Crime Archive

The men at the center of the controversial killing of a Milton-area alligator in March have entered into a pretrial diversion (PTD) contract. If the men complete the court-ordered tasks, their charges could be dismissed.

Kevin Lacz, Richard Reder and Jason Griffin are accused of illegally removing an 8.5-foot alligator from a retention pond in Milton and bringing the live alligator to a residence, where it was killed with a power drill. Lacz had previously been a SNAP trapper.

Brandon Aydelott, 30, who killed his mother, Sharon, on Christmas Eve 2013, appeared in court Oct. 21 to request a day pass and community pass.

Aydelott, who was found not guilty of his mother’s murder by reason of insanity, has been in a Tallahassee-area mental health facility called the Apalachee Center since 2024, following a decade in the state hospital at Chattahoochee. Since his arrival at Apalachee Center, Aydelott has been moved to a lower-security unit within the facility.

Theresa Mitchell, a gymnastics coach and social media content creator from Navarre, was set to be sentenced Oct. 14 for crimes related to child sexual abuse material.

A decision of what’s next for Mitchell will now wait until December.

It took less than two hours of deliberation for a Fort Walton Beach jury to find former Okaloosa County sheriff’s deputy Eddie Duran not guilty in connection with the 2024 shooting death of Senior Airman Roger Fortson.

A Santa Rosa County jury found a state prison inmate guilty of manslaughter in connection of a 2022 incident where he strangled his cellmate to death, according to a news release from the State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden’s office.

Jurors found Tavis Williams guilty on Sept. 1 and was sentenced by Circuity Judge Clifton Drake.

The man who first found Danika Troy’s body in the woods off Kimberly Road in Floridatown has been sentenced to prison.

Mitchell Eddins, 46, was sentenced to four years in state prison and 364 days in county jail after pleading guilty to felony petit theft and failing to report a death to the Medical Examiner’s Office or law enforcement.

Two people have been arrested after security video allegedly showed dogs being struck and forcibly pushed underneath a fence at a Midway property.

Charolette Ann Dellinger, 57, and David Kella Neely, 57, each face a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge. Both are involved in dog breeding.

Jesse LaCoste, a Northwest Florida contractor convicted of racketeering and organized fraud, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for a scheme that affected dozens of homeowners.

LaCoste was sentenced Aug. 31 in connection with a fraud scheme involving more than $2 million and victims in Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties. The scheme occurred from 2018 to 2022.

A man was arrested after allegedly yelling, cussing and recording voters at Santa Rosa County Auditorium in Milton Tuesday, Aug. 18.

Marc Jon Manchon, 40, is charged with felony battery, resisting an officer, disturbing the peace and violating election law, which is a felony.

A Gulf Breeze man was arrested after he allegedly stabbed a woman with scissors and took her vehicle without permission.

Eric Lee Welch, 40, is charged with battery with domestic violence and vehicle theft.