Man Found Guilty of Trafficking Fentanyl, Sentenced to 30 years in Prison

Posted on July 16, 2026 by Admin SA

A jury needed only 13 minutes Thursday to find a man guilty of Trafficking in Fentanyl (more than 28 grams) after he drove from Fort Walton Beach to sell an ounce and a half of fentanyl to a Panama City Police Department confidential informant, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Mario Ardale Donaldson, 24, of Fort Walton Beach, was also found guilty of Unlawful use of a Two-Way Communications Device. Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson ordered the 30-year sentence, which includes a minimum-mandatory 25 years and a $500,000 fine under Florida’s enhanced drug trafficking statutes.

Prosecutor Christopher Walters called two Panama City Police Department Corporals who testified Donaldson agreed to the sale through a confidential informant March 11, 2025. The defendant was known as a fentanyl dealer, and told police he was “fronted” the drugs before driving to Panama City. That means he had to pay back his dealer once he made the sale.

But when he got back to Panama City and went to the designated spot for the transaction, he instead was detained by Panama City police.

During questioning at the Panama City Police Department, it was learned the defendant was carrying a large bag of fentanyl in his groin area. He retrieved it for police and admitted his participation in the day’s activities.

“This is a large amount of fentanyl and the Panama City Police Department did an excellent job of reacting to information it developed and making an arrest before it could hit the streets,” Walters said. “Fentanyl is so potent and unpredictable, and it is a plague on the community.”

The testimony and evidence proved that a confidential information told police he knew someone selling large amounts of fentanyl. He called the defendant, with police monitoring, and set up the deal.

Basford thanked the Panama City Police Department for its quick action in the case.

For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.

60 Months in Prison for Contractor in Hurricane Michael Theft Case

Posted on July 16, 2026 by Admin SA

A Tampa-area contractor found guilty last month of taking tens of thousands of dollars from an 87-year-old man for work that never took place after Hurricane Michael was sentenced to 5 years in prison Thursday.

State Attorney Larry Basford said Mark Eugene Stargardt, 66, of Stargardt and Associates, LLC in Valrico, was found guilty June 16 of Grand Theft (more than $20,000). He has been in custody since. Circuit Court Judge Shonna Young Gay Thursday also ordered the defendant to make $46,606.33 in restitution.

“This has been an absolute nightmare for the victim in this case,” Prosecutor Zachary VanDyke said after the trial. “He did everything right and the defendant took advantage of him and continued to lead him along for months. His perseverance and attention to detail – keeping track of all his records – helped make sure this defendant was held accountable.”

VanDyke called witnesses and presented evidence proving Stargardt and his company cashed checks from the victim totaling about $38,000 between February 2019 and May 2019 even though, by August 2019, no work had been done on the property in 6 months. The only permit pulled was for the initial demolition, which was incomplete, done improperly, and had to be redone by another contractor.

As the victim’s frustration with the lack of progress mounted, he repeatedly contacted the company and its representatives. But at trial he testified that at every turn there was either an excuse or a promise of how it would be made right.

By August the defendant took his complaints to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, which investigated and arrested Stargardt.

Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office for its investigation that helped bring the case to a successful conclusion.

For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.

Man Driving Impaired by Meth Guilty in Death of Girlfriend and Unborn Child

Posted on July 15, 2026 by Admin SA

A jury Wednesday agreed that Mark Pegg was under the influence of methamphetamine when he rear-ended a van on U.S. 231, killing his girlfriend and their unborn child.

State Attorney Larry Basford announced Pegg, 39, was found guilty as charged of DUI-Manslaughter in the March 23, 2024 death of his 33-year-old girlfriend and their unborn child. Kristen Clark was 35 weeks pregnant. Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson sentenced Pegg to 30 years in prison – 15 years on each count to run consecutively – and a lifetime of probation.

Prosecutor Frank Sullivan called 6 witnesses, including two experts who said the amount of methamphetamine in the defendant’s blood after the wreck was well above therapeutic ranges and would have impaired his cognitive functioning. The defendant, according to the evidence, never even hit the brakes when he rear-ended a van stopped at a red light at U.S. 231 and State 390 that night.

