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.

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 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.

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.

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.

Life Sentence for Drug Trafficker, Repeat Offender

Posted on July 23, 2026July 23, 2026 by Admin SA

A conviction for Trafficking in Methamphetamine (more than 14 grams) coupled with a lengthy criminal history combined to land Alphanso Frederick Hall a Life sentence Thursday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Hall, 40, of Panama City Beach, was found guilty of the trafficking charge and Unlawful Use of a 2-Way Communication Device June 30. That trafficking charge is a First-Degree Felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.

But Prosecutor Frank Sullivan successfully argued to have Hall sentenced as a Habitual Felony Offender based on previous convictions of Trafficking in Cocaine (2007 and 2013), Grand Theft of a Motor Vehicle (2007 and 2013) and other charges. Circuit Court Judge Brantley Clark agreed, which under Florida law upgraded the maximum punishment to a Life felony.

The defendant most recently served a 54-month prison sentence on drug charges. He was released April 1, 2024. The current Trafficking offense occurred Feb. 18, 2025, less than a year later.

“The defendant has shown no interest in following the law while continuing to deliver drugs like methamphetamine and cocaine onto our streets over the last 20 years,” Sullivan said. “His criminal history shows that when he is released from prison he eventually gets caught poisoning our community again.

“There will be no more chances for Mr. Hall.”

In the latest case, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Division had the defendant under surveillance as part of an undercover operation. Sullivan presented witnesses and evidence proving investigators used a confidential informant to set up a controlled drug buy for Feb. 18, 2025.

When investigators arrested the defendant he was in possession of 5 separate baggies of methamphetamine. Each of the baggies held just over 3 grams of meth – often sold as an “8-ball.”

Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office for its investigation that helped bring the case to a successful conclusion.

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

Man Facing Meth Trafficking Trial Enters Plea, Receives 15-year Sentence

Posted on July 23, 2026July 23, 2026 by Admin SA

A Panama City man set to go to trial Thursday for Trafficking in Methamphetamine (more than 28) grams instead entered an open plea Wednesday and was sentenced to 15 years in prison, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Lajarvis Santez Allen, 40, of Panama City, entered an open plea to the charge, meaning Circuit Court Judge Shonna Young Gay would decide the sentence without an arranged agreement. The charge carries a minimum-mandatory 7 years in prison and up to 30 years.

After hearing from Prosecutor Zachary VanDyke, the defendant, and family members of the defendant, Gay handed down a sentence of 15 years.

“The State would say this isn’t the kind of person we want out on the streets of Florida, and that you sentence him to at least 15 years in the Department of Corrections,” VanDyke said.

VanDyke was prepared to call witnesses and present evidence that Panama City Beach Police Department detectives developed information the defendant was delivering a large amount of methamphetamine to a location on the beach on Feb. 15, 2024.

The defendant was under surveillance and was detained after pulling into a driveway in the area where the transaction was supposed to occur. Detectives said the defendant was moving “furtively” and appeared to be concealing an item in his pants while still in the car.

A drug-detecting K-9 alerted to the presence of drugs in the vehicle, which was searched without success. But the defendant was found to have about 2 ounces of methamphetamine hidden in his boxer shorts.

Basford thanked the Panama City Beach Police Department for its pre-emptive work that kept the methamphetamine from reaching the streets.

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

JURY: Pittman Stabbed Boyfriend to Death

Posted on July 23, 2026July 23, 2026 by Admin SA

A Panama City man was found guilty as charged Wednesday of Second-Degree Murder in the July 18, 2023 stabbing death of his boyfriend at a Springfield convenience store, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Calvin Lovelle Pittman, 47, of Panama City, was found guilty of Second-Degree Murder and Destruction or Tampering with Physical Evidence after about 45 minutes of deliberation. Circuit Court Judge Shonna Young Gay set sentencing for Sept. 11. The murder charge is a First-Degree Felony punishable by up to Life in prison.

Prosecutor Peter Overstreet called about a dozen witnesses and presented physical evidence in the 2-day trial proving Pittman stabbed Phillip S. Harvey, 20, in the side while the two were arguing in Harvey’s car July 18, 2023. The victim suffered a large, 4-inch-deep gash to his lower left abdomen before exiting the car and stumbling about 20 feet where he collapsed.

A key piece of evidence came from the victim himself. As hospital workers tried to stabilize him for emergency surgery that day, he told two nurses that he was stabbed by Pittman during an argument.

“Mr. Harvey did nothing wrong to deserve this, but as he fought for his life on the way to surgery that day, he did something very right: he was able to identify his attacker by name,” Overstreet said. “He knew his life was in danger and he made very sure that the authorities would know it was Calvin Pittman who did this. He played a large part in bringing his killer to justice.”

