A 6-person jury took about 20 minutes Tuesday to find Jermel Cromartie guilty as charged of Attempted First Degree Murder for firing 12 shots at a man in 2019, striking him 8 times and putting him into a coma, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Jermel Cromartie, 33, was also found guilty of Tampering with a Victim for later contacting the man he shot and attempting to bribe him to change his story about who shot him. The intercepted call was played for jurors.

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Prosecutor Frank Sullivan told the court that the act was particularly violent and the defendant remained a threat to the community. He requested enhanced penalties under Florida’s 10-20-Life law – two consecutive Life sentences. Circuit Court Judge Brantley Clark agreed.

Sullivan called witnesses and presented evidence gathered in the Bay County Sheriff’s Office investigation into the June 15, 2019, shooting. It proved the defendant shot at the victim 12 times – hitting him 8 to 9 times – while the two were a short distance away from the defendant’s Byrd Drive home in Callaway. The defendant ran home while the victim managed to crawl through a ditch and up beside the road, where passersby found him bleeding and crying for help.

“Angel Santos, with 9 holes in him as he crawled inch-by-inch through the sand and the ditch, was waiting for anybody to save his life,” Sullivan told jurors. “He thought it was over for him. If not for the people who stopped and got help, Angel Santos would be dead today.”

Motorists stopped to help, called 911 and comforted him. They said he was sure he was dying, and told them who shot him. He fell into a coma and had multiple surgeries before being able to give a statement to Bay County Sheriff’s Office investigators on July 31, again naming his attacker.

Sullivan told jurors that the victim’s survival was not Cromartie’s plan.

“The simple fact is Cromartie failed. By the grace of God and despite being shot so many times in so many parts of his body, Angel Santos survived,” Sullivan told jurors. “The defendant pulled that trigger 12 separate times. He intended to kill him and left him to die, laying like a dog in that field, and went about his way.”

In early 2020, the defendant contacted the victim via a three-way call from the jail and discussed how much he would pay the victim to contact the State Attorney’s Office and drop the charge. Instead, investigators discovered the call and contacted the victim, who confirmed the defendant was trying to pay him off.

Basford thanked the Sheriff’s Office for its work on the case, and the citizens who stopped and saved the victim, and then testified.

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

BLOUNTSTOWN – An Altha man was sentenced to 80 years in prison Wednesday after being found guilty as charged of 15 counts of Possession of Child Pornography, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

A jury took less than an hour of deliberation to return its verdict against Benjamin Scott Donaldson, 42, following a two-day trial. Circuit Court Judge Brandon Young then sentenced the defendant to 15 years in prison on Count 1, and 5 years each on the remaining 14 counts to be served consecutively, for a total of 80 years.

Judge Young also designated the defendant as a Sexual Offender.

Chief Calhoun County Prosecutor William Wright successfully argued that the court should allow testimony from a woman who was a young teen when Donaldson victimized her in a 2014 case. She was one of 5 witnesses called by the state.

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The investigation began in 2021 when the Florida Department of Law Enforcement received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). After a thorough investigation by the FDLE with assistance from the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, evidence showed the defendant used his cell phone at work and at home to download illegal images of child pornography, including images of young girls being sexually battered.

The trial began Monday with jury selection, and concluded Wednesday.

Basford thanked Wright and the staff at the SAO’s Blountstown office, along with the FDLE and CCSO for their diligent work on the case.

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

MARIANNA – A 38-year-old man who entered an open plea to Second-Degree Murder is in prison today as he begins a 40-year-sentence for shooting and killing a man in his car two years ago.

Charles Edward Peterson, of Marianna, was sentenced to 40 years in prison Nov. 17 after entering an open plea in the Dec. 31, 2021, homicide of Quinton Jerome Beckwith, 33, also of Marianna. Circuit Court Judge Ana Maria Garcia sentenced the defendant under Florida’s 10-20-Life enhanced penalty statute. The first 25 years are minimum/mandatory.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office investigated the shooting, interviewed witnesses and developed Peterson as a suspect. As part of a collaborative effort, Champaign, Ill., police, at the request of Jackson County authorities, detained the defendant when he got off a bus there.

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Chief Jackson County Prosecutor Shalla Jefcoat was prepared to present witnesses and evidence at trial proving the defendant fired three shots from a semi-automatic pistol through a rear passenger window of the victim’s car. The victim, sitting in the driver’s seat of the car parked outside a relative’s home, was able to exit the vehicle but collapsed near the front door of the relative’s home.

Jefcoat was prepared to prove to jurors that the defendant was upset about a fight he had with the victim about a week before the shooting. He told witnesses he was going to kill the victim. Just prior to the shooting witnesses said he was going to the victim’s location with a tan Glock 19x.

A short time later, other witnesses heard several gunshots from inside the nearby home. The defendant had approached the victim’s vehicle from behind and to the right before firing three shots through a back rear window at the victim. Shell casings there were matched ballistically to a gun the defendant had stolen from a friend and then dumped in the woods after the shooting. A pair of shoes belonging to the defendant, which were found near the gun, were matched to shoe impressions taken from the scene of the shooting.

