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A Circuit Court Judge Monday sentenced a woman to 12 years in prison, one month after a jury found her guilty of Trafficking in Methamphetamine, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
Jacqueline Michelle Long, 48, of Panama City was found guilty of Trafficking in Methamphetamine (28 grams or more) and Possession of Paraphernalia April 4 after jurors deliberated for about 15 minutes.
Prosecutor Josh James shows the defendant and her attorney evidence before presenting it to a witness.The defendant testified that the drugs recovered in her home were not hers.
Monday, Circuit Court Judge Devin Collier Monday sentenced her to 12 years in prison and she was fined $100,000. Under Florida’s drug trafficking laws, the defendant will have to serve a minimum-mandatory 7 years in prison for the first-degree felony.
Prosecutor Josh James called witnesses who testified that a Bay County Sheriff’s Office investigation generated enough evidence for them to obtain a search warrant, which they served on May 7, 2021. The defendant and a male co-defendant were present.
Two Sheriff’s Office investigators testified they found about 34 grams of Methamphetamine in two baggies, hundreds of smaller baggies for distributing the drug, cash, and digital scales.
In bodycam footage played for jurors, the defendant stated the drugs were hers and. “there ain’t no more to find, you found it all.”
Basford thanked the BCSO investigators for the thoroughness of their case and the strong evidence they gathered.
A domestic argument that erupted with shots being fired at a gas station and a nearby home 3 years ago ended with a plea of no contest and a 20-year prison term, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
Assistant State Attorney Frank Sullivan said that under Florida’s 10-20-Life law, Daniel Joseph Betsy, 49, of Panama City, will have to serve every day of the 20-year sentence imposed by Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson before he is released. He pled no contest to Attempted Second-Degree Murder with a Firearm, Shooting into an Occupied Vehicle, Aggravated Assault with a Firearm, 2 counts of Tampering with a witness and being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm.
While no one was injured in the June 27, 2020 shooting at a Parker gas station and residence, the discharge of a firearm during the defendant’s attempt to cause harm made him eligible for the penalty. The defendant was upset after seeing his ex-girlfriend with her new boyfriend at a gas station, fired shots at their vehicle as they departed, then followed them and fired more shots at her residence.
“He used a large-caliber pistol to shoot at a moving car and did it again after he followed it to the victim’s home,” Sullivan said. “Then he pointed the gun at a witness. The defendant endangered not only the lives of the people in that car, but of everyone in the vicinity.
“Florida’s 10-20-Life addresses crimes like this,” Sullivan continued. “If you use a firearm during the commission of a crime here, there is a heavy price to pay.”
Assistant State Attorney Zachary Taylor addresses the jury during a Jimmy Ryce Act civil trial.
MARIANNA – A convicted sex offender who was nearing his release from prison has instead been ordered to the Florida Civil Commitment Center as a Sexually Violent Predator under the Jimmy Ryce Act, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
Eddie Caldwell, 63, has a long history of arrests and spent the bulk of the last 30 years in prison – most recently for Sexual Battery. He was set for release, but Assistant State Attorney Zach Taylor proved to 6 jurors in a civil trial Tuesday that the defendant had been to prison 11 times, did not take long to reoffend upon each release, was “unusually persistent” in repeating his behavior despite the repercussions, and was likely to offend again.
Eddie Caldwell
The jury took 42 minutes to find that the defendant was a Sexually Violent Offender under the Ryce Act and Chief Circuit Court Judge Christopher Patterson ordered him to be held at the Florida Civil Commitment Center where he can receive treatment. He will be re-evaluated at least once a year.
“He’s been offending and committing serious crimes, the evidence will show, since “M*A*S*H” was on television and “Dynasty” was popular and before there were cell phones,” Taylor told jurors. “It’s hard to (overlook) these 11 incarcerations and this most recent case.
“We wouldn’t be here today if not for his history of similar crimes,” Taylor continued. “What we have here is a pattern of disrespect and violence toward female victims.”
The Jimmy Ryce Act is a civil commitment process, after a prison sentence, for the most dangerous sexual offenders in the state. The State most prove the offender has been convicted of a sexually violent offense, that he suffers from a mental abnormality or personality disorder, and that the disorder makes it likely he would offend again.
Dr. Gregory Prichard, a clinical and forensic psychologist, was one of two experts to testify that the defendant met the criteria.
“For Mr. Caldwell it’s been an exceptional number of sexually motivated crimes and an exceptional number of general crimes,” Prichard told jurors, referring to 9 of the previous offenses. “I really cannot emphasize enough how extremely rare that is.
