2 Life sentences + 145 years for Ranglin in 2024 Beach Murder

Posted on September 8, 2026September 8, 2026 by Admin SA

Andre Ranglin Tuesday was given two Life sentences plus 145 years in prison for 10 convictions stemming from the ambush murder of O’Neil Augustus McDonald in a Beach apartment parking lot in 2024.

Circuit Court Judge Shonna Young Gay imposed the jury’s recommendation of Life without parole for First Degree Murder, and also sentenced Ranglin to life for Attempted First Degree Premeditated Murder. Gay gave the defendant 20 years each for Attempted Burglary with Discharge of a Firearm, Attempted Felony Murder with a Firearm, and three counts of Attempted Second Degree Murder with a Firearm. Finally, she sentenced him to 15 years on each of his two convictions of being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm. A 12-person jury found Ranglin guilty as charged Aug. 31 after a six-day trial.

Lead Prosecutor Peter Overstreet, who along with Prosecutor Frank Sullivan presented the case, said that without the defendant’s lifelong incarceration, no one here would be safe.

Overstreet shows jurors the murder weapon

“We’d like to thank the jury for their time and attention to this case,” Overstreet said. “The verdict speaks for itself.

“Andre Ranglin will die in prison for the shooting, killing, and death of O’Neil Augustus McDonald,” he continued. “And it will be a lesson to all of those who come and want to commit crimes in our part of the world here that we will prosecute you and hold you to the highest and stiffest penalties that we can.”

The charges stemmed from an Aug. 6, 2024, shooting at a Beach apartment complex. The defendant hunted down victim O’Neil Augustus McDonald that night, walked up behind the group he was talking to, opened fire, chased the victim across the parking lot while shooting, and then put two shots into the victim’s head as he lay on the ground gravely wounded. McDonald was shot 11 times. Three shots were fired at a second victim who was struck once but survived.

During the trial, Overstreet and Sullivan called 28 witnesses and presented evidence showing the defendant and victim had worked together at a Beach restaurant. On Aug. 1, 2024, the two argued and Ranglin displayed a firearm. He was fired.

On Aug. 6 Ranglin returned and after another altercation with McDonald, Ranglin told the owner to close the business the next day because “bullets were gonna fly.”

About an hour later a Ring camera captured Ranglin walking through a foyer at the victim’s apartment complex headed toward the victim and the people he was talking to outside. A few seconds later a rapid series of shots and then screaming is heard on the Ring camera.

“He was just standing outside minding his own business, talking to friends, and they didn’t have a care in the world,” Overstreet told jurors. “But Andre Ranglin couldn’t let those last events go. When he started shooting that gun he did not care where any of those bullets went, he wanted revenge.”

Ranglin continued shooting as he chased McDonald across the parking lot. McDonald’s injuries included shots through the lungs, his pelvis, his shoulder, both hands, and his ankle before collapsing next to a retention pond.

A witness said Ranglin walked up to the victim, who was laying helpless, and fired two final shots into the top of his skull.

“The defendant wanted his revenge and he got it,” Overstreet told jurors. “The victim’s lungs had been hit, were filling with blood and he collapsed, his ankle shattered and broken with multiple gunshot wounds. But Andre Ranglin was not done. He was not satisfied. As McDonald lay helpless on the ground Ranglin kept coming and put two in his head.”

The defendant then turned his attention to the witness, who was screaming at him. She fled toward her apartment with Ranglin in pursuit and shooting at her – hitting her once – before she got inside her apartment.

He tried to force his way in as she fought to shut and lock the door. He fired a final shot through the door before fleeing.

The defendant was captured later the next day at a Dothan, Ala., motel.

State Attorney Larry Basford thanked the Panama City Beach Police Department for its handling of a chaotic crime scene and an investigation involving multiple agencies that led to a quick arrest and successful prosecution.

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

Shoeless Defendant Guilty of Armed Robbery

Posted on September 4, 2026 by Admin SA

A jury took 10 minutes Wednesday to find a Panama City man guilty of the 2023 robbery of a U.S. 98 convenience store.

