JURY: Man Guilty of Attacking Truck with “Hunk” of Concrete

Posted on October 22, 2026 by Admin SA

A man who attacked an occupied vehicle with a concrete block while on the victim’s property was found guilty Wednesday of felony Criminal Mischief and sentenced to 36 months in prison.

State Attorney Larry Basford said Deontae Prince Shackelford, 27, was sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Shonna Young Gay following the one-day trial and verdict.

Prosecutor Jada Watkins called two witnesses – including the driver of the truck that was attacked – to prove her case.

The 64-year-old owner of the truck testified he owned the property and that the building on it was damaged by fire in February, 2025. He drove there Sept. 13, 2025, as he did about every two weeks, to check on the progress of repairs.

He testified he was parked there on the phone with his wife when he noticed the defendant walk up and start digging through the dumpster. He asked the defendant what he was doing and was ignored. He asked again and said the man appeared agitated.

The defendant began piling items from the dumpster on to the property and making a mess. The owner repositioned his vehicle near the dumpster, identified himself as the owner and again told the defendant to leave.

“He very quickly approached my truck and slammed my rearview mirror into the door and broke it with his hand,” the victim said. The defendant then ran and the victim called 911 and drove back around to the front of his property.

Prosecutor Watkins showing how defendant used concrete to break window

A minute or two later he saw the defendant re-approaching his truck. He rolled his window down a few inches and again asked the man to leave, telling him he had already called 911 and police were on the way. He also grabbed his phone and took a picture of the man.

“I had noticed he was hiding his right arm behind him and when I turned to grab my phone to take his picture, he was just about to smack my driver’s door glass,” he said. “He hit it as hard as he could with a hunk of concrete twice … and the third time it exploded in my face, it was like a bomb went off.”

The defendant again ran away but was captured a short time later.

The owner suffered cuts to his forehead and face from the glass, and his knee was cut by the concrete that ended up on his floorboard.

Basford thanked the Parker Police Department for its work on the case and quick apprehension of the defendant. For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.

Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 22 years

Posted on September 28, 2026 by Admin SA

A man found guilty two weeks ago of Trafficking in Methamphetamine (more than 200 grams) was sentenced to 22 years in prison Monday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Because of the volume of methamphetamine involved, Christian Samuel Stepp, 53, of Georgia, will serve the first 15 years of that sentence as a minimum-mandatory under Florida’s enhanced drug trafficking statute. Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stevenson also ordered a $250,000 fine.

“This is a significant penalty for someone trying to bring a large amount of methamphetamine into our community,” lead Prosecutor Christopher Walters said. “The traffickers bringing in these extremely harmful substances will continue to find out there is a price to be paid for their choices.”

Walters again thanked the Bay County Sheriffs Office and its Special Investigations Division for its work in stopping these drugs before they could make it to the streets.

The evidence against Stepp at trial included text messages between the defendant and others, and bodycam of the search warrant being served.

The Sheriff’s Office’s Special SID team served a search warrant in a camper March 14, 2025, near Southport.

The defendant was in bedroom where the drugs were recovered.

Two of the co-defendants – the owner of the camper included – testified against the defendant.

Basford thanked the Sheriff’s Office for its proactive investigative work.

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

Fountain Man Guilty of Trafficking in Meth

Posted on September 18, 2026September 18, 2026 by Admin SA

A Fountain man was found guilty Thursday of Trafficking in Methamphetamine after an investigation and an “alert” from a drug-detecting K-9 led to the discovery of 58 grams of the drug he dumped in the vehicle, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Armando Cavazos, 44, is being held without bond pending his sentencing, which Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson set for Oct. 6. Trafficking in Methamphetamine (more than 28 grams but less than 200 grams) is a First-Degree Felony punishable by a minimum-mandatory 7 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years.

“These dealers keep bringing these deadly drugs into our community, and we will continue to take them to trial as our law enforcement partners continue to put them in jail,” Prosecutor Christopher Walters said. “The Bay County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Division and Sgt. Jeremy Head did another good job of getting to this defendant before he got his drugs onto our streets.”

Walters and Prosecutor Ben Bollinger called 5 witnesses – including two co-defendants who were in the vehicle when it was stopped – proving the methamphetamine found in the truck belonged to the defendant.

