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.

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.
RELATED: 20 Years for man who fled police while on probation for vehicular homicide
RELATED: One Stepp closer to prison after meth trafficking conviction
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.

A man who had been out of prison less than a year for Vehicular Homicide was sentenced to 20 years Wednesday after violating his probation by fleeing from police after he was spotted racing another vehicle.




Calvin Lovelle Pittman was sentenced to Life in prison Friday for stabbing and killing a man in a convenience store parking lot in 2023, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
During the defendant’s 2-day trial that began July 21, Overstreet proved to jurors that Pittman stabbed the victim in the side while the two were arguing in the victim’s car July 18, 2023. The victim stumbled about 20 feet from the car before collapsing.
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.

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.
“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.”



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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.