Assistant State Attorney Zachary Taylor addresses the jury during a Jimmy Ryce Act civil trial.Dr. Gregory Prichard
“When he gets back into the community he generally offends again,” he continued. “He’s very, very persistent, which is unusual.”
Prichard testified that is a “strong indicator” the defendant would offend again.
“He doesn’t have any qualms about breaking the law, hurting other people, taking peoples’ things,” Prichard said. “It doesn’t deter him like most other people that he might be arrested and imprisoned again.”
The defendant’s most recent offense that sent him to prison was in 2010 when he was charged with Sexual Battery and Lewd and Lascivious Offense on a Disabled Adult. Previous arrests going back to 1985 include 2 charges of Sexual Battery, committing a Lewd and Lascivious Act, and charges involving prostitution.
Basford thanked the experts for their work on the case as well as Taylor, who handles all of the Sexually Violent Predator Commitment cases in the 14th Judicial Circuit.
PORT ST. JOE – A man already serving 15 years for one escape is now serving a total of 30 years after pleading no contest to a second escape charge, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
Rex Aaron Veasey, 31, and another inmate escaped from the Gulf County Detention Facility Sept. 7, 2021, after beating a correctional officer, dragging him into their cell and locking him inside. On Friday, Circuit Court Judge Devin Collier accepted the defendant’s plea to Principal to Escape and Principal to Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer. The defendant will begin serving this 15-year sentence when he completes the 15-year sentence from his 2020 escape from the same facility.
Rex Veasey
The first escape came on Oct. 27, 2020, when the defendant scaled two fences to escape from the detention facility’s recreational yard. He was captured about 4 hours later by Bay County the sheriff’s deputies acting on tips law enforcement received. The defendant was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading no contest that escape charge.
Gulf County Chief Prosecutor Tracy Smith was prepared to call witnesses and present evidence that the defendant, who had been arrested for Sexual Battery, False Imprisonment, and Aggravated Assault, and a co-defendant were inmates at the facility when they attacked a correctional officer and dragged him into their cell, where they continued to strike him. The two locked the officer in the cell and ultimately made their way into the jail’s kitchen, prying the AC unit from the wall and escaping through the hole that created. Officers from multiple agencies converged and through the use of tips, drones, helicopters, tracking dogs from law enforcement and the Department of Corrections, the defendant was captured in Franklin County about 10 hours after his escape.
“The outpouring of assistance from multiple agencies across the region resulted in the defendant being caught the same day. This demonstrates that our law enforcement agencies put the public’s safety first,” Smith said. “Our prosecution and resulting prison sentences on those cases show our support for that mission. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to keep our neighborhoods safe.”
Basford thanked all of the law enforcement agencies involved for their collaborative efforts in capturing the defendant and the evidence they gathered that helped lead to a plea.
MARIANNA –Trayvon Leon Dorsey, set for trial this week for the 2020 shooting death of Shannon Weatherington, pled to the charge Monday morning, and was sentenced to 30 years in prison, State
Attorney Larry Basford announced.
Dorsey, 21, of Dothan, Ala., pled no contest to Second Degree Murder with a Firearm and was adjudicated guilty by Circuit Court Judge Ana Maria Garcia. Judge Garcia accepted the plea agreement of 30 years in prison with the first 25 years being minimum-mandatory.
Trayvon Dorsey
Jackson County Chief Prosecutor Shalla Jefcoat was prepared to present witnesses and evidence proving that the defendant shot the victim twice when something went wrong during an arranged marijuana buy in the restroom of a local fast-food business on Nov. 21, 2020.
The defendant, who the evidence showed had paid for a haircut earlier in the day with counterfeit money, was supposed to be buying marijuana from the victim. Graceville Police found counterfeit bills in the victim’s possession, in the car the defendant fled in and in his home, where they also recovered the .38-caliber pistol used in the shooting.
Based on witnesses and video evidence, Jefcoat said the state’s theory pointed toward the defendant using counterfeit money to try to pay for the drugs, the victim noticing the bills were not real as the defendant started to leave, and the defendant reacting by turning back and shooting the victim twice.
“This is a significant case, as any homicide is, but it happened in public in a place where people have a right to feel safe,” Jefcoat said. “And it shows that whatever the circumstances, verbal disputes cannot be settled by gunfire and deadly force. And when that happens, justice will be served.”
Jefcoat said the evidence gathered by Graceville Police, former State Attorney’s Office Investigator Jeremy Pelfrey, and witnesses showed that a co-defendant helped set up a marijuana purchase between the victim and the defendant, who did not know each other.
