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Bay County Prosecutor Frank Sullivan is now 1 of 20 Florida attorneys certified as a Criminal Trial Law Advocate, the National Board of Trial Advocacy announced.
Sullivan, who has successfully prosecuted cases ranging from attempted murder and aggravated child abuse to drug trafficking and sexual battery, is now one of 20 attorneys in the state to achieve Board Certification as a Criminal Trial Law Advocate by the NBTA.
Prosecutor Frank Sullivan in a drug trafficking case (upper left), with Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center director Lori Stanford, during an attempted murder trial (bottom left), and during a sexual battery of a child trial (bottom right).
The NBTA noted that only 3% of American lawyers are board certified and that there is an “elaborate” process for selection.
Sullivan joined the 14th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office in November 2016 and has been involved in more than 75 trials. He is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law.
The NBTA was formed “out of a strong conviction that both the law profession and its clients would benefit from an organization designed specifically to create an objective set of standards illustrating an attorney’s experience and expertise in the practice of trial law.”
Sullivan is also involved in community efforts like Bundle of Hope Adoption and Family Services and was honored earlier this year by the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center for his efforts in and out of court successfully prosecuting those who harm our children.
A jury deliberated for less than an hour Friday before recommending Robert Bailey be put to death for the 2005 murder of Panama City Beach Police Sgt. Kevin Kight, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
The 9-3 vote for the death penalty came after 5 days of testimony and evidence. Bailey was found guilty of First-Degree Murder in 2007. That jury recommended death by an 11-1 vote. The case was sent back for a new penalty phase following a 2016 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that affected death penalty cases across the state that did not have a unanimous vote. Florida law now requires at least an 8-4 vote.
State Attorney Larry Basford makes a point to jurors during his closing argument.Bay County Chief Prosecutor Mark Graham, right, questions a witness.
Basford and Bay County Chief Prosecutor Mark Graham presented more than 2 dozen witnesses this week to convince jurors that Bailey deserved the death penalty for killing Kight during a 2005 traffic stop. Kight was shot twice in the chest by Bailey, who had violated his parole and told a passenger in his vehicle he was going to “pop a cop” rather than go back to prison.
Basford said he was pleased with the jury’s verdict and grateful they were willing to sacrifice two weeks of their time – 1 week for jury selection and 1 week for the trial.
“The family is obviously happy with this verdict,” Basford said as Kight’s widow, Christina, stood nearby. “They waited a long time, 7,152 days since this crime occurred. We believe the verdict reflects that our residents respect and appreciate that our law enforcement officers put their lives on the line each day to keep our communities safe.”
The victim, Panama City Beach Police Sgt. Kevin Kight, was murdered in 2005.The jury recommended the death penalty for defendant Robert Bailey.
The 12-person jury was seated not to determine Bailey’s guilt – that was established at his 2007 trial. Instead, its job was to make a recommendation on whether Bailey should remain in prison without the possibility of parole or be put to death.
Since these were not the original jurors from the 2007 case, much of the evidence they heard had to be presented again – 17 years later. Some of that evidence included witnesses who have since passed away. Their testimony from the first trial was read to jurors.
“The age of the case worked against us at times, some of the witnesses are no longer alive for instance,” Graham said. “But Sgt. Kight was one of our own, the evidence from the original case and Panama City Beach Police Department investigation was strong, and everyone pulled together to make this possible.”
Testimony showed the defendant had fled Wisconsin 5 months after his release from prison when he violated his parole. He was headed to Panama City Beach with friends for a “last hurrah.”
After he was stopped for a traffic violation by Kight, the defendant told a passenger he was not going back to prison. He retrieved his pistol from under his seat and put it under his leg, saying he was going to “pop a cop.” He also had time during the 10-minute traffic stop to call his girlfriend and tell her to get down here because he was going to need a ride.
Medical Examiner Dr. Jay Radtke explains “stippling” abrasions caused by a close-range shot.
When Kight approached the vehicle, pulling his handcuffs from his belt, the defendant fired 3 times with 2 bullets hitting Kight in the chest. Both shots were fatal, Medical Examiner Dr. Jay Radtke testified.
