The final defendant in the burglary and theft of more than $100,000 in collectible baseball cards received a 15-year prison sentence today.
Christopher Develle Brown, 40, was found guilty at trial of Grand Theft over $100,000, said State Attorney Larry Basford. Circuit Court Judge Shonna Young Gay added 5 years’ probation and ordered $183,000 in restitution to the victim.
Prosecutor Zachary VanDyke said the defendant was part of a 4-person burglary crew that stole more than $100,000 in collectible baseball cards from a Panama City business in 2023.“Thirty-five years of work and passion disappeared on the night of Feb. 16, 2023,” VanDyke said. “No amount of restitution can return that to the victim. But we are glad that these thieves were held accountable and our victim was able to see justice carried out.”
A second defendant, Leon Rowe, Jr., has already been convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison. A third defendant agreed to a plea in exchange for his testimony against the others. The fourth defendant has not been located.
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The group is believed to be involved in similar burglaries stretching from Florida to Louisiana.In the Panama City Police Department case, the defendants took hundreds of collector’s cards ranging from a 1955 Sandy Koufax ($4,500) and 1963 Pete Rose ($4,000), to a 1954 Hank Aaron ($4,000) and a 1948 American Association Babe Ruth ($3,000). The collection included 65 Mickey Mantles, 34 Hank Aarons, 11 Whitey Fords, and cards from Tom Seaver, Roger Maris, Nolan Ryan, and Johnny Bench.
Basford thanked the law enforcement network across the Gulf Coast that collaborated in connecting the cases, and the Bay County Sheriff’s Office for its work on a similar case that assisted the Panama City Police Department’s case.
For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.