PANAMA CITY — A Springfield woman who fatally stabbed her neighbor 47 times after being confronted with stealing and forging her checks has withdrawn an appeal for a new trial.

Police said 49-year-old Barbara Grinslade was brutally stabbed 47 times in 2011 after she confronted Nicole Sheree Cobb, 43, over the missing checks. Several competency evaluations postponed Cobb’s trial until she pleaded no contest in April of last year and was sentenced to 27 years in prison for second-degree murder.

Cobb appealed her own decision to not go to trial, and more than a year later, it came before the court. But Cobb immediately withdrew her appeal, saying she couldn’t read or write at the time and did not understand the appeal at the time.

“I am satisfied with my defense and my sentence and I apologize to the court and the family,” she said at Friday’s hearing. “I did not want to drag this back out and upset them.”

Springfield police found Grinslade’s body on the floor of her locked apartment in August 2011. The two were neighbors. Investigators said she found Cobb had stolen at least a dozen checks from her and confronted Cobb over the issue. That’s when Cobb stabbed her 47 times.

“I was high on bath salts at the time,” she told the court Friday.

Cobb continued to use the checks after Grinslade’s death. More than a week after finding the body, Cobb walked into Bay County Sheriff’s Office for an interview and was arrested after confessing to the murder.

PANAMA CITY — A fire that caused traffic snarls Sunday afternoon was caused by electrical issues, according to a Panama City Fire Department investigation.

Firefighters and police quickly descended on Mr. Mart Texaco at 5100 U.S. 98 around 2:30 p.m. Sunday. A fire was discovered on the building's exterior that spread to the inside of the gas station. Police managed traffic in the area while firefighters put the fire out.

No injuries were reported. The business was turned over to the owner after less than an hour.

ST. PETERSBURG (AP) — A truck containing 18 tons of Crisco sticks headed to a grocery store chain distribution center was stolen in a Florida city.

St. Petersburg Police say that a tractor-trailer containing the 36,000 pounds of vegetable shortening was snatched Sunday morning.

The truck was destined for a Publix distribution center in Lakeland. Authorities said the stolen tractor was a 2005 red Volvo, with a Florida tag and had the business name of "NS Express LLC on both sides of the cab. The trailer was a white Hyundai.

Crisco can be used for frying or making delicious baked goods.

PANAMA CITY BEACH — Three people have been arrested after a drug deal escalated into a shooting at a Panama City Beach home over the weekend, authorities said Monday.

Two of the arrests stemmed from possessing and attempting to conceal drugs within 401-A Lantana St. after 25-year-old Justin Lisk was shot in the stomach with a small-caliber handgun Sunday at about 2:30 p.m. Panama City Beach Police suspect the shooting occurred in the midst of a robbery for drugs and cash, which initially was arranged as a drug deal, according to Beach Police Chief Drew Whitman.

“They went over there with plans to rob them instead of going through with the drug deal,” Whitman said. “The robbery went bad and they ended up shooting a guy in the stomach.”

Clarence Bernard Robinson, 23, was arrested about 10 p.m. that evening on a litany of other charges and also was charged Monday with armed robbery and aggravated battery after being identified as the triggerman, police said. PCBPD has a warrant out for Garrison Warrender, 25, as a principal to the robbery and shooting, and police are searching for a third person who has yet to be identified.

One visitor to the home told police he knew there would be trouble when three males circled the apartment in a Lincoln Town Car before parking. A short time later, a single crack of gunfire resonated from the home. Several vehicles scattered from the home as the remaining people inside called for police and tried to conceal various drugs, according to arrest affidavits.

Jake McReynolds, 26, called for an ambulance as he and his girlfriend, 24-year-old Katie Foley, scrambled to hide various narcotics within the home, police reported. During their investigation, police found a vial of LSD in a laundry detergent bag, a digital scale in a cardboard box on the back porch and a cannabis cigarette in an empty bag of charcoal.