The defendant sped off, abandoned his vehicle a short distance away and found his friends in a bar where he participated in Karaoke with them before leaving. He was arrested the next morning.
Basford argued to jurors that the defendant knew exactly what he was doing that night. And it was not the result of mental issues caused by a bad childhood or chronic alcohol and marijuana abuse, Basford said. It was the result of Bailey’s decision that “his freedom was more important to him than Sgt. Kight’s life.”
Circuit Court Judge Shannon Gay set a hearing date for Nov. 12, and at that time a sentencing date will be set.
Basford thanked all the agencies and citizens involved in preparing a 19-year-old case.
“We have law abiding citizens in this community and they respect their law enforcement officers because they keep us all safe,” he said. “If you do not have respect for the life of a law enforcement officer, then who do you have respect for?
“The death penalty for someone killing a law enforcement officer is appropriate for this man.”
MARIANNA – An Alford woman accused of causing the death of her stepchild just days after the child’s third birthday has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
Katelyn Taylor Sutton, 30, pled no contest to Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child and Aggravated Child Abuse on Sept. 19. Circuit Court Judge Ana Maria Garcia adjudicated the defendant guilty on Oct. 8 and sentenced her her to 15 years in prison. That will be followed by 10 years on probation.
Katelyn Taylor Sutton, left, was sentenced to prison.
Jackson County Chief Prosecutor Shalla Jefcoat was prepared to call witnesses, including the lead investigators from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, and present evidence that the defendant caused the death of her stepdaughter through abuse/neglect.
The evidence would’ve shown that Jackson County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called to the defendant’s home on April 5, 2022, in reference to an unresponsive child.
The child was taken to the hospital, but did not survive.
The defendant’s version of events about how she found the child not breathing and her attempts at CPR did not match the child’s injuries or the timeline in which witnesses would’ve testified they occurred.
Basford thanked the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office for its thorough investigation which led to the resolution of the case and the defendant being held accountable for her actions.
A woman arrested last year with a trafficking amount of fentanyl in her possession was found guilty as charged Tuesday, according to State Attorney Larry Basford.
Priscilla Lawanda Rolle, 44, of Panama City, was found guilty Tuesday of Trafficking in Fentanyl (more than 4 grams but less than 14). Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson ordered the defendant held without bond until her sentencing for Oct. 29. She faces a minimum-mandatory 7 years in prison under Florida’s Trafficking Statutes, and up to 30 years for the first-degree felony.
Prosecutor Josh James speaks to jurors during his closing argument as Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson observes.Defendant Priscilla RolleProsecutor Josh James makes a point to jurors Tuesday during the 1-day trial.
Prosecutor Josh James called witnesses and presented evidence that the defendant was in possession of the fentanyl on Aug. 11, 2023.
The evidence showed the defendant was driving on 15th Street when she was stopped by Bay County Sheriff’s Office investigators for a traffic violation.
Inv. Doug Cummings’ K-9 “Fila” conducted a free air sniff around the vehicle and alerted for the presence of narcotics near the driver’s door. Panama City police dispatched a female officer to assist with the search. The officer testified she found two baggies of suspected narcotics in the defendant’s bra. Each baggie held about 3.5 grams of suspected fentanyl.
The jury deliberated for about 25 minutes.
Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office for its work, and Cummings for another successful deployment of “Fila.”
Prosecutor Peter Overstreet, left and right, and defendant Scottie Black. Black was found guilty of murder.
A four-day trial ended Friday when a jury found an Arizona man guilty of strangling his friend in their hotel room during a 2021 trip to Panama City Beach, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
Scottie Jay Black, 43, of Tonalea, Ariz., was found guilty as charged of Second-Degree Murder in the Oct. 3, 2021 death of Tyrell James Sagg, 41, of Rock Point, Ariz. Both areas are part of the Navajo Nation, where Black was ultimately picked up for questioning.
The case began Oct. 3, 2021, when the defendant and the victim’s girlfriend reported finding him dead on the floor of their Panama City Beach hotel room. The three were here for vacation. There were no visible injuries on the victim.
Prosecutors Peter Overstreet and Nadia DeAbreu as the jury returns.Dr. Jay Radtke testified the victim was strangled.
