WALTON COUNTY, FLA— An Alabama man charged in the 2022 death of a friend during a bachelor party in Walton County is sentenced to eight years in prison.

The sentence results from an incident on May 14, 2022, on Sand Dunes Road in Santa Rosa Beach, when the Walton County Sheriff’s Office responded to a medical assist call.

When deputies arrived, they discovered a man lying on the ground unconscious. While trying to take life-saving measures, three more men collapsed and became unresponsive.

All the men were transported to Sacred Heart, but days later, Thomas Gleason, 26, of Ridgefield, Connecticut took his last breath in front of his parents when he was taken off life support.

An investigation revealed that the group of friends from Georgia, Alabama, and Connecticut traveled to Walton County for a bachelor party to celebrate an engagement.

The investigation also found the underlying cause of Gleason’s death was a lethal dose of fentanyl which was found in narcotics directly provided by Nabors.

On Tuesday, November 15^th, Nabors was indicted on felony charges of distributing a controlled substance causing death, and on November 30^th he turned himself into the Walton County Jail.

“This case relied heavily on witness testimony proving Nabors provided the drugs during the party,” said Sheriff Michael Adkinson. “That single decision altered the course of an immeasurable number of lives.”

On Thursday, December 12^th, Nabors, now 28, was sentenced by Judge Jeffrey Lewis. His sentence will be followed by five years of probation.

In his victim’s impact statement, Thomas’ father, Bob Gleason, said the pain was unimaginable.

“Mr. Nabors’ actions took Tom’s life and in doing so, tattooed an indelible sadness on the hearts of myself, my wife, our daughter, and the more than 500 people who attended Tom’s funeral,” Gleason said.

“Our hearts ache for the Gleason family and an entire community who is still in mourning,” said Sheriff Adkinson. “Let this be a lesson to all of us of the profound losses we face at the hands of drugs and addiction.”

Walton County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the District 1 Medical Examiner and the Office of the State Attorney, First Judicial Circuit for their partnership in the arrest and prosecution of this case.

READ THE ORIGINAL PRESS RELEASE HERE.

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