Three arrests made after officials find active meth lab
CRESTVIEW — Officials have arrested three individuals after an active methamphetamine laboratory was found early Tuesday at a home on South Pearl Street. Crestview Police SWAT deployed a search...
View ArticleWoman requests to withdraw plea in principal to murder case
CRESTVIEW — Nicole Allen’s request that her no contest plea be withdrawn will push her murder case back at least a few months. Allen, 28, was scheduled to appear in court Monday to be sentenced on one...
View ArticleByrne resigns seat on NWF State College Board of Trustees
NICEVILLE — Northwest Florida State College trustee Patrick E. Byrne resigned his position Tuesday. Byrne, who was appointed to the board in March by Gov. Rick Scott, declined to comment on his...
View ArticleFood World stores to close
Food World stores in Mary Esther and Niceville will not survive their parent company’s recent filing for bankruptcy protection. Belle Foods, which operates 57 grocery stores in Florida, Mississippi,...
View ArticleSouth Walton lifeguards protect the public: 'You don’t get breaks'
Sam Burt turned the four-wheeler’s ignition key and headed to the beach on a sunny morning before last week’s torrential rain. But unlike most beachgoers, he couldn’t shut his eyes on the sand or...
View ArticleFWB business owner sentenced for submitting fraudulent BP claim
The owner of a Fort Walton Beach business has been sentenced to six months in prison for committing fraud in collecting damages from the BP oil spill, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs...
View ArticleFireworks complaint leads to pot charge
DESTIN – Thanks to somebody shooting off fireworks, a New Orleans faces drug charges. On July 2 an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s deputy went to Jetty East condominiums on Gulf Shore Drive to look into a...
View ArticleReport: Tired of walking, man breaks into store, steals bikes
FORT WALTON BEACH – A man was arrested after he broke into a store and stole two bicycles so he and his brother could ride home instead of walking, lawmen say. The incident occurred July 2 at Dragon...
View ArticleDeputies find unresponsive woman, crack, pills
FORT WALTON BEACH – A woman who was unresponsive behind the wheel of a car parked at a pharmacy ended up being taken to jail on drug charges, lawmen say. On July 2 an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s deputy...
View ArticleFreeport gets new mayor, council members
FREEPORT - The longtime mayor and two City Council incumbents were ousted from their positions in Tuesday’s election. Freeport Mayor Mickey Marse, who had held the post for 22 years, lost to Russ...
View ArticleFire damages house on Oak Avenue
NICEVILLE - A fire damaged a house Tuesday afternoon after a pet jumped onto a gas stove and overturned some food to ignite the blaze, according to firefighters. The fire at 512 Oak Ave. was reported...
View ArticleCrestview City Council sets tentative tax rate
CRESTVIEW - Emphasizing several times that it can be lowered during budget discussions, the City Council voted 3-1 Monday to set a tentative millage rate of 5.8466 for fiscal 2014. The 0.25 percent...
View ArticleOfficials take stock after storms: 'We’re at major flood stage'
PONCE DE LEON — A Walton County Sheriff’s Office boat broke the stillness of the Choctawhatchee River on Monday as it made its way down the murky green stream. Deputy Brad Barefield steered the boat...
View ArticleInmate on work detail killed in Crestview wreck
CRESTVIEW — A state prison inmate heading to a work site in Baker was killed Friday morning when the van he was riding in was hit and overturned, according to police. Lawrence Houze, 50, was riding in...
View ArticlePolice say woman took mom's jewelry
CRESTVIEW – A woman was arrested for stealing jewelry from her mother, Crestview Police report. The theft is said to have occurred June 23. A Crestview woman told lawmen her daughter, 26-year-old...
View ArticleMan grapples with police, receives three Tasings
NICEVILLE – A man suspected of physically abusing his girlfriend had to be Tased three times by Niceville Police officers before he could be handcuffed, according to an arrest report. On July 6 a...
View ArticleTwo men arrested for pot, bongs, pipes, scale
NICEVILLE – Two young men were arrested after a Niceville Police officer investigating an iPhone theft went to their residence and was greeted by a cloud of marijuana smoke, and bongs, scales and...
View ArticleOkaloosa scores up on end-of-course exams (DOCUMENT)
FORT WALTON BEACH — Okaloosa County students showed some improvement in their overall performance on the end-of-course exams this past school year. Of the 50 types of district exams administered to...
View ArticleZimmerman trial: Jury stops deliberating for night
SANFORD, Fla. (AP) — With police and civic leaders urging calm, a jury began deliberating George Zimmerman's fate Friday after hearing dueling portraits of the neighborhood watch captain: a cop...
View ArticleMother, son arrested for exploiting elderly man
DEFUNIAK SPRINGS - A mother and son were arrested Thursday for using the credit card of a 93-year-old man, according to the Walton County Sheriff's Office. Betty Linda Redmond, 52, of DeFuniak...
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