BONIFAY – Josh White was an orientation leader at FSU 25 years ago when he fell for another orientation leader from a small town he had never heard of before. His career took them across the globe, from South Florida to France and Saudi Arabia.

COVID brought them back to her hometown of Bonifay and family in 2020, and this week White became the newest prosecutor in the 14th Judicial Circuit, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

“I went home with her one weekend back then and it was like I stepped back in time, and I liked it,” White said. “Big cities are a lot like big restaurants – they’re nice but they’re all kind of the same. The little restaurants, like little towns, are unique and Bonifay is a really nice place to raise a family.”

White and Sarah Swindle White, whose father Dr. Jeff Swindle was a longtime Bonifay dentist, soon married. White was a law clerk for Judge Polston at the First District Court of Appeal, and a commercial litigator at Akerman LLP in South Florida. His career then took his family to Saudi Arabia where he was in-house counsel for ARAMCO for nine years. He then joined AIRBUS in France for about three years.

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In 2020, COVID, and the family’s desire to live and raise their family in America, brought them back to Bonifay.

“We bought a house here. We came and stayed during COVID because France had onerous and authoritarian lockdown requirements,” White said. “When you live overseas for a long time, your kids become third-culture kids and they don’t really understand their identity as Americans. I wanted our kids to know and love America and to value their American identity.”

That awakening is also what brought White to the SAO, handling misdemeanor cases in Holmes and Washington counties.

“I really love America,” he said. “I’ve lived in a lot of places and America is an amazing country. A benefit of being back home is that I want to serve in some small way, and this is something I was attracted to even when I was in law school.”For more information, contact Mike Cazalas , or call 850–381–7454.

A woman charged with beating her 85-year-old father-in-law severely enough that the injuries led to his death was sentenced to 25 years in prison Friday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Amanda Rae Julian, 33, of Panama City, pled no contest Friday to Aggravated Manslaughter of an Elderly Person, Aggravated Battery on a person over 65, Felony Battery, Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer and 1 misdemeanor. Circuit Court Judge Brantley Clark accepted the plea, adjudicated the defendant guilty and ordered the 25-year prison sentence.

Prosecutor Frank Sullivan was prepared to call witnesses and offer evidence at trial that the defendant arrived home intoxicated the evening of Feb. 19 and attacked Jerry Lee Julian, her 85-year-old father-in-law, in the garage.

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The evidence would have shown the defendant struck the victim repeatedly and knocked him down, causing, among other injuries, a severe head wound. The victim was able to give Bay County Sheriff’s Office deputies a statement, identifying his attacker and describing the beating.

The defendant was arrested that evening, and the victim was taken to the hospital. He succumbed to his injuries the next day.

Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office for its work on the case.

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

A local podiatrist was sentenced to Life in prison Thursday following his May 1 conviction for sexually abusing a child, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Circuit Court Judge Brantley Clark sentenced Dr. Daniel E. Feitz, 61, to Life in prison for Sexual Battery Upon a Child Less Than 12 Years of Age, Life in prison for Lewd or Lascivious Molestation, and 15 years for Lewd or Lascivious Exhibition. The sentences will run concurrent, or at the same time.

Judge Clark also designated the defendant as a Sexual Predator.

Lead Prosecutor Frank Sullivan and Prosecutor Morgan McAfee called 7 witnesses, including the victim, during the 2-day trial proving the defendant committed the acts against the child when she was 10 years old.

The jury deliberated for a little over an hour and a half before returning its verdict.

“The jury’s verdict in this case not only brings justice to the victim, but also gives her closure and the opportunity to move forward with her life in a meaningful way,” Sullivan said after the verdict.

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Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center, and Florida Department of Law Enforcement for their work on the case.

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

BONIFAY –  A Vernon man was found guilty as charged on Tuesday of setting fire to the same SUV twice within a month, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Wiley Coleman Armstrong, 67, was found guilty of two counts of Second-Degree Arson. Circuit Court Judge Russell Roberts set sentencing for June 19. Each charge is a Second-Degree Felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Jurors deliberated for about 15 minutes after hearing the evidence presented by Holmes County Chief Prosecutor Jacob Cook before returning their verdict.

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Cook called 6 witnesses, including Inv. Rudy Citron with the Bureau of Fire, Arson & Explosives Investigations, and presented evidence proving the defendant was responsible for setting fire to the same SUV in January and February 2023.

