Man Guilty of Choking, Beating Woman in Home

Posted on July 1, 2026 by Admin SA

A man accused of beating, choking, and threatening his girlfriend while refusing to let her leave was found guilty of multiple charges Tuesday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Alfredo Julio Baguer Villa, 29, of Lynn Haven, was found guilty as charged of Domestic Battery by Strangulation, Aggravated Assault (Deadly Weapon), and False Imprisonment. Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson set sentencing for July 24.

“This verdict sends a message that victims of domestic violence are taken seriously when they come forward,” Walters said. “With their help we can continue to hold their abusers accountable.”

Prosecutor Christopher Walters needed only 2 witnesses to prove his case: responding Lynn Haven Police Department Officer Tyler Buckalew and the victim.

Buckalew testified he was on duty March 30, 2025, when he was dispatched to a domestic disturbance. He said he found the victim walking some distance from her residence because she had fled in fear after being choked and threatened with a knife.

“She was clearly frightened,” Buckalew testified. “She fled because she wasn’t safe.”

Prosecutor Christopher Walters points toward the defendant

The victim said the defendant got angry in the bathroom that day and punched her in the face. He was initially blocking her from leaving the bathroom but she got out when he showered.

“I was just grabbing my stuff I had to have in the bedroom trying to get out and he came storming in the room and knocked me on the bed,” she said.

The victim said the defendant choked her and used a pocketknife to stab the air mattress near her head twice while threatening her. “I thought he was going to kill me,” she said.

After she escaped, the defendant left. Police arrested him on a warrant three weeks later.

Basford thanked the Lynn Haven Police Department for its handling of the call that night and ensuing investigation.

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

Illegally Tinted Windows Lead to 5-Year Prison Sentence for Meth Trafficking

Posted on June 24, 2026June 24, 2026 by Admin SA

A Bay County woman was sentenced to 5 years in prison Wednesday after a jury needed only 15 minutes to find her guilty of drug trafficking, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Ellisa Williams, 45, of Panama City, was found guilty as charged of Trafficking in Methamphetamine (between 14 grams and 28 grams) Wednesday. Circuit Court Judge Brandon Young sentenced Williams to 5 years in prison – by Statute the first 3 years of that is minimum-mandatory. Williams also was fined $50,000.

Prosecutor Andrew Eppling only needed three witnesses to prove the State’s case. Two of them were Panama City Police Officers Matt Taylor and Cpl. Joe Hutchinson. Their bodycam footage showed the drugs being found in Williams’ purse on Nov. 16, 2025, and captured Williams’ admissions to having picked up the drugs for transport. The defendant’s purse had just under 28 grams of methamphetamine in it.

“The quick verdict shows the excellent work on this case by the Panama City Police Department,” Eppling said. “The support staff at the State Attorney’s Office also did a great job of bringing everything together to achieve a successful outcome.

“Our office is committed to make sure anyone who traffic narcotics in Bay County will be brought to justice and held accountable for the harm they are causing the community.”

The evidence showed officer Taylor was on patrol that day near West 19^th Street and Michigan Avenue when he spotted the defendant in a vehicle that appeared to have illegally tinted windows. The law requires a driver’s side window to allow at least 28% “visible light transmission.” Taylor measured the VLT at 5.4%, well below the legal limit.

Taylor smelled marijuana and since neither occupant held a medical marijuana card, K-9 Arson was deployed. Arson alerted near the driver’s door and a black purse. A subsequent search turned up bulk of the methamphetamine in a red purse-like carrier near the black purse, which had a small amount of methamphetamine in it.

Williams told Cpl. Hutchinson, and it was captured on his bodycam, that she and the driver had gone to Callaway to pick up an ounce of meth to deliver to someone else. She also admitted the red bag was hers.

Basford thanked the Panama City Police Department for its proactive patrolling and work on the case.

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

Contractor Guilty of Cheating 87-year-old Out of Nearly $40,000 Post-Hurricane Michael

Posted on June 17, 2026 by Admin SA

A Tampa-area contractor was found guilty Tuesday of taking tens of thousands of dollars from an 87-year-old man for a reconstruction job that never took place after Hurricane Michael, announced State Attorney Larry Basford.

