Justin Isaac Drinkard was sentenced to Life in prison Friday for beating a young man to death with a baseball bat in 2018, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Drinkard, 38, was found guilty of Second-Degree Murder and Trespassing (while armed) on April 19 after a 4-day trial. Prosecutor Peter Overstreet presented witnesses and evidence proving the defendant repeatedly beat Jerry Dee Benefield, Jr., 20, in the head with a baseball bat after Benefield tried to defend his girlfriend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The defense argued that the defendant should get a 22-year sentence followed by probation due to his drug addiction.

After hearing from the defense and Overstreet Friday, Circuit Court Judge Shonna Young Gay agreed with Overstreet’s argument that a life sentence was the only way to protect the community.

“This was a vicious, senseless case and the defendant was on probation at the time,” Overstreet said. “He’s been placed on probation over and over for drug charges and he can’t hack it, and now while he’s on probation he commits this murder.

“So, there’s nothing more this court can do to protect this community except to sentence him to the rest of his life in prison.”

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The defendant was arrested for beating Benefield to death in his Lynn Haven home Nov. 25, 2018.

Overstreet proved to jurors that the defendant showed up unannounced at the victim’s home trying to buy methamphetamine. After using meth with the victim and his girlfriend, testimony showed he refused to leave and instead followed the girl into a bathroom and shut the door.

The girl screamed for help. The victim got the door open and became engaged in a struggle with Drinkard, who grabbed a baseball bat and beat the victim in the head, even after he lay unconscious.

Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office for its work on the case, which occurred just a month after Hurricane Michael hit and while the county was in a state of emergency.

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

A man who used false documents to take ownership of a condo from an 85-year-old woman and her children was found guilty Tuesday and will remain jailed until his sentencing, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Olandis Dean Hobbs, also known as “Genesis Bey,” 37, was found guilty of Grand Theft Over $100,000, Fraudulent Use of Personal Identification Information (both First Degree Felonies), Unlawful Filing of False Documents or Records Against Real Property, Uttering a Forgery, and Forgery. Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson set sentencing for July 23.

Prosecutor Josh James, who presented a case that jurors needed only 35 minutes to decide, said the Fraudulent Use of Personal Identification Information charge alone carries a minimum-mandatory 10-year sentence.

“This defendant is a dangerous man,” James said, “and this conviction is more than a win for the victims. He committed similar acts in other places, like New York, and was sued but never arrested. That may be acceptable in other places, but when he did it in Bay County he was arrested and held accountable.”

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“His incarceration will protect all Bay County residents from falling victim to his cons and send a message to other like-minded fraudsters: If you come to Bay County and attempt to cheat our citizens out of their hard-earned property, you will be arrested, we will take you trial, and you will go to prison.”

James called 9 witnesses – including 2 women who along with their 85-year-old mother owned the $700,000 condo through an LLC – and presented evidence proving that the defendant filed fraudulent paperwork with the Clerk of Circuit Court transferring ownership of the condo to himself in late 2022.

James told jurors in his opening statement that they likely had heard stories from around the country of “squatters” moving into peoples’ vacant homes and taking over.

“This defendant is a squatter on steroids,” James told jurors. “He didn’t move into a vacant building; he created fraudulent documents and illegally claimed a condominium worth hundreds of thousands of dollars as his own.”

The defendant then changed the locks on the condo and notified the condo’s management of the change in ownership. The real owners, who live out of state, only became aware of it when they sent a maid to clean in preparation for some friends who were going to stay at the condo, and the maid could not get in.

On Jan. 13, 2023, Panama City Beach Police served a search warrant on the unit and arrested the defendant. He had barricaded himself inside.

Even though the defendant has been in custody since his arrest, he remained the listed owner of the property pending civil litigation and the outcome of the criminal case. James said the victims had to continue to pay the monthly HOA fees to keep the unit safe, as well as the property taxes.

They also were unable to obtain property insurance on the unit since it wasn’t in their name, leaving it at risk the entire 2023 Hurricane Season.