Foley told police she was awakened by the gunshot and began to care for Lisk’s wound until she was told to help “clean up” the scene. The drugs discovered throughout the house were previously on the floor of the room where Lisk was shot. Police said McReynolds also was in possession of a trafficking a quantity of MDMA, commonly known as Ecstasy or Molly.

McReynolds was charged with trafficking MDMA, and Foley was arrested for tampering with evidence. Lisk is currently in the hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries, police reported. Whitman said he expects drug-related charges to follow his release.

Panama City Police arrested Robinson at 15th Street and Balboa Avenue after officers spotted the Town Car thought to be connected with the shooting. Warrender and the third suspect were dropped off earlier, police said, when officers stopped Robinson. During their search, police said they found Robinson had a loaded firearm in his underwear along with marijuana, crack cocaine and suspected “bath salts.”

Robinson was taken to the Bay County Jail, where guards found more marijuana on his person during their intake search, police said. He was additionally charged with introduction of contraband to a correctional facility and violation of probation due to his new charges.

Police were seeking information on the whereabouts of Warrender on Monday evening. PCBPD was encouraging anyone with information to contact police at 850-233-5000.

PANAMA CITY BEACH -- Authorities were investigating a possible stabbing in the Whispering Dunes subdivision in the Laguna Beach area of Bay County Monday evening.

Medical personnel were dispatched at about 6:30 p.m. to a domestic incident at 303 Sand Oak Blvd. The victim was alert and able to move around but suffered a puncture wound to the chest from what appeared to be a stabbing between a father and son, according to officials.

The father was taken to a local hospital in stable condition. Officers with Panama City Beach Police had the son detained for questioning.

The young woman inside a local hotel lobby had been doused in orange juice and abandoned. She told police she had also been cut before the citrus bath, but they couldn’t find any signs of that.

The pieces weren’t adding up, so the officers decided to call her accused assailant — the girl’s mother — to get the other side of the tale.

The reason the girl was calling police from the hotel was because that was where the mom kicked her out of the vehicle. She’d already been kicked out of school that day and when the mother tried to take her phone as a punishment, the young girl “became enraged and attempted to burn the headliner of her car with a cigarette lighter.” That’s also when the orange juice came in handy.

The girl was turned over to her older sibling after the mother declined to pick her back up, citing a preference to go into work early.

AUBURNDALE — A 32-year-old Lakeland man is in the hospital with a shotgun wound and awaiting charges after deputies say he threw a dagger at a man who then shot him Saturday.

Deputies plan to charge Michael Thomas White, 2809 Old Polk City Road, on unarmed burglary, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and armed trespassing charges when he is released from the hospital, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

White trespassed on two properties that morning, the Sheriff’s Office said. The first was 2400 Old Dixie Highway and the second, two miles away, at 2605 Saddle Creek Road, according to a PCSO arrest report.

At the second property, a resident found White on her back porch at 7 a.m. with a 12.5-inch double-edged dagger and asked him to leave, the report said. When he wouldn’t, the woman got her husband who brought out a 12-gauge shotgun.

When the husband asked him to leave, he responded that “his sister was a witch and so was burned at the stake on that property, and so the property then belonged to him,” according to the report. White then drew his arm back and threw the dagger, the report said. That’s when the husband shot White in his left arm.

After being shot, White “began dancing and flailing his arms,” the report said, and left going east on Old Dixie Highway.

A deputy found White in the parking lot of Raj Foodmart, 1000 Loop Road, who was uncooperative and incoherent, the report said. White went to Lakeland Regional Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.

PANAMA CITY BEACH — A Florida Highway Patrol officer was hospitalized and his teenage son arrested after an argument led to a stabbing, according to police reports.

During a Monday night domestic altercation with his son, 45-year-old Bryant Gay, an off-duty FHP officer, suffered two stab wounds to the chest at their Whispering Dunes subdivision home on the 300 block of Sand Oak Blvd. shortly after 6 p.m. Panama City Beach Police arrested Jared Gay, 18, afterward and have charged him with stabbing his father, police reported.

