One arrested on felony charges
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One arrested on felony charges

One Washington County woman is behind bars on felony charges of unlawfully and intentionally threatening a victim. On Thursday afternoon, August 31, Washington County Sheriff’s Office arrested 47-year-old Laura Lee Cates, of Sunny Hills.  Cates is an employee with the Florida Department of Corrections Probation and Parole Office in Chipley. According to a WCSO press…

Juvenile charged in car burglary
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Juvenile charged in car burglary

A 16-year-old has been charged after a car burglary on August 12. Ri’chad Snelling, of Caryville, is charged with one count of burglary and one count of theft.   Chipley Police Department (CPD) began receiving complaints on August 4 concerning subjects on home surveillance systems attempting to open vehicle doors at multiple residences. In response…

Chipley man jailed on meth charges
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Chipley man jailed on meth charges

A Chipley Police Department officer responded to a suspicious person call on August 18, at the Dollar General Store on Highway 90. Store employees reported the person was attempting to sell narcotics to customers. The subject was identified as 37-year-old Jonathan Miles, of Chipley. Miles was given a trespass warning for the store. The officer…

Multiple agencies searching for escaped Holmes County inmate
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Multiple agencies searching for escaped Holmes County inmate

An inmate at the Holmes County jail escaped while out on a work crew on Thursday morning. Holmes County Sheriff’s Office and other local law enforcement agencies are conducting a manhunt for the inmate.   William Morris was arrested on July 31, for a child support warrant. He was to serve 180 days or could…

Chipley man arrested for child sex crimes
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Chipley man arrested for child sex crimes

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: After a discussion with the victim’s family, this article has been edited to remove information filed with the Washington County court system and released in a public record. Although this information was made public record, it is the desire of the Washington County News to limit any continued effects reporting this story may have on the…

Four Washington County residents sentenced in meth trafficking case
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Four Washington County residents sentenced in meth trafficking case

PENSACOLA – A federal judge sentenced four defendants in a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking organization operating primarily in Washington County. The convictions and sentences were announced Thursday, July 27, by Jason R. Coody United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.   Sentenced in the case were: Ashley Michelle Zurica, 43, of Caryville – 220…

Former bus driver given probation in molestation case
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Former bus driver given probation in molestation case

Former Vernon school bus driver John Robert White, 50, pled no contest to four counts of lewd and lascivious conduct on July 17 and was sentenced to 10 years of sex offender probation.   White is accused of molesting multiple victims during his employment as a school bus driver for the Washington County School District….

Arrest made in death on Firetower Road
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Arrest made in death on Firetower Road

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office has made an arrest in the homicide investigation that left a Bay County woman dead on Firetower Road. 51-year-old Jeffrey Andrew Schuller,of Panama City, was arrested during a traffic stop in Bay County and is awaiting extradition to Washington County on second-degree murder charges. Schuller is also charged in Bay…