“Because of this con artist’s ongoing behavior, the victims were not just deprived of their right to enjoy their property for more than 18 months, they were put at risk,” James said. “Despite the emotional trauma of having their property stolen by a fraudster, they remained dedicated to seeing justice served and cooperated with us fully.

“I’m honored they put their faith in our office to hold this defendant accountable and get their property back,” he continued. “But most of all I’m happy for them that they can put this nightmare of an ordeal behind them.”

Basford praised the Panama City Beach Police Department for its work on the case, and the victims for their strength and testimony.

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

 

 

A Bay County jury deliberated less than 10 minutes Wednesday before finding a man guilty of Possession of Cocaine, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Gerald Lishun Gary, 50, of Panama City, was sentenced to 18 months in prison by Circuit Court Judge Brantley Clark.

Prosecutor Morgan McAfee said Gary was released from prison on another drug charge 3 months before committing this offense.

McAfee called three witnesses: the citizen who called police, Panama City Police Officer Ryan Michael, who made the arrest, and Florida Department of Law Enforcement analyst  Julie Nelson, who identified the cocaine.

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The witnesses and evidence presented at trial showed that a concerned citizen called Panama City police Dec. 1, 2023, to report a suspicious person wandering through yards in the area.

Officer Michael found the defendant on someone else’s property by a vacant home. A probable cause search led to the cocaine being found in the defendant’s possession.

McAfee said the defendant told police that he could not tell them who gave him the cocaine, but that it was for personal use.

Basford thanked the Panama City Police Department for its prompt response to the citizen’s complaint and subsequent arrest.

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

BONIFAY – A Westville man was found guilty of assaulting three young adults by firing shots when they were hiding in the woods has been sentenced to 4 years in prison, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Raymond Richard Boles, 60, was found guilty on May 24 of three counts of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, and two counts of Assault. Circuit Court Judge Russell Roberts adjudicated the defendant guilty on all charges. He gave 4-year sentences – to run concurrent – on each of the three counts of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon.

Holmes County Chief Prosecutor Jacob Cook called 12 witnesses – including the five assault victims – and presented evidence proving the defendant assaulted two victims and fired shots with the intent to intimidate the three others on July 9, 2023.

Testimony showed the five victims were driving around the area of Buck Rogers Drive when one truck ran out of gas. Two of the victims left in another truck to get more, but ran out of gas themselves.

Those two encountered Boles, who believed someone had been driving recklessly in the area, and he assaulted them.

The three victims with the first truck had seen the defendant drive by, and then got a call from their friends in the second truck about their encounter with the defendant. Those three fled into the woods when they saw the defendant returning in his vehicle.

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They testified they were scared and hiding in the woods and could hear the defendant yelling at them and firing several shots that caused them to fear for their lives.

Holmes County Sheriff’s Office deputy Brandon Ramer arrived on the scene to find the defendant in his truck and the young adults hiding in the woods.

Basford thanked the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office for its fast response to the call and its investigation.For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850–381–7454.

MARIANNA – An inmate who critically injured a correctional officer by picking him up and throwing him to the concrete was sentenced to 30 years in prison Tuesday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Joshua J. Lawson, 28, who was housed at the Graceville Correctional Facility, was found guilty Tuesday of Aggravated Battery of a Law Enforcement Officer. CO Capt. Matthew Sanders suffered a fractured hip when he was thrown from approximately 5 feet in the air to the ground on March 18, 2021. On April 7, 2021, while home recovering from his injuries, Capt. Sanders suffered an embolism and died.

The defendant was in the facility serving a 10-year sentence for four 2016 offenses in Broward County – 2 counts of Robbery with a Deadly Weapon, 1 count of Attempted Robbery with a Deadly Weapon, and Grand Theft Motor Vehicle.

Jackson County Chief Prosecutor Shalla Jefcoat called 6 witnesses and presented evidence showing that on March 18, 2021, the defendant was verbally disrespectful to staff and refusing to follow rules and staff orders.

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The defendant refused orders to submit to handcuffs. Testimony showed the defendant swung at Capt. Sanders when he attempted to apply hand restraints. During the ensuing struggle, the defendant was able to grab Capt. Sanders by the lower torso, pick him up and throw him to the concrete.

Other correctional staff then subdued the defendant.

Basford said his prayers remain with Capt. Sanders’ family and loved ones. He thanked all the staff at the Correctional Facility for the work they do, and the Florida Department of Corrections for its investigation.

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

BONIFAY – A Bonifay man found guilty as charged of 10 counts of Possession of Child Pornography Tuesday is set for sentencing July 17, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Benjamin Timothy Smith, 49, of Bonifay, was arrested in October following an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. A 6-person jury deliberated for 23 minutes before finding the defendant guilty as charged.

Circuit Court Judge Russell Roberts set sentencing for July 17.

Holmes County Chief Prosecutor Jacob Cook called three witnesses and presented evidence proving that the defendant was in possession of 10 sexually explicit images of girls who
appeared to be between 6 and 10 years of age. Some of the images depicted the victims being sexually assaulted.

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Testimony and evidence showed that the FDLE received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on May 11, 2023, about suspected upload of images of sexual
exploitation of children. The NCMEC provides services nationwide to prevent the abduction and sexual exploitation of children.

That tip led them to the defendant. Investigators executed a search warrant and recovered the images uploaded by the defendant.

Basford thanked the FDLE and the NCMEC for their successful investigation.

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

A Bay County jury found a man guilty as charged Tuesday of numerous charges related to sexually battering a woman while holding a gun to her head, and robbing her and her boyfriend, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Markeal Donvelt Byrd, 40, a transient, was found guilty of Sexual Battery with the Use of a Deadly Weapon, Carjacking with a Firearm, Robbery with a Firearm, and Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon.

Prosecutor Zachary VanDyke and co-prosecutor Barbara Beasley called 6 witnesses, including the two victims: the woman who was sexually battered and her boyfriend who was threatened and robbed at gunpoint on March 30, 2022.

“This is true justice for the victim,” VanDyke said. “The prompt response and actions of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office deputies and investigators, like Inv. Jake McGowin and Inv. Madison Stocks, made this successful prosecution possible.”

The jury deliberated for less than 30 minutes. Circuit Court Judge Shonna Young Gay set sentencing for Aug. 7.

VanDyke is seeking enhanced sentences by designating the defendant as a Habitual Felony Offender, a Habitual Violent Felony Offender, and a Prison Releasee Reoffender. The defendant faces Life in prison.

 

The witnesses and evidence proved that the boyfriend was in a car outside his girlfriend’s place of employment when he met the defendant and the two smoked marijuana. When the woman got off work, the defendant said he could get more marijuana for them if they would give him a ride from the beach into town.

After a failed attempt to find marijuana at a Callaway home, the male victim testified the defendant grabbed him in a bearhug, pulled a pistol on him, and forced him back into the car. The defendant held both victims at gunpoint and forced them to drive to a St. Andrews area ATM.

Testimony showed the defendant ordered the male victim to walk to a nearby ATM to withdraw money, while he stayed in the car and sexually battered the woman at gunpoint.

The defendant then forced them to drive to the Thomas Drive area. He forced them out of the car and stole it.

The victims were able to find someone with a cellphone to call Bay County sheriff’s deputies, who caught the defendant at a convenience store getting gas with the stolen vehicle.

Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, the victims for their testimony, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement which provided DNA evidence corroborating the victims’ statements.

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

Jonathan Soo Hoo crossed the continent to find what he was looking for as the Office of State Attorney, 14^th Judicial Circuit’s newest prosecutor.

State Attorney Larry Basford announced Soo Hoo’s addition to the Bay County office this week, where he will be handling misdemeanor cases.

Soo Hoo, who grew up in California, said the conservative nature and serenity of Georgia and Florida grabbed his attention. The beaches of Florida and the atmosphere of our area sealed the deal.

“I was very familiar with the nature and feel of the more rural areas and smaller cities working in Georgia and Florida as a consultant,” Soo Hoo said. “When you take the small-town feel and combine it with the beach, it’s like a match made in heaven. The values here are my values that are often lost in bigger cities.”

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Soo Hoo earned his law degree at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason, in Fairfax,Va. He went on to volunteer for the Georgia Republican Party as a legal consultant researching the 2020 presidential election.

His decision to become a prosecutor in this area was driven by his desire to both give back to his country and focus on the rule of law, the U.S. Constitution, and the Florida Constitution.

“Now more than ever we need prosecutors who are focused on keeping people safe, and following the Constitution,” he said. “This is the most conservative part of the state, and I like that the people here share my values, standards, and beliefs. This is where I want to be long-term.”For more information, contact Mike Cazalas , or call 850–381–7454.

A man found guilty of trafficking in nearly 200 grams of methamphetamine has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Jesse I. Lambert, also known as “Mr. Miyagi,” 40, of Panama City, was found guilty of Trafficking in Amphetamines (more than 28 grams.) Circuit Court Judge Brantley Clark adjudicated the defendant guilty and ordered the 20-year sentence. Under Florida’s enhanced penalties for drug trafficking, the sentence includes a minimum-mandatory 7-years.

The 6-person jury deliberated for about 90 minutes Thursday after Prosecutor Frank Sullivan presented 2 witnesses and evidence proving the defendant was in possession of baggies containing a total of about 170 grams of methamphetamine on July 7, 2023.

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Bay County Sheriff’s Office Inv. Dwight Cummings testified he and other members of the department’s Special Investigation Division were present July 7, 2023, when the defendant was stopped for a traffic infraction in the 3400 block of State 77.

Cummings’ narcotic detection K-9 “Fila” alerted to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle. In the ensuing search, investigators found more than a half-dozen baggies containing a total of about 173 grams of methamphetamine.

The defendant had been released from prison less than three months earlier after serving a 4-year sentence for Trafficking in Amphetamines (between 14-28 grams).

Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office for its work on the case and the Special Investigations Division for apprehending the defendant before the drugs could be sold on the street.

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

BONIFAY – Josh White was an orientation leader at FSU 25 years ago when he fell for another orientation leader from a small town he had never heard of before. His career took them across the globe, from South Florida to France and Saudi Arabia.

COVID brought them back to her hometown of Bonifay and family in 2020, and this week White became the newest prosecutor in the 14th Judicial Circuit, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

“I went home with her one weekend back then and it was like I stepped back in time, and I liked it,” White said. “Big cities are a lot like big restaurants – they’re nice but they’re all kind of the same. The little restaurants, like little towns, are unique and Bonifay is a really nice place to raise a family.”

White and Sarah Swindle White, whose father Dr. Jeff Swindle was a longtime Bonifay dentist, soon married. White was a law clerk for Judge Polston at the First District Court of Appeal, and a commercial litigator at Akerman LLP in South Florida. His career then took his family to Saudi Arabia where he was in-house counsel for ARAMCO for nine years. He then joined AIRBUS in France for about three years.

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In 2020, COVID, and the family’s desire to live and raise their family in America, brought them back to Bonifay.

“We bought a house here. We came and stayed during COVID because France had onerous and authoritarian lockdown requirements,” White said. “When you live overseas for a long time, your kids become third-culture kids and they don’t really understand their identity as Americans. I wanted our kids to know and love America and to value their American identity.”

That awakening is also what brought White to the SAO, handling misdemeanor cases in Holmes and Washington counties.

“I really love America,” he said. “I’ve lived in a lot of places and America is an amazing country. A benefit of being back home is that I want to serve in some small way, and this is something I was attracted to even when I was in law school.”For more information, contact Mike Cazalas , or call 850–381–7454.