Bryant Gay was covered in blood outside the residence, holding his chest, when backup officers arrived at about 6:30 p.m. Monday. Another FHP officer had given him a ride home because Jared Gay had left him stranded at a local business, police reported.

Jared Gay opened the door for his father, and moments later Bryant Gay walked back outside holding his chest as blood ran down from his wounds.

Jared Gay told officers he armed himself with a knife when he heard his father come home. He concealed the folding knife in his hand as the two walked up together to his room. An argument ensued, and Bryant Gay armed himself with a “slapjack” after seeing the knife. During the ensuing altercation in the bedroom, Jared Gay stabbed Bryant Gay twice in the chest, police reported.

Bryant Gay was taken to the hospital in stable condition, though suffering two stab wounds to the chest, a laceration to the face and a punctured lung. Authorities still are investigating the incident, but Jared Gay has been charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

PANAMA CITY — The teenager shot Tuesday afternoon on Kraft Avenue has died, Panama City Police report.

Curtis Hunt, 17, was taken to an area hospital Tuesday afternoon but died a few hours later.

Three people have been apprehended in connection with the shooting, but police said a fourth was at large and the public's help is needed in finding him. Video captured from a patrol vehicle shows the suspect returning to the late-model Grand Marquis in which the suspects had fled, but that suspect got away. He is described as a black male, approximately 15 or 16 years old, 5 feet 8 inches tall, and last seen wearing a blue T-shirt, white shorts with black belt, white socks, and white and black tennis shoes, according to the PCPD.

Police are offering a cash reward of up to $500 to the first person who provides information leading to his arrest and conviction.

Anyone having information regarding this case can call the PCPD at 850-872-3100. To report a tip anonymously, call CrimeStoppers at 850-785-TIPS.

Below is an earlier version of this report:

PANAMA CITY — Several suspects are in custody and two firearms have been recovered relating to a shooting on Kraft Avenue on Tuesday.

Three suspects were transported to the Panama City Police Department for questioning and investigators were still searching for other potential suspects.

Officers responded to the scene of the shooting at around 1 p.m. on Tuesday and quickly intensified the search, which also included helicopters, along 11th Street in Panama City.

Police have not released the identity of the shooting victim, pending a notification of his next of kin.

The nature of his injuries also has not been released, though many nearby residents who saw the aftermath of the shooting said his face was covered in blood.

Residents said the young man appeared to be a teenager. He was sitting on a bench along the roadside by himself in the 200 block of Kraft Avenue, neighbors said.

Four other males were spotted walking in the area moments earlier.

Residents said it appeared the shooting was unprovoked.

“It’s sad a person can just come up and shoot somebody’s son,” said one Kraft Avenue resident, who did not want to be identified. “It’s senseless.”

Based on information gathered at the scene, police stopped a vehicle at Royal Arms Apartments at 1420 Balboa Ave. and took several suspects into custody. Their names and charges, if any, have not been released last Tuesday. Because the scene of the arrest was virtually across Balboa Avenue from Bay District Schools headquarters, a School Board meeting in progress was adjourned until it was safe to resume later Tuesday.

Anyone having information regarding this case can call the Panama City Police Department, 850-872-3100, or they can report their tips anonymously to CrimeStoppers at 850-785-TIPS.

PANAMA CITY — Time incarcerated is unforgiving.

The regimen, the guards and the cells are meant to be cold and uninviting. But a recent Bay County Jail program has been giving one segment of the inmate population help making it through their sentence and a companion to help pass the time.

“This is truly your one friend in jail,” said Ladora Nunnery, inmate.

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In the past four months, the jail has begun a dog training program with female inmates placed in Lifeline, a substance abuse counseling program, as the animal trainers. Dogs sent to the jail come from abusive or inattentive homes to get immersed with inmates, being locked down with a handler or assistant for 24-hours a day. The program spans about 120 days, which is just enough time to get used to being around people and obedient, according to Warden Rick Anglin.

