Two Bay County men convicted last month of attempting to kill three people they shot at during a chase across Northwestern Bay County received prison sentences Friday, according to State Attorney Larry Basford.
Jordan Hutchinson was sentenced to three concurrent 20-year sentences for his three convictions on Attempted Second Degree Murder with a Firearm, plus 5 years for Shooting into an Occupied Vehicle and Aggravated Assault. The three 20-year sentences will be served at the same time, but under Florida’s 10-20-Life law, the 20 years must be served day-for-day. The 5-year sentences also will run concurrent to each other, but will not begin until the 20-year sentence is served.
Circuit Court Judge Timothy Register sentenced Co-defendant Chase Chavez to three 15-year terms, to be served concurrently, for his three convictions of Attempted Second Degree Murder With a Firearm. The first 10 years of that sentence is minimum-mandatory. He also was sentenced to 3 years for Shooting into an Occupied Vehicle and that will not start until he finishes the first sentence under Florida’s 10-20-Life law.
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A jury convicted both men Aug. 26 after a two-day trial, but found that while Chavez possessed a firearm during the July 4, 2019 offenses, he did not fire it.
Prosecutors Frank Sullivan and Jae Hee Kim presented evidence and witnesses, including the three victims and investigators from the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, proving that the defendants were in a confrontation with the victims and chased them at high speeds while firing shots into the truck in which they were traveling.
“But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter which one of the defendants pulled the trigger each time and which was the driver,” Sullivan said to jurors at trial. “They both participated, and they both wanted this to happen. They are principals.”
For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.