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FWB Council nominees, $400,000 in stolen coins recovered, Student charged for “shooting up the school” text

To: Daily Rundown Readers

On Tuesday night, the Fort Walton Beach City Council nominated 8 potential candidates to finish out the rest of the term of late Councilwoman Diane Keller. Her term is set to expire on March 31, 2019.

According to the Northwest Florida Daily News, here are the nominees:

  • Mike Minich
  • MG Moran
  • Rev. Cecil Williams
  • Laura Rakas
  • Bobby Nabors
  • Nathan Kelley (Valparaiso Public Works Director )
  • John Holguin II (Okaloosa County Tax Collector’s Office)
  • Robert Rennie (Fort Walton Beach Code Enforcement Board)

The nominee who receives the council’s majority vote at the Nov. 13 meeting will serve out Keller’s term.

Nearly $400,000 in stolen coins unearthed

Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Investigators not only solved the mystery of who stole $400,000 worth of silver coins from a safe at a Crestview area home, but recovered most of the money as well.

According to the police report, 37-year old Stephen Aaron Barnes of Destin is now charged with grand theft over $100,000. Investigators say he took the coins from a safe at his mother’s home and buried them in three different locations on the property.

The money was to be part of Barnes’ mother’s divorce settlement, but when the victim, her estranged husband, went to retrieve the money August 30th, he was unable to get into the safe and had to call a locksmith. Once the safe was opened, he found the coins missing. A rifle was also gone.

Barnes confessed to taking the coins, saying he was mad at the victim for all the suffering he had caused his mother during the couple’s on-going divorce proceedings. He said he buried the coins in three different locations on the property.

A 15-year old Crestview High School student has been charged with writing or sending a threat to kill or injure

According to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, a School Resource Officer was notified September 24th that a student had received threatening messages from another student that explained how law enforcement had been out at his residence a few nights prior because it was believed he was going to kill or hurt someone. He also stated,

“Every 1 is always making me getting to the point of where I’m gonna end killing sum1 or shooting up the school.”

He also made several additional comments referencing death.

The teen admitted sending the messages but says he did not really plan to shoot anyone. He said he was feeling depressed at the time. The witness said the threats made her fear for his safety and the safety of others.

Sheriff Larry Ashley emphasizes that the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has a zero tolerance policy for threats of school violence.

Public Hearing on Brooks Bridge Replacement Project

The Florida Department of Transportation will hold a public hearing concerning the U.S. 98 Brooks Bridge Replacement Project Development and Environment Study Thursday, Oct. 4 from 5:30pm – 6:30pm at the Emerald Coast Convention Center.

The hearing will begin as an open house at 5:30pm with a formal presentation at 6pm, followed by a public comment period.

The project involves replacement of the John T. Brooks Bridge which carries 98 over the Santa Rosa Sound and Gulf Intracoastal Waterway in Okaloosa County. To accommodate the bridge replacement, intersection improvements are necessary at Perry Avenue on the west end of the bridge in the City of Fort Walton Beach, and near Santa Rosa Boulevard on Okaloosa Island.

Maps, drawings, and other information will be on display. FDOT representatives will be available to discuss proposed improvements, answer questions, and receive comments.

Emergency vet clinic coming to Destin

According to The Destin Log, a new emergency veterinary clinic will open on the corner of Main Street and Legion Drive in Destin. This is an extension of the Niceville clinic and is expected to open by January 2019. To read more on the opening, click here.

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