Man charged with shooting into home
CAMPBELLTON — Police have arrested a man suspected of shooting into a home occupied by a mother and 10 children who has been at large for about a year, officials announced Wednesday. The Jackson...
View ArticleUPDATE: 8 killed in shooting near Gainesville
BELL -- A grandfather, his daughter and six grandchildren ages 3 months to 10 years old died Thursday afternoon as a result of a murder-suicide at the grandfather’s home in northern Gilchrist County,...
View ArticleMan sentenced for trying to hide identity
PANAMA CITY — A Canadian ex-con has been sentenced to about a year in jail for disguising his identity after a marijuana possession arrest. Brandon Robert Humphreys, 31, pleaded no contest to two of...
View ArticlePedestrian struck, in critical condition
HILAND PARK — A 26-year-old Panama City man is in critical condition after he was struck by a Buick while crossing a road early Friday morning. A Florida Highway Patrol news release said Christopher...
View ArticleEx-FDLE analyst’s involvement prompts new trial
CHIPLEY -- In fallout from the arrest earlier this year of a former Florida Department of Law Enforcement chemist, an appeals court Friday ordered a new trial for a man convicted of trafficking in...
View ArticleUPDATE: Grandfather who killed 7 was felon with unregistered gun
BELL (AP) — An ex-convict who killed six of his grandchildren, his adult daughter and himself had been in and out of jail and spent time in prison for accidentally shooting his son to death during a...
View ArticleEx-marina director sentenced for theft
PANAMA CITY — A former Panama City dockmaster has been sentenced on nine counts of stealing public funds. Susan Payne, 49, was sentenced to five years probation Thursday for nine of her 11 grand theft...
View Article3-year hunt ends with $350 fine
PANAMA CITY — “Blown Away,” a bane to wildlife authorities, hadn’t blown anywhere in at least three years. Ever since they noticed the 27-foot 1986 Newport MKII sloop sunk in St. Andrew Bay in August...
View Article3 Franklin prison guards among 32 fired for misconduct
CARRABELLE — In what has become a frequent exercise, Department of Corrections Secretary Mike Crews on Friday fired 32 workers accused of breaking the law, including three prison guards involved in...
View ArticleMan jumps from condo during drug sting
PANAMA CITY BEACH — A meth-den sting at a beach condominium complex yielded four arrests Friday and prompted one cuffed man to jump from the second story in an escape attempt. The Bay County Sheriff’s...
View ArticleLegal troubles had plagued Bell family for years
BELL -- When Donald Charles Spirit killed his daughter and six grandchildren Thursday afternoon, as authorities allege, it was not the first time he had killed a family member. On Nov. 14, 2001, in...
View ArticleAuthorities need help to ID fraud perpetrators
PANAMA CITY — Local authorities are asking for help to identify people using fake credit cards to make fraudulent transactions at various businesses around Bay County. “They were seen in town on...
View ArticleEyewitnesses scarce in Franklin County killing
EASTPOINT — The 46-year-old Eastpoint man charged in the bludgeoning death of a registered sexual predator in May has said he doesn’t recall striking the victim with an axe handle, and so far there...
View ArticleUPDATE: Operation Safe Child leads to arrest of 43 sex offenders (LIST)
PANAMA CITY — Authorities conducting surprise contacts with registered sex offenders in Bay County have arrested 43 people suspected of violating terms of their convictions, and even came across a...
View ArticleBCSO seeks help locating missing teen
LYNN HAVEN — The Bay County Sheriff’s Office has asked for the public’s help in locating missing juvenile Austin Smith. Smith, 15, was last seen at 10 a.m. on Friday at Mosley High School. He is...
View ArticleMan dies after being pulled from water
PANAMA CITY BEACH -- The Bay County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed the death of a 55-year-old man after he was pulled from the Gulf of Mexico. The man’s name was not released. BCSO officials said they...
View ArticleFlorida man admits to killing family in 911 call
GAINESVILLE (AP) — With an edgy yet calm voice, Donald Spirit told a 911 dispatcher he had just killed his six grandchildren, including a baby, and would wait until authorities arrived before going to...
View ArticleBCSO seeking credit card fraudster (VIDEO)
PANAMA CITY - Officials are asking for public assistance in locating a man suspected of credit card fraud, Bay County Sheriff's Office announced Tuesday. Investigators believe the credit card...
View ArticleMan injured in motorcycle crash
PANAMA CITY BEACH — A high-speed motorcycle wreck over the weekend sent metal shrapnel tearing through a motel billboard. Ricardo Keith, of North Dakota, was taken to a local hospital following the...
View ArticleFamily, friends rally for student missing since PCB trip
ALBANY, N.Y. — Two dozen family and friends of a missing New York man rallied outside a Federal Bureau of Investigations field office where FBI Director James Comey was visiting Tuesday. Reny Jose,...
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