The Bay County dealer who supplied the fentanyl that caused the overdose death of a Chipley woman has been sentenced to the maximum 15 years in prison, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Amber Rae Grant, 39, pled guilty to Manslaughter Thursday and was sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Timothy Register. The charge is a Second-Degree Felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. The victim would have turned 46 today, Aug. 15.

“This case shows that we and our law enforcement partners will hold drug dealers accountable for the consequences of their choices,” said Prosecutor Peter Overstreet. “The Bay County Sheriff’s Office conducted a thorough and diligent investigation from the start that helped enable us to settle this case. Fentanyl is a powerful and deadly drug, and those selling it can face severe consequences.”

Overstreet was prepared to call witnesses and present evidence proving that Grant sold the victim .3 grams of fentanyl and .3 grams of methamphetamine in exchange for some stolen clothes on Sept. 10, 2023.

The evidence would have shown the exchange took place in the Callaway area. The victim snorted the fentanyl and quickly began to show signs of overdosing. Bay County Sheriff’s Office investigators interviewed friends of the victim as well as the defendant about what happened next.

RELATED: Major fentanyl, meth dealer gets 30 years

RELATED: Fentanyl trafficker unconscious in car gets 25 years

The defendant said she thought she had Narcan – a medication used to rapidly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose – at her home so she used the victim’s car to drive her there. But she could not find the Narcan and the victim continued to show signs of overdosing. Friends drove the victim to a parent’s house where aid was attempted until law enforcement and medical personnel arrived.

Medical examiner reports showed the victim had 125 ng/ml of fentanyl in her blood – a lethal dose is 3 ng/ml – and was the cause of her death.

The BCSO Special Investigations Division served a search warrant on the defendant’s home

Sept. 23, 2023, and found 9.2 grams of methamphetamine in one baggie, 1.9 grams of fentanyl in another baggie, 4 oxycodone pills, and nearly 3 dozen suboxone pills.

Basford thanked BCSO for its thorough approach and investigation.

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

MARIANNA – A man who chased and assaulted his female friend and a woman trying to help her escape him has been sentenced to 48 months in prison, Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Kenneth Allen Polk, 42, of Slocomb, Ala., was found guilty June 25 of two counts of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon. He was arrested by Jackson County Sheriff’s Office deputies after he pursued the women in a vehicle from Alabama. Circuit Court Judge Ana Maria Garcia Tuesday sentenced Polk to 48 months in prison.

Prosecutor Lawrence Gill along with co-counsel Jake Mitchell called four witnesses – including the two victims and the first Jackson County Sheriff’s Office deputy on the scene – and presented evidence proving the defendant committed the crimes on Dec. 10, 2022, during an outing that began in Alabama.

“This has been an emotional and frightening ordeal for both victims and we are glad to see the defendant is going to pay a price for his decisions that day,” Gill said. “This was a nightmare for them and we hope this helps bring them some peace.”

The evidence showed the defendant and the first victim, his “on-again, off-again” girlfriend, were in Dothan, Ala., on Dec. 10, 2022. They were in the woman’s car, with the defendant driving, when Polk started an argument that began to turn physical.

RELATED: Polk guilty of Aggravated Assault charges

RELATED: Man who solicited minor for sex imprisoned

When Polk stopped the car at an intersection with U.S. 231 in Alabama, the victim broke away and ran to a car that was behind them in traffic for help. That female driver let the woman in and left driving south toward Florida.

The evidence showed Polk aggressively chased the women into Florida while they were on the phone with 911. He forced them off the road and tried to get in the car when they again escaped, eventually taking refuge in a store until Jackson County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived.

Basford thanked the 911 operator and Jackson County Sheriff’s Office for their response to and handling of the situation.

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

A Panama City man who solicited a female juvenile for sex was found guilty as charged Tuesday and sentenced to 54 months in prison, State Attorney Larry Basford said.

A jury took about 10 minutes of deliberation to find Juan Montes Martinez, 50, guilty of Solicitation of a Minor for Sexual Conduct. Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson adjudicated the defendant guilty and handed down the sentence.

Prosecutor Morgan McAfee called two witnesses – the victim and the responding Panama City Police Officer – to prove the defendant’s guilt.