Mark Eugene Stargardt, 66, of Stargardt and Associates, LLC in Valrico, was found guilty of Grand Theft (more than $20,000) after a jury deliberated about three hours. Circuit Court Judge Shonna Young Gay set sentencing for July 16. The charge is a Second-Degree Felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Prosecutor Zachary VanDyke called witnesses and presented evidence proving Stargardt and his company cashed checks from the victim totaling about $38,000 between February 2019 and May 2019 even though, by August 2019, no work had been done on the property in 6 months. The only permit pulled was for the initial demolition, which was incomplete, done improperly, and had to be redone by another contractor.

“This has been an absolute nightmare for the victim in this case,” VanDyke said. “He did everything right and the defendant took advantage of him and continued to lead him along for months while the victim lived in a hotel. His perseverance and attention to detail – keeping track of all his records – helped make sure this defendant will be held accountable.”

Those records included proof that when the victim’s complaints led to a demolition crew showing up at his home, they arrived without any equipment. The victim went with them to rent heavy equipment. They said they did not have an account at that business and talked the victim into paying for it with his credit card. They said it would be added as a credit on his bill.

The rental was supposed to be for a few days for his demolition. A few days later the victim went by the site, and it was covered in sand and dirt, the home apparently demolished and the equipment gone. He would later learn much of the debris was improperly buried underneath the fresh sand and dirt. It would also be the last work done on the site for 6 months.

“So we have a house that appears to be demoed and the equipment has left,” VanDyke said. “The victim assumes that the equipment has been returned. About a month later he gets an $8,800 bill and finds out his credit card has been used to pay for this equipment for 30 days to do other jobs at other locations.”

As the victim’s frustration with the lack of progress mounted, he repeatedly contacted the company and its representatives. But he testified Tuesday that at every turn there was either an excuse or a promise of how it would be made right.

By August the defendant took his complaints to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, which investigated and arrested Stargardt.

Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office for its investigation that helped bring the case to a successful conclusion.

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

Kirkland sentenced to 50 years after pleading to murder

Posted on June 8, 2026 by Admin SA

A man who shot and killed a woman during an argument in his home pled no contest to Second-Degree Murder Monday and was sentenced to 50 years in prison, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Luke Eric Kirkland, 46, was set to go to trial this week for Second-Degree Murder and being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Instead, before a jury was picked, Kirkland entered his plea. Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson accepted it and adjudicated the defendant guilty.

Prosecutor Frank Sullivan was prepared to call witnesses and present evidence, from the recovery of the murder weapon at a family member’s home to the victim’s blood on the defendant’s clothing, to prove the case. The evidence would have shown the defendant was arguing with victim Alyson “Amanda” Jones, 45, and when she said she was leaving he shot her in the head.

“This was a completely senseless and unprovoked act by the defendant that instantly took the life of a woman who was causing no harm,” Prosecutor Frank Sullivan said. “The investigation and evidence gathered by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office was strong as evidenced by the defendant’s plea.”

A witness in the residence left the home after the shooting and soon told a friend, who called the Bay County Sheriff’s Office. At about the same time deputies arrived, a family member of the victim called the Sheriff’s Office asking for a welfare check on the victim.

Deputies reported the defendant talked to them at the door but gave conflicting statements and at one point asked, “What if there’s a body in here?” Based on the circumstances, deputies entered the home and found the victim in the bathtub, wrapped in linen. After obtaining a search warrant, they determined the victim was Alyson “Amanda” Jones, 45. She had been shot once in the forehead.

The revolver used in the crime was found in the home of one of the defendant’s family members.

The defendant’s roommate, who was at the residence at the time of the shooting, was located by Panama City Beach Police near the County Pier.

Blood on the defendant’s pants was matched to the victim through DNA. The defendant’s DNA was also found on the handle and trigger of the murder weapon.

Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division and Crime Scene Unit for their work on the case and Panama City Beach Police for locating the key witness the next morning on the beach.

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

Final Defendant in $100,000+ Baseball Card Theft Headed to Prison

Posted on June 6, 2026 by Admin SA

The final defendant in the burglary and theft of more than $100,000 in collectible baseball cards received a 15-year prison sentence today.

Christopher Develle Brown, 40, was found guilty at trial of Grand Theft over $100,000, said State Attorney Larry Basford. Circuit Court Judge Shonna Young Gay added 5 years’ probation and ordered $183,000 in restitution to the victim.