According to testimony, a co-defendant said he was going to install a radio in the defendant’s vehicle in exchange for some meth. While at the defendant’s property, he had to run home for some electrical tape and gave the defendant and another man a ride so they could stop at a nearby store.

They were under surveillance by members of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office SID. When the driver failed to stop at a stop sign, they were pulled over. Inv. Dwight Cummings deployed his K-9 for a “free-air” sniff around the car and it alerted to the presence of drugs.

Attorneys confer with Judge Dustin Stephenson

Investigators testified a baggie containing a white substance was visible on the back floorboard. When the car was searched investigators found the baggie contained 58 grams of what turned out to be methamphetamine.

The driver of the vehicle testified that when deputies turned on their emergency lights to pull them over, he watched Cavazos, in the passenger’s seat, pull out a baggie filled with white powder and stuff it behind him onto the back floorboard.

The defendant was also found guilty of Tampering with a Witness. After his arrest, a recorded jail call showed he was trying to conspire with one of the co-defendants to blame the driver.

Basford thanked the Sheriff’s Office and SID for another investigation targeting a major dealer that concluded before the drugs could be sold on the street.

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

Stepp Guilty of Trafficking in 200+ Grams of Meth

Posted on September 16, 2026September 16, 2026 by Admin SA

A man found laying on a bed near a bowl of methamphetamine and a larger baggie of the drug was found guilty as charged Tuesday with Trafficking in 200+ grams of Methamphetamine, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

A jury deliberated for an hour and a half before returning the verdict against Christian Samuel Stepp. Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson set sentencing for Sept. 28. Under Florida’s enhanced drug trafficking statutes, the charge is a First-Degree Felony punishable by a minimum-mandatory 15 years in prison and up to 30 years.

“This is a significant amount of methamphetamine that the Bay County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Division got to before it hit the streets,” said lead Prosecutor Christopher Walters. “It is extremely harmful and the people bringing it into Bay County will continue to learn that sooner or later they will get caught and prosecuted.”

Walters, with Prosecutor Ryan Phillips, called five witnesses and presented evidence that included the drugs, text messages between the defendant and others, and bodycam of the search warrant being served.

The Sheriff’s Office’s Special SID team had been investigating the owner of the camper, and now a co-defendant, for drug trafficking before obtaining a search warrant that was served March 14, 2025, near Southport.

Four people were found inside. The defendant was the only person in the bedroom with the drugs. Although he told investigators he only smoked marijuana, a meth pipe with meth residue was recovered from the saddlebag of his motorcycle.

Two of the co-defendants – the owner of the camper included – testified against the defendant. The camper’s owner said he was out of town working that day and the defendant arrived with the drugs before he returned home. He described himself as a “low-level” dealer being supplied by the defendant.

Basford thanked the Sheriff’s Office for its proactive investigative work that stopped the methamphetamine from being sold on the street level.

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.

Man Driving Impaired by Meth Guilty in Death of Girlfriend and Unborn Child

Posted on July 15, 2026 by Admin SA

A jury Wednesday agreed that Mark Pegg was under the influence of methamphetamine when he rear-ended a van on U.S. 231, killing his girlfriend and their unborn child.

State Attorney Larry Basford announced Pegg, 39, was found guilty as charged of DUI-Manslaughter in the March 23, 2024 death of his 33-year-old girlfriend and their unborn child. Kristen Clark was 35 weeks pregnant. Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson sentenced Pegg to 30 years in prison – 15 years on each count to run consecutively – and a lifetime of probation.

Prosecutor Frank Sullivan called 6 witnesses, including two experts who said the amount of methamphetamine in the defendant’s blood after the wreck was well above therapeutic ranges and would have impaired his cognitive functioning. The defendant, according to the evidence, never even hit the brakes when he rear-ended a van stopped at a red light at U.S. 231 and State 390 that night.

“These deaths, this wreck, were a terrible tragedy and they were avoidable,” Sullivan said. “Two innocent lives were lost all because this defendant decided to smoke meth and get behind a wheel.

“Whether it is from alcohol, or in this case high levels of methamphetamine, no one is safe from an impaired driver,” he continued. “The Panama City Police Department did an excellent job of thoroughly investigating this case and determining the level of meth in the defendant’s blood was well above therapeutic levels.”

The evidence showed the defendant was driving north on U.S. 231 around 12:10 a.m. March 23, 2024, with his pregnant girlfriend in the passenger seat and a child in the backseat. A Bay County Sheriff’s Office van transporting Spring Break defendants to the jail was stopped at the red light at U.S. 231 and State 390. The defendant never slowed and slammed into the rear of the van, killing his passenger almost instantly. The unborn child died due to the mother’s death.

An interview at the hospital following the crash showed the defendant was asleep when police tried to question him around 2 a.m. Once awake, police bodycam showed he was groggy – he had not been sedated at the hospital – and fell back asleep while being questioned.

State experts said the .43 mg/L of meth in the defendant’s blood – a therapeutic level would never exceed .1-.2 mg/L – combined with his actions and the evidence from the wreck showed he was on the “downward” side of the usage. That means the body is metabolizing the drug, the high is wearing off, and the user becomes tired and depressed.

“They can be in a state where they’re sleeping and hard to wake up,” said Chris Chronister, Lab Director at the University of Florida. “In this case (the high level) is clearly from use and abuse of methamphetamine.”

Panama City Police Sgt. Preston Allyn said he woke the defendant up to interview him but he fell back asleep. When he was told his girlfriend and unborn child had died in the wreck, Allyn said, he didn’t really react.

“The best I can explain it is a lack of emotion,” Allyn said. “His demeanor did not change. It wasn’t the reaction I was expecting.”

Basford thanked the Panama City Police Department and collaborative efforts with the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

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

102-Month Sentence for Impaired Man who Seriously Injured 2 Teens in Golf Cart

Posted on July 9, 2026 by Admin SA

A 62-year-old man who was driving impaired when his truck turned into oncoming traffic at Bay Point and hit a golf cart head-on, seriously injuring two teens, was sentenced to 8½ years in prison Thursday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Richard Stanley Barker, who hit the girls near his home on Wahoo Road Feb. 4, 2025, earlier pled no contest to 2 counts of DUI With Seriously Bodily Injury. Each charge was punishable by up to 5 years in prison. Barker’s prison term will be followed by 18 months of probation.

Barker was impaired and driving east in the westbound lane of Wahoo Road near his house when his pickup truck hit a westbound golf cart carrying the two girls – 16 and 15 years old at the time. The golf cart was destroyed, one victim had life-threatening injuries, and both victims suffered lifelong damage to their bodies.

Prosecutor Ryan Phillips asked Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson to consider the deterrent function, the severity of the injuries, and that Florida’s Criminal Justice System is designed to punish offenders. The defense asked the court to consider the defendant’s age, his remorse and that he is recovering from cancer.

“Everyone in this courtroom (the victims, the defendant, and their families) received a life sentence that day,” said Stephenson, adding this was one of the most difficult cases he has handled. “Mr. Barker, you will feel the impact of that decision today, if you haven’t already. This decision was not easy for this court; it was not easy for anyone. But there is no way to erase the events of that night and there is a price to pay for that.”

During the 2½ hour sentencing, emotional testimony came from both sides, including the two young victims.

“I’m 17 now … and nothing will ever feel the same as it did before that night,” one victim testified at Thursday’s sentencing. “I have not been able to enjoy my teenage years like most people; I’ve been struggling to recover.”

Her injuries included two fractured legs, a broken pelvis, broken ribs and multiple injuries to her face. She suffers nightmares, PTSD, and debilitating anxiety. She will never run again and is constant pain.

“These scars are permanent reminders of something I never chose and I’ll never forget,” she said. “No 15-year-old should have to rebuild their life because of someone else’s choice. We have to live with the pain he left us with because of his actions.”

The second victim, also 17 now, suffered fractures to both legs, a broken pelvis and a punctured lung.

“I should not have to be in this much pain as a 17-year-old,” she said. “All I can think about is what it felt like to lay there in the street, like I was nothing. I’ve tried to talk about my trauma to help get through it but some things never go away.”

Family members spoke as well.

“We were drug into hell and Richard Barker brought us there,” said the mother of one of the victims. “I had never heard of him before that night. Now his name is forever attached to the worst day of our lives.”

Before the sentence was imposed, Barker apologized.

“I’m very sorry this happened and the remorse I feel, no one in this courtroom knows,” Barker said. “I’m sorry, it was a terrible accident, I’m so sorry.”

Basford thanked the Florida Highway Patrol for its investigation and reconstruction of the crash. He also credited first responders who were able to stabilize the victims until they reached the hospital.

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

Hotel shooting earns convicted felon 20-year stay in prison

Posted on August 8, 2025 by Admin SA

A convicted felon found guilty in June of shooting another man twice in the leg was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Christopher Lorenzo Hatcher, 48, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for Attempted Manslaughter, 5 years for being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm, and 5 years for Shooting into an Occupied Dwelling. Circuit Court Judge William Henry ordered those sentences be served consecutively, or back-to-back.

Prosecutor Brea Dearing called 8 witnesses, including the victim who was shot twice in the leg and once in the hand, along with evidence like video surveillance gathered by Panama City police to prove her case at the June 19 trial.

“Panama City police did a good job investigating this case so we could prosecute this defendant and get him in prison where he belongs,” Dearing said. “This easily could have ended with someone dying, and Panama City is a safer place today with this sentence.”

The testimony showed that on July 27, 2022, the victim had spoken to Hatcher in the defendant’s room. Later, Hatcher went to the victim’s room, barged inside and fired several shots before fleeing.

The video showed blood on his shirt as he ran. Panama City police captured him about 5 blocks away shirtless, but still wearing the same pants as in the surveillance video.

Basford thanked the Panama City Police Department for its work on the case and the quick identification and capture of the suspect.

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

Man guilty of sexually battering, impregnating child is sentenced to Life

Posted on February 8, 2023 by Admin SA

A man found guilty Tuesday of sexual battery upon a child multiple times and impregnating her was sentenced to Life in prison Wednesday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Nadir Al Bashir, 49, of Panama City, was found guilty of 3 counts of Sexual Battery Upon a child 12 years of age or older. A jury took 11 minutes to find him guilty of sexually battering the 12-year-old victim both before and after he impregnated her. Circuit Judge Brantley Clark sentenced him to three consecutive life sentences.

Prosecutor Jennifer Lieb addresses the jury.

Assistant State Attorney Jennifer Lieb presented witnesses and evidence from the victim’s family, the Panama City Police Department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. FDLE analyst Jennifer Wilkerson testified that DNA samples from the defendant, the victim, and the baby showed a 99.99% likelihood that the was the father.

During the cross-examination of the defendant, Lieb asked him if he had had sex with the victim when she was 12 years old. The defendant admitted he had but said he believed it was legal after he researched the law. “So, you decided to have sex with a 12-year-old child. Based on your research you decided to have sex with a 12-year-old child multiple times?” Lieb asked the defendant. The defendant replied that “Y’all don’t get it.”

“The State has called witnesses, including the victim, who have testified about what this defendant did to this child,” Lieb told jurors in her closing argument. “But there’s no doubting that it happened thanks to the DNA because the FDLE was able to show that half the child’s DNA profile comes from the defendant. This man forced her into a situation that no 12- or 13-year-old is prepared for, becoming pregnant and having a child to care for.”

“We believe life is the appropriate sentence in this case based on the nature of these crimes and the defendant’s own testimony.” Lieb stated at sentencing. “This defendant will always be a danger to the children in our community. He doesn’t believe the law applies to him and he doesn’t think he has done anything wrong, he has shown no remorse.”

The defendant is fingerprinted after being found guilty.

The defendant told the judge, when speaking about the crime, that he “didn’t force nobody to do that” and that it was just something that happened and that he is not a danger to children.

The victim also spoke to Judge Clark at sentencing.

“It has affected me every day of my life since I was a child,” the victim said in a soft voice, adding it has negatively affected her relationships with others, caused pain in her family, and led her to being homeless and without her child for a period of time.

After sentencing the victim said it felt like a weight had been lifted off of her and that she could finally breathe.

Basford thanked the Panama City Police Department and assisting agencies for their work on the case.

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