“It gives us enough time to train and be with the dogs to make a difference,” Anglin said. “It’s basically a program within a program.”

The dogs are supplied by Alaqua Animal reserve at no cost to the jail.

But the dogs aren’t the only ones who benefit from the program. For inmates convicted of crimes related to narcotics abuse, like fraud or robbery to attain the means to get a fix, recovering while incarcerated adds another degree of discomfort, Nunnery said.

Nunnery was previously released on probation after running a theft scheme at Wal-mart where she’d take small items from the shelves and return them for cash. She was picked up again after leaving Bay County to sell cocaine, her main vice other than marijauana, she said.

“I get a lot of my frustration out with Razzle,” Nunnery said. “She gives me something to look forward from day to day.”

Razzle, a female border collie and beagle mix, was timid at first. She came from an abusive home. But after spending a few weeks in jail, Razzle has warmed up to people and now sleeps at the foot of Nunnery’s jail cot. Razzle is also up to about 12 different obedience tricks.

As it turns out, many of the dogs were quite adept to human jail. They get fed at a set time, walked regularly and attention 24-hours a day from their human counterparts. And some of the dogs have started to mimic their trainers by standing at attention during the jail’s routine headcounts.

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The goal, Anglin said, is to get the dog training program beyond obedience training to “assistance dog” training, to fetch items or open cabinets and doors for elderly or disabled owners. He also wants to expand the program to the male Lifeline population.

“So far, we’ve had no problems getting the dogs adopted after they leave here,” Anglin said.

Much like anyone, the inmates get attached to the pooches and want the best for them. Many of the guards keep the ladies updated on what kind of homes the dogs receive after their training. So far, four of the dogs have found permanent homes.

PANAMA CITY — A Southport woman who was high on meth when she crashed into a tree and killed her passenger — and concealed meth in a bodily cavity while incarcerated, awaiting trial — has been sentenced to eight years in prison.

Jessica Finch, 27, was sentenced Wednesday for DUI manslaughter after a June 2013 single-car crash with a tree on County 2301 near Commander Lane. Finch was critically injured in the 4 p.m. collision and her passenger, then 27-year-old Justin Collins, suffered fatal injuries. He died in a local hospital about three hours later.

Florida Highway Patrol reports indicated Finch and Collins were traveling 34 mph at the time, and blood test results showed she had methamphetamine and amphetamine in her system at the time of the crash, according to Florida Department of Law Enforcement tests.

Additional charges were filed against Finch in May, while incarcerated, when officers were told she was in possession of meth. During their search, Bay County Jail guards allegedly found two baggies containing crystal methamphetamine hidden in a hollowed out deodorant bottle and sealed in a latex glove in one of Finch’s body cavities, according to court records.

Finch was also sentenced to five year sentences for two meth offenses to be served concurrently.

PANAMA CITY — A Panama City man has pleaded to being an accessory to murder and agreed to testify against two other suspects in the July shooting death of Tavish Greene.

Dontavis Terrell Thomas, 22, pleaded no contest Wednesday to being an accessory after the fact to the robbery and subsequent slaying of 24-year-old Greene. He was sentenced to five years probation while the second-degree murder charges against Darryl Mack, 21, and Tyricka Shavon Woullard, 20, proceed in the court. One condition of his probation is that he testify truthfully in the cases against the co-defendants, according to court documents.

Mack and Woullard have been charged of second-degree murder and principal to second-degree murder, respectively. The charges stemmed from an alleged scheme to rob Greene of drugs and money, which escalated into a shooting and Greene’s death.

Police discovered Greene’s body days later with multiple gunshot wounds in the trunk of his 2004 Chevy Malibu behind an abandoned home at 526 E. Eighth Court.

Police reports said the three suspects lured Greene to Woullard’s residence at 3710 W. 21st St., where they planned to rob him the morning of July 19. Thomas and Mack allegedly used phone calls and text messages to draw Greene into a trap through Woullard, his ex-girlfriend. The three hid inside, waiting to ambush Greene for money and illegal narcotics; Woullard and Mack then fled to Georgia the day after, police reported.

