The State Attorney’s Office will seek prison time when former Destin attorney R. Scott Whitehead appears in Okaloosa County court to answer for his second violation of probation this year.
Whitehead was arrested Tuesday in Bay County on charges of DUI, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, violation of driver license restrictions and refusing to submit to a blood-alcohol test.
The charges put Whitehead in violation of a 10-year probation he was ordered to serve in 2013.
Okaloosa County Circuit Court Judge Michael Flowers handed down the probated sentence after Whitehead provided crucial testimony in the murder solicitation trial of Harvey Tipler, another disbarred attorney.
Whitehead was an inmate at the Okaloosa County Jail, charged with stealing from clients, when Tipler told him about his plans to kill prosecutor Russ Edgar.
Whitehead wore a wire to help authorities nab Tipler. Flowers rewarded Whitehead by granting him the lengthy probation with credit for 300 days of time served.
Under terms of the pro-bastion, Whitehead, who had several alcohol-related run-ins with the law before his arrest on racketeering charges, was to undergo drug and alcohol treatment.
In April, Whitehead was ordered to serve 120 days in jail for a probation violation that occurred when, while intoxicated, he left a Pensacola restaurant without paying his bill.
This time, Okaloosa County Chief Assistant State Attorney Bill Bishop said his office will seek a prison sentence of more than 365 days for the violation of probation.
Whitehead is being held in Bay County with no bond, Bishop said.