Press Release

The Office of State Attorney Glenn Hess announces that on January 15, 2020, Dakota Mitchell Lavanway entered a no contest plea to Manslaughter With A Deadly Weapon in Calhoun County Circuit Court.  Judge Shonna Gay accepted the plea and sentenced Lavanway to 20 years in the Department of Corrections.

On January 17, 2019, Lavanway got into a physical altercation near the Mossy Pond area in Calhoun County with Gerald Becker, 62 of New Hampshire.  Lavanway, 21, beat the victim down and then stabbed him.  The victim later died at the hospital.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney William Wright.

Press Release

The Office of State Attorney Glenn Hess announces that on January 15, 2020, Starla Lynn Bruner of Altha, Fla. entered a
straight–up no contest plea to the charge of DUl Manslaughter in Calhoun County Circuit Court.  Judge Shonna Gay accepted the plea and sentenced Bruner to 13 years in the Department of Corrections.

The charges came from an incident on June 16, 2018 wherein Bruner drove her vehicle while under the influence of methamphctaminc and ran head–on into the vehicle of the victim, Brandon Matthew Hall.  The victim, an off duty correctional officer died from the injuries he received.  After hearing testimony from the victim’s family, Judge Gay sentenced Bruner to 13 years in prison which was beyond the recommended guideline sentence.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney William Wright.

Press Release

The Office of the State Attorney Glenn Hess announces that on January 7, 2020, Circuit Judge Ana Maria Garcia sentenced Michael Vonkee Carson to 105 years prison and designated him a Habitual Felony Offender.  The Defendant was found guilty at trial on November 20, 2019 of three (3) counts of Aggravated Child Abuse and three (3) counts of Neglect of a Child Causing Great Bodily Harm or Permanent Disfigurement.

In 2014, the Defendant burned a 5-year-old child with a lighter, beat her with a belt buckle, whipped her and burned her in scalding water over a period of time.  The Defendant never sought any medical care for any of the child’s injuries.  The child was rescued by Cynthia Brandt with Family First Network when she discovered the injuries on an unannounced home visit with the child’s aunt.  Ms. Brandt immediately reported the abuse and injuries to law enforcement and the Child Abuse Hotline.

This case was investigated by Panama City Police Department with assistance from the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.  The Defendant has 13 prior felony convictions.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Barbara Beasley and Assistant State Attorney Nichole Pieper.

For additional information, contact State Attorney Glenn Hess.

Press Release

The Office of State Attorney Glenn Hess announces that on Wednesday December 11, 2019, Raphael Lashun Dorsey was found guilty as charged following a jury trial for the charges of Possession of Cocaine, Trafficking in Hydrocodone 14-28g, Trafficking in Oxycodone, Trafficking in Methamphetamine 28-200g, Sale of a Schedule IV Substance, and Possession of Marijuana in Excess of 20g.

During the trial, the State proved that on August 31, 2018, a confidential informant was utilized in performing a controlled buy from the defendant.  The CI purchased 4 Alprazolam pills for $40.  During the continued surveillance of Dorsey, members of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office watched as Dorsey exited the trailer where he was staying, carrying a black backpack, and entered a waiting vehicle.  When the vehicle was stopped, the black backpack was searched and the officer located a variety of contraband including marijuana, cocaine, and a trafficking amount of oxycodone.  A search warrant was performed on the trailer in which members of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office located a safe. Inside the safe was one of the $20 bills that was used in the controlled buy.  There were also numerous narcotics including a trafficking amount of hydrocodone and a trafficking amount of methamphetamine.  A fingerprint of the defendant’s was also located on the bag of hydrocodone that was in the safe.

The case was investigated by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Frank Sullivan and Nicole Reed.  Sentencing is scheduled for January 3, 2019, before the Honorable Judge Stephenson.  The State will be seeking to have the defendant classified and sentenced as a Habitual Felony Offender.

For additional information, contact Chief Assistant State Attorney Larry Basford.

Press Release

The Office of the State Attorney Glenn Hess announces that on December 9, 2019, Circuit Judge James J. Goodman sentenced Rodney Moultry to life imprisonment after declaring him to be a Prison Releasee Reoffender.  A Jackson County jury had previously convicted Moultry of Robbery with a Firearm and Tampering with a Victim on October 30, 2019.

Evidence presented at trial proved that Moultry went to the home of a disabled family member on December 28, 2018, and demanded money and a television while pointing a firearm at the victim.  Moultry also shoved the victim to the ground and took the victim’s telephone to prevent him from immediately calling law enforcement.

This case was investigated by Lt. Tyler Scarbrough, Ofc. Dalton Griffith, and Sgt. David Herndon of the Marianna Police Department. Assistant State Attorney Shalla Phelps Jefcoat prosecuted the case on behalf of the State of Florida.

For additional information, contact Chief Assistant State Attorney Larry Basford.

