News & Updates

What began as a simple traffic stop in Crestview last month quickly turned into something much bigger. A white Toyota Tacoma rolled through a stop sign at the intersection of Shoffner Boulevard and Highway 90 East February 17th. The violation was minor, but it was...

In less than 12 hours Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office investigators were able to develop and track a suspect in the shooting death Wednesday of a Mary Esther man. The suspect, 20-year old Kavari McQueen of Crestview, is currently being held in the Leon County Jail on...

Update: A suspect is in custody at this time in another jurisdiction. More information to be released at a later time. The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office is actively investigating a fatal shooting that took place early this morning in north Okaloosa County. A...

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office is increasing transparency and public accountability by launching a Flock Safety Transparency Portal on its agency website. The public-facing portal provides detailed information about how the Sheriff’s Office uses Flock Safety...

In December 2025, members from the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Unit received a tip from the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children regarding child sexual abuse material. The investigation identified Colby Sanders of...

A 14-year-old Crestview student is charged with writing a threat to commit a school shooting. An investigation was immediately launched after a threat to shoot up Crestview High School was found written in red marker on the bathroom wall of a girls’ restroom the...

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a 15-year-old Fort Walton Beach area resident for making threats to carry out a school shooting. In addition to a charge of issuing a written/electronic threat to commit a mass shooting, Joel Bravo-Jaramillo is also...

An investigation into a Crestview area shooting has led to charges against 54-year-old Reginald Bradshaw of 881 West James Lee Boulevard for possession of a weapon or ammo by a convicted felon. Investigators say during a disturbance at the home January 15th, a woman...

OCSO investigators are working a Thursday night shooting that injured a Shalimar man outside his Oak Lane home. The victim suffered multiple gunshots and was taken to a local hospital for treatment where at last word he was in stable condition. The OCSO utilized the...

A Fort Walton Beach man who made sexually inappropriate remarks to several juvenile girls also committed a lewd and lascivious act in front of them near David Street and was taken into custody by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. 23-year old Marco Lanza Turicios...

How many cameras are deployed in the field by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office? The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has deployed 79 Flock Safety Cameras throughout the county. These automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras are a proven, important tool...

A stolen car. An attempted carjacking. A suspect running through neighborhoods trying to hide. Quick coordination between OCSO and netted a suspect connected to an attempted carjacking, stolen vehicle, and residential burglary. 30-year old Matthew Teems of Fort Walton...

19-year old Debra Espey was a quiet, sweet. all-American girl. But the young Niceville college student met with a tragic end back on March 12th of 1973. Nearly 53 years later, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office says the case has been closed by “Death of the...

On December 23rd, Lennys Cotto and Joe Trejo were arrested in Okaloosa County for sex trafficking of two juvenile females. The investigation stems from the arrest of Cotto and Trejo in May 2025. During the investigation, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland...

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office responded to a fatal shooting that took place at a residence on Kanuha Drive Saturday night, December 20th. Kanuha Drive is located off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard north of Mary Esther. A 9-1-1 call was received shortly after...

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has charged a man with numerous traffic violations including DUI, as well as child neglect, after a hit and run on Okaloosa Island Saturday night. A motorist on Okaloosa Island reported a white Ford F-150 pickup truck hit his...

The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office has received reports of financial losses in excess of 1.1 million dollars from two separate victims due to fraudulent cryptocurrency investment scams during the month of October alone. These scams often begin when victims are...

Members of the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit have spent the past two weeks conducting undercover operations designed to identify and arrest online child predators. They dubbed this latest effort “Operation Dark Harvest”...

Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office investigators responding to a series of complaints and Emerald Coast Crime Stoppers tips arrested a New York woman on a charge of prostitution Thursday at a business near Fort Walton Beach. 30-year old Suping Wu of Flushing New York...

An Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office K9 Unit, alongside Okaloosa and Walton Correctional Institution teams, tirelessly tracked a fugitive through a swamp Saturday for several hours before taking him into custody off Bill Lundy Road. K9 Beau and Deputy Tim Patterson, as...