WALTON COUNTY, Fla— A Walton County Sheriff’s Office Captain has graduated from the prestigious Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy in Virginia. Captain Dustin Cosson is now one of 54,366 law enforcement officers who have completed the FBI National Academy since its inception in 1935. The graduation took place at the National Academy in Quantico, Virginia on Thursday, June 8th in front of family and friends. Nationally, fewer than one percent of law enforcement officers have the chance to attend. Participation is by invitation only through a nomination process. Participants are drawn from every U.S. state and territories and partnering nations internationally. Known around the world for its academic excellence, the National Academy is a ten-week course offering advanced communication, leadership, and fitness training. Participants must have proven records as professionals within their agencies to attend. Employed with the Sheriff’s Office since 2009, Captain Cosson has served in many capacities at the sheriff’s office including investigations, patrol, internal investigations, and as an active member of SWAT Team. While in various positions around the agency, the Walton County native has received numerous accolades including a Florida House of Representatives Commendation in July 2012, Deputy of the Quarter in July 2013 and August 2016, and Walton Area Chamber Young Professional of the Year in 2022. His latest promotion earned him the position of Captain of the Criminal Investigation Bureau and in just the past five years Cosson has completed The Walton Area Chamber Leadership Walton Class (2020), the Florida Department of... Read More

NOTICE OF COLLECTIVE BARGAINING NEGOTIATIONS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Collective bargaining negotiation meetings are scheduled to be held on Monday, June 12, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. and on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. (CST). The meetings will be held at the Walton County Sheriff’s Office north administration building in DeFuniak Springs. The purpose of these meetings is collective bargaining between the Walton County Sheriff’s Office and the Professional Firefighters of Walton County, Local 4413, International Association of Fire Fighters. Meetings will be held in the cypress room at 752 Triple G Road, DeFuniak Springs, FL 32433. The Walton County Sheriff adheres to the Americans with Disabilities Act and will make reasonable modifications for access to these meetings upon request. Requests may be made to the Human Resources Manager at 850-892-8111 x.3215 at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting.  https://waltonso.org/news/feed/ Read More

NOTICE OF COLLECTIVE BARGAINING NEGOTIATIONS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Collective bargaining negotiation meetings are scheduled to be held Wednesday, May 30th, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. (CST). The meetings will be held at the Walton County Sheriff’s Office north administration building in DeFuniak Springs. The purpose of this meeting is collective bargaining between the Walton County Sheriff’s Office and the Professional Firefighters of Walton County, Local 4413, International Association of Fire Fighters. The meeting will be held in the north admin conference room at 752 Triple G Road, DeFuniak Springs, FL 32433. The Walton County Sheriff adheres to the Americans with Disabilities Act and will make reasonable modifications for access to these meetings upon request. Requests may be made to the Human Resources Manager at 850-892-8111 x.3215 at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting.  https://waltonso.org/news/feed/ Read More

May 30, 2023 WALTON COUNTY, Fla— A car is stolen and recovered in less than an hour over the holiday weekend in Walton County. On May 28th, Walton County Sheriff’s Office was called to Hungry Howies Pizza located in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, in response to a stolen vehicle that occurred just moments before. Deputies arrived on scene quickly and spoke to the victim who said they went inside to take a quick break leaving the vehicle still running in the parking lot. A BOLO was put out for the vehicle and minutes later it was spotted by District 3 deputies at the intersection of Scenic Gulf and US Highway 98 West. A traffic stop was conducted at Poinciana Boulevard and U.S. Highway 98 where the suspect, identified as Jeremy Lee Trantham, 45, of Canton North Carolina was detained. Deputies were able to review the video at the back of the store showing Trantham spot the vehicle still running before getting inside and fleeing the scene. Trantham was arrested and charged with grand theft auto and booked into the Walton County Jail. He was issued a $10,000 bond and remains in custody at the time of this release.  https://waltonso.org/news/feed/ Read More

May 19, 2023 WALTON COUNTY, Fla— An anonymous tip leads to the arrest of a teenager after it’s found he created a “kill list” and shared it with others. On May 15th, Walton County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Deputies were notified of a tip submitted to Fortify FL outlining Freeport Middle School student Ryan Ciupak, 13, making threats to harm others. The School Administration at Freeport Middle School was made aware and immediately removed Ciupak from the premises and he was not allowed to return to school. Walton County Sheriff’s Deputies deputies were dispatched to the student’s home to make sure there was no access to weapons and no immediate threat was present. An investigation was launched and Ciupak’s parents brought Ryan in for an assessment the following day where he admitted to making a “kill list” and sharing it with students at the school. The parents of the students on the list were notified the same day. Several witnesses were interviewed during the course of the investigation acknowledging Cuipak had made verbal threats in the past and confirming they had seen the list. On May 19th Cuipak was arrested and charged with making written threats to harm others, a second-degree felony. He was booked into Walton County Jail and then transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice in Crestview. Walton County Sheriff’s Office is not publishing the mugshot of the student but has chosen to publicize his name based on the lack of criminal history while taking into consideration... Read More

