Crime Archive

A vehicle theft ring that targeted victims along Hwy 98 in Navarre and Gulf Breeze has been stopped. A total of five suspects were arrested and all six vehicles including a Chevy Tahoe and a Z71 have been recovered.

A Craigslist search for a “female companion” apparently turned into a violent robbery in the early hours of Aug. 27 in Gulf Breeze. Steven Carl Struck told Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office deputies that he had been corresponding via e-mail and text messaging with a woman as a result of the ad. The woman, later identified as Holly Caudle, identified herself as “Gloria,” upon arrival at his home at 2 a.m.. She was accompanied by another man, later identified as Robert Fraser. According the report, Struck allowed both into his home after they asked to use the restroom.

20-year-old James “Hunter” Gates of Pace, Fl has been charged with homicide-negligent manslaughter after firing a shotgun while under the influence of alcohol.

40-year-old Ramon Wade Renfro of Pace was sentenced to 45 years in prison Aug. 13 by Circuit Judge John F. Simon, who also issued a 5-year concurrent sentence for violation of a pre-existing felony probation from 2011.

A Fort Walton Beach woman accused of killing her newborn child by putting her inside a plastic bag and placing her outside in a garbage can in February has been indicted on charges of First Degree Premeditated Murder and/or First Degree Felony Murder and Aggravated Child Abuse.

The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office reported Aug. 11 that one person apprehended Friday night in Atmore, Alabama, following a high-speed pursuit had been arrested earlier the same week in Santa Rosa County and accused of narcotics-related crimes.

Three Santa Rosa County residents, including one from Gulf Breeze, face narcotics charges after being arrested following a routine traffic stop.

A Pensacola man accused of having sex with minors in Santa Rosa County is scheduled for a felony arraignment Aug. 21 before Judge John L. Miller.

A 43-year-old Gulf Breeze man will spend life in prison on charges of kidnapping and sexual battery relating to an incident on Pensacola Beach.

A local man faces three charges in connection to a July 23 early morning break-in at a Navarre restaurant.