The 19-year-old who tried to shoot one person but missed and killed another young man in a beach Waffle House parking lot last summer was sentenced to 50 years in prison Thursday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

JaZai Mitchell, 19, of Panama City, was sentenced to a mandatory-minimum 20 years in prison for Attempted Second-Degree Murder to be followed by 30 years for Manslaughter with a Firearm. Circuit Court Judge Timothy Register ordered the sentences served consecutively. Under Florida’s 10-20-Life law the defendant will not be eligible for any gain time during the mandatory 20-year sentence. Mitchell was given 5 years each for Grand Theft of a Firearm and Tampering with Evidence, to be served concurrently with the 30-year sentence.

Mitchell was found guilty last month of killing 19-year-old JaDion Hughes. The evidence showed Mitchell robbed Hughes’ friend – Hughes was not armed – of a gun behind the Waffle House on June 3, 2025. The gun owner followed Mitchell back to his car and tussled with him trying to get his gun back. Hughes leaned in the car to calm things down. Mitchell fired a shot at the gun owner, but the bullet went through his jacket and into Hughes’ chest.

“JaZai Mitchell set everything in motion that evening. Because of his choices,” Prosecutor Peter Overstreet said in asking for a long sentence. “And even after he shot and killed JaDion Hughes, who was doing nothing but trying to stop the disagreement at that car … the defendant literally turned and looked to see (the victim) facedown in the parking lot and doesn’t even care. Doesn’t even care.

“There’s no rehabilitating someone like that.”

The victim’s father made an impassioned statement to the court, saying he had dedicated himself to raising his son properly.

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John Hughes said the reality and pain of knowing he will never see his son again, the pain he and his family have endured since the death, outweighed any thoughts of leniency for the defendant.

“I don’t get to judge somebody, even though it’s my son and I miss my son terribly,” he said. “And it’s tragic what’s happened on both sides … because you have two young men whose lives are over.

“My son can never come back. For him there’s no return,” he continued. “Mr. Mitchell has to live through this, and sometimes that’s even worse, you understand that?”

Basford thanked the Panama City Beach Police Department for its rapid identification and detention of the suspect and its thorough investigation of a complicated crime scene.

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

A Beach man was found guilty Wednesday of traveling to meet what he thought was a 15-year-old girl he met on a “pickup” app for a sexual encounter, State Attorney Larry Basford said.

James Robert Stahl, 57, was found guilty of Traveling to Meet a Minor to Commit an Unlawful Sex Act.

Circuit Court Judge Brantley Clark set sentencing for March 23.

The jury only needed 15 minutes of deliberation to return its verdicts after Prosecutor Frank Sullivan’s closing argument.

“This is another example that there are people out there preying on our children online and through these apps,” Sullivan said. “They need to know that our law enforcement agencies are proactive, and just like we tell our children, you never know who you are talking to online.”

In closing arguments Sullivan emphasized that the defendant’s claims that he was entrapped and that he was simply worried about the minor’s welfare were untrue and contradicted by the content of the text messages between himself and the undercover Panama City Beach Police Department investigator.

 “Hey, do you still want to meet up?” the defendant texted the morning of his arrest On Nov. 8, 2024.

“That’s not law enforcement reaching out and saying hey, let’s keep meeting up,” Sullivan told jurors. “That’s not law enforcement inducing him, he’s the one saying are you still interested in meeting.

“The (undercover officer’s) response?” Sullivan continued. “If you want to. Did you ever decide what you wanna do? And the defendant’s response? ‘You.’”

“A crime was committed when the defendant traveled to that gas station because he intended to have sex with a 15-year-old,” Sullivan said. “It didn’t go farther than that because of the proactive actions of law enforcement.”

Sullivan called two witnesses – both Panama City Beach Police Department investigators. Detective Jonathan Young testified he set up the fake profile of the minor on an app known to be used by men looking for young girls and sexual hookups. Inv. Kyle Finnell testified he was playing the part of the 15-year-old minor in the chat exchanges after the defendant made contact.

Evidence and testimony presented by Sullivan showed the ad the defendant responded to was placed by police and showed pictures of a young female whose age was listed as “99.” It said she wanted to have “fun.”

The defendant responded to the ad and began texting with the female. She asked the defendant how old he was and then told him she was younger – 15 and nearing her 16^th birthday. His response was that 15 was young, but he continued the messaging.

On Nov. 8, 2024, after two days of texting that included him asking for a “price list,” they agreed the defendant would pick her up at a nearby convenience store.

He was arrested while sitting in his car in the parking lot. He had deleted texts from his phone’s main text app, but police found remaining texts on a different phone app.

In his statement the defendant made various excuses, all of which revolved around his claim that he did not plan to have sex with the minor, that he wanted to talk her out of her bad life choices. He described himself as a “concerned single dad” who was worried she might be a runaway, or that she might be in some kind of danger at home. He could not explain why, if he had concerns, he did not simply contact the police.

