A woman who claimed she and a male friend were forced to take possession of 48 grams of methamphetamine by an out-of-town dealer was found guilty Wednesday of trafficking in the drug.

State Attorney Larry Basford announced Kayla Klein, 26, was found guilty of Trafficking in Methamphetamine (more than 28 grams but less than 200). Circuit Court Judge Brandon Young set sentencing for July 18.

Prosecutor Jeff Moore said under Florida’s enhanced drug penalty statutes, Klein faces a minimum-mandatory sentence of 7 years. The charge is a First-Degree Felony punishable by up to 30 years.

“This should send a strong message to people bringing in drugs from out of town to sell here that it is not a game, it will change the course of your life,” Moore said. “The Legislature recognizes the threat posed by these poisons being on our streets, and our law enforcement agencies are focused on removing that threat. We will continue to work with them and used these enhanced penalties to prosecute these cases and keep our streets safe.”

Moore and Prosecutor Morgan Morrell called 6 witnesses, ranging from the Panama City Police Department investigators to the co-defendant.

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The testimony and evidence showed that Panama City police were about to serve a search warrant on a West 21^st Place residence on May 23, 2024, when Klein and a male friend pulled into the driveway. Police served the warrant and found 48 grams of methamphetamine in a bag inside that car. Also in the bag was a letter addressed to the defendant.

She eventually admitted to police she traveled to Pensacola to buy drugs. But she said the dealer pulled a gun on her and a male friend, took her friend’s money, and gave them the black bag with 48 grams of meth. He demanded, she said, that they sell it and bring him back the money.

The two drove back to Panama City. The next day they went to the West 21^st Place address hoping to buy fentanyl and got caught up in the search warrant.

“They were in the right place at the wrong time,” Moore said.

Basford thanked Panama City police for their proactive work in the case and the statements they gathered from the defendants.

Defendant pursued women and forced them off road before they escaped

MARIANNA – A man who chased and assaulted his female friend and a woman trying to help her escape him was found guilty of 2 counts of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon Tuesday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Kenneth Allen Polk, 42, of Slocomb, Ala., was charged by the Jackson County Sherriff’s Office with two counts of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, after he pursued the women in a vehicle from Alabama. Six jurors took just under an hour to reach a verdict. Circuit Court Judge Ana Maria Garcia set sentencing for Aug. 12.

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 was a terrifying ordeal for both victims and we are grateful the jury saw that,” Gill said. “To be chased up and down U.S.  231 by an angry man at high speeds, forced off the road, threatened, and then have to hide in the back of a store until help arrives is hard to imagine. Our victims showed courage both that day, and in court by testifying against their attacker.”

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

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

The evidence showed Polk aggressively chased the women into Florida at speeds reaching 70 mph, while they were on the phone with 911 – and eventually forcing the driver off the road. He went to the driver’s window and began slapping it and pulling on the door handles before they were able to get back on the highway and flee again.

The Good Samaritan driver was able to get them to a Dollar General in Campbellton where both hid in the back until a Jackson County Sheriff’s Office deputy arrived. The defendant had fled.

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 pled no contest to repeatedly stabbing a man who barred him from his property received the maximum prison sentence Tuesday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Markus Shadree Faggart, 41, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for Attempted Second Degree Murder in the Dec. 8, 2023, stabbing of a 62-year-old Panama City man on his porch. Prosecutor Morgan Morrell successfully argued for Circuit Court Judge Brandon Young to designate and sentence the defendant as a Prison Release Reoffender.

Morrell showed the defendant was released from prison in 2022 for Armed Robbery. This means the defendant will have to serve every day of the sentence.

“The work by Panama City Police Department investigators, their collaboration with our office, and the wealth of evidence against the defendant in this brutal attack culminated with the defendant pleading while accepting the maximum sentence,” Morrell said. “We are grateful the victim and witnesses will not be put through the trial process and that this defendant will be where he can not pose a danger to our community.”

Morrell was prepared to call witnesses and provide evidence that the defendant knew the victim and at times stopped by his home to talk. But on Dec. 8, 2023, the victim asked Faggart to leave his property and that he was no longer welcome there.

About an hour later, the victim was taking out his garbage when the defendant returned holding a pocketknife, stabbing and cutting the victim in the throat multiple times.