RELATED: Hotel shooting leads to 20-year prison sentence

RELATED: Life sentence f0r man who sexually abused girl

The evidence included texts the defendant sent the victim in August 2024 offering to pay her weekly for sexual activity. The victim did not respond. The defendant next texted her to delete the previous message.

Instead, police were contacted.

The defendant has a lengthy arrest record over the last 20 years for crimes ranging from Battery to Aggravated Assault with a Weapon – with the latter landing him a 3-year prison term in 2012.

Basford thanked the Panama City Police Department for its work on the case, and the victim for coming forward and testifying.

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

A woman charged with giving her husband a pistol during a disturbance at a convenience store was sentenced to 10 years in prison Thursday for the subsequent shootings that wounded two people, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Circuit Court Judge Shonna Young Gay sentenced Norma Jean Thomas, 50, to 10 years in prison to be followed by 5 years on probation. At her June trial, the defendant was found guilty of 2 counts of being a Principal to Aggravated Battery, 2 counts of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, and 1 count of being a Principal to Shooting into an Occupied Vehicle.

The charges stemmed from an Aug. 14, 2022, shooting that began as a disturbance between two groups of people in two separate vehicles at a Thomas Drive convenience store. Prosecutor Zachary VanDyke called witnesses and put on evidence – including surveillance video – proving that the defendant handed her husband a gun after the initial confrontation as the victims tried to leave in their truck.

The defendant’s husband, Tighree Thomas, fired 8 shots at and into the truck, hitting two people. He is serving a 20-year prison sentence after pleading no contest to two counts of Aggravated Battery with a Firearm, two counts of Aggravated Assault, and one count of Shooting into an Occupied Vehicle.

RELATED: Wife of man who fired 8 shots, injuring 2, found guilty

At sentencing, VanDyke said the victims declined to attend. “They don’t want to give up any more of their time today … they’ve already lost so much time as a result of the shooting, the injuries, the damages,” he said.

VanDyke told Judge Gay that while Tighree Thomas pulled the trigger, it was Norma Thomas who handed him the gun as he walked toward the victims.

“If the Court recalls the video, it was a very violent attack, not just by him but by this defendant,” he said. “She made a choice, and she forever impacted 6 lives by getting that gun out.”

Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office for their hard work on the case that has now helped put both defendants in prison.

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

A man found guilty Wednesday of sexually molesting a young girl was sentenced to Life in prison without the possibility of parole, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Jermaine Johnathan Stewart, 25, was found guilty of Lewd or Lascivious Molestation after a 1-day trial Wednesday. The jury deliberated about 90 minutes after Prosecutor Morgan Morrell delivered her final argument.

 

“We’re pleased with the verdict and the Life sentence, which would not have been possible without the courage the victim showed in testifying,” Morrell said. “This is something she will have to deal with the rest of her life, but thanks to her he won’t have a chance to abuse another child.”

RELATED: 3 Life sentences for man who savagely attacked 2 women, killing 1

RELATED: Peoples guilty of killing unarmed man in Bonifay

The victim, who was 9 years old when the charged offense occurred, testified that the defendant had molested her repeatedly in 2020 and 2021. She was too afraid to report it immediately, and for a period of time did not see the defendant.

She said she was triggered last year when she realized the defendant was following one of her social media accounts, and she was emotionally overwhelmed.

She disclosed the abuse to her mother, who called the Bay County Sheriff’s Office. The Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center then conducted a forensic interview of the victim to obtain details of the abuse. Jurors viewed a video of that interview.

Basford thanked the Sheriff’s Office for its response and the GCCAC for its thorough interview of the victim.

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

 

CHIPLEY – A man who attacked and severely assaulted two women earlier this year, resulting in one of them dying, pled to 8 felony charges and received 3 Life sentences Friday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

David Earl Gipson, 40, of Caryville, was adjudicated guilty of Second-Degree Murder, two counts of Sexual Battery with the use or threat of a deadly weapon, Aggravated Battery on a Person 65 years of Age or Older, Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon and Bodily Harm, False Imprisonment, Abuse of a Dead Human Body, and Felon in Possess of an Electric Weapon or Concealed Weapon.