An autopsy later showed the victim had internal injuries consistent with being strangled. Further investigation showed the defendant and the woman later withdrew money using the victim’s ATM card, and returned to Arizona. Other evidence showed no one else entered or left the room during the time the victim was killed.
At trial, Prosecutors Peter Overstreet and Nadia DeAbreu called 12 witnesses. They included a Navajo Nation Police Department investigator who helped locate the suspect, and two Panama City Beach Police Department investigators who flew to Arizona to interview Black. That 5-hour interview, during which the defendant’s story changed multiple times, was played in full for jurors.
“Mr. Black thought he had done a good job of covering up his crime,” Overstreet said. “However, the testimony of the Medical Examiner (Jay Radtke) and the extremely thorough investigation of the Panama City Beach Police Department’s criminal investigators led to the jury seeing the truth of what occurred that fateful night in the hotel room.”
The jury deliberated for about 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Basford thanked the Panama City Beach Police Department, the Medical Examiner’s Office, and the Navajo Nation police for their work on the case that stretched across the country.
A man found guilty of agreed to sell 16 ounces (448 grams) of methamphetamine to undercover deputies – he was arrested in possession of about 20 ounces (550+ grams) – has been sentenced to 25 years in prison, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
Chase Zeller Steverson, 35, of Daleville, Ala., was found guilty Sept. 12 of Trafficking in Methamphetamine (more than 200 grams), Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communication Device, and Possession of Paraphernalia.
Prosecutor Josh James proved the defendant was trafficking in a large amount of meth.16 ounces of meth was found in a false bottom on the bottle of bleach, upper left.
“Thanks to the dedication and efforts of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Division, another drug trafficker is locked up and off of our streets,” Prosecutor Josh James said after the trial. “This was a large amount of methamphetamine that never had a chance to get into the users’ hands.”
Bay County Sheriff’s Office case agent Sgt. Jeremy Head wrote a letter to Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson prior to sentencing sharing what he has seen methamphetamine do to the community.
He said it destroys lives and can be devastating for the children of addicts. Head said the trafficking causes a rise in crimes ranging from domestic violence and robbery, to prostitution and child neglect. “It is on the same scale if not worse than the Crack Cocaine epidemic of the 80s and 90s.”
The defendant, he said, deserved a long sentence for bringing those drugs – more than 550 grams – into Bay County to be sold.
In addition to the 25-year sentence, Judge Stephenson ordered a $250,000 fine.
Witness testimony and evidence showed the defendant agreed to sell 16 ounces of methamphetamine on May 24, 2023, at a predetermined location.
Investigators found nearly 16 ounces (about 448 grams) of methamphetamine hidden in the false bottom of a bleach bottle. Another 4 ounces (about 112 grams) were found in a grocery bag in the back seat.
Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office for being able to proactively seize the large amount of methamphetamine before it could be sold on the streets.
A Southport man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after being found guilty earlier this month of befriending a young teen, proving her with alcohol and sexually assaulting her, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
Defendant WalshProsecutors Dustin Miller and Josh James
Benjamin Patrick Walsh, 54, was found guilty Sept. 10 of Unlawful Sexual Activity with a Minor. At sentencing, Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson ordered the defendant to serve a 15-year term. Judge Stephenson also designated the defendant as a Sexual Offender.
Evidence and witnesses called by Prosecutor Dustin Miller proved Walsh was about 51 and the victim was about 16 the first time he attacked her in his home in 2021. The victim testified the defendant treated her special until one night when he sexually battered her.
Miller said the evidence showed the defendant “groomed” the victim over time, a tactic seen in many child sexual abuse cases.
“Our community will not tolerate the grooming of our youth nor preying on their innocence for sexual gratification,” Miller said.
The case began in 2022 with the Bay County Sheriff’s Office receiving a report that the victim had been sexually abused. Several agencies collaborated to gather evidence that led to the charges and conviction.
Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriffs Office and the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center, saying successful prosecutions like this would not be possible without their work.
Diligent, proactive law enforcement that began with a traffic stop ended with a woman pleading to drug charges and accepting a 25-year mandatory sentence, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
Kayla Marie Bellflower, 33, of Panama City Beach, pled No Contest to Trafficking in Fentanyl (28 grams or more) and Sale or Possession with Intent to Sell. Circuit Court Judge Timothy Register adjudicated the defendant guilty and gave her the mandatory 25-year prison sentence under Florida’s enhanced drug trafficking laws. The defendant was also fined $500,000.