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The victim managed to run away and was assisted by neighbors to stem the bleeding until an ambulance arrived. The defendant fled but was found walking about 4 blocks away, with blood on his clothes and hands. A bloody pocketknife was found in his shoe.

Basford thanked Panama City police for their work on the case and helping with its quick resolution.

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

A man who barged into another man’s hotel room as part of a dispute, firing several shots at the victim, was found guilty Thursday of Attempted Manslaughter and several other charges, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

The jury’s special findings included that Christopher Lorenzo Hatcher possessed, fired, and injured the victim with a firearm. Hatcher also was found guilty of Shooting in an Occupied Building and Trespassing in an Occupied Structure. Further, jurors were then told the defendant was also charged with being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm – something they could not know while hearing the case – and they found him guilty on that charge.

Hatcher faces up to 46 years in prison at a sentencing to be set at a later date by Circuit Court Judge William Henry.

“Panama City police did a good job investigating this case so we could prosecute this defendant and get him off the streets,” Dearing said. “Panama City is a safer place today with this verdict.”

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Prosecutor Brea Dearing called 8 witnesses, including the victim who was shot twice in the leg and once in the hand, along with evidence like video surveillance gathered by Panama City police to prove her case.

The testimony showed the victim had spoken to Hatcher earlier, then returned to his room at the Relax Inn on Harrison Avenue. Hatcher then went to the victim’s room, barged inside and fired several shots before fleeing. The video appeared to show blood on his shirt as he ran. Panama City police captured him about 5 blocks away shirtless, but still wearing the same pants as in the surveillance video.

Basford thanked the Panama City Police Department for its work on the case and the quick identification and capture of the suspect.

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 with a family at a convenience store was found guilty Thursday of multiple charges associated with the subsequent shootings that wounded two people.

State Attorney Larry Basford said Norma Thomas was found guilty as charged of two counts of Principal to Aggravated Battery, Principal to Shooting into an Occupied Vehicle, Principal to Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, and Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon. Circuit Court Judge Shonna Young Gay set sentencing for Aug. 7.

The defendant’s husband Tighree Thomas, who fired 8 shots, 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.

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 people in the truck were attempting to leave.

VanDyke said the Bay County Sheriff’s Office did a good job of coordinating and processing three separate crime scenes where key evidence was recovered – including the video surveillance footage and the gun.

“We are grateful the jurors saw that the defendant’s decision to give her husband a gun was made well after any danger to the defendants had passed,” VanDyke said. “Because of her actions, then everyone in that area was in danger as those bullets flew. You cannot go after people and shoot them in situations like this and we will continue to aggressively prosecute these cases.”

The evidence showed the Thomases, a nephew, and a friend were together at a Beach gas station around 2:50 a.m. on Aug. 14, 2022. Tighree Thomas and one of the men from the truck began arguing and it turned physical when the man punched Thomas, knocking him down.

That man and his brother fled to their truck, parked about 20 feet away, and were attempting to leave when Tighree Thomas, who had told his wife to get a gun, went over to the truck, followed by his wife.

Norma Thomas is seen beating on the truck’s driver’s window and handing her husband the gun. He is seen going to the other side of the truck and pulling open the door. There is a struggle as the truck’s occupants attempt to shut the doors, then the driver backs out and starts to pull away.

Tighree Thomas is seen taking a shooting stance and firing 8 rounds at the fleeing truck. The two people in the back seat were each struck by bullets.

Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office for its hard work on the case that has now helped to lead to two convictions.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LaKeisha Peterson told the court Thursday that John Edward Powers killed a part of her the same night he killed her sister by hitting her head-on while driving under the influence and in the wrong direction on State 79.

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“We will never stop missing her. We will never stop loving her,” Peterson told the court at sentencing, her husband at her side comforting her. “All of that was stolen because someone made a selfish, deadline decision. And we are the ones who have to live with the consequences … and pick up the shattered pieces.”

Prosecutor Peter Overstreet, who led jurors to guilty verdicts for DUI-Manslaughter and 2 counts of DUI With Serious Bodily Injury at Powers’ April trial, asked for the maximum sentence.