The victim and friends arrived at the business, with the victim and defendant heading to the restroom for the drug deal. The evidence showed that as they left the restroom, the victim appeared to say something to the defendant, who turned around shot him twice before fleeing in a car driven by the co-defendant.
Basford thanked the Graceville Police Department and other agencies for their work and noted SAO Inv. Pelfrey responded from another county to assist and played a key role in the case.
CHIPLEY – A Chipley man found guilty earlier this year of possessing and trafficking in methamphetamine has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
William Lowell Rogers
William Lowell Rogers, 51, of Chipley, was sentenced to 20 years in prison by Chief Circuit Court Judge Christopher Patterson, who also ordered a $100,000 fine.
Under Florida’s drug trafficking laws, Rogers was facing a minimum-mandatory sentence of at least 7 years because of the amount of methamphetamine involved (37 grams).
Washington County Chief Prosecutor Megan Ford called four witnesses and presented evidence at the defendant’s Feb. 14 trial proving that the Washington County Drug Task Force and Washington County Sheriff’s Office served a search warrant on the defendant’s home Sept. 12, 2021. The search warrant came after a series of controlled buys at the home by law enforcement.
Testimony and evidence showed that the defendant – the only person in the home – denied there were any drugs there. But the search turned up 37 grams of methamphetamine.
Basford thanked Washington County authorities for the task force’s work and the strong case put together for prosecution.
A U.S. Army veteran, former Marianna prosecutor, and private practice attorney is now the State Attorney’s Office newest Bay County prosecutor.
State Attorney Larry Basford swore in Zachary VanDyke Monday morning and announced his return to the SAO effective today.
State Attorney Larry Basford, right, welcomes the SAO’s newest prosecutor, Zachary VanDyke.
“This office has a great reputation and out of all my years of practicing law, the State Attorney’s Office in Marianna was the coolest job that I ever had,” VanDyke said, adding, “Up until I got to sit in this chair in Panama City.”
VanDyke ran a private practice law firm the last 10 years in Panama City, serving as lead counsel in about 10-12 trials each year. From 2005-2007 he served as a prosecutor in the SAO Marianna office where he carried a load of about 200 misdemeanor and felony cases.
VanDyke joined the U.S. Army in 1988 and became a commissioned officer in 1996 after a break in service for college. VanDyke graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law in 2004 and served in the Alabama Army National Guard from 2006-2014, retiring with the rank of Major and a combined 22 years of active and guard service
Originally from Birmingham, Ala., VanDyke said he has long felt the pull of living in Bay County.
“My family lives here and I love this place, and I want to contribute to making it safer by protecting the people of the community,” he said.
Prosecutor Peter Overstreet, center, confers with Circuit Judge Dustin Stephenson during Megan Dauphin’s trial. Dauphin was found guilty of Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child.
A jury that heard four days of testimony took 22 minutes Friday to find a woman guilty of causing the death of her 7-week-old infant by leaving her in a car for hours while she was on methamphetamine, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
The defendant during her testimony.
Megan Elizabeth Dauphin, 32, of Panama City, was taken into custody and ordered held without bond after being found guilty of Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child. Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson set sentencing for May 3. Dauphin faces up to 30 years in prison for the first-degree felony.
Prosecutor Peter Overstreet called more than a dozen witnesses and presented evidence proving the defendant left her home with the infant the morning of Sept. 2, 2020, and forgot to get her out of the car when she returned around 9 a.m. It wasn’t until about four and a half hours later that a young teen in the home, who had been asleep, asked where the baby was. At first the defendant said the living room, but when told the infant was not there, testimony was that she froze for a few seconds before screaming and running to her vehicle.
Testimony from medical experts showed the level of methamphetamine in the defendant’s blood, and her behavior, proved she was under the influence at the time her infant died.
“Every child deserves a chance, and every child deserves love and care,” Overstreet said after the verdict. “Even though this infant did not get that in her 7 weeks of life with her mother, this verdict shows that the people of Bay County care.”
Prosecutor Peter Overstreet addresses jurors.
The defendant, who told Bay County Sheriff’s Department investigators that day that she had not used drugs, testified on her own behalf. She initially denied using methamphetamine and said the doctors and tests on her blood were wrong. Under cross examination she admitted to using methamphetamine, but said it was two days before her daughter’s death.
Overstreet reiterated to jurors the defendant’s denial of drug use despite it being found in her blood and her denial of overdosing and being given Narcan by police to revive her a week after her baby was born.
In particular, he attacked her claims that when she did use methamphetamine, it was because it helped her focus and that the drug did not have any “negative” effects on her.