“These deaths, this wreck, were a terrible tragedy and they were avoidable,” Sullivan said. “Two innocent lives were lost all because this defendant decided to smoke meth and get behind a wheel.

“Whether it is from alcohol, or in this case high levels of methamphetamine, no one is safe from an impaired driver,” he continued. “The Panama City Police Department did an excellent job of thoroughly investigating this case and determining the level of meth in the defendant’s blood was well above therapeutic levels.”

The evidence showed the defendant was driving north on U.S. 231 around 12:10 a.m. March 23, 2024, with his pregnant girlfriend in the passenger seat and a child in the backseat. A Bay County Sheriff’s Office van transporting Spring Break defendants to the jail was stopped at the red light at U.S. 231 and State 390. The defendant never slowed and slammed into the rear of the van, killing his passenger almost instantly. The unborn child died due to the mother’s death.

An interview at the hospital following the crash showed the defendant was asleep when police tried to question him around 2 a.m. Once awake, police bodycam showed he was groggy – he had not been sedated at the hospital – and fell back asleep while being questioned.

State experts said the .43 mg/L of meth in the defendant’s blood – a therapeutic level would never exceed .1-.2 mg/L – combined with his actions and the evidence from the wreck showed he was on the “downward” side of the usage. That means the body is metabolizing the drug, the high is wearing off, and the user becomes tired and depressed.

“They can be in a state where they’re sleeping and hard to wake up,” said Chris Chronister, Lab Director at the University of Florida. “In this case (the high level) is clearly from use and abuse of methamphetamine.”

Panama City Police Sgt. Preston Allyn said he woke the defendant up to interview him but he fell back asleep. When he was told his girlfriend and unborn child had died in the wreck, Allyn said, he didn’t really react.

“The best I can explain it is a lack of emotion,” Allyn said. “His demeanor did not change. It wasn’t the reaction I was expecting.”

Basford thanked the Panama City Police Department and collaborative efforts with the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.

30-Year Sentence for Sexually Assaulting Teens on Campus

Posted on July 10, 2026 by Admin SA

A former Bay High School student was sentenced to 30 years in prison Thursday for sexually assaulting two 14-year-old girls in the locker room, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Jaques Cortez Lee, 22, was 19 and a senior at the time of the offenses. He was found guilty in May of Sexual Battery of one of the victims and Lewd and Lascivious Battery on the other for the Nov. 8, 2022 attack.

Circuit Court Judge Shonna Young Gay sentenced the defendant to 30 years for the Sexual Battery and 15 years on Lewd and Lascivious Battery, and that the sentences run concurrently, or at the same time. Judge Gay also designated the defendant as a Sexual Predator.

Prosecutor Morgan McAfee called both victims as witnesses to testify about the Nov. 8, 2022 assaults.

One of the victims was going to meet with the defendant and a friend went with her for safety. The evidence showed that while in the locker room the defendant sexually assaulted both girls. Both victims reported it and underwent forensic interviews at the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center.

Basford thanked the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center for its work and the Bay County Sheriff’s Office for its thorough investigation that helped bring the case to a successful conclusion.

For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.

102-Month Sentence for Impaired Man who Seriously Injured 2 Teens in Golf Cart

Posted on July 9, 2026 by Admin SA

A 62-year-old man who was driving impaired when his truck turned into oncoming traffic at Bay Point and hit a golf cart head-on, seriously injuring two teens, was sentenced to 8½ years in prison Thursday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Richard Stanley Barker, who hit the girls near his home on Wahoo Road Feb. 4, 2025, earlier pled no contest to 2 counts of DUI With Seriously Bodily Injury. Each charge was punishable by up to 5 years in prison. Barker’s prison term will be followed by 18 months of probation.

Barker was impaired and driving east in the westbound lane of Wahoo Road near his house when his pickup truck hit a westbound golf cart carrying the two girls – 16 and 15 years old at the time. The golf cart was destroyed, one victim had life-threatening injuries, and both victims suffered lifelong damage to their bodies.

Prosecutor Ryan Phillips asked Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson to consider the deterrent function, the severity of the injuries, and that Florida’s Criminal Justice System is designed to punish offenders. The defense asked the court to consider the defendant’s age, his remorse and that he is recovering from cancer.

