tent, attempted to leave and was busted this time.
He was charged with felony theft for the $322 value of his snatch and run.

But if there was a law against being a bad host, he could’ve also been charged with that since he only attempted to take two canvass outdoor chairs for his new tent fortress.
 

PANAMA CITY BEACH - Police cited high speed and alcohol as contributors to a motorcycle crash late Wednesday evening.

James Roy Daugherty, 32, is in serious condition after colliding with a median on a motorcycle around 11:40 p.m. and sliding 145 feet before coming to a rest, according to Florida Highway Patrol reports.

Daugherty was attempting to turn left onto Thomas Drive near Dolphin Drive operating the Suzuki GSXR750 at a high rate of speed, FHP reported. As he attempted to make the turn, the motorcycle’s undercarriage collided with parts of the raised median island, causing Daugherty to lose control. The motorcycle overturned onto its side sliding 145 feet before coming to a rest in the eastbound lane.

Daugherty was taken to a local hospital to be treated for serious injuries. FHP noted a helmet was not in use. Daugherty was charged with unlawful speed, DUI, refusal to submit to blood alcohol level test, driving while license suspended and no motorcycle endorsement.
 

PANAMA CITY BEACH -- Panama City Beach police announced the arrest of 17-year-old Miguel Cornejo, of Anniston, Ala. for burglary of an occupied dwelling Thursday at 12:48 a.m.

Police responded to a burglary in progress at Beachside Townhomes, 17135 Front Beach Road. Cornejo fled the scene shortly before police arrived. He was arrested later at a separate condominium complex and taken to the Department of Juvenile Justice on a charge of burglary to an occupied dwelling. 

LYNN HAVEN -- An image released by police Wednesday of a man suspected of stealing a car in the Bel Air area of Lynn Haven early Sunday led to his identification, according to the Lynn Haven Police Department.

Police received a substantial number of tips after the photograph of 17-year-old Logan Murphy circulated on news and social media websites. Based on those tips, police obtained a pickup order for Murphy on charges of grand theft auto, grand theft, fraudulent use of a credit card and credit card theft.

The Department of Juvenile Justice also is looking for Murphy because he failed to show up for a court appearance stemming from his arrest for allegedly burglarizing several vehicles in Lynn Haven in February.

Murphy’s last known address was his grandparent’s home in Panama City Beach, but police believe he is still in the Lynn Haven area. Anyone with information about Murphy’s whereabouts is asked to call the LHPD at 265-4111 or CrimeStoppers at 785-TIPS (8477).

PANAMA CITY BEACH — The family of a missing spring breaker is reaching out to the U.S. Attorney General’s office to get involved in the investigation.

Parents of Reny Jose, a Rice University student who was reported missing March 3 while in Panama City Beach for Spring Break, have received assistance from the Bay County community in form of search crews and a $15,000 reward for information as to his whereabouts to no avail. Now they are asking for the community’s support in a petition to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder asking for federal involvement in the case.

“To-date as we are approaching June in our search for Reny, we are pleading assistance from your office to seek help from federal agencies (FBI, US Coast Guard, DOJ) to search for Reny’s whereabouts …,” parents Sherly and Jose George wrote in the petition. “We look forward to your support during our time of difficulty.”

See the petition

Jose was last seen by friends he was staying with, who told the Sheriff’s Office that Jose had taken LSD and talked about suicide before he disappeared. Deputies found his clothes, wallet and cellphone the next day in a trash can near the Front Beach Road home they rented for their visit.

Since Jose disappeared, numerous divisions of the BCSO have searched the area near the house, including the gulf waters in the area. Various other state and local law enforcement agencies also have been involved in the search for Jose.

BCSO and FSU dive teams also formed a special unit to search areas of the Gulf of Mexico for any leads.

“A missing person case never closes until they are found,” said Ruth Corley, BCSO spokesperson. “We have not forgotten Reny Jose. His case remains open and we follow up any lead we get.”

The parents of Jose have placed an website petition  at ipetitions.com that had just below 3,000 signatures of the requested 30,000 as of Thursday afternoon.

PANAMA CITY -- A suspended license traffic stop lead to an ice methamphetamine trafficking arrest Thursday.

The Bay County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Division conducted the traffic stop in the 1900 block of Jenks Avenue. Narcotics investigators initially pulled Janelle Hubbard, 27, over for a suspended driver’s license.