Prosecutor Zachary VanDyke said the defendant was part of a 4-person burglary crew that stole more than $100,000 in collectible baseball cards from a Panama City business in 2023.“Thirty-five years of work and passion disappeared on the night of Feb. 16, 2023,” VanDyke said. “No amount of restitution can return that to the victim. But we are glad that these thieves were held accountable and our victim was able to see justice carried out.”

A second defendant, Leon Rowe, Jr., has already been convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison. A third defendant agreed to a plea in exchange for his testimony against the others. The fourth defendant has not been located.

The group is believed to be involved in similar burglaries stretching from Florida to Louisiana.In the Panama City Police Department case, the defendants took hundreds of collector’s cards ranging from a 1955 Sandy Koufax ($4,500) and 1963 Pete Rose ($4,000), to a 1954 Hank Aaron ($4,000) and a 1948 American Association Babe Ruth ($3,000). The collection included 65 Mickey Mantles, 34 Hank Aarons, 11 Whitey Fords, and cards from Tom Seaver, Roger Maris, Nolan Ryan, and Johnny Bench.

Basford thanked the law enforcement network across the Gulf Coast that collaborated in connecting the cases, and the Bay County Sheriff’s Office for its work on a similar case that assisted the Panama City Police Department’s case.

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

Third and Final Defendant in Bonifay ATM Robbery Sentenced to 9 years

Posted on June 4, 2026 by Admin SA

The third and final defendant in the robbery of more than $100,000 from the Wells Fargo Bonifay ATM has pled no contest to his charges and was sentenced to 9 years in prison, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Holmes County Chief Prosecutor Jake Cook said the three codefendants in the Bonifay case have now been sentenced to a combined 34 years in prison for the crime.

Traveon Ladarren Burnett, 27, of Pasadena, Texas, was adjudicated guilty Wednesday of Grand Theft of More Than $100,000, Robbery, and Criminal Mischief in the Oct. 18, 2024 robbery of a Bonifay ATM. Circuit Court Judge Russell Roberts accepted the plea and 9-year prison sentence. Judge Roberts also ordered the sentence to be serve consecutive to “any other prison sentences in any other jurisdiction.”

Cook said Burnett was part of a Houston Texas gang linked to ATM robberies across the country. Earlier this year Marcus McLemore pled to the same charges and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. In December, Jacorey DeShawn Hall, 27, entered an open plea on the day of trial to Grand Theft of More Than $100,000 and Robbery, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison, followed by 30 years of probation.

“Chief Johnny Whitaker and the Bonifay Police Department put a lot of work into what was a very complicated case involving multiple jurisdictions and states,” Cook said. “This crime was well-planned, sophisticated, and the pieces of evidence were spread out all across the country, and now between the three defendants they have a combined 34 years to think about committing crimes in Florida.”

Cook was prepared to call witnesses and present evidence that the defendants caused the Bonifay ATM to malfunction on Oct. 18, 2024, which resulted in a service call for repairs. Burnett and his co-defendants waited over 4 hours after jamming the ATM, and when the technician arrived, they rushed him, beat him away from the ATM, and stole over 100,000 dollars in cash.

Witnesses and video surveillance helped law enforcement identify the getaway car and its tag, and its path of travel back to Panama City Beach. The Bay County Sheriff’s Office found the abandoned car and items in it – like gloves and receipts –that were linked to the Texas gang.

Basford also thanked the Bonifay Police Department and multiple agencies involved for their collaboration.

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

Man guilty in drug-related shooting, robbery that paralyzed victim

Posted on June 4, 2026June 4, 2026 by Admin SA

A man who drove to what was supposed to be a small marijuana transaction but instead shot the seller in the back, paralyzing him, was found guilty of the charges against him Wednesday evening, according to State Attorney Larry Basford.

Dexter Owens, 19, was found guilty late Wednesday of Robbery with a Firearm and Aggravated Battery with a Firearm. Circuit Court Judge Brantley Clark set sentencing for July 23. Under Florida’s 10-20-Life Statute, the defendant faces up to Life in prison.

“The plan was to go and rob the victim of his marijuana and that changed when Dexter Owens saw the victim’s gun and decided he wanted it and made the decision to shoot the victim,” Prosecutor Frank Sullivan said. “And that gun was found hidden in a hole in Owens’ closet.”