Nestor Omar Perez, 26, was found guilty as charged of Robbery with a Firearm and Grand Theft (more than $750 but less than $5,000). He was arrested by Panama City Police Department Deputy Chief Kristain Shaw minutes after the Oct. 13, 2023 robbery in the 3000 block of U.S. 98.

Prosecutor Morgan McAfee called 12 witnesses and presented evidence that it was Perez who walked into the store that day, confronted a clerk with a gun, and committed the robbery.

“The jury’s 10-minute decision showed the strength of the evidence in this case,” McAfee said. “Circumstantial cases can be difficult, but the evidence in this one was indisputable.”

The evidence showed that the defendant, wearing a jacket partially concealing his face, confronted an employee inside the store and pointed a gun at him. The defendant grabbed money from the register and fled north on Beck Avenue.

Minutes later, with police saturating the area, Shaw spotted the defendant walking in socks near 18^th Street and Wilmont Ave. When searched, the defendant had the gun used in the robbery which had distinctive tape wrapped around the handle. They also found cash in his pocket.

Lt. Richard Thore was searching the area as well and noticed a home near 17^th Street and Chestnut Avenue that had a tall wooden fence blocking the view of the yard from the street. He decided to check the yard and saw a large city trash container by the house. He looked inside and found a pair of green shoes – and other clothing – that matched the ones the suspect was wearing on video when he fled the store.

Officers also found several hundred dollars nearby on the ground. The amount found on the ground combined with the amount found in the defendant’s pocket matched the amount missing from the store’s register.

The defendant’s car was found parked a short distance away.

Sentencing is set for Sept. 18.

State Attorney Larry Basford thanked the Panama City Police Department for its fast response and thorough investigation that helped lead to a quick resolution.

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

85-year Sentence for Man Guilty of Chasing, Firing into Car

Posted on August 14, 2026 by Admin SA

A Panama City man convicted of opening fire on a vehicle with four occupants, striking one, was sentenced to a total of 85 years in prison Friday.

Martae Lemon Coleman, 29, was found guilty July 29 of four Counts of Attempted Second-Degree Murder – with one count involving serious bodily. Circuit Court Judge Timothy Register sentenced the defendant to 25 years on the first charge, and 20 years each of the other three. He also was found guilty of Shooting into an Occupied Vehicle.

State Attorney Larry Basford said that under Florida’s 10-20-Life law, those are minimum-mandatory sentences and they must be served consecutively and day-for-day over 85 years.

Prosecutors Jeff Moore and Morgan Morrell called 9 witnesses, including the victims, to prove that there was a verbal disturbance involving the defendant and a friend with the shooting victim and his friends in the parking lot of the Gold Nugget on U.S. 98 on Sept. 29, 2024. But it had ended and the victims had no idea the defendant was following their vehicle until he pulled beside them and opened fire at a Panama City Beach intersection 5 miles away.

The driver was struck in the hip before the defendant fled. He was found and arrested the next day.

The victim’s father said he was sound asleep that morning when his phone rang around 4 a.m.

“Imagine getting a phone call like that at 4 in the morning,” he said. “That’s my baby son. That was devastating. It’s going to affect him for the rest of his life. And it could’ve been worse and we might not have a son today.”

The victim’s mother said they made the drive here not knowing the exact details, which was it’s own kind of horror.

“No one knew,” she said. “All we knew was there was blood and he’d been shot.”

She also referenced the defense’s request that the court note the defendant’s military service. The victim’s mother said she is from a military family as well.

“We are held to a higher standard in everything we do,” she said. “You must think about your actions before you make dumb decisions. He chased my son for 5 miles and in 5 miles he didn’t think about what he was doing was wrong. We could’ve lost our son.”

Basford thanked the collaborative work that night between the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, Panama City Police Department and Panama City Beach Police Department in identifying the defendant through traffic cameras and getting him into custody.

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

Man Convicted of Firing 7 Shots at Spring Break Crowd Gets 36-Month Sentence

Posted on August 14, 2026August 14, 2026 by Admin SA

Prosecutor Jeffrey Moore, center, listens as Bay County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Jason Daffin, right, speaks at the sentencing for Zyion Robinson.

Panama City Beach Police Chief J.R. Talamantez speaks at sentencing Friday.