Upon a search of the vehicle, investigators discovered about 20 grams of methamphetamine in ice form, enough to be considered trafficking, BCSO said. Hubbard also had in her possession the narcotic dextroamphetamine, a controlled substance. BCSO also found a loaded Smith and Wesson 9mm semi-automatic handgun in Hubbard’s purse. The serial numbers had been filed off.

Hubbard, of

PANAMA CITY -- A Bay County jury convicted Jessie James Phillips on Friday of leaving the scene of a crash with injury, the State Attorney’s Office said.

Assistant State Attorney Devin Collier told jurors in his opening statement that Phillips, 31, 18104 Park Place in Fountain, walked away from a crash on U.S. 231 the night of June 12 while passenger Amanda Lee Odom lay in the median with life-threatening injuries. The couple was driving to Fountain after an evening of drinking and dancing when their 2000 Ford Taurus struck a concrete barrier in the median near South Bear Creek Road. The car flipped and Odom, 31, was ejected. She suffered multiple broken bones.

A state trooper was southbound on 231 and came upon the crash within seconds. He found Phillips behind the wheel of the car and Odom calling for help from the median. While he was attending her, Phillips got out of the car and walked away. He was arrested a few days later.

Jurors found him guilty as charged of leaving the scene of a crash with injuries and driving with a revoked driver’s license. He faces up to five years in prison on both counts when Circuit Judge James Fensom sentences him July 14.

BAYOU GEORGE -- The Bay County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man in connection to a shooting from a moving vehicle Friday afternoon.

At about 4 p.m., a BCSO Civil Division deputy was on Pipeline Road delivering civil papers when he heard gunshots coming from a passing car.

The deputy followed the car, which stopped on Amanda Circle, and two people inside were detained. A handgun was found in the car, along with some marijuana.

A passenger, Spicey C. Kilpatrick, 24, has been charged with felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and shooting from a vehicle.

No one was injured in the shooting and it remains unclear why the gun had been fired. The driver of the car, a woman, had not been arrested late Friday, but the investigation is ongoing.

PANAMA CITY — A Panama City man accused of murder would rather face a possible life sentence than admit to violating his probation by revealing his alibi.

Panama City police found the lifeless body of Leonard Price, 38, in a grass area separating the residential backyards between Carver and Washington drives. Residents of the neighborhood reported gunshots at about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday and led police to where Price had been shot multiple times at close range.

Two eyewitnesses saw the shooting, according to police records. Both identified Michael Ray Davis’ address, 511 E. 13th St., as being the residence to which the shooter fled, nearly 700 feet from the crime scene. One identified the 28-year-old Davis as the shooter in a photo lineup. Police later arrested Davis and charged him with Price’s murder.

VIDEO

Davis said he could hear two or three gunshots from his whereabouts. However, he declined to reveal his exact location, fearing the admission would amount to a violation of his probation.

“As far as the murder case, I’m going to beat that hands down,” Davis said during an interview Thursday. “If I wasn’t on a 7-to-7 curfew, I could tell you where to go to get video footage to prove I was on video at the time of the shooting, and I wasn’t on the scene.”

Davis generally places himself in or around his front yard at the time of the shooting, stating his live-in girlfriend could attest to the fact. He said he has not owned a gun since his 2007 conviction for numerous drug charges — nonviolent offenses — and said he tries to adhere to his probation by staying close to home after 7 p.m.

“You do six-and-half years in prison, you want to be outside as much as possible,” Davis said. “When I get home at seven; all I do is stand in my front yard, watch cars go by, look at trees and think.”

Arrest records indicate Price was targeted in the shooting, and the act was not committed in defense of himself or others. However, Davis said he met the victim once about a month before. Price was walking near the MLK Jr. Boulevard and 15th Street intersection with a bandaged head wound. Price told him he received the wound in a botched theft attempt, Davis said. He recognized Price from police descriptions along those lines but had no other ties or relationship to him.

“Only reason I remember who he was is from when the detectives went to talking about him,” Davis said. “Everybody in the neighborhood had been talking about some dude running around, robbing and stealing.”

Most police documents have been withheld from the public with PCPD citing the case as an ongoing investigation. Attempts to contact the case detective went unanswered Friday.

PANAMA CITY BEACH — Police have arrested a 14-year-old on charges of intent to distribute cannabis.

Panama City Beach Police Department arrested Brian Bruhmuller,14, following a traffic stop at about 4 a.m. Saturday, according to police reports. The cause for the traffic stop was unclear.