“Everyone in this courtroom (the victims, the defendant, and their families) received a life sentence that day,” said Stephenson, adding this was one of the most difficult cases he has handled. “Mr. Barker, you will feel the impact of that decision today, if you haven’t already. This decision was not easy for this court; it was not easy for anyone. But there is no way to erase the events of that night and there is a price to pay for that.”

During the 2½ hour sentencing, emotional testimony came from both sides, including the two young victims.

“I’m 17 now … and nothing will ever feel the same as it did before that night,” one victim testified at Thursday’s sentencing. “I have not been able to enjoy my teenage years like most people; I’ve been struggling to recover.”

Her injuries included two fractured legs, a broken pelvis, broken ribs and multiple injuries to her face. She suffers nightmares, PTSD, and debilitating anxiety. She will never run again and is constant pain.

“These scars are permanent reminders of something I never chose and I’ll never forget,” she said. “No 15-year-old should have to rebuild their life because of someone else’s choice. We have to live with the pain he left us with because of his actions.”

The second victim, also 17 now, suffered fractures to both legs, a broken pelvis and a punctured lung.

“I should not have to be in this much pain as a 17-year-old,” she said. “All I can think about is what it felt like to lay there in the street, like I was nothing. I’ve tried to talk about my trauma to help get through it but some things never go away.”

Family members spoke as well.

“We were drug into hell and Richard Barker brought us there,” said the mother of one of the victims. “I had never heard of him before that night. Now his name is forever attached to the worst day of our lives.”

Before the sentence was imposed, Barker apologized.

“I’m very sorry this happened and the remorse I feel, no one in this courtroom knows,” Barker said. “I’m sorry, it was a terrible accident, I’m so sorry.”

Basford thanked the Florida Highway Patrol for its investigation and reconstruction of the crash. He also credited first responders who were able to stabilize the victims until they reached the hospital.

For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.

Hicks Sentenced to 18 Years for Sexual Battery of Teen at Party

Posted on July 1, 2026 by Admin SA

A judge sentenced a 26-year-old Panama City native to 18 years in prison Monday for sexually battering a 17-year-old at a small party in 2019, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Nathaniel Douglas Hicks, who was arrested in 2020 after an investigation by the US Coast Guard and Bay County Sheriff’s Office was found guilty as charged of Sexual Battery May 5. Circuit Court Judge Brantley Clark, who presided over the trial, handed down the sentence Monday. The judge also designated the defendant as a Sexual Predator.

Prosecutor Frank Sullivan presented evidence at trial proving the defendant sexually assaulted the victim at a get-together on May 18, 2019. Sullivan called six witnesses, including one woman who testified that she was the victim of a similar attack by the defendant.

“The victim was a 17-year-old girl who just wanted to hang out with some friends and instead had the worst thing in the world happened to her,” Sullivan said. “The defendant showed in his statement to the Coast Guard and his testimony at trial that he will lie repeatedly to protect himself. He must be held accountable for all his actions.”

RELATED: Hicks guilty of Sexual Battery

The evidence showed the defendant knew the victim from high school and invited her – she had two friends with her – to a small gathering outside a beach residence. The victim testified the group hung around outside for a while before the defendant invited her inside. She said he took her into a bedroom and had sex with her against her will, pulling off her clothes and hitting her legs as she told him no and asked him to stop repeatedly.

Basford thanked the US Coast Guard and the Bay County Sheriffs Office for their work on the case and the evidence they gathered to bring it to a successful resolution.

For more information contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov or call 850-381-7454.

Man Snared in Undercover Drug Deal Guilty of Trafficking in Meth

Posted on July 1, 2026July 1, 2026 by Admin SA

A jury needed less than 30 minutes Tuesday to find a man guilty of Trafficking in Methamphetamine (more than 14 grams but less than 28 grams) after he was found with 5 baggies of meth in a beach bar, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Alphanso Frederick Hall Jr., 40, of Panama City Beach, was found guilty as charged of the trafficking offense and Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communication Device. Circuit Court Judge Brantley Clark set sentencing for July 23 at 1 p.m. The trafficking charge is a First-Degree Felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison and a minimum-mandatory 3 years.