A 19-year-old Georgia man facing up to 15 years in prison for firing 7 shots at a Spring Break crowd last year was sentenced to 3 years in prison Friday.

A jury found Zyion Christopher Robinson guilty July 30 of Attempted Manslaughter with a Firearm, Discharging a Firearm in Public, and Improper Display of a Firearm. The first charge, because it involved the discharge of a firearm, is a Second-Degree Felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Prosecutor Jeffrey Moore asked for a 10-year sentence.

The testimony and evidence proved Robinson retrieved his gun after he came out on the losing end of a scuffle on April 11, 2025. He spotted members of the group and opened fire from a fast-food drive through toward a crowd of people. While no one was injured, it created chaos and panic on the Beach. Panama City Beach Police Chief J.R. Talamantez and Bay County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Jason Daffin both addressed the court seeking a stiff sentence both as punishment and as a deterrent to keep the beaches safer.

“The fact that our officers did not find blood on the ground when they arrived does not represent that our community did not bleed severely that night,” Talamantez said to the judge. “The fact that we did not find a body on the ground was luck. I can’t run a police department on luck.”

The defendant with a social media post showing off the firearm.

Talamantez, Daffin, and a witness from trial – she was at the drive-through with her young son in a car only feet away when Zyion fired – said the shooting left the community scared and in shock.

“People who come here for the beach should be able to go out on it … and I think our community deserves better,” Daffin said. “I ask that we send a message to anyone else who comes into our community and commits violence.”

A key witness at trial was at the drive-through with her 10-year-old son in the backseat when the defendant opened fire from feet away. She said in a victim impact statement that their lives are forever changed. She said her son slept in her bed for months out of fear, does not feel safe in traffic. They rarely eat out anymore and stay home during Spring Break.

“I am angry that my son has had to carry the consequences of someone else’s inability to manage his emotions,” she wrote. “I am angry that a gun was brought into a public place and used without regard for the lives of the people who happened to be there. I am angry that someone felt entitled to change the lives of strangers in such a profound and permanent way.”

She wrote that she hopes to one day return to a safe and peaceful feeling about her community.

“I am not asking the Court to see him only as the worst thing he has ever done,” she wrote. “But I am asking the Court to understand that what happened to us was real, that it mattered, and that the consequences did not end when the shooting stopped. There is a difference between having empathy for someone and excusing their actions.”

Moore, addressing the judge, said, “These are adult actions, it deserves an adult sentence.”

“What do you think he deserves?” Judge Register asked.

“Ten years,” Moore replied. “I think a 10-year-sentence is more than appropriate.”

Judge Register said that taking everything into consideration – from the defendant’s age and lack of criminal history to the impact on the community and people like the witness at the drive through – that a 36-month sentence was appropriate.

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

Newsom Guilty on 2 Felony Charges Related to Bail Bonds Business

Posted on August 5, 2026August 6, 2026 by Admin SA

Suspended Holmes County Commissioner Brandon Newsom has been found guilty of acting as a bail bondsman and benefitting from those actions while employed as a law enforcement officer, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Newsom was found guilty as charged of being an Unlawful Bail Bond Agent Or Employee, and Aiding or Abetting an Unlicensed Bail Bond Agent Tuesday after a two-day trial. Both are Third-Degree Felonies. Circuit Court Judge Jarred Patterson sentenced the defendant to 2 years’ probation, as well as court costs and fines.

The defendant faces a similar charge in Walton County, which is in the First Judicial Circuit.

Washington County Chief Prosecutor Megan Ford handled the case, calling multiple witnesses: Det. David Loy with the Department of Financial Services, Criminal Investigations Division, Holmes County Sheriff John Tate, along with several civilian witnesses.

Washington County Prosecutor Megan Ford from an earlier trial

“This case has always been about public trust,” Ford said. “The people of Holmes County have the right to expect that those entrusted with public positions will comply with the same laws they are charged with enforcing. This case reaffirms that the law applies equally to everyone, regardless of position or title.”

The evidence and testimony proved the defendant owned and was licensed to operate Bail Bonds by Brandon Newsom when he was appointed as a part-time deputy at the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office. Florida law forbids anyone in a position of authority within law enforcement, the courts, corrections, or arrest powers to “directly or indirectly receive any benefits from the execution of any bail bond.”