However, during the course of their investigation police discovered a quantity of cannabis on Bruhmuller, and he indicated to officers he was storing a felony amount of cannabis in his bedroom of his residence, police reported. A search of Bruhmuller’s bedroom revealed he was in possession of a quarter pound of cannabis, which was packaged for sale. Investigators also found several other items they said indicated he was engaging in narcotic distribution.

Bruhmuller was taken to Bay County Jail and arrested for possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was later taken to the Department of Juvenile Justice.

PANAMA CITY — The past year’s worst storms came in the form of torrential rain. As repairs are made and funds are sought out, one thing is apparent: Bay County isn’t prepared for heavy rain that may come with a hurricane.

And hurricane season starts today.

CLICK FOR THE NEWS HERALD HURRICANE PAGE

Two unprecedented rain events — one in late June and early July last year and one in April this year — closed or flooded at least 45 county roads. When July’s storm ended, the county was left with almost $1 million in road damages. April’s damages total about $3 million.

The damage wasn’t caused by a powerful hurricane such as with Opal in 1995.

But the extraordinary deluges unloaded between Pensacola and Tallahassee in the past year crumbled streets, overflowed waterbeds, broke levees and flooded thousands of structures.

Last summer’s rain event was “similar to a hurricane,” said Brad Monroe, deputy chief with Bay County’s Emergency Operations Services. April was worse.

“The forecast could have gone either way. It could have been a lot worse than what we faced,” he said.

Bay County seemed to luck out each time. No lives were directly lost and cities returned to at least semi-normal within a few days.

However, emergency response teams from various agencies learned lessons, officials said.

“The infrastructure just cannot stand that much rain, especially those unpaved roads in the northern part of the county,” Monroe said. “It was a good dress rehearsal for the hurricane season.”

The EOC staff has “flooded” as many places as possible with material about what to do in case of a hurricane and how best to keep safe and prepared, he said.

And throughout hurricane season the EOC will stay in touch with representatives from disaster relief and emergency services agencies, including Tyndall Air Force Base, American Red Cross, the Health Department and municipalities.

Using a Level 1 to 3 storm proximity system, Level 1 being the highest alert, the EOC monitors storm developments. When a Level 2 is called, the EOC may call a meeting with all representatives. When the threat is at Level 1, the around-the-clock Instant Command Center made up of agency representatives is activated to monitor the EOC and provide services such as opening shelters and closing roads.

And depending on the amount of rain expected, Deerpoint Lake Dam’s gates are opened.

Waylon Register, site manager for the Army Corps of Engineers, said the unusual storms in the past year dumped more rain than a typical hurricane would. Unusually heavy rain twice caused land dikes to give way and resulted in the closure of a 19-mile stretch of land in the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway between Choctawhatchee Bay and West Bay. Commercial vessels carrying fuel couldn’t get through the waterway, which resulted in gasoline shortages. The waterway was dredged and reopened about two weeks after dikes gave way, but permanent repairs for both events will cost from $3 million to $5 million. The work is expected to be completed by the end of the summer.

“I don’t think it’s fair to classify them just as rain storms,” Register said. “During those events we had more rain than during hurricanes.”

A check of National Weather Service records bears that out. In 2004, Hurricane Ivan generally dumped 4 to 9 inches of rain across the region, according to NWS.

Schools

One of the biggest issues during April’s storm was when to close schools.

Bill Husfelt, superintendent of Bay District Schools, closed schools 30 minutes after they started on the day the rain came. Parents left their jobs to pick up children and school buses backtracked routes. A Cedar Grove fourth-grade field trip to Tallahassee had to be canceled mid-trip near Bristol, and students returned to the school about 9 a.m. in heavy rain and flooding.

“Making that call is one of the harder things to do because every time you close schools, you’re upsetting and impacting every business and every person in the community,” Husfelt said.

Making that call before a tropical storm is easier.

Since 2004, the school district canceled classes seven times for hurricane and tropical storms.

“Most of the time with tropical storms and hurricanes, EOC guides us in what we need to do,” Husfelt said. “The first rule of thumb is, if they’re going to open a shelter, we most likely close.”

April’s storm, which dropped a foot of rain within hours, wasn’t as cut-and-dried, he said.

“There was no way you can predict that’s going to happen,” Husfelt said. “Sometimes we’re stuck with things that are going to happen all of a sudden, unlike a tropical storm or a hurricane that you know is coming and you can prepare for.”

Forecast

Each year, the National Weather Service releases its forecast for hurricane season, which ends Nov. 30. Regardless of the forecast, the Weather Service emphasizes to be prepared just in case.

