Kody Bidwell has served in law enforcement here and as a teacher in his hometown of Wewahitchka, where his family’s history is intertwined with Gulf County’s educational system.

But it was one place he did not serve, and his drive to give back to the community in the best way possible, that led to Bidwell becoming the newest investigator at the 14^th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office.

“I had a conversation with my wife about my long-term career goals between education and law enforcement,” Bidwell said. “My only regret was not serving in the military. So in that conversation, that was the driving force for me. This was the form in which I was going to serve.”

Bidwell started his law enforcement career with the Panama City Police Department as a patrolman in 2018 and was part of the Criminal Investigations Division before leaving in 2021. Career discussions continued with his wife, they have 3 children, and in January he was asked to take a position at Gulf County Schools for the remainder of the school year.

“I decided it was a great opportunity to try it, to see if I enjoyed it as much as I did law enforcement,” Bidwell said. “It was a great time, the kids were great, it was my alma mater.”

HOW DOES IT WORK?: Learn more about the Judges and court system of the 14th Judicial Circuit

JOIN OUR TEAM: We have openings for prosecutors and a legal assistant. Is it a fit for you?

With a decision to be made on his future career path, and having had a chance to try both, Bidwell said the major factor came down to how to best serve others.

The school year ended in May, Bidwell’s first day as a State Attorney’s Office investigator was Monday, June 13.

Bidwell completed his Basic Law Enforcement Standards at Gulf Coast State College and his Bachelor’s Degree in Law Enforcement Intelligence at FSU-Panama City.

At his Gulf Coast graduation, Bidwell received the Kevin Kight Memorial Scholarship, the Abbot Academic Excellence Award, the Top Gun Award, and a perfect attendance award.

“If I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it 100 percent,” he said. “We didn’t have much growing up, so I was raised that you have to work hard for it.”

For additional information contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov.

A jury took 14 minutes Tuesday to return a guilty-as-charged verdict against a man who entered another man’s garage and smashed his car’s windshield with a hammer, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Lee Daniels, 36, was found guilty of Burglary of an Occupied Dwelling and Criminal Mischief ($1,000 or greater) after a one-day trial. Circuit Judge Brandon Young set sentencing for Aug. 2.

Lead Prosecutor Dustin Miller told jurors during closing statements that, by law, an attached garage is part of a home and has the same protections.

RELATED NEWS: “Road rage” shooting lands 40-year sentence

RELATED NEWS: 90-year sentence for man who pulled gun on officer

He asked jurors to use their “God-given common sense” and reject the defendant’s argument that he was only trespassing on Dec. 3, 2019, the day of his arrest.

After the trial, Prosecutor Miller explained that an open garage door is no more an invitation to enter than is the open front door of a home.

“Just because you open your garage door, it does not make your house or garage open to the public,” Miller said. “It’s not rocket science, it’s common sense. Your garage door being open doesn’t change the nature of your home, it’s still your dwelling.”

Miller and Prosecutor Nicole Reed presented evidence and two witnesses – the victim and

Panama City Police Detective Matthew Kelly – proving that the defendant committed a burglary when he entered the victim’s garage to vandalize his car with a hammer.

The defendant was upset with the victim when he walked into his garage after seeing the door open and used a hammer to hit the windshield of the victim’s car at least three times, the State proved.

The victim, who knew the defendant from the neighborhood, heard the noise, walked to the garage to investigate and the two saw each other. The defendant then fled, but was captured a short time later.

At sentencing, the defendant faces up to 15 years for Burglary of a Dwelling and up to 5 years for Criminal Mischief.

Basford thanked Kelly, the Panama City Police Department, and other witnesses and neighbors who were prepared to testify if needed.

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

CHIPLEY – A man found guilty of shooting another man in the head following a “road rage” incident here was sentenced to 40 years in prison Wednesday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Shawn Thomas Gainey, 50, was found guilty of Attempted Second-Degree Murder by a Washington County jury last month. Wednesday, Chief Circuit Court Judge Christopher Patterson sentenced him to 40 years in prison under Florida’s 10-20-Life law, meaning the first 25 years must be served day-for-day.

During sentencing, both Prosecutor Megan Ford and Judge Patterson noted the victim, Dan Riedel, now 34, was not killed in the shooting but will never lead a normal life.