Press Release

The Office of State Attorney Glenn Hess announces that on December 3, 2019, Circuit Judge Ana Garcia sentenced William Douglas Lacy, III, to life in prison for 3 counts of Lewd or Lascivious Molestation, followed by 5 years in prison for 3 counts of Possession or Control of a Material Including Sexual Conduct of a Child, followed by 15 years in prison for 3 counts of Promoting Sexual Performance by a Child.  The Defendant was designated a Sexual Predator.

The Defendant was tried and convicted by a jury of his peers on October 22, 2019.  This case was investigated by Inv. Matthew Cutcher and assisted by Sgt. David Higgins and Captain Jason Daffin with the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Barbara Beasley and Ian Gray.

For additional information, contact Chief Assistant State Attorney Larry Basford.

Press Release

The Office of State Attorney Glenn Hess announces that on November 21, 2019, a Bay County jury found Phillip Eugene Dasher guilty as charged of Possession of Methamphetamine.

Evidence presented at trial proved that on May 29, 2019, Panama City Beach Police officers responded to the Campers Inn off Thomas Drive to a suspicious person who was in one of the bathrooms.  Police found the defendant asleep in the bathroom stall with 2 bags.  A search of those bags led to police finding almost 14 grams of methamphetamine.  Dasher has 17 prior felony convictions and is facing up to 5 years in the Florida State Prison.  He also has two open burglary cases pending.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Elizabeth Peskin and Peter Overstreet.  Sentencing is scheduled for December 10, 2019, before the Honorable Christopher Patterson.

For additional information, contact Chief Assistant State Attorney Larry Basford.

Press Release

The Office of State Attorney Glenn Hess announces that on November 20, 2019, a Bay County jury convicted Michael Vonkee Carson of three (3) counts of Aggravated Child Abuse and three (3) counts of Neglect of a Child Causing Great Bodily Harm or Permanent Disfigurement.  In 2014, the Defendant burned a 5-year-old child with a lighter, beat her with a belt buckle, whipped her and burned her in scalding water over a period of time.  The Defendant never sought any medical care for any of the child’s injuries.  The child was rescued by Cynthia Brandt with Family First Network when she discovered the injuries on an unannounced home visit with the child’s aunt.  Ms. Brandt immediately reported the abuse and injuries to law enforcement and the Child Abuse Hotline.

This case was investigated by Panama City Police Department with assistance from the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.  The Defendant has 13 prior felony convictions and is facing sentencing enhancement as a Habitual Felony Offender.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Barbara Beasley and Nichole Pieper.  Sentencing is scheduled before Circuit Judge Ana Maria Garcia on January 7, 2020 at 9:00 a.m.  The Defendant is facing a possible sentence of 30-60 years per count as to Counts 1, 2 and 3 and 15 to 30 years per count as to Counts 3, 4, and 5.

For additional information, contact Chief Assistant Attorney Larry Basford.

Press Release

The Office of State Attorney Glenn Hess announces that on November 20, 2019, in Circuit Court in Calhoun County, the Honorable Shonna Gay pronounced sentence on James Michael Hathaway, age 29.  Hathaway had been convicted on October 18, 2019, by a jury of Murder in the Second Degree (Victim over 65 years of age), Burglary with an Assault, Kidnapping, and Robbery.  Family of the victim, Frank Smith, testified that the victim was a loving father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, and that his killing was completely unnecessary.  Assistant State Attorney William Wright urged the Judge to give the maximum sentence.  Judge Gay sentenced Hathaway to life in prison for the murder, kidnapping and burglary, and she ordered that the sentences be served consecutively.  Judge Gay also sentenced him to 15 years on the robbery and 5 years on a violation of probation, to be served concurrently.

The case was investigated by the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

For additional information, contact Chief Assistant State Attorney Larry Basford.

The Office of State Attorney Glenn Hess announces that on October 30, 2019, after about 8 minutes of deliberation, a Bay County jury found James Warren Moore guilty of Trafficking Methamphetamine (14 grams or more).

On April 30, 2019, officers with the Panama City Police Department’s Street Crimes Unit conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle and identified the Defendant as the driver.  While making contact with the Defendant, officers saw a clear tupperware container filled with a white, crystalized substance, sitting in plain view, located directly in front of the gear shift and underneath the radio.  The officers immediately recognized the substance as being a type of methamphetamine known as “ice” due to its distinct appearance.  A chemical analyst from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement further testified that the substance was, in fact, methamphetamine and weighed approximately 23 grams, which was well above the 14 gram minimum to support the charge.

Moore is set for sentencing on November 21, 2019 before the Honorable Judge Brantley Clark Jr.  He is a Habitual Felony Offender with 5 prior felony convictions. He is facing a 3 year minimum mandatory sentence up to Life in prison.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Calie Rivera and Alexis Sykes.

For additional information, contact Chief Assistant State Attorney Larry Basford.