Basford thanked the JCSO for its work in developing a suspect and tracking him to Illinois, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for its ballistics and shoeprint experts.

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

A man found guilty by a jury Oct. 31 of shooting a clerk during an attempted robbery was sentenced to Life in prison Monday under Florida’s 10-20-Life law, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Kedrick Jamal McNeil, 27, was convicted two weeks ago of Attempted Robbery with Discharge of a Firearm causing Great Bodily Harm, Aggravated Battery with a Firearm causing Great Bodily Harm, and Felon in Possession of a handgun.

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Prosecutor Peter Overstreet successfully argued that the defendant should be sentenced under Florida’s 10-20-Life law. He also showed the defendant was a Habitual Violent Felony Offender and a Prison Release Reoffender.

“He had been out of prison less than a year and our office will continue to take a tough stance on the use of firearms in a crime, particularly by a previously convicted felon who has been to prison,” Overstreet said.

Circuit Court Judge Timothy Register sentenced the defendant to Life on each of the first two charges under Florida’s enhanced penalties for those who use firearms during the commission of certain crimes.

Overstreet called seven witnesses at trial, including the victim who was shot in the thigh during the attempted robbery. He also presented evidence gathered by Bay County Sheriff’s Office investigators to prove the defendant attempted to rob the Beeline Convenience store in Callaway on Sept. 9, 2021, and shot the clerk when she refused to give him money.

A Bay County jury took less than an hour to return a guilty verdict.

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

A Fountain man found guilty Nov. 2 of two counts of Sexual Battery against a young girl was given consecutive life sentences Monday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Circuit Court Judge Timothy Register, who presided over the trial, also designated Brandon Paul Janssen, 23, as a Sexual Predator.

The defendant was charged with two counts of Sexual Battery on a Victim 12 years of age or older but less than 18 years of age. The offenses occurred in 2020 and the arrest was made by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office after an investigation into the allegations.

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Prosecutor Jeff Moore called six witnesses, including the victim, and presented jurors evidence proving that the defendant committed the acts in 2020. The victim reported the attacks to law enforcement and the defendant was arrested after being questioned by investigators.

Jurors took about one hour to return a guilty verdict after Moore’s closing argument.

Basford thanked the BCSO for its rapid response and the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center for its work with the victim.

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

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A man found guilty of shooting his victim, who survived, 5 times during a dispute was given sentences totaling 85 years in prison Tuesday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Kelcey Frank Jones, 34, was found guilty of Aggravated Battery with a Firearm and Shooting into a Building Oct. 18. A Bay County jury deliberated for one hour after hearing the case presented by Prosecutor Barbara Beasley.

Tuesday, Jones faced sentencing on those convictions as well as three charges of Violation of Probation from earlier cases.

Circuit Court Judge Shannon Young Gay sentenced Jones to 15 years each on the VOP charges, to run consecutive to each other, or one after the other. The defendant was sentenced to a minimum-mandatory 25 years on the Aggravated Battery charge, also to run consecutive to the first two sentences.

Finally, Beasley presented evidence proving the defendant was a Habitual Felony Offender, enhancing the potential penalty on the final charge. Judge Gay ordered a 30-year sentence for Shooting into a Building due to the HFO designation. That sentence will run consecutive to all the other sentences, totaling 85 years in prison.

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Beasley called five witnesses, including the victim and Panama City police officers involved in the case, to prove that on March 11, 2019, the defendant became involved in an altercation with the victim, pulled a .380-caliber pistol, and shot the victim 5 times. Evidence showed some of the shots were fired after the victim had fallen to the floor.

The defendant fled and the victim was taken to the hospital where he eventually recovered. The victim and another witness picked the defendant out of a photo lineup.

The defendant took the stand and claimed he acted in self-defense after the victim attacked him and choked him while holding him down on a couch. He claimed he saw the gun in the victim’s waistband, grabbed it, and shot to defend himself.

Basford thanked Panama City police for their work on a difficult case and testimony at trial. He also noted that Florida’s enhanced penalties for repeat offenders and those who use firearms in crimes will continue to be employed.

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

CHIPLEY – A man with a six previous convictions for violent crimes in Washington County was sentenced to 30 years in prison Monday for being a felon in possession of a firearm, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Stacy Tyrone Blackmon, 38, of Chipley, was found guilty of being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm Oct. 12 after Washington County Chief Prosecutor Megan Ford presented the evidence against him. Jurors took about 30 minutes to return the verdict.

“Violent career criminals have no business having guns and the laws in Florida make the penalties stiff if they are caught possessing them.  Our office will seek these enhancements to enforce the law and protect the community.”

The charge is a 2^nd Degree Felony, normally punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Ford successfully argued that the defendant’s six previous convictions for crimes ranging from Felony Battery and Aggravated Assault, to Resisting Arrest With Violence and Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer, qualified him as a Violent Career Criminal.