“Dan Riedel has not and will not be able to recover from the defendant’s decision,” Ford said. “This is not a case where someone was shot in the arm, had surgery, and was able to move on and have a normal life.

RELATED NEWS: 90-year sentence for man who pulled gun on officer

JOIN OUR TEAM: We’re seeking an entry level Prosecutor to join us on the World’s Most Beautiful Beaches

“Dan Riedel will spend the rest of his life in a nursing home,” she continued. “He uses few words. He has the abilities of a toddler. For all practical purposes, Dan Riedel lost his life that day.”

Ford proved at trial that on Jan. 28, 2019, the defendant and Riedel were both driving north on State 77 when they became involved in a traffic dispute.

The dashcam video from a Chipley police officer who happened upon the dispute seconds before the shooting showed the victim’s truck pulled off the road to the right and the defendant’s truck stopped at an angle partially blocking the northbound lane.

The defendant was pointing a pistol at Riedel, who was standing by his driver’s door. Riedel is seen moving to the back of his truck and opening that door so that it was between him and the defendant, and turning to stand behind it with his hands resting on the open window when a shot was fired.

Riedel, struck in the head, immediately collapsed. The defendant claimed the victim had armed himself. No gun was found at the scene or in the victim’s vehicle, nor was one seen in the video.

The jury took less than 15 minutes to find the defendant guilty.

“Life is all about decisions and consequences,” Ford told Judge Patterson during sentencing. “While the defendant didn’t per se take his life, we are asking the court to recognize Dan Riedel’s current state.”

Judge Patterson, in delivering the sentence, said he was bound by law on a portion of the sentence. But he also said he had to recognize the jury’s decision.

“Mr. Gainey, I heard the testimony,” Judge Patterson said. “The jury rejected your version of events.”

Basford thanked the Chipley Police Department for its thorough investigation of the shooting. For additional information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.

Three prison sentences totaling 90 years were given Tuesday to a man found guilty last month of pulling a gun on a Panama City police officer, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson sentenced Theodore Joseph Storey, 41, to 35 years in prison on a Violation of Probation charge, to be followed by 30 years for Aggravated Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer, and then a 25-year sentence for being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm.

A Bay County jury found the defendant guilty May 11 of the charges involving his assault on a Panama City police officer after a one-day trial. Judge Stephenson then found him guilty of the Violation of Probation charge.

RELATED NEWS: Former Mosley grad Ali Elsagga joins Prosecution team

JOIN OUR TEAM: We have an opening for a Legal Assistant

The judge agreed with Prosecutors Nicole Reed and Dustin Miller that the defendant’s criminal history qualified him for enhanced sentences as an Habitual Felony Offender and a Prison Release Reoffender. He was released from prison in August, 2019, after serving a 20-year sentence for Robbery with a Deadly Weapon.

Reed and Miller proved at trial the defendant was one of four men sitting in a car in a high-crime area July 30, 2020, when former Panama City Police Officer Jordan Hoffman encountered them.

Testimony and evidence showed that Hoffman smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle and when backup arrived he asked the defendant to step out. Instead, the defendant pulled a pistol from his waistband as the officer was assisting him out, leading to a struggle over the gun.

Hoffman wrestled the defendant to the ground and held him until more backup arrived. The loaded pistol was found only feet away.

“The defendant made a choice that night to pull a weapon on a law enforcement officer,” Prosecutor Reed told jurors during closing arguments. “Instead of complying (like the other occupants of the vehicle), what did he do? He pulled a gun.”

“And that choice has consequences,” Reed continued. “He needs to be held accountable for what he did.”

Basford thanked the Panama City Police Department for its handling of the case and former officer Hoffman for his actions that night.

For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@14sa.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.

A man who had been out of prison less than 6 months before stabbing a disabled woman in the neck was found guilty as charged of Second-Degree Murder Wednesday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

A Bay County jury took about 20 minutes to reach its verdict on William Jacob Burks, 37, in the Feb. 13, 2021, stabbing death of Cynthia A. Black, 64, in her Southport home.