Prosecutor Frank Sullivan called 3 witnesses – two of them who were with the Bay County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Division – to prove the defendant was in possession of 5 separate baggies of methamphetamine when he was arrested inside a beach bar. Each of the baggies held just over 3 grams of meth – often sold as an “8-ball.”

“The Bay County Sheriff’s Office did a good job of identifying this defendant as an alleged dealer of various drugs and using a confidential informant to set up a buy,” Sullivan said. “When the defendant was identified and detained inside the bar he was found to be carrying the 5 bags of meth.

“Methamphetamine continues destroy lives and we will continue to vigorously prosecute those traffickers arrested by our law enforcement partners to keep the community safe.”

Former Sheriff’s Office SID Cpl. Phillip Hill said an informant reached out to them in February 2025, about the defendant. A controlled drug buy was set up for Feb. 18, 2025, outside a beach bar. A controlled buy means everything was monitored: the confidential informant was searched, eye contact was maintained during the sale, and marked money was used for the purchase.

Investigators watching the defendant entered the bar and ended up on the floor with him as they attempted to handcuff him. Bodycam showed investigators finding the baggies of meth and pulling them out of the defendant’s pocket.

Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office for its investigation that helped bring the case to a successful conclusion.

For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.

Man Guilty of Choking, Beating Woman in Home

Posted on July 1, 2026 by Admin SA

A man accused of beating, choking, and threatening his girlfriend while refusing to let her leave was found guilty of multiple charges Tuesday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Alfredo Julio Baguer Villa, 29, of Lynn Haven, was found guilty as charged of Domestic Battery by Strangulation, Aggravated Assault (Deadly Weapon), and False Imprisonment. Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson set sentencing for July 24.

“This verdict sends a message that victims of domestic violence are taken seriously when they come forward,” Walters said. “With their help we can continue to hold their abusers accountable.”

Prosecutor Christopher Walters needed only 2 witnesses to prove his case: responding Lynn Haven Police Department Officer Tyler Buckalew and the victim.

Buckalew testified he was on duty March 30, 2025, when he was dispatched to a domestic disturbance. He said he found the victim walking some distance from her residence because she had fled in fear after being choked and threatened with a knife.

“She was clearly frightened,” Buckalew testified. “She fled because she wasn’t safe.”

Prosecutor Christopher Walters points toward the defendant

The victim said the defendant got angry in the bathroom that day and punched her in the face. He was initially blocking her from leaving the bathroom but she got out when he showered.

“I was just grabbing my stuff I had to have in the bedroom trying to get out and he came storming in the room and knocked me on the bed,” she said.

The victim said the defendant choked her and used a pocketknife to stab the air mattress near her head twice while threatening her. “I thought he was going to kill me,” she said.

After she escaped, the defendant left. Police arrested him on a warrant three weeks later.

Basford thanked the Lynn Haven Police Department for its handling of the call that night and ensuing investigation.

For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.

Third and Final Defendant in Bonifay ATM Robbery Sentenced to 9 years

Posted on June 4, 2026 by Admin SA

The third and final defendant in the robbery of more than $100,000 from the Wells Fargo Bonifay ATM has pled no contest to his charges and was sentenced to 9 years in prison, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Holmes County Chief Prosecutor Jake Cook said the three codefendants in the Bonifay case have now been sentenced to a combined 34 years in prison for the crime.

Traveon Ladarren Burnett, 27, of Pasadena, Texas, was adjudicated guilty Wednesday of Grand Theft of More Than $100,000, Robbery, and Criminal Mischief in the Oct. 18, 2024 robbery of a Bonifay ATM. Circuit Court Judge Russell Roberts accepted the plea and 9-year prison sentence. Judge Roberts also ordered the sentence to be serve consecutive to “any other prison sentences in any other jurisdiction.”

Cook said Burnett was part of a Houston Texas gang linked to ATM robberies across the country. Earlier this year Marcus McLemore pled to the same charges and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. In December, Jacorey DeShawn Hall, 27, entered an open plea on the day of trial to Grand Theft of More Than $100,000 and Robbery, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison, followed by 30 years of probation.