Circuit Court Judge Timothy Register accepted the plea after hearing the charges as outlined by Washington County Chief Prosecutor Megan Ford, with the family saying they agreed with the outcome.

“In our small communities, neighbors help neighbors,” said Megan Ford from the State Attorney’s Office. “This kind of violence doesn’t happen here. It is rare to bring a case of this magnitude to a close in less than 3 months. We are grateful for the collaboration and commitment that brought swift justice in this case.”

The horrific case came to light April 28 when a naked and bound woman escaped from the “box” the defendant put her in and ran through the woods until she found a road and was able to get help.

She told Washington County Sheriff’s Office investigators that Gipson, armed with a gun, severely beat 74-year-old Lettie Cooper Collins, rendering her unconscious, then tied her hands, feet and head. The defendant also brutally attacked the complainant, bound her in a similar manner, and packed items from the home into Collins’ car.

She said the defendant drove her to his residence, still bound, and put inside of a black box inside his shed. He then left, and she was able to use her legs to break out of the box and run.

Based on the information the woman gave investigators they found Collins’ body and launched an intensive manhunt for the defendant. They captured him the next day.

The surviving victim said in a statement read at sentencing that as she fled through the woods her biggest fear was that the defendant would find her before she could get help for Collins.

“I was scared, confused and just trying to survive,” she said. “I walked down the road, screaming for help, soaking wet, handcuffed, and terrified. Cars passed by, and no one stopped.”

Then a friend saw her and stopped, staying with her until help arrived.

RELATED: Follow us on Facebook for fast updates

RELATED: Peoples guilty of killing unarmed Holmes man

Those who spoke at sentencing or had their victim impact statements read to the court described Collins as a beloved member of the community and her family, a woman who was constantly helping others. She had previously helped the defendant, providing him food and occasionally shelter.

“She was the kind of woman who left a lasting impression on everyone she met,” one relative said. “She didn’t have enemies. All she ever gave to the world was kindness, patience, and love.”

She loved to fish, and nearly everyone mentioned memories of fishing with her or enjoying the fruit she grew.

“This is not goodbye to my mom,” one of her children said. “It may not be anytime soon, but I will see her again.

“Until then I love you and miss you.”

Basford thanked the Washington County Sheriff’s Office for its rapid response to the situation and handling of the case, as well as the nearly 2 dozen law enforcement agencies that assisted in the hunt for the defendant.

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

 

 

BONIFAY – A 6-person jury took 45 minutes Wednesday to find Matthew Ryan Peoples guilty as charged of Second-Degree Murder with a Firearm in the 2023 shooting death of Tyler Pate during a disturbance.

Circuit Court Judge Russell Roberts ordered a Presentencing Investigation and set sentencing for Aug. 20 at 1:15 p.m.

Prosecutors Peter Overstreet and Jacob Cook called 10 witnesses and presented evidence proving that the defendant shot Pate, who was unarmed, after an evening of verbal disturbances between the victim and the defendant’s sister.

The defendant, 35, claimed the victim, 30, had threatened to beat him up. And when they were outside, with police on the way, Peoples said Pate started running toward him as if to fight. Peoples shot Pate once in the chest.

Overstreet and Cook proved the victim had not harmed or threatened anyone with imminent danger, was not armed, and that the defendant fired the shot because he was afraid he would lose a fight he helped provoke.

“The State of Florida respects your right to defend yourself,” Overstreet said. “However, there’s a difference between self-defense and murder.

“This was a tragic event that never would have happened but for the defendant inserting himself into his sister’s argument and arming himself,” he said. “He chose to engage the victim and elevate the verbal exchange knowing that while Pate was bigger, he was armed.”

RELATED: Man who sexually battered child given Life

RELATED: Speeding meth trafficker gets 20 years

Witness testimony and evidence showed that on Sept. 4, 2023, Pate was at 601 E. Pennsylvania Ave., visiting his girlfriend, Kaylynn Streight, who is Peoples’ sister. She and Pate shared a child. Peoples lived with his mother at 603 Pennsylvania Ave.

Pate and Streight were arguing over whether she’d had a prescription filled when he lost his temper and broke several items, including a TV. Testimony showed the two often argued but that Pate had never been physical with her.