Testimony showed a 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe was set on fire on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, at an All Star Tire and Performance in Bonifay. Video surveillance showed a man approaching the vehicle, opening the rear passenger door and pouring what appeared to be an ignitable liquid into the vehicle before setting it on fire.

While reviewing surveillance footage for the February fire, video was found showing that the same man approached the same vehicle and doing the same thing on Jan. 10, 2023. But on that date, when the defendant shut the rear door, the fire was smothered and not discovered at that time.

Investigators were able to identify the defendant as the man in the videos.

Overall damage to the business was estimated at more than $30,000.

Basford thanked the Bureau of Fire, Arson & Explosives Investigations for the thoroughness of its investigation.For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850–381–7454.

A man who opened fire on a person who punched him in a bar, striking and killing an innocent bystander, was given 2 Life sentences Wednesday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Prosecutor Peter Overstreet successfully argued for Deerik Marquis Bell, 38, of Panama City, to be given consecutive sentences enhanced by designating him as a Prison Releasee Reoffender, designating him a Habitual Felony Offender, and sentencing him under Florida’s 10-20-Life law.

With these designations, Circuit Court Judge Shonna Young Gay sentenced Bell to Life in prison for both Manslaughter (while armed) and Attempted Second-Degree Murder (with discharge of a firearm) and ordered the sentences to run consecutive to each other.

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The defendant previously served 5 prison sentences and had been released from the latest less than 6 months before the Sept. 2021, shooting death of Tracy Eckman at the Outrigger Lounge. He was found guilty at trial March 20.

“With today’s two life sentences, the family of Mr. Eckman finally have closure from this senseless killing,” Overstreet said. “It is a reminder that our law enforcement partners and the State Attorney’s Office will continue to seek justice for our victims and hold those who break our laws fully accountable.”

Overstreet noted Eckman was a popular and friendly customer. He was minding his own business that night with friends when shots rang out. The defendant, “a convicted felon who shouldn’t have had a gun in the first place,” was punched by another man, and responded by “immediately pulling his gun and firing.”

 

Both shots missed the man who threw the punch: 1 bullet struck and killed Eckman while the other bullet buried itself in the back of a chair in which a female patron was sitting.

“It was crowded, it is only by the grace of God nobody else was struck by gunfire by Mr. Bell,” Overstreet said.

Noting the defendant’s 16 prior felonies and prison sentences, Overstreet said there “was nothing left the system can do” and asked for the Life sentences.

Basford thanked the Panama City Police Department and case agent Cpl. Matthew Kelly for their work on the case.

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

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BONIFAY – A Westville man who was only out of prison about 6 months before picking up charges for intentionally ramming an ATV has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Holmes County Chief Prosecutor Jacob Cook successfully argued to have Jesse David Hicks, 31, sentenced as a Prison Releasee Reoffender. Judge Colby Peel ordered the mandatory sentence of 15 years. The defendant, as a Prison Releasee Reoffender, will have to serve every day of that sentence with no gain time.

“In order to keep our communities safe, it is critical to seek enhancements on criminals who have been recently released from prison,” Cook said. “Based on this defendant’s criminal history he presented a danger to the community and our circuit is now a safer place with him spending the next 15 years behind bars.”

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A jury deliberated for about 20 minutes in March before finding Hicks guilty of Aggravated Battery and Leaving the Scene of an Accident with Injuries for the April 2023 incident.

At the trial, Cook called four witnesses and presented evidence gathered by the Florida Highway Patrol and the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office. It showed the victim was stopped on Arrant Road at County 181 when he saw the defendant approaching in his truck.

Testimony showed that the defendant ran into the ATV and pushed it into a ditch, where it overturned. The evidence showed that the victim had never met the defendant and the victim was out with his wife and 2-year-old granddaughter to take her swimming at Lake Cassidy when he was struck.

The defendant fled but was later spotted near the scene and taken into custody by FHP and Holmes County Sheriff’s Office deputies.

Basford thanked the FHP and Holmes County Sheriff’s Office for their work and collaboration on the case.

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

A man found guilty of trafficking in more than 6,000 grams of GHB, commonly known as “Scoop,” has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Circuit Court Judge Shonna Gay sentenced Darren Scott Tyrell, 54, to 15 years in prison Wednesday and levied a $100,000 fine. The charge carries a minimum/mandatory 7 years in prison under Florida’s enhanced drug trafficking statutes.

