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Good morning!
Here’s what we have today:
- The community grieves as Walton County Deputy Will May dies following the Dollar General shooting. In Okaloosa County, Jason Autrey steps into a new deputy administrator position, and a Florosa Elementary music teacher brings handcrafted marimbas to her classroom through grants. Meanwhile, Crestview prepares for Restylers’ grand opening celebration, and a retired Army officer plans to share his father’s World War II heroism at an upcoming living history event.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Walton County Deputy Will May dies after Dollar General shooting
A Walton County sheriff’s deputy has died from injuries sustained in a shooting outside a Dollar General store in Mossy Head on Wednesday afternoon.
- Sheriff Michael Adkinson announced during an evening press conference that Deputy Will May succumbed to his wounds at approximately 7:10 p.m. after doctors spent four hours trying to save his life at North Okaloosa Medical Center.
“Will fought the entire time…from returning fire to fighting for his own life,” Adkinson said.
The shooting occurred around 2:00 p.m. when Deputy May responded to a call about an individual causing a disturbance at the Dollar General on US Highway 90 near Lancelot Road. According to Adkinson, May was not scheduled to work Wednesday but had volunteered for overtime.
Adkinson said the interaction lasted only 10-15 seconds before turning deadly.
“Deputy May responded to the Dollar General store, made contact with the suspect. There was a brief discussion, approximately 10 to 15 seconds in which the suspect exited the store with Deputy May,” Adkinson explained. “Within 10 seconds of the suspect walking out of the store with Deputy May behind him, that suspect drew a firearm and fired multiple rounds.”
Despite being shot, May managed to draw his weapon and return fire. The sheriff said approximately 18 rounds were exchanged during the brief but violent confrontation. The suspect, whom Adkinson declined to name, died at the scene.
- May was wearing a ballistic vest that stopped multiple rounds, but one bullet went beneath the vest, causing the fatal injury. Fellow deputies, including one with EMT training, arrived within minutes to render aid before Walton County Fire Rescue transported him to the hospital.
A second-generation member of the sheriff’s office, May joined the department in 2014 as a communications officer before becoming a deputy in 2019. He had served as a field training officer since 2023. His father is a retired assistant fire chief, and his mother is a former dispatcher.
“He chose a lifetime of service,” Adkinson said.
The sheriff emphasized that May did everything correctly and there was no indication the situation would turn violent. The suspect was not going to be arrested but simply asked to leave the store.
- “I am struggling on behalf of this organization to make sense of this because I can tell you, there is absolutely nothing tactically wrong that Deputy May did,” Adkinson said. “I’ve been in this business 32 years. There is nothing I would’ve done differently.”
May leaves behind a wife and two teenage children. According to the sheriff, May’s wife had asked him not to work overtime that day.
“His wife told me a couple hours ago, ‘I asked him not to go to work today’,” Adkinson said. “It was the last call of his shift today, he was on his way home. He said, ‘I will catch this on my way home.’”
The sheriff’s office is requesting time to process the tragedy and properly honor May’s service.
“We would ask the public for a little bit of grace, a little bit of time to try and wrap our minds around this and to honor our deputy and to allow us to bury him with dignity and respect,” Adkinson said.
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BUSINESS
Restylers to celebrate new Crestview location with grand opening event on April 5
Restylers, an aftermarket automotive customization specialist, is celebrating the opening of its new Crestview location with a grand opening event Saturday.
- The company, which has operated in Crestview since 2015, moved to a significantly larger facility in October 2024 to accommodate growing customer demand.
The spacious 13,000-square-foot facility represents not just a bigger building, but a deeper commitment to the community the automotive customization shop has served over the last decade.
“The Crestview community has been great,” said Brandon Williams, who manages the Crestview location. “We like to get on a first name basis with our customers and they like to be able to have that locally-owned business that they can rely on.”
Restylers, which also operates a location in Fort Walton Beach, opened its new Crestview shop at 517 W James Lee Boulevard after outgrowing its previous 4,800-square-foot space.
- The company will celebrate with a grand opening event Saturday, April 5, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring free food, raffles, and vendor displays.
For Williams, who has been with Restylers longer than any employee except owner Josh Ullrich, the expansion reflects the company’s evolution alongside its customer base.
“We want to continue to be that staple in the community that everybody can depend on,” Williams said. “Being a premier aftermarket installer, we want to stay ahead of the game especially as vehicles continue to advance.”
The new building on James Lee Boulevard gives Restylers room to breathe and grow, with the company currently utilizing about 10,000 square feet of the available space.
The move has allowed the shop to expand its capabilities, adding a flush-mounted alignment rack that can service lowered vehicles and a new Rhino lining machine for bed liners.
- “No longer are we having to send trucks down to our Fort Walton Beach location,” Williams explained. “We can pretty much service everything in-house right here in Crestview.”
From window tinting and bed liners to lift kits, wheels, tires, audio and lighting, Restylers offers a comprehensive range of customization services. The company partners with nationally recognized brands including BDS Suspension, Ready Lift, Rough Country lift kits, Fuel Off Road, American Force, and Hostile wheels.
“We try to partner with the main, nationwide brands that have a good reputation, that stand behind their product, that offer warranties on their product and have good quality parts,” Williams said.
During Saturday’s grand opening celebration, visitors can tour the facility, see examples of Restylers’ work, and enter raffles for prizes including a $250 wheel gift card, a free Rhino lining, and a free Lumar window tint. The first 100 people will receive raffle tickets.
- The event will also showcase vehicle wrapping, a new service Restylers is adding to its offerings.
SCHOOL
Florosa Elementary music teacher brings handcrafted marimbas to students with grants
by Ashley Armacost
Florosa Elementary School’s music teacher Sarah Theres, secured $6,700 in grants to bring two handcrafted marimbas to her classroom and provide students a hands-on learning experience with instrument building.