“I was going to take her to lunch frankly,” he said in the statement. He said he was “playing along to have the opportunity to have a conversation with her” about the dangers of prostituting herself via online apps.

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But Sullivan and the testimony pointed out that there was no hint in the texts that the minor was in danger or a runaway, and that it was clear she lived at home and was willing to have sex for money. The defendant asked her for a price list, was on an app that catered to prostitution, and when asked if condoms would be needed said he would prepared “either way.” It was also noted that nowhere in the texts did the two discuss going to lunch.

Basford thanked the Panama City Beach Police Department for its proactive work on the case to prevent another child from being victimized.

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 battering a woman who was unconscious from her prescribed medication was sentenced to 12 years in prison Tuesday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson rejected Ray Aaron Linder’s request for a downward departure sentence, agreeing with Prosecutor Ryan Phillips that the sentence should be on the upper end of the 15-year maximum.

“I hope that you understand that decision have consequences,” Stephenson told the defendant. “Sexual battery is among those crimes that will have a lasting impact on the victim. There will be echoes of that night for the victim for perhaps the rest of her life.”

Prosecutor Ryan Phillips, with Prosecutor Christopher Walters assisting, called three witnesses at the Feb. 12 trial to prove the defendant engaged in sexual intercourse with the victim while she was “knocked out” from Ambien that had just been prescribed to her. He also took pictures, which the victim testified he later showed her when she confronted him about his actions.

“This defendant took advantage of a woman who he knew was heavily medicated from a medication prescribed to her for difficulty sleeping,” Phillips said after sentencing. “He admitted his actions to the victim but denied them in court and has not accepted responsibility for his actions or expressed remorse. Prison is the appropriate punishment for Mr. Linder.”

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In addition to the testimony from the victim and the Panama City Police Department officers on the case, Phillips introduced pictures and a short video pulled from the defendant’s phone that showed the victim partially undressed and sprawled in bed, and a picture depicting intercourse.

Basford thanked the Panama City Police Department for its work on the case and the victim for her testimony.

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

 

A man known as “The Jamaican” was found guilty of the highest level of Trafficking in Fentanyl Wednesday and faces up to 30 years in prison at sentencing, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Luchen Jerome Daley, 33, was arrested Feb. 7, 2025, by Bay County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Division investigators serving a search warrant on his apartment. A jury found him guilty as charged of Trafficking in Fentanyl (more than 28 grams) after 24 minutes of deliberation.

Under Florida’s enhanced drug trafficking statutes, the charge carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison with a 25-year minimum-mandatory that has to be served day-for-day with no gain time. Circuit Court Judge Timothy Register set sentencing for April 13.

“We rarely see fentanyl in this quantity – 485 grams, almost half a kilo,” Prosecutor Morgan Morrell said. “In its proper form it could have supplied a medical dosage to every person in the 14^th Judicial Circuit. On the street, it was enough to cause more than 200,000 overdoses.

“Thanks to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, its work with our office and this jury, it never made it to the streets, and this defendant is facing a long time behind bars.”

Morrell called members of the BCSO Special Investigations Division, who testified Wednesday that they served a search warrant on the defendant’s apartment Feb. 7, 2025. When they approached the defendant in a parking garage below his apartment, he fled on foot.

Some deputies gave chase, others proceeded with the search warrant and said a woman who answered the door shut it in their faces and locked it, so they breached it to prevent any evidence from being destroyed.

In the defendant’s bedroom – which had an air mattress, mail addressed to him, and his passport – they found a black backpack. Inside the backpack they found a large “pressed brick” of fentanyl and numerous pill capsules containing fentanyl.

“Not a few pills, not residue, not trace amounts,” Morgan told jurors in her closing argument, “but a great amount of fentanyl. There’s a reason we don’t have it here in court with us today. This is a highly potent narcotic that requires special handling.”

The defendant was caught about two blocks away. He said it was the first time he had bought that amount of fentanyl and told a deputy he would do “anything you want,” including providing information on how and where he obtained the drugs, to get out of trouble.

Basford thanked the BCSO and its SID for its proactive work in making a case and preventing such a large quantity of potent drugs to make it onto the streets.

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

 

 

A Texas man was found guilty Tuesday of sexually battering and molesting a 14-year-old girl here in 2012, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Orlin Antonio Garcia, 49, was found guilty Tuesday of Sexual Battery (No Physical Force) on a Victim Older than 12 but Younger than 18, and Lewd or Lascivious Molestation. Circuit Court Judge Timothy Register set sentencing for April 13.

Prosecutor Jeffrey Moore, assisted by Prosecutor Jack Lyons, called two witnesses – including the victim – to prove the defendant sexually battered and molested her here in 2012. The jury took just over an hour to reach its verdict.