The Department of Financial Services investigation determined the defendant directly or indirectly benefited from the execution of 232 bail bonds while he was on the books at the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office.

Newsom, also a Holmes County Commissioner at the time, resigned from the Sheriff’s Office Jan. 3, 2023. Later that month a complaint about his activities was received by the DFS.

In addition to benefiting from the execution of bail bonds, the evidence showed the defendant at times had people deliver their bond payments to county offices/employees when he was not there. Under Florida law it is illegal for anyone other than a licensed bonds agent to accept payment.

After a lengthy and thorough investigation, the defendant was arrested in June 2025, and a formal information was filed against him July 15, 2025. Gov. Ron DeSantis on July 28, 2025, issued an Executive Order suspending him from office.

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

Teen guilty of firing 7 shots at Spring Break crowd

Posted on July 31, 2026 by Admin SA

A 19-year-old Georgia man who fired 7 shots at a crowd during Spring Break last year was found guilty of Attempted Manslaughter and two other charges Thursday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

A jury deliberated 17 minutes before finding Zyion Christopher Robinson guilty of Attempted Manslaughter, with the special finding that he used a Firearm. That makes it a Second-Degree Felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Jurors also found the defendant guilty of Discharging a Firearm in Public and Improper Display of a Firearm. Circuit Court Judge set sentencing for August 14.

The defendant was arrested April 11, 2025, after he fired 7 shots from a Checkers drive-through toward a group of people he had a confrontation with minutes earlier in a different parking lot. No one was injured.

Prosecutors Jeffrey Moore and Andrew Eppling called 6 witnesses – including 2 co-defendants – and presented evidence in which the defendant admitted firing the gun – to prove that the defendant fired the shots toward a crowd that included a man who had “bested” him in an earlier confrontation.

A key witness was a local woman who was at the Checkers drive-through only yards away with her 10-year-old son in the car. A key piece of evidence was video that showed a green laser from the defendant’s weapon that was pointed toward the crowd, not into the air as the defendant claimed.

“It comes down to a laser, a momma, and an angry young man,” Moore told jurors. “She had her son in the car and tunnel vision locked in on that shooter. She knew where he was pointing that gun – downrange at the crowd at Zaxby’s.”

“Here’s why he would do that,” Moore continued. “He had been bested. He had agreed to a fight in the parking lot of Wal-Mart and he got bested there, pushed to the ground, his pride hurt, angry. He wasn’t going to be bested again with the gun he had.”

The evidence showed the defendant drove to Panama City Beach that weekend to meet and family and friends here for Spring Break. They went to the beach behind Pineapple Willie’s and a verbal argument broke out between them and another group before police moved in dispersed the entire crowd.

The defendant’s group went to their car, parked at Wal-Mart, and were re-engaged by the group they had argued with on the beach. It was decided a “no gun” fight would be held between the defendant and someone in the other group.

The fight started right there. Witnesses said the defendant was not faring well and went to the ground at one point before police again moved through the crowd dispersed.

The defendant walked to the nearby Checkers and soon noticed a crowd gathering in the Zaxby’s parking lot nearby. In that crowd were the people he had the earlier confrontation with. He said he wanted his gun from the car.

A surveillance video shows the defendant and a female co-defendant walking down the Checker’s drive-through and stopping beside the car belonging to the local witness with her child in the car.

“He’s a hurt angry young man and he needs his gun,” Eppling told jurors in his closing argument as he narrated the video. “And he’s going to make sure they don’t run across him again. He actually fires it 7 times, he’s angry and his adrenaline is flowing.”

And while the defendant later told police he fired into the air to scare away the nearby crowd, Eppling played the video in slow motion pointed out that the laser sight on the gun was hitting objects straight out, and the muzzle flashes went that way as well.

Later, when police approached the defendant, he said, “I’m your guy.” He admitted to the shooting but claimed he fired into the air. He initially claimed he threw the firearm into a lake, then said it was thrown into a sewer drain, then told police where he had hidden it. They recovered it from behind a retaining wall.

