News & Updates

SEXUAL PREDATOR NEW ADDRESS NOTIFICATION - Bridgett Fair View Full Press Release

A bicyclist killed when she was struck by a pick-up truck near the intersection of Highway 98 and Vinings Way in Destin has been identified as a 20-year old from Bangkok Thailand. Investigators say Parichat Chatmas of 251 Vinings Way was trying to cross Highway 98...

Two Baker residents caught in the act while burglarizing a Santa Rosa County business last month will also be charged in connection with a string of church burglaries in Northwest Florida, including Okaloosa County. 26-year old Westley Steiner and 20-year old...

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office wants to warn the public of a phone scam involving a man claiming to be a Lieutenant with the agency. He is telling people there is a warrant for their arrest and they need to send him money to clear it up. He has also set up a...

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a report of a home invasion robbery last night (March 19th) at 1510 W. Ponderosa Road in Fort Walton Beach. The victim says she heard a knock at the door around 10:00 p.m. and when she opened the door the suspect...

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA, – United States Attorney Pamela C. Marsh announced that Joshua Douglas Taylor, 24, of Shalimar, Florida, was sentenced yesterday afternoon by Chief U.S. District Judge Casey Rodgers to 360 months in prison for receipt and transportation of child...

A suspicious vehicle led Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office deputies on a chase along Highway 98 Monday evening before deputies called off the pursuit due to heavier traffic and the driver’s speeds. The driver has now been identified as 30-year old Laderick Sankey of...

PRESS RELEASE William Eddins, State Attorney for the First Judicial Circuit, announced today that Jason Terrell Harris has been convicted of Attempted Robbery with a Firearm after a jury trial which ended Friday evening. The charges concerned an incident which...

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has partnered with the City of Destin and the Florida Department of Transportation to obtain a $50,000 grant for enhanced DUI enforcement within the Destin City limits. This program will be called the “Drive Sober in Destin”...

Members of the Okaloosa County Multi-Agency Drug Task Force intercepted a United States Postal Service parcel containing approximately one pound of high-grade marijuana on March 3rd. The package was destined for an address in Fort Walton Beach. Through a series of...

Deputies who went to a Crestview area home to serve a misdemeanor violation of probation warrant Monday found an active meth cook taking place. 27-year old Jonathan David Miller of 2420 Lake Silver Road is charged with trafficking in methamphetamine and possession of...

Cram The Canoe Youth Camp Project

A road rage incident on State Road 85 yesterday evening (March 2nd) had an unexpected and potentially dangerous impact on a motorcyclist heading north around 5 p.m. Deputies say it involved the vehicle of 29-year old Thomas Biddle, (being driven by his wife), a black...

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has charged a Fort Walton Beach woman with an open count of murder and aggravated child abuse in connection with the death of her newborn daughter. 29-year old Tonisha Lache Crowell was booked into the Okaloosa County Jail in...

An Okaloosa County School Resource Officer who spotted a careless driver in the elementary school parking lot ended up arresting the man on multiple felony charges, including possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute and possession of marijuana with intent...

A narcotics search warrant executed February 26th at a home in Bluewater Bay has led to the arrest of two people and the discovery of various illegal narcotics, including heroin. The OCSO Street Crimes Unit, Drug Task Force, K-9 Unit, and members of the Criminal...

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of a newborn baby that was discovered last night in a white garbage bag in a ditch. Deputies responded to a home in Fort Walton Beach after getting a call from a doctor at Fort Walton Beach Medical...

Carjacking Ganey Arrest Report

State Road 20 Work Flyer Feb 2014

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a man who stole a car at gunpoint in Baker this evening. An officer with the Crestview Police Department stopped the car in Crestview a short time later, but the driver reportedly refused to get out and took off,...