“So is that why you elected to use methamphetamine, because it gives you all these positive results? Is that what you’re telling this jury?” Overstreet asked. “You don’t think your use of this illicit drug over this period of time affected the way your brain worked; you don’t think it affects your ability to remember things?”
The defendant said no, adding that it “helped” her stay on task and focus.
At the end of his closing argument, Overstreet told jurors that the defendant’s claims that methamphetamine had no negative affects on her spoke volumes and her version of events did not match other testimony or the evidence.
The defendant and her attorney after the verdict was announced.
“Megan Dauphin came into this courtroom Monday wearing the cloak of innocent-until-proven guilty,” he said. “And now it’s been removed, and you’ve seen her exposed for what she truly is: a person guilty of Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child.”
Basford thanked the Sheriff’s Office deputies and investigators for their work, the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center, as well as experts from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Dr. Bruce Goldberger, a forensic toxicologist at the University of Florida.
A man found guilty Wednesday of sexually assaulting a young girl over a period of years faces Life in prison at his May sentencing, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
Sean Michael Talkington, 45, was found guilty as charged of 2 counts of Sexual Battery on a Person Less than 12 Years of Age, and 1 count each of Lewd or Lascivious Battery, and Lewd or Lascivious Molestation. Circuit Court Judge Brantley Clark set his sentencing for May 17.
Prosecutor Nicole Reed called four witnesses and presented evidence that proved the defendant repeatedly sexually assaulted the victim between 2005 and 2012.
“I’m thankful that this victim was able to find the strength to tell her story in 2021 when she was ready to speak her truth and that we were able to seek justice,” Reed said. “We got a swift verdict, showing the jury believed her testimony.”
The jury deliberated for just over 30 minutes before finding the defendant guilty on all four counts.
Among the state witnesses were Bay County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Jake Roberts and Lawrence, Kansas, Police Department Sgt. Jamie Lawson, who traveled to Bay County to testify. Roberts was the case agent. Sgt. Lawson conducted an interview with the defendant in Kansas during which the defendant made admissions.
Basford thanked the BCSO and Lawrence, Kansas police for their collaborative work on a case that spanned years and nearly 1,000 miles.
State Attorney Larry Basford, left, with new Assistant State Attorneys Alexa Brockell, Madeline Roney and JP Ferreira, and Bay County Chief Prosecutor Mark Graham, far right.
Three new prosecutors formally joined the SAO team Wednesday after being sworn in as members of the Florida Bar, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
Alexa Brockell, JP Ferreira, and Madeline Roney were sworn into the Florida Bar Wednesday morning by County Court Judge Shane Vann. Following that, Basford swore in all three as prosecutors for the 14th Judicial Circuit.
“Alexa, JP and Madeline have been working as legal interns for us and have demonstrated their commitment to doing their best to keep our community safe,” Basford said. “They bring with them a level of energy and enthusiasm that will serve our residents well.”
In the first proceedings of the morning, Judge Vann, a former assistant state attorney, congratulated the three on their accomplishments and decisions to work for the public good as prosecutors.
“Today is the culmination of a lot of hard work and a lot of sacrifices that you have made,” Vann said. “Today is the end of that part of your life and the beginning of your legal career. I admire the choices you have made and I will also tell you that being an assistant state attorney will be the most exciting part of your career.”
Brockell majored in Criminology/Criminal Justice at Florida State University before obtaining her law degree from the University of Florida Levin College of Law.
“I’m excited to be in a position where I can help people by doing what I think is right,” Brockell said. “The teamwork and respect at the State Attorney’s Office makes it a great environment to learn how I can best contribute to the community as a whole.”
Ferreira received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Rollins College and subsequently his law degree from the Florida State University College of Law.
“Becoming an Assistant State Attorney isn’t just about achieving a title; it’s about using your skill to serve justice, improve your community, and aid the common good,” Ferreira said. “For me, success is about the collective impact of the entire team at the State Attorney’s Office. I look forward to learning from them and serving the people of Bay County.”
Roney received her Bachelor of Science, Political Science, from Oklahoma State University and her law degree from the Florida State University College of Law.
“I have always had a strong desire to work in the State Attorney’s Office and am especially passionate about prosecuting sex crimes,” Roney said. “I have strong ties to the Panama City area and am committed to seeking justice for victims of crime in our circuit.”
Sean Michael Talkington, 45, was found guilty as charged of 2 counts of Sexual Battery on a Person Less than 12 Years of Age, and 1 count each of Lewd or Lascivious Battery, and Lewd or Lascivious Molestation. Circuit Court Judge Brantley Clark set his sentencing for May 17.