There were multiple witnesses who testified about various parts of the evening of Oct. 12, 2024. It started with a ride to the victim’s girlfriend’s house to buy a small amount of marijuana and ended with Bay County Sheriff’s Office deputies surrounding the defendant’s home as they awaited a search warrant. Nearly a half dozen people emerged from the residence when the warrant was obtained.

Owens drove a car with two passengers to the victim’s girlfriend’s house to buy $30-$60 worth of marijuana, according to several witnesses. The victim, who is paralyzed from the shooting and arrived in court in a wheelchair, testified he got into the backseat and handed a few grams of marijuana to the front-seat passenger.

He said he was waiting for payment and looking at his phone, “and all I hear is Dexter say, ‘Hey, what’s that?’ When I looked up, I didn’t move, and I have a gun pointed at my chest (by Owens).

“I let him take my phone and everything, I was scared to move,” the victim continued. “We’re sitting there a minute or two or so and nothing’s being said … so I try to run.”

The victim, who said he had a gun tucked into his waistband, said he was trying to get out the back door, “and then I feel him physically hit me in the back with the gun and shoot me.”

The car’s passenger said he knew the victim was carrying a gun but did not threaten anyone with it and did not deserve to be shot by his friend Owens, who was driving.

The victim’s phone was left in the car and his girlfriend was able to use an app to tell deputies exactly where the defendants’ car had parked in Panama City. Deputies went to that address and knocked, but no one would answer the door.

They surrounded the house and when a search warrant was signed about two hours later, they ordered everyone out.

Multiple statements to investigators generated evidence pointing to Owens as being the shooter and instigator. Owens’ version of events that night changed multiple times, ranging from he never touched a gun or shot anyone, to he did shoot the victim but it was in self-defense.

In all statements to deputies the reason for the trip in the first place was to buy marijuana. But on the stand Wednesday, Owens claimed he was driving someone there to buy a gun, something he never said in his previous interviews with investigators.

“He lied again, and again, and again, and again during that interview,” Sullivan said. “When somebody is proven to be a liar, you have to think critically, and you have to analyze everything they say. He has proven he will lie to get out of trouble and to avoid getting into trouble and to protect himself, and then he gets into court and tells you something he’s never told anyone before.”

Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and it’s Criminal Investigation Division for their work on the case involving multiple suspects and scenes.

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

Impaired man in boxers who killed college-bound student sentenced to 15 years

Posted on May 28, 2026May 28, 2026 by Admin SA

A man who testified he “loved” drinking and did so daily was sentenced to 15 years in prison Thursday for DUI-Manslaughter, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Anthony Charles Hill Jr., 49, of Panama City, was found guilty of crossing the centerline and hitting a disabled vehicle that flipped into the air, crushing and killing Javis Whipple. The defendant emerged from his vehicle wearing only his boxer shorts and was estimated to have had a BAC of up to .23 at the time of the April 14, 2023 wreck.

Circuit Court Judge Shonna Young Gay issued the maximum sentence after final statements from Chief Assistant State Attorney Mark Graham and the defense. Four of the 15 years are minimum-mandatory. His driver’s license is permanently revoked.

“The victim in this case was 23 years old; he was headed for college,” Graham told Judge Gay. “The defendant chose to drink and drive recklessly, and he caused the wreck that took Javis Whipple’s life.

“I would submit the defendant has shown no remorse nor accepted any accountability for his actions,” Graham continued. “Even on the stand he lied to avoid the consequences of his actions, and I think that’s significant.”

Graham also noted the defendant had a “significant” prior record that included a half-dozen felony arrests.

At trial, Graham and Prosecutor Zachary VanDyke called 15 witnesses and presented evidence proving the defendant was guilty. The defendant denied being impaired, saying he only started drinking after the wreck.

Under cross-examination, he said he “loved” drinking and did so daily, but testified he only started chugging liquor that day after the wreck because his passenger/paramour was nagging him.

The evidence showed the victim’s car broke down on County 22-A near Cherry Lane on the night of April 14, 2023. A friend came to help and was parked behind the victim. Both vehicles, facing north on the side of the road, had their headlights and hazard lights on.