May 17, 2023 WALTON COUNTY, FLORIDA – A man convicted of DUI manslaughter after a deadly crash in April 2022 is sentenced to 20 years in prison and a lifetime driver’s license ban. On May 16, 2023, Jose Carcamo Elvir was sentenced to 20 years in state prison by Circuit Judge Kelvin Wells, followed by 10 years of probation, fines, and court cost in the amount of $4588, DUI School, lifetime driver’s license ban, and restitution. Gomes previously entered a plea to an eight-count information filed by the State Attorney’s Office which included DUI manslaughter, four counts of DUI with serious bodily injury, expired driver’s license, and driving while license suspended causing death. In April of 2022, the defendant was arrested by the Florida Highway Patrol for DUI manslaughter related to a crash he caused that took the life of a South Florida businessman and injured several others. Elvir was driving a 2009 Chevy truck southbound on 331 approaching the traffic signal at the intersection of Highway 331 and Highway 20 in Freeport. Both southbound lanes of travel were occupied by several vehicles which were waiting at the red light. The defendant slammed into the waiting vehicles causing a massive chain reaction of crashes. FHP secured a warrant for the defendant’s blood following the crash which the Florida Department of Law Enforcement processed. The defendant’s blood alcohol content was .126. The defendant was convicted following a joint effort from the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, FHP, FDLE, and the Office of... Read More

May 8, 2023 WALTON COUNTY, Fla— A Tennessee man fleeing attempted murder charges for over a year has been captured in Walton County. Jesse L. Suggs, 37, was arrested at a home on Rock Hill Road in DeFuniak Springs this morning by Walton County Sheriff’s Office and members of the U.S. Marshals Florida Caribbean Regional Task Force after information was obtained that he was wanted out of Lincoln County, Tennessee for attempted murder. During the incident, Suggs nearly beat his girlfriend to death and threatened her life and her daughter’s life if she went forward to press charges. Authorities out of Tennessee have been searching for Suggs since April 2022. He also has nationwide extradition warrants out of Alabama. Suggs was taken into custody and transported to the Walton County Jail where he is awaiting extradition back to Tennessee. U.S. Marshals Task Force members on this arrest consisted of Bay County Sheriff’s Office, Panama City Police Department, Lynn Haven Police Department, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.  https://waltonso.org/news/feed/ Read More

April 27, 2023 WALTON COUNTY, Fla— An Alabama man faces child abuse and battery charges after a road rage incident in Walton County involving a juvenile. On April 21st Walton County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Boggy Bayou Store on Highway 20 in Niceville after a call regarding a fight in the parking lot of the business. Deputies learned the suspect, Thomas Keebler, 40, had followed the victim into the store and parked in front of their vehicle to prevent them from leaving after tailgating them and aggressively passing the car on Highway 20. Inside the victim’s car were two passengers, one was a juvenile. The incident was captured on the store’s camera system. Keebler is seen aggressively exiting his truck while enraged and lunges at the passenger and attempts to strike the back seat passenger. The third passenger attempts to exit the vehicle, but Keebler kicks the door multiple times to prevent them from leaving. Keebler then shoves one of the victims, who is a juvenile, to the ground. The driver of the car tries to intervene, but Keebler puts him in a headlock, striking him numerous times in the head. After the altercation, Keebler fled from the scene. Walton County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Intelligence identified Keebler, who we have previously ticketed multiple times this year, and contacted him. He turned himself into the Walton County Jail on Tuesday evening. “This is an individual our deputies have encountered numerous times,” said Sheriff Michael Adkinson. “Not to mention his extensive... Read More

April 25, 2023 WALTON COUNTY, Fla— A report of a reckless driver on U.S. Highway 331 leads to the recovery of a stolen vehicle and the arrest of a 20-year-old for grand theft and methamphetamine. Early on Monday, April 24th, a gray truck traveling south on U.S. 331 S was reported to Walton County Sheriff’s Office driving erratically and recklessly. A traffic unit was able to locate a gray Chevy Silverado matching the description of the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop as the driver made a right turn on Waterside Road in Freeport. The vehicle attempted to flee the stop at a high rate of speed down to the dead end and drove behind homes and through yards, popping out on Bayou Circle. The driver then turned onto Mallet Bayou Road running through a culvert before coming to a stop in the middle of the road. The driver, identified as Josh Horak, 20, had an active warrant from Okaloosa County for grand theft of a motor vehicle. Deputies found 3.8 grams of methamphetamine located in the vehicle. The truck was confirmed stolen out of Okaloosa County. Horak was arrested for grand theft of a motor vehicle, possession of a controlled substance, fleeing and eluding, the out-of-county warrant from Okaloosa, and driving without a license. He was given a $10,000 bond and is still incarcerated at the time of this release.  https://waltonso.org/news/feed/ Read More