Streight called her mother next door to have her confirm for Pate that the prescription was not filled, and her mother, Alana Peoples, overheard the arguing. Alana Peoples testified she was worried about her daughter and grandchild, so she and her son went next door to check on them.

Streight returned with them to 603 Pennsylvania Ave. and police were called. Streight returned to her home at 601 Pennsylvania to retrieve a pair of shorts. The defendant told investigators when he noticed his sister had left, he became worried, retrieved his pistol, and loaded.

He went back outside, armed, and exchanged words with the victim. That is when Peoples said Pate charged him as if to fight, and he fired a shot.

“You can’t kick the hornet’s nest and then wonder, ‘Gee, why are these hornets trying to sting me,’” Overstreet said.

In the statement to investigators after the shooting, the defendant said he was not afraid of the victim but was afraid the victim could and would beat him up.

“Peoples told investigators if there was a fight, ‘we know how that’s going to end,’’ Overstreet said. “So he shot a man because he didn’t want to lose a fight that he helped provoke.”

Basford thanked the Bonifay Police Department for its response and initial investigation, along with the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office for its assistance.

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

 

 

 

 

A man found guilty last month of sexually abusing a young girl over a 3-year period was ordered to serve 3 Life sentences Tuesday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Shane Clinton McKinney, 44, of Southport, was found guilty of Sexual on a Person Less Than 12 Years of Age, and 3 counts of Lewd and Lascivious Molestation in June. Tuesday, Circuit Court Judge Brantley Clark followed Prosecutor JP Ferreira’s request for the maximum sentence. He ordered McKinney to serve concurrent Life sentences on three of the charges, and 15 years on the fourth.

“The victim is a courageous young girl who took the stand against her attacker and helped bring him to justice,” Ferreira said. “Today’s sentence ensures he will not be a threat to our community in the foreseeable future.”

RELATED: Speeding meth trafficker sent to prison

RELATED: 10 Life sentences for child sex predator 

The defendant was arrested during an investigation by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office with the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center providing key evidence through interviews with the victim.

The defendant was charged with sexually assaulting and molesting the victim in this case multiple times between the beginning of 2017 and the end of 2020.

Basford thanked the victims from each case for their assistance and testimony, as well as the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center for their ongoing work to protect children and hold accountable those who hurt them.

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

A Jackson County man found with more than 50 grams of methamphetamine in his car after being pulled over for speeding was found guilty Friday and sentenced to 20 years in prison, State Attorney Larry Basford said.

Frank Edwin Stone, 58, of Alford, was found guilty as charged of Trafficking in Methamphetamine (more than 28 grams). A jury deliberated about 20 minutes after closing arguments by Prosecutors Ryan Phillips and Christopher Walters.

Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson sentenced the defendant to 20 years, with the first 7 years being minimum-mandatory under Florida’s enhanced drug trafficking laws.

“Methamphetamine trafficking continues to pose a serious threat to our community,” Phillips said. “Traffickers and users alike are often linked to a range of other crimes, including weapons offenses, assaults, and thefts, committed either to sustain addiction or protect illegal operations. These cases frequently involve dangerous situations and unpredictable behavior, making the role of law enforcement all the more critical.”

Phillips said the BCSO investigators involved in the case demonstrated exceptional work and professionalism.

“Our objective is to continue to disrupt the flow of methamphetamine into our community and deter those who would profit from its distribution,” he said.

RELATED: 10 Life sentences for child sexual predator

RELATED: Serial rapist confined under Ryce Act

Sheriff’s Office investigators said the defendant was speeding on U.S. 231 May 24, 2023, and initially stopped just north of Fountain. But they said he took off again and turned onto Owenwood Road before stopping again.

Investigators testified the defendant was uncooperative and evasive. Inv. Doug Cummings deployed his K9, “Fila,” for a free-air sniff around the exterior of the vehicle. Fila alerted to the odor of narcotics. A search turned up several baggies of methamphetamine, the two largest weighed about 28 grams and 20 grams respectively.

Basford thanked the Sheriff’s Office for continuing to make cases before large quantities of drugs hit the streets.

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