The defendant was driving south when he crossed the centerline and hit the victim’s Challenger head-on. The Challenger flipped backward, hitting and killing the victim before coming to a rest nearly 50 feet away in a graveyard.

Hill’s car was going 60 mph in the 35-mph zone.

Williams and other witnesses said Hill got out of his car wearing only a red pair of boxer shorts, appeared impaired, and repeatedly said he did not hit the Challenger and did not know what had happened. Hill at that time claimed he had not been drinking.

Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Highway Patrol for their response that night and the ensuing accident reconstruction.

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

Former Student Guilty of Sexually Assaulting 2 Girls on Campus

Posted on May 22, 2026 by Admin SA

A former Bay High School student found guilty late Friday afternoon of sexually assaulting two 14-year-old girls in the locker room is set for sentencing July 9, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Jaques Cortez Lee, 22, was 19 and a senior at the time of the offenses. He was found guilty of Sexual Battery of one of the victims and Lewd and Lascivious Battery on the other for the Nov. 8, 2022 attack.

Prosecutor Morgan McAfee called both victims as witnesses and presented evidence showing the defendant was communicating with both victims via Snapchat. On Nov. 8, 2022, he ssaged one to meet him in the locker room.

A friend went with the victim for safety and the evidence showed that while in the locker room the defendant sexually assaulted both girls. Both victims reported it and underwent forensic interviews at the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center for forensic interviews.

Basford thanked the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center for its work and the Bay County Sheriff’s Office for its thorough investigation that helped lead to the guilty verdicts.

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

2 Calhoun correctional officers sentenced to prison

Posted on May 22, 2026 by Admin SA

Separate investigations led to two pleas last week that sent two former Calhoun Correctional Institution officers to prison, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Amber Tawnee Rabon, 35, of Marianna, pled to Corrections Employee Sexual Misconduct with an Inmate, two counts of Unlawful Compensation for Official Behavior, and two counts of Possession/Introduction of Contraband into a State Correctional Institution – one involving a cellphone and the other involving cigarettes.

In an unrelated case at the facility, Rhonda Lynn Jones, 59, of Grand Ridge, pled to Trafficking in Phenethylamines and Introduction of Contraband into a State Facility.

Circuit Court Judge Brandon Young Circuit Court Judge Brandon Young accepted Rabon’s plea, adjudicated the defendant guilty and sentenced her to 46 months in prison on three of the charges. On two other charges she was given 10 years’ probation, to be served after her release from prison.

Judge Young also accepted Jones’ plea and a 3-year prison sentence.

“What these two defendants were doing, while unrelated, were happening at the same facility and undermining the other employees’ ability to maintain control and order,” said Calhoun County Chief Prosecutor Joshua White. “Contraband is an ongoing problem in any prison facility and we must be able to rely on the correctional officers – most of whom are doing an outstanding job – to follow the rules and keep contraband out.

“Having sexual relationships with an inmate or smuggling in contraband is something the DOC and our offices take very seriously.”

White was prepared to call witnesses and evidence gathered by Det. William Dalton of the Office of the Inspector General, Department of Corrections, proving Amber Rabon was engaged in a sexual relationship with an inmate.

The evidence would have shown the defendant had relations with the inmate at the facility, smuggled in at least one cellphone at his request, smuggled cigarettes into the facility, and was rewarded through cash payments via CashApp – a mobile based cash transfer app. The acts took place between September 2022 and November 2023.

At least one sexual act took place in a staff bathroom while another inmate acted as a “lookout.” There also was evidence the defendant and the inmate would engage in video calls – on a contraband cell phone – during which the defendant was nude in her vehicle in the parking lot.

In the second case, White was prepared to call witnesses and present evidence by Det. Dalton to prove that Rhonda Jones tried to smuggle in two packages of Phenethylamines – commonly found in stimulants like prescription Adderall or illegal drugs like methamphetamine.

The evidence would have shown Jones was entering the facility for work on March 15, 2025, with two packages of the drug concealed in her bra. During the entry pat-down process, a Sergeant located the items wrapped in black electrical tape.

The DOC investigator said when Jones was asked to remove the two items, she said, “I am a woman of God, I don’t have anything!” She then “took two items from inside her bra and threw them under the sink … .” They were retrieved and found to contain drugs.

Basford thanked the Department of Corrections and Office of the Inspector General for its thorough investigation that led to pleas in the case.

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