“Chief Johnny Whitaker and the Bonifay Police Department put a lot of work into what was a very complicated case involving multiple jurisdictions and states,” Cook said. “This crime was well-planned, sophisticated, and the pieces of evidence were spread out all across the country, and now between the three defendants they have a combined 34 years to think about committing crimes in Florida.”

Cook was prepared to call witnesses and present evidence that the defendants caused the Bonifay ATM to malfunction on Oct. 18, 2024, which resulted in a service call for repairs. Burnett and his co-defendants waited over 4 hours after jamming the ATM, and when the technician arrived, they rushed him, beat him away from the ATM, and stole over 100,000 dollars in cash.

Witnesses and video surveillance helped law enforcement identify the getaway car and its tag, and its path of travel back to Panama City Beach. The Bay County Sheriff’s Office found the abandoned car and items in it – like gloves and receipts –that were linked to the Texas gang.

Basford also thanked the Bonifay Police Department and multiple agencies involved for their collaboration.

For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.

Man guilty in drug-related shooting, robbery that paralyzed victim

Posted on June 4, 2026June 4, 2026 by Admin SA

A man who drove to what was supposed to be a small marijuana transaction but instead shot the seller in the back, paralyzing him, was found guilty of the charges against him Wednesday evening, according to State Attorney Larry Basford.

Dexter Owens, 19, was found guilty late Wednesday of Robbery with a Firearm and Aggravated Battery with a Firearm. Circuit Court Judge Brantley Clark set sentencing for July 23. Under Florida’s 10-20-Life Statute, the defendant faces up to Life in prison.

“The plan was to go and rob the victim of his marijuana and that changed when Dexter Owens saw the victim’s gun and decided he wanted it and made the decision to shoot the victim,” Prosecutor Frank Sullivan said. “And that gun was found hidden in a hole in Owens’ closet.”

There were multiple witnesses who testified about various parts of the evening of Oct. 12, 2024. It started with a ride to the victim’s girlfriend’s house to buy a small amount of marijuana and ended with Bay County Sheriff’s Office deputies surrounding the defendant’s home as they awaited a search warrant. Nearly a half dozen people emerged from the residence when the warrant was obtained.

Owens drove a car with two passengers to the victim’s girlfriend’s house to buy $30-$60 worth of marijuana, according to several witnesses. The victim, who is paralyzed from the shooting and arrived in court in a wheelchair, testified he got into the backseat and handed a few grams of marijuana to the front-seat passenger.

He said he was waiting for payment and looking at his phone, “and all I hear is Dexter say, ‘Hey, what’s that?’ When I looked up, I didn’t move, and I have a gun pointed at my chest (by Owens).

“I let him take my phone and everything, I was scared to move,” the victim continued. “We’re sitting there a minute or two or so and nothing’s being said … so I try to run.”

The victim, who said he had a gun tucked into his waistband, said he was trying to get out the back door, “and then I feel him physically hit me in the back with the gun and shoot me.”

The car’s passenger said he knew the victim was carrying a gun but did not threaten anyone with it and did not deserve to be shot by his friend Owens, who was driving.

The victim’s phone was left in the car and his girlfriend was able to use an app to tell deputies exactly where the defendants’ car had parked in Panama City. Deputies went to that address and knocked, but no one would answer the door.

They surrounded the house and when a search warrant was signed about two hours later, they ordered everyone out.

Multiple statements to investigators generated evidence pointing to Owens as being the shooter and instigator. Owens’ version of events that night changed multiple times, ranging from he never touched a gun or shot anyone, to he did shoot the victim but it was in self-defense.

In all statements to deputies the reason for the trip in the first place was to buy marijuana. But on the stand Wednesday, Owens claimed he was driving someone there to buy a gun, something he never said in his previous interviews with investigators.

“He lied again, and again, and again, and again during that interview,” Sullivan said. “When somebody is proven to be a liar, you have to think critically, and you have to analyze everything they say. He has proven he will lie to get out of trouble and to avoid getting into trouble and to protect himself, and then he gets into court and tells you something he’s never told anyone before.”

Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and it’s Criminal Investigation Division for their work on the case involving multiple suspects and scenes.

For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.