“I’m happy for our victim that she was able to get some measure of justice,” Moore said. “She had a tough task here today, to take the witness stand in open court and speak bravely to people she’s never met about something that happened in 2012.

“It took years of counseling and more to get to this point and the jury believed her.”

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The victim, now 27, testified the sexual attacks took place during 2012 but she was too frightened to report them and did not think anyone would believe her. She said the defendant threatened to kill her and her family if she disclosed the assaults.

She did, however, start dating a teen she met at church and told him about the molestation, but also asked him to keep her secret.

“I just felt like I needed to share it with somebody, it had become a lot at that time for me,” she said in court. “I wanted to speak to someone who would make me feel safe, who would comfort me at the time.”

The former boyfriend also testified, confirming the victim’s disclosure to him.

In 2022 the victim said she finally found the courage to report the crimes.

“I have absolutely nothing to gain. I just want my truth to be heard,” she testified. “I have the courage now, I’m brave enough, I’m not scared anymore.”

Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office for its thorough investigation of the case, and the victim for her courage.

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

 

BONIFAY – There was enough concrete evidence in the case against Dwight Adams that a Holmes County jury needed less than 3 minutes to find him guilty of Grand Theft of a Motor Vehicle Monday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Dwight Cedric Joshua Adams, 75, was found guilty of Grand Theft of a Motor Vehicle and sentenced to 83 months in prison. The charge is a third-degree felony usually punishable by up to 60 months in prison, but the defendant’s lengthy criminal history including Robbery with a Firearm, Felony Battery, and Indecent Exposure pushed the minimum sentence above the statutory maximum.

Adams was arrested in Alabama by the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office not far from where the stolen concrete truck was found wrecked in a ditch in July of 2024.

Holmes County Chief Assistant State Attorney Jacob Cook presented evidence that included video that showed the defendant stealing the concrete truck in Ponce de Leon. Alabama deputies found the truck and nearby they found the defendant. Surveillance video from inside the truck helped identify the defendant, but he gave a date of birth claiming he was 55, not 75. After further investigation they discovered his true date of birth and the accompanying criminal history.

“In Florida we have tough penalties for stealing motorized heavy equipment, especially when you have a prolific criminal history, now it is unlikely this defendant will ever have the chance to steal again,” Cook said.

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Basford thanked the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office for its fast and collaborative work with Alabama authorities, and thanked the victim for his cooperation.

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

 

 

The man who opened fire on a car carrying four people, killing the driver, during a road rage incident last year was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison Friday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Jubal Simmons, 24, was given Life for Second Degree Murder, Life for Attempted Second Degree Murder with a Weapon, 30 years each on two counts of Attempted Second Degree Murder with a Weapon, 15 years each on two counts of Shooting into an Occupied Vehicle, and 15 years for Discharging a Firearm from a Vehicle. Circuit Court Judge Timothy Register ordered that the sentences be served consecutively, or one after the other.

Co-defendant Ivybella Encino, 22, was sentenced to 15 years each on Accessory After the Fact and Fleeing and Attempting to Elude, with those sentences running concurrently, or at the same time. Her prison time will be followed by 5 years’ probation.

The two were tried together by Prosecutors Frank Sullivan and Laurie Hughes in January for the Feb. 22, 2025 road rage shooting at U.S. 231 and Harrison Avenue that killed Georgeann Garner and critically injured her 19-year-old daughter. Two other passengers in the vehicle were not injured by any of the 11 shots.

“We hope these guilty verdicts and sentences send a message not only that gun violence will not be tolerated, but that brazen acts of violence that put innocent people in harm’s way deserve the toughest sentences,” Sullivan said. “While the man who pulled the trigger is set to die in prison, this affected so many families who will have to live with the consequences the rest of their lives – all because the defendants were upset over a traffic situation and resorted to violence.

“What happened in this case is a tragedy every way you look at it, and with Spring Break and the influx of visitors for summer vacations fast approaching, this case is a stark reminder that a little patience with traffic goes a long way, and nothing good ever comes from road rage.”

The surviving shooting victim spoke at sentencing about how instead of celebrating her mother’s birthday that day, she lay in the backseat with a gunshot wound as her mother died in front of her.

“You did not just pull a trigger, you destroyed lives,” she said. “You murdered my mother – the woman who gave me life, who loved fiercely, who was my safety and my home.

“Because of you, she is gone forever,” the surviving victim said. She will never laugh again, never hold my hand again, never hear me call her name. Her life ended violently because of your choice.”

She told Judge Register about the stroke she suffered after the shooting, and how she, her brother and their family were robbed of a lifetime of memories.

“Our mama mattered. Our lives mattered,” she said. “And the consequences of what you did will last forever.”