Prosecutor Peter Overstreet successfully argued that defense attempts to mitigate the homicide by saying the defendant was delusional and on a methamphetamine binge were not based on the law. He said Burks knew what he was doing before, during and after the stabbing, and voluntary intoxication is not a defense in Florida.

“Life is about choices, the choices we make every day,” Overstreet told jurors. “We get out of bed, we choose to brush our teeth or not brush our teeth. Maybe we get a cavity, maybe we don’t. We suffer the consequences of the actions and choices we make every, single, day.

“When William Burks decided he was going to do methamphetamine for 5 or 7 days and go on a bender, there were consequences to that action,” Overstreet continued. “And now he’s asking you to find him guilty of a (lesser charge), because he knew he couldn’t come in here and say, ‘I didn’t do it.’ Hold Mr. Burks responsible, find him guilty of Second-Degree Murder.”

RELATED NEWS: 90-year sentence for man who pulled gun on officer

JOIN OUR TEAM: We’re seeking an entry level Prosecutor to join us on the World’s Most Beautiful Beaches

Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson agreed with Overstreet that the defendant qualified for an enhanced sentenced under Florida’s Prison Release Reoffender statute, which meant a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole.

“The words we’ve heard today were powerful,” Judge Stephenson said of victim impact statements from Black’s family. “The words we heard in testimony during the trial were powerful. This appears to be an absolutely senseless killing. Absolutely senseless. I don’t know what other words to use.”

Overstreet, with Prosecutor Ali Elsagga assisting, presented witnesses and evidence that proved the defendant’s girlfriend was the victim’s caretaker and all lived at the victim’s residence.

According to testimony, the defendant had been using methamphetamine for days and was making bacon the morning of Feb. 13, 2021, when a spot of hot grease landed on him. His girlfriend said he walked into the bathroom where the victim was in a handicapped-accessible seat and stabbed her in the throat.

Medical Examiner Dr. Jay Radtke, one of 11 witnesses called by the State, testified that the resulting large wound struck both the jugular and carotid arteries, and was fatal.

The defendant fled the house, stole a truck, abandoned it, and ultimately was found hiding in the woods a few miles up the road. He admitted stabbing the victim both to the deputies who captured him and Sheriff’s Office investigator Jake Roberts, who interviewed him.

The defendant claimed the victim and others had abused his son; the evidence showed there had been no abuse.

After the verdict, the victim’s sister addressed the court to ask for the maximum sentence. Carla Madinger said she suffers from anxiety, nightmares, and depression since the murder.

She said her sister, disabled by a stroke, was unable to defend herself when attacked.

“Since she could not do these things, an able-bodied man took her life, a person who she had to trust, someone she had to depend on, and someone that she could not get away from,” she said. “I cannot imagine what Cindy felt, the fear she must have experienced … nor the horror she must have known knowing she was about to die and there was nothing she could do.”

Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office both for its handling of the investigation and crime scene, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement DNA and biology experts who testified, and witnesses from both the neighborhood and the hospital who testified.

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

 

 

 

A former Mosley High School graduate has returned to his roots to join the 14^th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office as its newest prosecutor, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Ali Elsagga, who most recently worked for the 6^th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office, began his new job prosecuting cases here Monday.

“It is always good when we can add a local attorney to our office,” Basford said. “We’re glad to welcome someone who grew up in and knows the Bay County community.”

Elsagga attended the University of Florida after high school and went on to get his law degree at Stetson University College of Law. He spent about 2 ½ years in the 6^th Judicial Circuit before deciding to return to Bay County with his family to continue his career.

RELATED NEWS: 90-year sentence for man who pulled gun on officer

JOIN OUR TEAM: We’re seeking an entry level Prosecutor to join us on the World’s Most Beautiful Beaches

“One of the things I am most excited about is that I’m now part of the team that’s responsible for the safety of my home county, where I have family, and am part of the community,” Elsagga said. “I know this community, I know the people here, and I want to help keep it safe.”

Elsagga has experience prosecuting both felony and misdemeanor cases, including jury trials and bench trials, where the case is heard and decided by the judge. He is currently handling Bay County misdemeanor cases.

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

A Panama City man who had been out of prison for less than a year has been found guilty of Aggravated Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer and is set for sentencing June7, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Theodore Storey was found guilty of that charge and being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm after about 90 minutes of deliberation by a Bay County jury Wednesday. Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson also found that Storey violated his probation when he pulled a gun on a police officer July 30, 2020.