Basford thanked the Panama City Beach Police Department for its investigation in the middle of a chaotic Spring Break night.

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

Man Guilty of Opening Fire on Vehicle, Shooting 1 Occupant

Posted on July 29, 2026July 29, 2026 by Admin SA

A Panama City man who followed a car full of young adults for 5 miles after an argument in a parking lot and opened fire on their car was found guilty as charged Wednesday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Martae Lemon Coleman, 29, was found guilty of 4 Counts of Attempted Second-Degree Murder and 1 count of Shooting into an Occupied Vehicle. Circuit Court Judge Timothy Register set sentencing for Aug. 14. The first four charges are First-Degree Felonies with up to Life sentences under Florida’s 10-20-Life law.

“The verbal altercation was over, there’s only one person in this whole crowd that it wasn’t over for and that’s Mr. Coleman,” Moore said. “He’s the only person that didn’t let it go. Making bad decisions is how crimes are committed.”

Testimony and evidence from traffic cameras showed the defendant and a friend ended up at the Gold Nugget that night while celebrating Coleman’s birthday. The victims and other friends also were celebrating a birthday and ended up at the Gold Nugget.

All were leaving at closing time when a comment about wanting to see a nice car do a “burnout” turned into an argument between the defendant and the victims. The victims said the defendant lifted his shirt at one point to show he had a pistol stuck in his waistband, so they decided to leave.

Video surveillance showed the defendant leaving in a vehicle driven by a friend, followed by the victims. The defendant’s friend testified he drove the defendant away to prevent any more arguing, circled the block to make sure the victims were not following him, then dropped his friend back off at his car at the Gold Nugget.

Traffic cameras showed Coleman then headed west, as the victims had, but was not headed home. His friend was behind him, concerned that Coleman was going after the younger group. The friend following Coleman was on the phone with him, pleading with him to go home and leave the first group alone.

Instead, Coleman continued to drive faster and told his friend, who was following further behind, “I’m going to follow them home and I’m going to beat these kids’ ass,” the friend testified. The friend testified that at some point in the phone conversation Coleman changed from saying he was going to beat them to he was going to shoot them.

“He was basically like saying he was going to follow them home and beat them up, over and over,” the friend testified. “And I was just like, hey, don’t do that, we should go home. Bad idea. There’s nothing good going to come out of this.

“Toward the end of the conversation he said he was going to shoot them and I heard gunshots rattle off over the phone.”

The victims, from the Greenwood area, had no idea they were being followed and were trying to find a hotel room when they pulled up to Back Beach Road on Allison Avenue and hit the red light. There, the defendant’s car pulled beside them and opened fire without warning.

The driver was struck in the hip; other bullets hit the driver’s and passenger’s doors before the defendant fled.

Coleman took the stand and testified on his own behalf, claiming the other group had flashed a gun at him at the club and he was only following them so he could get their tag number. He claimed when he pulled up to them at the light on the beach they shot at him, but there was no evidence found of that.

Moore pointed out that if Coleman was truly scared he would not have chased the vehicle, he would have called the police. He also noted that Coleman could have gotten their tag number at any point along Front Beach Road or Allison Avenue or even taken a picture of it.

“He wasn’t done after everyone left the parking lot,” Moore said. “If he was done and he was worried about his safety, he would’ve called the police. They were shot because he was so mad at them over the words that were exchanged and he wasn’t going to let it go.”

Coleman was tracked to his home the next morning.

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

Woman Who Shot Boyfriend with High-Powered Rifle given 20 Years

Posted on July 29, 2026 by Admin SA

A woman found guilty of shooting her boyfriend in the upper thigh with a high-powered rifle and then telling him to take responsibility has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Misti Nunery, 41, of Panama City Beach, was found guilty Friday of Felony Battery and being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Circuit Court Judge Ana Maria Garcia sentenced Nunery to 15 years on the firearms charge and 5 years on the Felony Battery charge and ordered the sentences run consecutively, or one after the other. Nunery was released from prison in 2022 on a drug trafficking conviction.

In this case, the defendant shot the victim as he was walking away from an argument in their bedroom. She then called 911 and asked for an ambulance, saying she had just arrived home and found the victim laying on the floor already shot.