“We are grateful the jurors saw this case for what it was, looked at the evidence, and concluded Mr. Harvey was telling the truth.”

Two nurses on duty that day testified the victim identified his attacker. They both also testified he asked them if he was “going to see his mom,” who passed away two years earlier.

One said the victim, suffering from a deep stab wound that went through his spleen and kidney, also asked her if he was going to see his mom as she helped get him ready for surgery.

“He said his boyfriend Calvin Pittman stabbed him during an argument,” she testified. “He told me he knew he was going to see his momma now. They put him under for the surgery and he bled out.”

Prosecutor Morgan Morrell, far left, questions a witness.

Overstreet said the victim’s identification of the killer came with no doubt.

“I submit to you when a man is dying … I don’t think he’s going to somehow fantasize and misrepresent something,” Overstreet said. “He was afraid he was going to die and he wanted his killer caught.”

Surveillance video showed the victim’s car pull up to the gas pumps of a Springfield convenience store the evening of July 18, 2023. Witnesses said there was no disturbance or shouting that drew their attention at first. But 39 seconds after arriving the defendant gets out, and 2 seconds after that the driver gets out clutching his side. He can be seen stumbling away but after 9 seconds collapses.

The passenger, identified as Calvin Pittman, is seen leaving the car and going to the victim, bending over him for a brief period. Seconds after the clerk arrived and began administering first aid, the defendant calmly walked back to the car and 20 seconds later was driving away.

“The defense would have you believe he was rendering aid, he was not,” Overstreet said. “He was essentially covering up what he had done. He didn’t do anything, he didn’t say anything, and when all eyes were on the victim what did Calvin Pittman do? He calmly walked away, shut the passenger’s door … and fled because he did not want to get caught for what he had done.”

Pittman was caught the next day in Panama City by police following “pings” emitted by a T-Mobile device in the vehicle. The defendant had parked it among some other cars hidden by houses and a fence, not visible from the roadway.

Basford thanked the Springfield Police Department, Panama City Police Department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for their work on the investigation.

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

60 Months in Prison for Contractor in Hurricane Michael Theft Case

Posted on July 16, 2026 by Admin SA

A Tampa-area contractor found guilty last month of taking tens of thousands of dollars from an 87-year-old man for work that never took place after Hurricane Michael was sentenced to 5 years in prison Thursday.

State Attorney Larry Basford said Mark Eugene Stargardt, 66, of Stargardt and Associates, LLC in Valrico, was found guilty June 16 of Grand Theft (more than $20,000). He has been in custody since. Circuit Court Judge Shonna Young Gay Thursday also ordered the defendant to make $46,606.33 in restitution.

“This has been an absolute nightmare for the victim in this case,” Prosecutor Zachary VanDyke said after the trial. “He did everything right and the defendant took advantage of him and continued to lead him along for months. His perseverance and attention to detail – keeping track of all his records – helped make sure this defendant was held accountable.”

VanDyke called witnesses and presented evidence proving Stargardt and his company cashed checks from the victim totaling about $38,000 between February 2019 and May 2019 even though, by August 2019, no work had been done on the property in 6 months. The only permit pulled was for the initial demolition, which was incomplete, done improperly, and had to be redone by another contractor.

As the victim’s frustration with the lack of progress mounted, he repeatedly contacted the company and its representatives. But at trial he testified that at every turn there was either an excuse or a promise of how it would be made right.

By August the defendant took his complaints to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, which investigated and arrested Stargardt.

Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office for its investigation that helped bring the case to a successful conclusion.

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.

30-Year Sentence for Sexually Assaulting Teens on Campus

Posted on July 10, 2026 by Admin SA

A former Bay High School student was sentenced to 30 years in prison Thursday for sexually assaulting two 14-year-old girls in the locker room, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Jaques Cortez Lee, 22, was 19 and a senior at the time of the offenses. He was found guilty in May of Sexual Battery of one of the victims and Lewd and Lascivious Battery on the other for the Nov. 8, 2022 attack.

Circuit Court Judge Shonna Young Gay sentenced the defendant to 30 years for the Sexual Battery and 15 years on Lewd and Lascivious Battery, and that the sentences run concurrently, or at the same time. Judge Gay also designated the defendant as a Sexual Predator.

Prosecutor Morgan McAfee called both victims as witnesses to testify about the Nov. 8, 2022 assaults.

One of the victims was going to meet with the defendant and a friend went with her for safety. The evidence showed that while in the locker room the defendant sexually assaulted both girls. Both victims reported it and underwent forensic interviews at the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center.

Basford thanked the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center for its work and the Bay County Sheriff’s Office for its thorough investigation that helped bring the case to a successful conclusion.

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