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The shooting took place after an altercation between a passenger in the car and Encino. The altercation had ended and everyone was back in their vehicles when Encino’s boyfriend Simmons opened fire. Encino was driving and fled the scene, but the two were captured about a mile north of where the shooting occurred after a police chase.

Basford thanked Panama City police for their work both on reacting to the shooting and its follow up investigation.

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

 

BONIFAY – A Bonifay man who was found guilty in January of molesting a child at her church was sentenced to 40 years in prison Wednesday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Michael Nathaniel Simmons, 44, of Bonifay, was found guilty on January 27 of Lewd or Lascivious Molestation. Circuit Court Judge Russell Roberts handed down the 40-year sentence, followed by a lifetime on Sex Offender Probation.

Holmes County Chief Prosecutor Jacob Cook presented evidence and witnesses at trial proving the defendant molested a 10-year-old girl in 2024 at her church. The child reported it to her mother, who contacted law enforcement.

“When I look at Mr. Simmons’ record and his actions here, that is what concerns me most about this case,” Cook said to Judge Roberts. “You have a pattern of conduct where he preys on children, really that’s his track record, preying on young girls.”

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Cook noted Simmons was already a registered sexual predator and that he had multiple convictions involving preying on young girls.

“The State Attorney’s Office will do everything in our power to protect the most vulnerable in our community, and we will continue to do everything we can to make sure Michael Nathaniel Simmons is never free to prey on children again,” Cook said.

Cook read a letter from the victim’s mother who said while her teachings are to find forgiveness, the defendant caused irreparable harm to her daughter and the family.

“You abused my daughter in church, a place that represents trust, that represents faith …,” the letter read. The letter said the victim’s father passed away before sentencing. “He never had a chance to see justice carried out for his daughter.“

Basford thanked the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office for its work, and the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center for its forensic interview of the victim.

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

Former middle school band teacher Lindsey Stuart has been given three Life sentences after being found guilty of having sexual relations with a 14-year-old student multiple times over about a 12-month period, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Stuart, 40, was found guilty as charged of 3 counts of Sexual Battery upon a Child 12 Years of Age or Older, but Under 18 Years of Age, by a Person in Custodial Authority. Circuit Court Judge Brantley Clark gave the defendant Life on each charge. Each sentence is to be served concurrently, or at the same time.

Prosecutor Frank Sullivan presented evidence and called 4 witnesses – the victim, her sister, and both her parents – to prove that Stuart was 38 years old when he engaged in a sexual relationship with the 14-year-old student in 2023. The victim testified the two had sexual relations dozens of times, most often at the school.

“When parents send their kids to school, they’re entrusting administrators and teachers with their most prized possession,” Sullivan said. “This defendant used his authority to abuse that trust and his actions are inexcusable.

“Florida’s statutes recognize that and we are pleased that this defendant will never again have a chance to victimize a child.”

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In a letter to the court, the victim said the defendant took advantage of her vulnerabilities and youth to victimize her and that his actions “cost me everything.”

“Your actions were not justified. You took advantage of me, and you know that,” she wrote. “Along with the things you have taken from me your actions still affect me mentally to this day. I constantly am paranoid and … have a hard time trusting people in general.

“I don’t hate you,” she added. “I hate your actions.”

The evidence included 29 pages of handwritten letters from the defendant to the victim – found by the victim’s mother when she became suspicious of Stuart – in which he professed his “love” for the student.

Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center for their work in investigating the case and gathering the evidence that helped lead to a conviction.

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

A 46-year-old Panama City man was found guilty Thursday night of sexually battering a woman who said the defendant had sex with her while she was knocked out from a prescribed medication, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Ray Aaron Linder was found guilty Thursday evening after the jury deliberated for about two hours. Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson set sentencing for March 3.

Prosecutor Ryan Phillips called three witnesses, including the victim, and presented evidence showing the defendant engaged in sexual intercourse with her while she was “knocked out” from Ambien that had just been prescribed to her.

“It is never permissible to initiate and engage in sexual intercourse with someone incapable of giving consent,” Phillips said. “The victim showed courage in reporting this, following through and testifying at trial and we are pleased with the jury’s verdict.”

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In addition to the testimony from the victim and the Panama City Police Department officers on the case, Phillips introduced pictures and a short video pulled from the defendant’s phone that appeared to show a partially undressed woman sprawled in bed, and a picture depicting intercourse.

The video had no sound, but the victim testified she had an alcoholic beverage earlier and took her Ambien before going to bed. She testified she did not give the defendant permission to have sex with her or to take pictures/video of it.

When the victim called police, she said she had confronted the defendant who admitted what happened and tried to show her pictures on his phone. Those were the pictures later found by police after they obtained a search warrant for the defendant’s phone.

Basford thanked the Panama City Police Department for its work on the case and the victim for her testimony.

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