A new report from the Northwest Florida Daily News reveals that roughly one month before the firing of former Fort Walton Beach Public Information Officer Joanna Soria, Soria alleged in an email to City Manager Michael Beedie that he had tried to “leverage her” due to some influence she may have or had with Police Officer Don Hall.
Officer Hall is the one who filed the huge complaints against former Police Chief Ed Ryan and police Capt. Tracy Hart.
According to the Northwest Florida Daily News, Soria’s relationship to Officer Hall was questioned by Beedie. Soria went on to say that this was Beedie’s “attempts to leverage me due to some influence I have over complainant Don Hall, based on the premise of a sexual relationship (untrue, and none of your business regardless).”
After an investigation from Fort Walton Beach City Attorney Hayward Dykes into the allegations, it was determined that there was no wrongdoing from Beedie.
To read more on this new report, click here or read the entire investigation report here.
Wayne Patton Realty set to close after 51 years
It’s hard to come into Downtown Fort Walton Beach and not recognize the Wayne Patton building on the southside of Highway 98. It’s the building you turn at to get to the Landing but June Dillman, owner of Wayne Patton, says it is time to move on.
Citing a change in how the real estate industry is operating nowadays with realtors not always needing an office, Dillman has to decided to list the buildings for sale and has accepted a job at another local realty company. To read more about the history of Wayne Patton Realty, click here.
Student charged with second degree felony after making bomb threat
I heard at the beginning of the school year that law enforcement and the schools in general were not playing around this year with threats of any kind. After recent school shootings across the nation, any threat of any kind is taken serious to protect the safety of the student body and those at the school.
A Ruckel Middle School student is charged with making a threat to blow up another student’s home. The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has charged 14-year old Brian Schuknecht with false reporting with intent to deceive, mislead, or misinform concerning planting a bomb or deadly explosives, a second degree felony.
An investigation by the School Resource Officer revealed Schuknecht made the threat during a 6th period class at the Niceville school on August 27th. He approached a witness and asked for another student’s address, saying he planned to “stab” the victim and “blow him up”. Schuknecht went on to say he knew how to make C4 explosives and had them at his house. A second student also overheard the comments and both provided verbal and written statements to the OCSO. The defendant admitted making the comments, but said he didn’t really mean what he said.
Truck partially hangs off the flyover on State Road 123
Yesterday on Facebook I see a post that read, “From what I understand there is a vehicle hanging off of the 123 fly over. Does anybody have details Or pictures??”
I searched and then saw…
According to the Crestview Bulletin, an 18-wheeler was heading north on State Road 85 onto the SR 123 overpass when the driver “tried to negotiate the curve too fast and veered off the road.” The truck overturned onto its right side and hit a concrete wall, and stopped near the edge of the overpass with a portion of the trailer hanging over the side.
To read more on the accident, click here.
Warrants issued in Mary Esther stabbing
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has issued warrants for two individuals in connection with a home invasion robbery and attempted murder of 29-year old Avery Morris of Mary Esther.
The victim’s girlfriend, 30-year old Stephanie Cahn, is accused of helping plan the robbery so she and co-defendant Rogeric Coleman III could get cash to leave Florida. Cahn told OCSO investigators she wanted to head north because Morris was abusive.
Morris says Coleman was already inside his townhome and attacked him as soon as he opened his front door just before 7 p.m. August 21st. Morris was stabbed repeatedly with a pocket knife and tied up with shredded towels. After Coleman left, Morris made his way to the residence next door and collapsed.
Investigators say Cahn took Coleman to the townhouse, gave Coleman keys to get inside, and let him know when Morris would be home from work.
After the attack the pair ditched the victim’s car. They fled the next day in Coleman’s vehicle, but were taken into custody after being stopped for speeding in Franklin County Georgia, where they remain currently.
Cahn is facing charges of principal to home invasion robbery, accessory after the fact to attempted homicide, and accessory after the fact. Coleman’s charges are home invasion with a deadly weapon and attempted homicide. Coleman however also has active warrants for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and battery in connection with a separate incident August 17th. Coleman’s wife says he slapped, dragged, and slammed her around their house, held a knife to her neck, and threatened to kill her and her family.
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