“The defendant made a choice that night to pull a weapon on a law enforcement officer,” Prosecutor Nicole Reed told jurors during closing arguments. “Instead of complying (like the other occupants of the vehicle), what did he do? He pulled a gun.”

“And that choice has consequences,” Reed continued. “He needs to be held accountable for what he did.”

RELATED NEWS: 90-year sentence for man who pulled gun on officer

JOIN OUR TEAM: We’re seeking an entry level Prosecutor to join us on the World’s Most Beautiful Beaches

Reed and Co-Prosecutor Dustin Miller presented witnesses and evidence showing that the defendant was one of four men sitting in a car in a high-crime area that night when former Panama City Police Officer Jordan Hoffman encountered them.

Hoffman, who later left law enforcement to become a full-time pastor, testified he was on “proactive” community patrol that night when he spotted the men. He said he was walking to the car to see what was going on, and the closer he got the stronger the smell of marijuana coming from the vehicle.

He engaged the men, still in the car, in conversation about the marijuana smell. Testimony showed the defendant handed Hoffman a small baggie of marijuana.

Knowing that he needed to search the car but also concerned about officer safety, Hoffman testified he called for backup while the four men remained in the car and continued talking to them until officer Steven Clayton arrived.

When he attempted to help the defendant out of the car, Hoffman testified, the defendant kept reaching for his back pocket, telling the officer to “chill out.”

“He said, ‘I put my cellphone in my pocket, don’t worry about it’,” Hoffman testified. “At that point I see a gun and he’s bringing it up and around.”

Hoffman testified he was in immediate fear for his life and took the defendant down, while at the same time hearing a “thud” that he believed to be the gun hitting the ground. Another backup officer arrived and found and secured the pistol, which was within reach of where Hoffman was holding the defendant to the ground.

The defendant had been released from prison in August, 2019, after serving a 20-year sentence for armed robbery in Jackson County.  The State is seeking to have the defendant sentenced as a Habitual Felony Offender and Prison Rerelease Offender, both of which call for enhanced penalties.

Basford thanked the Panama City Police Department for its handling of the case and former officer Hoffman for his actions that night.

For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@14sa.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.

 

Granting the requests of both the victim’s family and the prosecutor, a judge sentenced David Donaldson to Life in prison Tuesday for the 2020 murder of Gordon McKinney during a dispute, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Prosecutors Peter Overstreet and Jacob Cook proved at trial in April that the defendant provoked a confrontation with Mr. McKinney and then shot him twice – once in the back – at a construction site on 23^rd Street. A jury took just over 2 hours to find him guilty as charged of Second Degree Murder and Aggravated Assault.

RELATED NEWS: Man who attacked deputy sent to prison for 25 years

WANT TO JOIN OUR TEAM? We have an opening for a Legal Assistant

At Tuesday’s sentencing before Circuit Court Judge Timothy Register, Overstreet said the only just sentence would be for the defendant to spend the rest of his life in prison.

“Mr. Donaldson armed himself with a gun and summoned the courage to call out a man older than him … he called the man out knowing he had a gun, and he ended a life over nothing,” Overstreet said to Register, asking for a Life sentence. “His family will be able to visit him wherever he’s incarcerated, they will be able to hear his voice, talk to him about what’s going on in their lives.

“That can never happen again with Mr. McKinney’s family.”

Judge Register handed down the Life sentence for Second Degree Murder and a 5-year consecutive sentence for Aggravated Assault after family members of both the victim and the defendant spoke.

“My dad and mom gave us a magical childhood,” said Cortney McKinney, Gordon McKinney’s daughter, as a power point presentation showed family pictures of Mr. McKinney on courtroom monitors. “It was magical because my dad and mom gave us constant love, praise, affection, support, guidance, and education, everything children need to flourish.”

Cortney McKinney said her father was a loving and humorous man. She said he sacrificed himself over the years to provide for the family.

 

One picture of her with her father, she noted, was taken Feb. 29, 2020, “the day I got married and the last time I ever saw my dad alive.”

She said being walked down the aisle by her dad is a memory she is grateful to have, “but for the rest of my life and my husband’s, our wedding anniversary will also always be the last day I saw my dad alive because he was taken from us by the murderer. The murderer who has demonstrated a complete absence of respect for the value of human life.”

Sherri McKinney, Gordon McKinney’s widow, said her world shattered when her husband was killed. “Before his murder, I felt safe knowing he would be there to help me with anything I needed, to help raise and guide our kids, to grow old with and now that is all gone.”

She too asked for the maximum sentence of Life in prison.

“His murderer has not shown one iota of remorse and does not deserve leniency,” she told Judge Register. “He shot an unarmed man in the back, a gray-haired – 15 years his senior – unarmed man. I hope his fellow prisoners hear those details so they know what kind of coward will be living among them.

“He will not have his gun to pull out in prison.”

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

A man who attacked a deputy and later said he “wanted to beat him to death,” was deemed a Habitual Felony Offender Friday and sentenced to 25 years in prison, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Circuit Court Judge Devin Collier sentenced Jourdan Daniel Parks, 36, of Panama City, for Fleeing to Elude a Law Enforcement Officer, Resisting an Officer with Violence, and two counts of Battery on a Law Enforcement officer.

Assistant State Attorney Jacob Cook had already picked a jury to hear the charges against the defendant on March 21, but on the eve of trial the Defendant changed his mind and entered an “open plea,” meaning the Defendant admitted guilt and the judge would determine the sentence, and the jury was dismissed.

RELATED NEWS: Life sentence for child molester

WANT TO JOIN OUR TEAM? We have an opening for a Legal Assistant

At the defendant’s Habitual Felony Offender (HFO) and sentencing hearing Friday, Prosecutor Cook proved that the defendant qualified as an HFO through expert fingerprint testimony, with previous convictions of Aggravated Battery, Resisting Arrest with Violence, and Driving While License Suspended or Revoked (Habitual Offender). The defendant has a lengthy criminal history dating back to 2005. Designation as an HFO doubled the maximum penalty the defendant faced on the most serious charge from 15 years to a maximum of 30 years.

Cook presented testimony at sentencing regarding the severity of the crime against Bay County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Thomas Evans, as well as a phone call the defendant made from jail where he was recorded saying, “You should of seen the fear in his eyes when I picked him up and slammed him on that table.” Cook also presented video of the attack, shot by a witness.

The evidence showed that Deputy Evans responded to a complaint June 25, 2020. The defendant was spotted in a vehicle but fled from the deputy at a high rate of speed before exiting his vehicle and running into a residence, the evidence showed.

The pursuing deputy found the defendant trying to hide in a pantry. The defendant exited the pantry and attacked the deputy. During the attack, evidence showed, the deputy was slammed onto a table and choked before he and Deputy Kip McKenzie were able to subdue the defendant.

Basford thanked the Sheriff’s Office for its work on the case, and Deputy Evans for his efforts.

For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@fl14.gov, or call 850-381-7454.

A Panama City man was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison Thursday after a jury convicted him of Lewd & Lascivious Molestation on a child, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

A jury found Darrel Fred Swearingen, 48, guilty after 17 minutes of deliberation. Circuit Court Judge Tim Register then imposed the life sentence.

Prosecutors Frank Sullivan and Jae Hee Kim proved that Swearingen committed the offense against the victim in 2010 when he was left alone with her. Testimony showed that the victim reported the molestation to an adult family member, who did not report it to authorities.

RELATED NEWS: Man who provoked confrontation guilty of Second-Degree Murder

RELATED NEWS: WW II Veteran hopes prison teaches his attacker a lesson

The Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center was made aware of the allegations in 2020 and began an investigation. Bay County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Christian Williams, the case agent, took statements from both the victim and the defendant. He arrested the defendant in January, 2021.

During the trial, testimony from the victim was consistent with what she had previously disclosed to family and law enforcement. Her sister also testified for the State.

The defendant took the stand and Sullivan noted inconsistencies in his initial statement to law enforcement and his trial testimony. It was also disclosed that the defendant was a 6-time convicted felon and was previously convicted of giving false information to law enforcement.

Basford thanked both the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and GCCAC for their work on the case, and Sullivan for his strong presentation of it to jurors.

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