A Pensacola man has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison for setting off an explosive in a Fort Walton Beach parking lot that damaged a restaurant and injured one of its employees.
- Gregory Simonds Jr., 43, was sentenced on the charge of arson by means of an explosive causing personal injury, according to U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin of the Northern District of Florida. Simonds pleaded guilty to the charge in March.
Court documents state that on Feb. 15, 2025, Simonds detonated an explosive during an altercation with individuals associated with the Pagans Motorcycle Club in the parking lot of Emerald Coast Harley-Davidson on Beal Parkway. The blast damaged the adjacent Jimmy John’s restaurant and injured one of its employees.
Simonds, a member of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, fled the scene but was quickly identified and arrested by law enforcement. Officers found four additional explosive devices, two firearms, narcotics and drug paraphernalia, and an Outlaws vest in his vehicle. A subsequent search of his residence turned up additional explosive devices, explosive-making materials and equipment, and evidence that he had been manufacturing and selling explosives.
“This successful prosecution is the result of the close coordination between our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, who swiftly identified and caught this dangerous criminal so my office could bring him to justice,” Heekin said in a statement.
Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden said the outcome reflected the severity of the threat.
- “This case could certainly have ended much differently. When someone chooses to use an explosive device in a public place, they put innocent lives at risk,” Aden said. “I’m proud of the outstanding work of our investigators, in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, ATF, and FDLE, in building a case that led to this sentence.”
The case was investigated jointly by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Bureau of Fire, Arson, and Explosives Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia H. Forbes prosecuted the case.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice initiative focused on combating transnational criminal organizations and violent crime.VIDEO