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Under that Florida Statute, the possible sentence ranged from a minimum/mandatory 30 years and up to 40. The defendant also was designated as a Prison Release Reoffender because this crime was committed only months after his release from prison. Circuit Court Judge Christopher Patterson, who presided over the trial, levied the 30-year minimum/mandatory sentence.

Ford called two witnesses and presented evidence that the defendant was in possession of a firearm when he was arrested by Chipley Police Oct. 1, 2020.

Ford proved police had the defendant under surveillance that day when he met with another man and gave him a bag containing a Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol in exchange for $275.

Basford thanked the Chipley Police Department for its work on making the arrest and putting the case together.

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

A Southport man who pled guilty to committing sexual acts on a young teen was sentenced to 40 years in prison Friday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Joseph Allen Kasprzyk, 45, was set to go to trial Monday. Friday, he pled guilty to Lewd and Lascivious Battery, Lewd and Lascivious Molestation, and two counts of Possession of Child Pornography. Circuit Court Judge Brantley Clark sentenced the defendant to 40 years in prison as a Sexual Predator.

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Prosecutor Frank Sullivan was prepared to present witnesses and evidence from the Bay County Sheriff’s Office that the defendant developed a sexual relationship with a girl in her early teens that came to the attention of investigators.

The defendant fled to Georgia, where he was later apprehended. A search warrant on his cell phone revealed videos that showed him having sex with the victim, as well as additional child pornography images.

Under Florida’s statutes involving sexual crimes against children, the defendant is not eligible to receive any gain time for the first 30 years of his sentence.

Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office for its work in putting together the case and locating the defendant in Georgia.

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

A Tallahassee man found guilty of trying to bribe a deputy who took him into custody, and then threatening to kill him and his family when that failed has been sentenced to 4 years in prison, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

A Bay County jury deliberated about an hour Wednesday before finding Marcus Anthony Campbell, 39, guilty as charged of Bribery of a Public Servant and Corruption by Threat Against a Public Official. Circuit Court Judge Brantley Clark sentenced the defendant to 48 months in prison.

Prosecutor Josh James called one witness – the victim, Bay County Sheriff’s Office Dep. Jacob Navarro – to prove his case.

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Navarro’s testimony and the evidence showed the deputy was called to a beach bar on Dec. 27, 2022, around 2:30 a.m. in reference to a disturbance. As a result, the defendant was taken into custody and placed in the back of Navarro’s patrol car.

On the ride to jail, the defendant offered Navarro $10,000 to let him go. When that was ignored, the defendant offered $20,000, then $50,000, to Navarro.

When Navarro refused the bribes, the defendant then began threatening him. Eventually the defendant said that since the deputy refused the bribe, he was going to find him and his family and shoot all of them together. “I guarantee … y’all gonna die,” he told Navarro.

The defendant was on probation at the time for False Imprisonment and Felony Battery.

Basford thanked the Sheriff’s Office for its work on the case. He said it is an example of what law enforcement officers endure on the job that will not be tolerated.

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

A Bay County jury took less than an hour to find a habitual felon guilty as charged for shooting a clerk during the attempted robbery of a convenience store, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Kedrick Jamal McNeil, 27, was found guilty of Attempted Robbery with Discharge of a Firearm Causing Great Bodily Harm, and Aggravated Battery with a Firearm Causing Great Bodily Harm. After that finding, jurors heard evidence on a third charge of Felon in Possession of a Firearm and took only 2 minutes to return another guilty verdict. Circuit Court Judge Timothy Register set sentencing for Nov. 13.

Prosecutor Peter Overstreet successfully argued McNeil qualified as both a Habitual Violent Felony Offender and a Prison Release Reoffender for sentencing. The defendant was released from prison Feb. 27, 2021, less than 7 months before the attempted robbery.

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Overstreet called seven witnesses, including the victim who was shot in the thigh during the attempted robbery, and presented evidence gathered by Bay County Sheriff’s Office investigators to prove the defendant attempted to rob the Beeline Convenience store in Callaway on Sept. 9, 2021.

Testimony showed the victim, a clerk at the store, and three others were standing outside in the early morning hours when they saw a man wearing a dress come around the corner of the building, before disappearing back into the shadows.

The clerk testified that a short time later she was alone in the store restocking. The defendant, still wearing a dress, came into the store. She said he was pointing a gun at her chest and holding out a fuzzy pink backpack, ordering her to “fill it up.”

The clerk said she refused and the man shot her once in the thigh before fleeing. Security video shows the man in the dress approaching the victim with the gun and firing within a 16-second span.

Bay County Sheriff’s Office investigators recovered the spent bullet from a wall. They also asked the public for help and released images from the video. A tip came in that led investigators to friends and family of the defendant and he was identified out of a photo lineup by both a witness and the victim.

Basford thanked the Sheriff’s Office for its work in identifying the defendant and solving the case.

For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas