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.

Man guilty of Aggravated Battery for shooting man he met online

Posted on November 6, 2025 by Admin SA

An Alabama man who unsuccessfully claimed he was expecting to meet a woman he found on a social media app was found guilty Wednesday of shooting the man who showed up at his hotel, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Marques Isaiah Player, of Sylacuaga, Ala., was found guilty of Aggravated Battery with a Firearm (great bodily injury). Circuit Court Judge Brantley Clark set sentencing for Dec. 18.

“This case presents a cautionary tale about meeting and ‘hooking up’ with random strangers you meet on dating apps,” Prosecutor Frank Sullivan said. “Not everyone on the internet is who they claim to be, and that can be dangerous for both parties.”

Part of Player’s defense was that he thought he was messaging with a woman on social media apps in the hours before the May 1, 2022 shooting. They agreed to meet at the defendant’s beach motel room. The defendant said it was only when he got in the truck that he realized it was a man, and he fired a shot out of fear when he saw an empty gun holster in the truck.

But Prosecutor Frank Sullivan, who called 5 witnesses, entered evidence gathered by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office that proved the defendant knew the victim was a man before the meeting took place.

“At some point in time this defendant realizes he’s not talking to a female, he’s talking to another male,” Sullivan said. “And they continued to converse on Snapchat and Mr. Player ultimately agreed to meet up with the victim.”

Snapchat messages recovered by Sheriff’s Office investigators showed the defendant sent one message to the victim stating, “If u a dude imma kill u.” Another from the defendant, sent before the two met, said, “should’ve told me Ian (I ain’t) gay.” The victim testified he told the defendant in the messages he was a man.

Surveillance video showed that the victim pulled into the hotel parking lot and sat there for several minutes. The defendant is seen leaving his hotel room, pulling a gun from his pants pocket, racking a round into the chamber and then putting the gun back in his pocket before eventually walking over to the victim’s vehicle.

The defendant is seen opening the passenger door of the victim’s truck but only remaining for seconds before shooting the victim and running away on foot. The victim was able to call 911 for assistance while the defendant and a friend fled in the friend’s Jeep. The Sheriff’s Office’s BAYROC monitoring system was used to show it crossed the Hathaway Bridge headed into Panama City minutes after the shooting. At 4:02 a.m. the vehicle, and the suspects, were found and taken into custody at a gas station near 23^rd Street and U.S. 231. The gun used in the shooting was in the vehicle.

Basford thanked the Sheriff’s Office for its work on the case and the quick arrest.

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.