“It’s obvious that this was inevitable based upon the defendant’s inability to stop drinking and driving,” Overstreet said, referencing the defendant’s prior convictions for traffic offenses and charges like DUI and Reckless Driving with Property Damage. “The sad thing is it could have been anyone he hit that night, but it was them.”

Powers was then sentenced to 15 years for DUI-Manslaughter, to be served consecutively with a 5-year sentence on DUI With Serious Bodily Injury for one passenger, and another consecutive 5-year sentence for the same charge on another passenger. A fourth passenger received minor injuries.

Overstreet called 13 witnesses over two days to prove Powers, with a .20 blood-alcohol level, was driving south in the northbound lanes of State 79 on Aug. 7, 2021. He hit a northbound car driven by Savannah Desiree Gandy head-on a few miles north of Panama City Beach near County 388. It is illegal in Florida to drive with a blood-alcohol level of .08 or higher.

Gandy and passenger Justin Weston had critical injuries, including broken femurs.

“What these victims’ families have been through is unimaginable, but it did not stop this defendant from making the decision to drink and drive with more than twice the legal blood-alcohol level,” Overstreet said after the trial. “The Bay County Sheriff’s Office deputies who arrived first had to make order of a complicated, evidence-filled scene with multiple injured people. And the Florida Highway Patrol investigators were able to take that evidence and help us prove the defendant was at fault.”

“The family members’ support and assistance has been invaluable as well.”

Lakeisha Peterson said the details of the complicated investigation came together for her and the family as Overstreet walked them through the process. And they thanked him, Victim Advocate Patty Freeman and the State Attorney’s Office for what they saw as their full support.

“I want people to know that y’all went above and beyond, very, very much, for everything Mr. Overstreet and the office did for this family,” said Peterson, who lives in Tennessee. “There were just so many things I did not know understand about this process, that were hard for the others to articulate well, and they were there for us.”

Basford thanked the family, and the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Highway Patrol for their lengthy investigations that helped lead to the guilty verdicts.

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

A man accused of sexually abusing a young girl over a 3-year period was found guilty as charged on all counts Thursday evening, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Shane Clinton McKinney, 44, of Southport, was found guilty of Sexual Battery on a Person Less Than 12 Years of Age, and 3 counts of Lewd and Lascivious Molestation. The jury deliberated for about 45 minutes after Prosecutor JP Ferreira presented the State’s case and made his closing argument.

Circuit Court Judge Brantley Clark set sentencing for July 22 at 9 a.m.

“The victim is a courageous young girl who took the stand against her attacker and helped bring him to justice,” Ferreira said. “Her testimony, the testimony of 2 previous victims who came forward, and the collaborative work between our office, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, and Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center also helped ensure he will not be a threat to our community in the foreseeable future.”

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Ferreira called 7 witnesses, including the victim in this case and two other females who said they were assaulted under similar circumstances. The defendant is awaiting trial in one of those cases.

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. Her description of the attacks to law enforcement and interviewers at the GCCAC were similar in nature to the accounts given by the victims in the two other cases.

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 suspected drug dealer who was stopped for speeding while under surveillance was found guilty Wednesday of Trafficking in Methamphetamine (more than 200 grams), State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Circuit Court Judge Brantley Clark sentenced Marcus Arnold, who was on probation for felony Domestic Violence by Strangulation at the time of the offense, to 20 years in prison. Prosecutor Frank Sullivan said 15 years of that is minimum-mandatory under Florida’s enhanced drug trafficking laws.

Jurors deliberated for about 30 minutes.

“This is a good win for the people of Bay County, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office investigators who put this case together, and our office,” Sullivan said. “The arrest kept 8½ ounces of methamphetamine off our streets, and the guilty verdict will keep this defendant and his poison away from our community for a long time.”

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Sullivan called witnesses and put on evidence showing the defendant was under surveillance by Bay County sheriff’s deputies April 6, 2022. The driver of the car he was a passenger in was pulled over for speeding near Lake Drive and S. Tyndall Parkway.

Inv. Doug Cummings deployed his K-9 Fila for a free-air sniff around the car, and Fila alerted for the presence of narcotics in the vehicle. A probable cause search uncovered 9 clear baggies of methamphetamine inside a grocery bag behind the driver’s seat. The defendant claimed ownership of the contents of the bag.

Basford thanked the Sheriff’s Office for its proactive work that kept the drugs off the streets.