Thomas remained in Bay County where he was arrested for conspiring in Greene’s death and booked into jail. He could receive up to 20 years in prison if the conditions of his five-year probation are violated.

PANAMA CITY — Police have charged two Panama City juveniles and one adult with the shooting death of a local teenager, officials announced Wednesday.

A fourth suspected accomplice is still at large.

Javares R. Cameron, 18; Capri Brooks, 14; and Isiah C. Grady, 15, have each been arrested and charged with a role in the killing of 17-year-old Curtis Hunt. He was shot in the head with a semi-automatic handgun while sitting outside a residence in the 200 block of Kraft Avenue Tuesday at about 1:15 p.m. Panama City Police were seeking four suspects after the shooting and have since arrested three people, according to arrest reports.

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The three suspects, all of Panama City, were arrested across town at Royal Arms Garden Apartments on Balboa Avenue, while another suspect fled that area on foot and has not been seen by authorities since.

Hunt died from the gunshot wound at a local hospital later that evening. What motivated the shooting remained unclear Wednesday, but police have stated they believe it was a “targeted attack of Hunt and not a random act of violence.”

Police have charged Cameron with an open count of murder, citing physical evidence and statements from the other suspects as cause to believe he fired the fatal shot.

According to arrest reports, Cameron’s shoe impressions were left on the roadside, approaching where officers discovered Hunt with a gunshot wound to the head. Cameron, Brooks, Grady and the fourth, unidentified suspect then fled the area in a blue Grand Marquis. Brooks allegedly took undisclosed evidence from the scene and, once he was apprehended, police found a firearm on him, police reported.

En route to Royal Garden Arms, Grady allegedly overheard Cameron say: “I hit him,” Grady told police.

Police still sought the fourth suspect Wednesday in connection with their investigation, releasing dash camera footage from Royal Arms Apartments. Authorities are offering a cash reward of up to $500 for information leading to the arrest of the individual.

Though the two juveniles are not yet of driving age, both have a criminal history. In addition to principle to murder, the 14-year-old Brooks was charged with felon in possession of a firearm after two previous burglary arrests. The 15-year-old Grady was charged with accessory after the fact to murder and violation of probation. Details of his former charges were not available.

--- VIDEO OF FOURTH SUSPECT FLEEING FROM PCPD ---

Cameron was taken to the Bay County Jail for processing. Brooks and Grady were transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice.

Police urge anyone with information regarding the case and the whereabouts of the fourth suspect to contact the Panama City Police Department, 850-872-3100, or they can report their tips anonymously to CrimeStoppers at 850-785-TIPS.

The suspect is a black male, 15 to 16 years old. He is about 5-feet 8 inches tall. He was last seen wearing a blue T-shirt, white shorts with black belt, white socks and white and black tennis shoes.

PANAMA CITY — A Panama City woman has been taken to jail after allegedly trying to gun down a snake on a local school campus.

April Dawn DeMarco, 30, was arrested for discharging a .380-caliber handgun on the practice football field of Bay High School, 300 E. 15th St., during practice last week for the local Pop Warner football team. Demarco apparently borrowed the pistol from Miren Gregory, 31, to protect nearby children after a group of parents found a water moccasin on the field, police reported.

Coaches and parents told the children to get out of the area after finding the moccasin. Gregory told DeMarco she had a concealed carry permit and a handgun after some of the coaches tried to kill the snake by hitting it with sticks.

One parent forewarned the women that having a firearm on school grounds was against the law when DeMarco said, “I will take the blame,” the parent told police.

The children were about 20 to 50 yards away when Demarco took one shot at the snake, missing wide.

Attempts to contact DeMarco Wednesday were unsuccessful.

DeMarco told police she had the gun on school grounds and shot it there to protect the children, herself being a parent, police reported. However, discharging a firearm on school grounds is a felony. DeMarco was arrested Monday for discharging a firearm on school property and possession of a firearm on school property.

State law also prohibits people with concealed weapons permits from bringing weapons on a school campus during any event not related to those weapons. Gregory was arrested Tuesday on charges of carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a firearm on school property.

Police reports contain no word on the fate of the snake.

BETHLEHEM — The Holmes County Sheriff’s Office is requesting assitance in locating a missing Holmes County juvenile.

Chase Rogers, 17, was last seen Wednesday leaving his residence in the Bethlehem community. He was last seen wearing a maroon T-shirt, white pants and possibly blue and orange shoes. Rogers is approximately 6-foot-2, 150 pounds with brown hair.

Anyone with information on Roger’s whereabouts is asked to contact the HCSO at 850-547-3861 or Crime Stoppers at 1-866-689-8477.

PANAMA CITY BEACH — A Tennessee man has been charged with lewd and lascivious conduct after a police investigation into several accusations of inappropriate behavior toward children, officials announced Thursday.

Thomas Baughman, 55, was arrested Wednesday at about 8 p.m. after an investigation into several reports of inappropriate behavior with children at the Sandpiper Beacon Resort, 17403 Front Beach Road.

One parent told police she saw Baughman kiss her 7-year-old son and groped his genitals before calling law enforcement, according to Panama City Beach Police Department reports.

When questioned, Baughman denied the allegation, police said. But during his time with investigators, he made conflicting statements regarding the interaction with the child.

Baughman was charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a person less than 12 years old. The investigation is ongoing.

TALLAHASSEE (AP) — Police in Florida aren't allowed to use a cellphone to track someone's movements according to a sweeping new ruling from the Florida Supreme Court.

The court by a 5-2 vote ruled Thursday that authorities in Broward County had no right to stop and arrest Shawn Tracey for possession of more than 400 grams of cocaine.

Law enforcement had a warrant that allowed them to monitor the phone numbers of incoming and outgoing phone calls.

But a majority of justices said that did not give them permission to track Tracey's movements through location of his phone.

One defense attorney called the ruling an “enormous victory” for privacy rights.

One of the dissenting justices contends that people should have no expectation of privacy if they keep their cellphones turned on.

PANAMA CITY — The Bay County Chamber of Commerce will honor local first responders for their outstanding service at its Fourth Annual First Responders Appreciation Luncheon Oct. 23.

The event, hosted in conjunction with Tyndall Federal Credit Union, will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wyndham Bay Point Resort.

Chief Mark T. Giuliano, Emergency Services Flight, 96th Civil Engineer Squadron, at Eglin Air Force Base, will serve as the keynote speaker at the luncheon. Giuliano is responsible for commanding a Flight of 192 military and civilian firefighters throughout 10 stations in Northwest Florida.

Awards will be given in Multidisciplinary, Line of Duty and Community categories, and the Eye Center of North Florida and Emerald Coast Hospice will also announce this year’s Lasik for Heroes winner. Additionally, every Bay County first responder will receive a coin thanking them for their service.

PANAMA CITY — A man who abducted a sex-trafficking witness from Panama City Beach to work in a Mississippi brothel will spend the rest of his life in prison, officials announced Thursday.

Jacobo “Kiko” Feliciano-Francisco, 32, was arrested June 2013 after a distraught woman walked into a police department in Hattiesburg, Miss., and said she had been kidnapped from Panama City Beach. Feliciano-Francisco was arrested and extradited to be tried in the U.S. District Court of Panama City with his victim as a witness against him. He was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison for several charges associated with the woman’s abduction and plans to force her back into the sex trade.

“Prosecuting human traffickers is a top priority for this U.S. Attorney’s office and the Department of Justice,” said U.S. Attorney Pamela C. Marsh. “Congress has given us strong laws to go after this heinous crime, which is often difficult to find and prove because traffickers enforce silence among their victims through coercion and violence, as happened in this case.”

The woman had been a witness in a prior human trafficking case after being forced to work as a prostitute between 2009 and 2011. Her testimony led to a total of 13 convictions in Tennessee and Kentucky of various federal sex-trafficking and prostitution criminal charges.

Following her cooperation with law enforcement, the victim and her family were relocated to Panama City Beach out of concern for their safety.

Feliciano-Francisco and others tracked down her location as retaliation. Authorities said the victim was in her yard in Panama City Beach when Feliciano-Francisco and an unidentified man forced her into a car and drove to Feliciano-Francisco’s house in Hattiesburg. Feliciano-Francisco sexually assaulted the woman and planned to force her to work as a prostitute in Louisiana.

However, the kidnapping victim escaped through a bathroom window that evening and went to the Hattiesburg Police Department. Police went to the house and arrested Feliciano-Francisco.

“Despite those threats … the victim showed tremendous bravery in coming forward to help bring this defendant to justice,” Marsh added. “We commend her for her courage and pledge to continue this important fight against this modern form of slavery.”

Feliciano-Francisco was sentenced to life after being convicted of kidnapping, retaliating against a witness, conspiracy, and transportation of an individual in interstate commerce for prostitution.

PANAMA CITY — Not that it’s a surprise, but police officers have a tendency to beat up their vehicles.

The Panama City Police Department will replace 50 vehicles — 35 marked cars, 14 unmarked cars and a crime scene investigation vehicle — by February. Each existing vehicle has well over 125,000 miles on the odometer. Some date to 2001 and 2002.

“In essence, that’s their workplace,” Police Chief Scott Ervin said. For the “average person it might be 10 miles roundtrip. They’re in there 11 hours, constantly running the alternator.”

Ervin said there is the worry that a car will break down in the middle of  a call, leaving an officer briefly stranded on U.S. 98.

Panama City commissioners approved a lease-purchase agreement with Mears Leasing of Orlando on Tuesday. The five-year leases will not exceed $416,640 per year including interest, for a total of $2,083,200 for the complete five years. Ervin said the department still is negotiating the cost. The maximum capital cost is $1.929 million, which does not include interest for the entire life cycle of the lease. Once the five years are up, the department has the option to purchase each vehicle for a dollar, which Ervin said will invariably happen.  

“When the economy was good, we got replacements every five years,” Ervin said. “We’ll get more than eight years out of them.”

Mears has agreed to purchase the old vehicles. Ervin expects each to fetch as much as $1,500. Ervin projects this will net about $60,000 at a rate of $1,200 per vehicle. That was one advantage of choosing Mears out of three financing options, the other companies being SunTrust and Hancock banks.

Mears was about $8,367 more expensive for the entire contract but also pays for the cars to be equipped, including heavier struts intended for impact during chases, larger sway parts for rollovers, cages, and cameras. Mears will pay for installation, but the department still pays for the equipment. Mears also pledges to contact regional manufacturers to either fix or replace the vehicle and work with insurers in case of a wreck.

The difference in equipment accounts for cost differences among vehicles. Ervin estimated the marked cars to cost about $40,000 each, unmarked at $32,000 and the CSI van at $25,000. The crime scene equipment is paid for by the department, a different budget line item.

Ervin understands $2 million is a large, upfront commitment. He said the savings in maintenance, possibly more than $60,000 per year total, and fuel costs, possibly more than $40,000, make it worth the upfront cost. Each of the new vehicles, except the van, will come with fuel-saver technology, and once the car reaches the desired speed, four of eight cylinders shut off.

Also approved by the commission Tuesday was a grant for $364,781 from the Florida Department of Transportation for the police department to purchase tablets for each officer. The tablets are meant to provide easier access to the Traffic and Criminal Software System Panama City has been using since 2011.

The software provides traffic and driving under the influence forms. With the ability to take pictures, officers can use one device at the scene of an accident for information input. The tablets also will connect with vehicle video cameras, only available in some police vehicles.

“You can’t take the laptop out of the car,” Ervin said. “All of the crash data is automatically sent to state. It makes it a lot easier to analyze crash data.”