Prosecutors Zachary VanDyke and Jackson White called three witnesses and presented evidence to jurors at the March 21 trial proving the defendant was in possession of more than 6,000 grams of GHB in 2021 when he was arrested by Bay County Sheriff’s Office investigators.

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Deputies were serving a search warrant based upon a “free-air sniff” around the camper Tyrell lived in behind an Oak Avenue home by Inv. Dwight Cummings’ K-9, Fila.

Fila “alerted” to the presence of narcotics in the camper and a second search warrant was obtained. Inside, deputies found the defendant in the bed and a large plastic jug with 6.12 kilograms of a “clear oily liquid” under the bed. The substance tested positive for GHB, which was later confirmed by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

GHB is known for its use as a “rave” or “club” drug that goes by street names like “Scoop,” “Georgia Home Boy,” and “Water.” It affects the body’s central nervous system. One of the dangers it poses is that users do not know the strength or potency of the drug they are consuming.

Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office for its work on the case and for proactively seizing a large amount of GHB before it could be sold on the street.

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

MARIANNA – A man guilty of molesting a teenager has been sentenced to 13 years in prison, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

A jury found Nathan Robbert Johnson, 49, guilty March 25 of Lewd and Lascivious Molestation.

At sentencing Tuesday, Circuit Court Judge Ana Maria Garcia denied a defense motion for a lesser sentence and ordered the defendant to prison for 13 years. Judge Garcia also designated the defendant a Sexual Offender and ordered that he have no contact with the victim or her father.

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At trial, Jackson County Chief Prosecutor Shalla Jefcoat called 5 witnesses – including the victim and 3 Jackson County Sheriff’s Office deputies – and presented evidence proving that the victim was molested by Johnson in early 2022. The act was discovered when a parent saw a diary entry made by the victim.

When deputies questioned the defendant, he made admissions to having committed the act, according to testimony.

Basford thanked the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office for its handling of the case, the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center, and the victim for taking the stand and testifying.

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

A May 23 sentencing date is set for a Panama City man found guilty Wednesday of three sex offenses against a child, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Local Podiatrist Dr. Daniel E. Feitz, 61, was found guilty as charged Wednesday of Sexual Battery Upon a Child Less Than 12 Years of Age, Lewd or Lascivious Exhibition, and Lewd or Lascivious Molestation. The penalty for the sexual battery charge is Life in prison.

Circuit Court Judge Brantley Clark Jr. ordered the defendant held without bond until his sentencing.

Lead Prosecutor Frank Sullivan and Prosecutor Morgan McAfee called 7 witnesses, including the victim, during the 2-day trial to prove that the defendant committed the acts against the child when she was 10 years old.

The jury deliberated for a little over a hour and a half before returning its verdict.

“The jury’s verdict in this case not only brings justice to the victim, but also gives her closure and the opportunity to move forward with her life in a meaningful way,” Sullivan said.

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Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center, and Florida Department of Law Enforcement for their work on the case.

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

A Panama City man who sexually abused a child for years was found guilty of two capital felonies Wednesday and given 2 consecutive Life sentences, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

David Lee Searcy, 61, was found guilty Wednesday afternoon of two counts of Sexual Battery on a Child Under the Age of 12. The charge is a Capital Felony, meaning it carries a mandatory Life sentence. Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson ordered the Life sentence on each charge to be consecutive, or one after the other.

The defendant was charged with sexually abusing the victim over a period of years, starting when she was about 2 years old.

“Given the circumstances and facts of this case, even if I had the discretion of a lesser sentence, this is the appropriate sentence in this case,” Judge Stephenson told the defendant.

After lead Prosecutor Dustin Miller and Prosecutor Josh James presented evidence and testimony, including from the victim, the 6-person jury reached its verdict in about 30 minutes.

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Miller praised the casework by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center. He especially cited the victim’s courage in testifying.

“She had to live for years knowing that any day might be another one where she would get abused,” Miller said. “She had no one she knew of to turn to for a lifeline.

“Today she took the power back into her own hands when she told her truth on the stand,” he continued. “She’s the reason the State was able to get a guilty verdict and get justice for her.”

Testimony and evidence showed the victim was sexually abused repeatedly by the defendant and was too terrified at the time to say anything.

“I was scared,” she testified. “I was scared he was going to hurt me.”

Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and GCCAC for their work on the case and assistance in holding the defendant accountable.

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