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

BONIFAY – An unwanted Paycheck last year started a chain of events for Joseph Durso that ended with him being found guilty of Possession of Methamphetamine Wednesday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Holmes County Prosecutor Joshua White told jurors that Holmes County Sheriff’s Office K-9  “Paycheck” detected drugs while doing a free-air sniff around Durso’s vehicle Nov. 17, 2024. The ensuing search uncovered methamphetamine.

A jury took 10 minutes to find the defendant guilty as charged of the drug possession charge and Possession of Paraphernalia. Circuit Court Judge Russell Roberts set sentencing for July 2.

“We are pleased the jury returned a verdict of guilty so quickly, which is a reflection of the strong work the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office did on this case,” White said.

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White called three HCSO deputies, including Deputy Chad Tidwell, K-9 Paycheck’s handler, Sgt. Rodger Young and Deputy Jerry Hall.

The evidence and testimony showed the defendant was stopped for an expired tag but was “fidgety and nervous” even after being told he was not going to receive a ticket. He at first said there was nothing in the car, then that “to the best of my knowledge” there was nothing in the car.

K-9 Paycheck alerted to the presence of drugs, and deputies found a methamphetamine pipe with drugs in it in the center console. The defendant told deputies he had not mentioned that because he “didn’t want to get in trouble.”

Basford thanked the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office for its work on the case and use of its K-9.

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

A seasoned attorney returning to his roots and a new member of the Florida Bar looking to put down roots are the State Attorney’s Office two newest prosecutors.

Patrick Keen took a winding route back to Panama City, serving overseas in Iraq and living in the North Pole (Alaska), and many points between, but is now back home serving as the State Attorney’s Office newest prosecutor.

Jack Lyons grew up in Bradenton, went to Florida State University School of Law while interning with the 2^nd Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office, and decided the 14^th Judicial Circuit was where he and his wife wanted to put down roots.

Keen’s journey includes early years in Graceville, where his father served as a minister, and living in Panama City until the middle of his senior year of high school. That was when his father was called to North Pole, AL, – some 4,300 miles away – to serve as minister of a Baptist Church.

“I’ve lived in a lot of places,” Keen said of his return to Panama City after retiring from the federal government. “But out of all of them, this has always been our favorite town. We love to go Tyndall and walk the beach as far as it will go.

“We always planned on coming here and this opportunity came up and the timing was perfect.”

The move also puts Keen and his wife closer to their son.

 

Lyons graduated from the University of South Florida about the time COVID hit and moved to Colorado to work with his uncle. It is also where he met his wife. After getting his law degree at FSU, he knew he wanted to live in the Panhandle.

“We wanted to go somewhere that was a little different than Tallahassee, it wasn’t the right fit for us,” he said. “We decided to inquire about the next circuit over (the 14^th Judicial Circuit) and I heard some really good things about this office. The legal community here shows a lot of respect for each other, and the people here know what they are about, what they stand for, the point of all this.

“And that’s what really sold me.”

Keen spent 23 years in two leadership positions at the Office of General Counsel, Department of Veterans Affairs. He also served in the U.S. Army Reserves during that time, achieving the rank of Colonel. That time included stints in Iraq and Kuwait serving as Senior Legal Advisor to a 3-Star Commander as part of Operation Inherent Resolve.

Keen received his Law Degree from LSU and has been licensed to practice law in Louisiana and Florida since passing both state bars in 1994. He joined the Office of General Counsel, Department of Veterans Affairs, in 2002 until his recent retirement.

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It was his search for a community service-oriented job and his exposure to four people under his command – three who were former district attorneys and one who was a public defender – that brought him to the State Attorney’s Office as a prosecutor.

“Every one of them said it was the best job they ever had – working directly for individual people,” he said. “Look at what Mr. Basford and this office are doing – helping maintain law and order in this community.

“This whole office is critical to the wellbeing of the community, this is a wonderful town, and it’s worth fighting for.”

For Keen, it is a chance to finish out his career doing what he enjoys in a place he loves.

For Lyons, it is a chance to start a career that could take him many places but one which he hopes keeps him here.

“I’m planning on making this my career and I just want to become as good as I can be,” he said. “It’s a job that should be done well with a conscientious approach, common sense, and remembering the human side of things.”

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