Prosecutor Jeffrey Moore was prepared to call witnesses and present evidence that Panama City Beach Police caught the defendant in possession of a large quantity of Fentanyl after a traffic stop March 13, 2023.
The evidence would have shown that Panama City Beach Police Officer Michael McDowell stopped the defendant’s Mercedes around 7 p.m. March 13, 2023, for following too closely. During the stop, Cpl. Jeffrey Webber’s narcotics K9 conducted a “free air” search around the vehicle and alerted to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle.
A subsequent search turned up about 40 grams of fentanyl, a highly potent and deadly narcotic. Narcotics paraphernalia and about $3,800 were recovered as well.
Arresting officers would have testified that the defendant admitted to buying and selling the narcotics to make money.
Basford complimented the Panama City Beach Police Department, and the officers involved for their proactive work during a time of heavy traffic on the beach.
A traffic stop for not having a working tag light turned into a 15-year prison sentence for a Louisiana resident this week.
Drugs and paraphernalia seized from the defendant’s car (upper left), the defendant, pills containing meth (bottom left), Prosecutor Zachary VanDyke in trial last month.
Casey D. Lanns, 44, of Slaughter, La., was found guilty Aug. 22 of Trafficking in Methamphetamine (28 grams or more). Jurors took less than 15 minutes to return the verdict after Prosecutor Zachary VanDyke presented the case.
Tuesday, Circuit Court Judge Shonna Young Gay sentenced the defendant to 15 years in prison.
VanDyke called five witnesses – including the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office deputy and Panama City Beach police officers involved in traffic stop – and presented evidence that Lanns was in possession of about 250 pills containing methamphetamine.
The evidence showed the defendant was driving a Toyota Camry near Pier Park when he was stopped by a Holmes County sheriff’s deputy for having a burned out tag light. The deputy could smell marijuana and a gun was seen under the driver’s seat.
The defendant told law enforcement officers there were pills in the car. A “free air sniff” was performed by PCBPD K-9 Hana, with an indication that drugs were present. Authorities found three medicine bottles inside a black bag in the back seat. Each bottle contained a number of blue, pink and white pills.
The defendant admitted the pills were his. A Florida Department of Law Enforcement analysis showed they contained methamphetamine.
Basford thanked the Holmes County officers and Panama City Beach police for their work and collaborative efforts during Spring Break that resulted in the arrest.
Sentencing is set for Sept. 27 for an Alabama man found guilty of trafficking in hundreds of grams of methamphetamine, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
Chase Zeller Steverson, 35, of Daleville, Ala., was found guilty of Trafficking in Methamphetamine (more than 200 grams), Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communication Device, and Possession of Paraphernalia.
Prosecutor Josh James addresses jurors during the trial.
Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson ordered the defendant held without bond until his sentencing.
“Thanks to the dedication and efforts of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Division, another drug trafficker is locked up and off of our streets,” Prosecutor Josh James said. “This was a large amount of methamphetamine that never had a chance to get into the users’ hands.”
James called three witnesses – the 2 Bay County Sheriff’s Office investigators on the case and a Florida Department of Law Enforcement analyst – to prove the State’s case.
Witness testimony and evidence showed that during a phone call, the defendant agreed to sell 16 ounces of methamphetamine at a predetermined location.
When the defendant arrived, he was advised of his rights and a used hypodermic needle was found in his pants pocket. It tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine.
The defendant told investigators the methamphetamine he brought to sell was hidden in the bottom of a fake bleach bottle in the trunk. Investigators found nearly 450 grams of methamphetamine there. The defendant told them there was more in the car and investigators found about 4 more ounces of the drug in a grocery bag in the back seat.
Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office for being able to proactively seize the large amount of methamphetamine before it could be sold on the streets.
Prosecutor Jeffrey Moore was prepared to call witnesses and present evidence that Panama City Beach Police caught the defendant in possession of a large quantity of Fentanyl after a traffic stop March 13, 2023.