- The funding came from multiple sources, including $2,500 from the Country Music Awards Foundation after Theres was selected as one of 10 music teachers of excellence nationwide. A company called Altered State doubled the grant to $5,000, and the Okaloosa Schools Foundation provided the remaining $1,700.
“I’ve had this dream for 14 years,” Theres said. “I tried to do this in other counties and I couldn’t get it done.”
The marimbas were built by Thomas Bourne in Washington state. He disassembled them, shipped them to Florida, and flew in to reassemble them with help from students. During his visit, Bourne conducted presentations for third, fourth, and fifth graders, teaching them about instrument construction and tuning.
Bourne, a former music teacher who has been building marimbas for about 25 years, said he has made approximately 2,000 instruments and shipped them across the United States and Internationally.
- “When I send these out, they’re a little bit sharp and they need a little bit of attention to every single one of these bars to bring them exactly in tune,” Bourne explained while demonstrating the tuning process to students.
The wooden instruments are designed with portability in mind, featuring wheels and collapsible legs that allow them to be easily moved and stored in small music classrooms.
Theres said the instruments will enable one-to-one instruction in her classroom, ensuring that every student can participate. “Every kid can play one simultaneously,” she said.
Theres, who has been teaching for 16 years with four years in Okaloosa County, credited Principal Dawn Massey for supporting her vision.
- “Principal Massey is the most supportive admin I’ve ever had,” Theres said. “When I bring her a dream, she says, ‘Yes, how can I support you?’”
The marimbas are made primarily from Padauk wood for the bars, which Bourne described as having superior musical qualities compared to other available woods. The frames are made of maple, oak and plywood.
Bourne emphasized the importance of music education, particularly programs that involve collaboration.
- “The thing that I like about music in schools nowadays is, especially with an instrument, we’re going to get kids up on their feet and doing something and doing things that are collaborative with one another in a way that they don’t always get in a classroom,” Bourne said.
Theres hopes the project will inspire students who might not be interested in performing music to explore other aspects of the field.
“Maybe there are kids who don’t really like performing music, but realize they can build instruments,” she said. “Music is so much more than just the performance aspect of it. You can be an engineer, you can be creative, you can do woodworking. It’s more like the STEM process.”
BUSINESS
Jason Autrey appointed to new deputy administrator position in Okaloosa County
The Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved Jason Autrey as the new Deputy County Administrator for Development Services on April 1.
- The newly established position, approved by commissioners in February as part of an organizational restructuring, will oversee the county’s Growth Management, Public Works, and Water and Sewer departments.
Autrey has served with the county for two decades, including the past decade as Public Works Director. In this role, he has managed various functions including engineering, road maintenance, fleet operations, surveying, mosquito control, solid waste, environmental services, traffic operations, and capital improvements.
“I can’t say enough about Mr. Autrey. I don’t even know what our county would be like without you,” said Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel on Tuesday morning. “You’re just always available. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the weekend or the weekday. You’ve always answered my questions so thoroughly, and you have a great team behind you.”
The restructuring aims to enhance internal efficiencies by consolidating oversight of three departments critical to development and infrastructure.
- “I think what this is really going to do is give an opportunity to try to pull together three different departments that are all critical when it comes to development, land use permitting, things of that nature,” Commissioner Trey Goodwin said. “I think you’ve got an excellent opportunity to work on streamlining processes and making things more efficient.”
County Administrator John Hofstad, who appointed Autrey as Public Works Director in 2014, expressed confidence in the selection.
“One of the greatest joys of my almost 40 years in local government is being able to find talent within an organization and elevate that talent where they can succeed. This is one of those examples,” Hofstad said.
Autrey, a University of Florida graduate with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, is a state-certified professional engineer and certified public manager. Before joining the county, he worked in the private sector as an engineer specializing in development services.
- “I do want to thank you all, the commissioners, for all the support. I do want to be available, not just for you, but for the citizens,” Autrey said after the approval. “I’m just a guy that shows up with great people around him. I’m so fortunate and blessed to have that and I appreciate this and I look forward to the opportunity to continue to serve the county.”
The appointment took effect immediately following the board’s approval.
THINGS TO DO
Retired Army officer to discuss father’s WWII heroics at living history event
by Ashley Armacost
A decorated military veteran will share stories of his father’s World War II leadership during a free community event this weekend in Crestview.
- Lt. Col. William Hogan, a retired U.S. Army officer will speak about his father’s role in liberating western Europe at the Race to the Rhine living history weekend on Saturday, April 5, event organizers announced.
Hogan, who received the Bronze Star and Defense Meritorious Medal during his own military career, authored “Task Force Hogan,” chronicling his father Sam’s experience as a tank battalion commander.
“My dad was the youngest and one of the most successful tank battalion commanders in WWII and I wrote about his unit in my book,” Hogan said.
The award-winning book documents previously unreported U.S. military operations in the European theater, focusing on what Hogan describes as “unsung heroes.”
Military historian Rick Steinke praised the work for its comprehensive tactical insights and emotional storytelling.
- “His understanding of military combined arms tactics, operations, and strategy, from the basic tank crew to major European Theater operations, is breathtaking,” Steinke said of Hogan’s book.
Hogan brings considerable military experience to his presentation. A fourth-generation Army veteran, he served in armored, airborne and special operations units worldwide, including deployments to Bosnia, Honduras and Afghanistan.
His diplomatic credentials include two assignments as a military attaché, including service in the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City.
The free presentation begins at 1 p.m. on April 5 at the WWII Museum located inside the Crestview Senior Center at Spanish Trail Park. Following his talk, Hogan will take questions from the audience and sign copies of his book.
There is no admission charge for the Race to the Rhine event or Hogan’s presentation.
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