“This was a high-powered rifle and easily could have killed the victim,” Prosecutor Morgan McAfee said. “The defendant showed a total disregard for the victim and his well-being, lied to investigators about what happened, and tried to make the victim say he had shot himself.

“We are glad the jury saw the truth in the evidence and that the victim saw some measure of justice.”

McAfee, along with Prosecutor Morgan Morrell, called 7 witnesses including the victim, to prove it was Nunery who shot the victim.

The testimony and evidence showed the defendant and victim were living together when they went out Sept. 25, 2022. The victim said they returned home and his girlfriend became verbally abusive and argumentative to the point that he went back out by himself.

He returned home later that evening and found that someone had knocked over his motorcycle, which he had built himself. He said another argument ensued in the bedroom because he believed his girlfriend was involved in damaging the motorcycle.

The victim said he had gotten his rifle out, thinking there might be someone on his property. He said the defendant continued to yell at him so he started to leave the room. When he turned, he saw her pointing the rifle at him. He said she fired a shot without saying a word, knocking him to the ground, and then fired a second shot that missed.

He said she pushed the rifle across the floor toward him and told him, “You shot yourself.”

The victim was losing consciousness as the first Bay County Sheriff’s Office deputy arrived and applied a tourniquet. The defendant, who on the 911 call said she came home to find the victim already shot, changed that and said she was home in bed when she heard a shot and saw her boyfriend on the floor.

Basford thanked the BCSO for its investigation and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

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

Man Convicted of Beating, Choking, Threatening Girlfriend Sentenced to 15 years

Posted on July 29, 2026 by Admin SA

A man found guilty of three charges related to attacking his girlfriend was sentenced to a combined 15 years in prison, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Alfredo Julio Baguer Villa, 29, of Lynn Haven, was found guilty as charged June 30 of Domestic Battery by Strangulation, Aggravated Assault (Deadly Weapon), and False Imprisonment. Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson Friday sentenced him to 5 years on each count, ordering that they be served consecutively, or one after the other.

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

At trial, Lynn Haven Police Department Officer Tyler 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.”

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.

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.

30-Year Sentence for Man With 700+ Grams of Cocaine

Posted on July 27, 2026July 27, 2026 by Admin SA

A man who picked up a package containing more than 700 grams of cocaine while under surveillance was sentenced to 30 years in prison Friday after being found guilty of Trafficking in Cocaine (More than 400 Grams), State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Naiym Muhammad, 33, of Panama City, was also found guilty of Tampering with Evidence Friday. Circuit Court Judge Shonna Young Gay sentenced the defendant to 30 years in prison, with the first 15 years being minimum-mandatory.

Prosecutor Jada Watkins called 5 witnesses – 3 Bay County Sheriff’s Office investigators, a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives agent, and a Florida Department of Law Enforcement analyst – to prove her case.

“This was a large amount of cocaine and the collaboration between the different agencies involved not only stopped these drugs from making it to the street, it held the defendant accountable,” Watkins said. “The US Postal Inspection Service did a great job by identifying the package as suspicious and notifying law enforcement.”

The evidence showed that in early February 2023, the US Postal Inspection Service notified the Bay County Sheriff’s Office that it had flagged a suspicious package sent from Brownsville, Texas, to an address on E. 7^th Plaza here. Their investigation showed the sender of the package was using a fictitious name and was also using a fictitious name for the recipient at the Panama City address.

As part of an undercover operation the package was delivered to the address while members of the BCSO Special Investigation Division maintained surveillance on the residence. Shortly after the package was delivered Feb. 9, 2023, a man later identified as the defendant pulled into the driveway. He approached the front porch, looked in both directions, picked up the package and returned to his car.

He drove away and investigators followed as they saw him run a stop sign and make an illegal U-turn on 11^th Street. They initiated a traffic stop and saw the defendant throw a phone out of his window before pulling over.

A drug-detecting K-9 alerted for the presence of drugs in the vehicle and investigators saw the package. When they opened it they found the cocaine in vacuum-sealed packaging.

Basford thanked the U.S. Postal Service, BCSO, and all involved for their work that kept the drugs from being sold and led to a successful outcome.

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