Lengthy Prison Sentence for Jay Man in Case Involving 8-Year-Old Victim
Kyle Wesley Allen Stover was sentenced to 40 years in state prison followed by lifetime sex offender probation after convictions for multiple offenses involving an 8-year-old child. Judge Clifton Drake also designated Stover as a Sexual Predator. The offenses occurred at a home in Jay between December 2023 and September 2024.
Curtis Johnson Murder Trial Ends With A Not-Guilty Verdict
A Santa Rosa County jury has acquitted former Okaloosa County corrections sergeant Curtis Marvin Johnson of second-degree murder in the 2025 shooting death of his roommate, Barbara “Barbie” Dedert. Johnson was found not guilty August 20, 2026, bringing the case to a close more than a year after the shooting.
Niceville PD nab the (alleged) Turkey Creek Streaker
A 46-year-old Milton man was arrested on August 6, 2026, following a public indecent exposure incident at Turkey Creek in Niceville. Bradley Patrick was taken into custody in Santa Rosa County on an active Niceville Police Department warrant and is currently awaiting extradition to Okaloosa County to face charges.
Santa Rosa Man Sentenced After Gruesome Animal Cruelty Investigation
A Santa Rosa County judge sentenced Gunner Cole Bush to five years in state prison—the maximum penalty allowed—after a jury convicted him of aggravated animal cruelty. Prosecutors said Bush tortured a kitten to death, while investigators also uncovered the remains of two other missing family cats during the investigation.
HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Delivers Breakthrough Cardiovascular Care Close to Home
HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital performed the tri-county area’s first renal denervation procedure for patients with uncontrolled hypertension.
Federal Immigration Cases Highlight Repeat Illegal Reentry in Okaloosa County
Federal prosecutors announced 16 immigration convictions in June, including multiple cases originating in Okaloosa and Walton counties.
DeSantis slashes funding for child abuse protection in Okaloosa, despite funding same programs around Florida
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed funding to support the Niceville Exchange Club’s initiative to bring a child abuse prevention center to the Emerald Coast for the second year in a row, despite granting funds to Exchange Club chapters in Jacksonville and Palm Beach, FL. According to an Appropriations Project Request, Representative Patt Maney sponsored the […]
Disturbing Evidence Leads to Guilty Verdict in Animal Cruelty Case
A Santa Rosa County jury convicted a man of aggravated animal cruelty after prosecutors said he tortured a kitten to death in 2023.
Florida Governor candidate Jay Collins kicks off tour in Santa Rosa County
In Brief: Florida’s Lieutenant Governor and gubernatorial candidate Jay Collins kicked off his statewide “Come and Take It Tour” at Grey Man Armory in Milton, FL on Tuesday. “I’m here to talk about two things that go together: The Second Amendment and public safety,” Collins said. “Those two things are completely linked. For too long, […]
ANACONDA: How the blockade of the South devastated the Emerald Coast
On April 18, 1861, Abraham Lincoln would make his opening move on the chessboard of the Civil War. It would have devastating consequences on the Emerald Coast.