“The forecast is what it is, but it doesn’t matter whether we forecast one or 20 storms. You should prepare the same way every year because it only takes one storm to make a bad year for you,” said Brian Hoeth, emergency response meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Southern Region headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas.

Forecasters predict a below-average season, with between eight and 13 named storms, of which three to six could become hurricanes and one to two being major hurricanes.

The main driver of the forecast will be the El Nino weather pattern that is expected to develop in summer.

“The El Nino inhibits hurricane development,” Hoeth said. “It’s good for people that don’t want to get hit with a tropical system.”

Everyone should keep in mind that the “forecast tells you nothing about landfall,” Hoeth said.

And landfall can be tricky. Just because the path of a storm takes it a hundred miles away is no reason to drop your guard. For example, Hurricane Ivan made landfall in Alabama, yet its impact was felt throughout the Panhandle.

Also, categories of storms that speak to wind speed do not coincide with flooding and storm surge.

“Just because something is only a tropical storm or only a Category 1, that doesn’t mean the impacts aren’t going to be big,” Hoeth concluded. “Make sure you get the full message of the potential impact of the storm that the Weather Service is trying to advertise to you.”

PANAMA CITY — He had a disability that significantly limited his movement, so when his wife’s boyfriend came at Michael McCoy early on Feb. 5, he feared for his life and shot him four times. His wife was caught in the crossfire and accidentally shot twice.

That’s the story McCoy, who now is charged with murder and attempted murder, told investigators after the shooting.

But it didn’t match Susan McCoy’s account; she said her husband turned and fired specifically at her after shooting David Walker without provocation.

When he told investigators he fired in self-defense it wasn’t the first time he’d talked about using his disability to conceal a homicide, according to a Bay County Sheriff’s Office investigative report released by prosecutors.

Several people who knew McCoy told investigators he had a tendency to throw things when he was angry. An acquaintance came forward and said McCoy faked his disability, and he’d seen McCoy walk and move without difficulty, the report says.

Susan McCoy’s father told investigators McCoy had once cooked up a plan to shoot his step-daughter’s father and “get away with it by claiming self defense because of his physical disability.”

In that incident, the family was discussing as a group the problems they were having with the father of Susan McCoy’s daughter.

“During the conversation, Mr. McCoy suggested for his wife to invite him to the house and that, when he came in the door, he would shoot him and he’d be able to ‘get away with it’ by claiming that he ‘came at him’ and he shot him in self defense,” the report says.

McCoy has pleaded not guilty to a count of second-degree murder with a firearm and attempted second-degree murder with a firearm.

McCoy's attorney Kim Jewell declined to comment.

If his case goes to trial jurors likely will face a decision between the story of a man who killed and doesn’t want to go to prison, the story of a woman shot twice by the husband she intended to leave, and the story the physical evidence tells.

Locally at least, homicide cases without eyewitnesses have been difficult to prosecute. When there are no witnesses and the victim is dead, the only person left to tell the story is the accused.

In 2011, Steven Thompson was acquitted by a Bay County jury of murder for shooting his friend after a fight in a motel room on the beach by claiming self defense in a case where no one saw the shooting. No one saw who killed Terry Brazil in 2012, and three juries have deadlocked trying to reach a verdict in the case against his accused killer, Phillip Brock.

The fact the only eyewitness to the shooting survived and was able to make a statement helped investigators make their case against McCoy, but investigators do have other avenues to prove or disprove a self-defense claim regardless of whether a victim survives, said BCSO Maj. Tommy Ford. Ford wanted to keep his comments on investigative techniques general lest this report become a sort of how-to guide for getting away with murder, but he said even when there are no eyewitnesses physical evidence still can tell a story.

“If there is a claim of self defense we’ll first … look at the totality of the circumstances,” Ford said.

Reasonableness is the key to determining whether a homicide is justified, Ford said. Did someone reasonably fear for their safety when they killed?

Injuries to the dead can tell investigators where people involved in a shooting were in proximity to one another in some cases, as can the position of pieces of physical evidence, such as shell casings and bodies, Ford said. In many self-defense cases, a subject will sustain injuries defending themselves, so investigators look to see if the injuries are present and consistent with the individual’s version of the events.

“If he said, ‘he was on top of me,’ and we don’t see certain things that support that — that would certainly cast doubt on a claim of self-defense,” Ford said.

McCoy’s next court date is June 11.