Latest news with #14thJudicialCircuit
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Celebrate the reunion of families in Bay County
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – While dependency courtrooms have seen a fair share of highs and lows, on Friday, June 6, Bay County courtroom 'S-2' only saw highs. Parents, once deemed unfit by the court, were granted reunification with their children. 'It means the world. It's very rare. We celebrate reunification. Usually, we celebrate adoptions, which is fantastic in itself. But see, in this full circle moment for families, from the time the families were sheltered to the time they were unified, it's really powerful,' Florida Assistant Regional Counsel Megan McKeeby said. Each of the required case plans parents must complete is complex, unique, and difficult in their own way. Rural community of Alford benefits from innovative grant system 'Each case plan is designed to remedy the reasons why the children came into care. It can be anything from substance misuse, mental health, domestic violence, or it can be a combination of those things. They put in a lot of work. As I tell most people, I couldn't complete a case plan if I had to do one,' McKeeby said. Some parents who were previously granted reunification in November and have been doing well were granted termination of supervision. Unfortunately, the stigma remains for many parents who struggle with substance abuse, trauma, or other extenuating factors that led them to be in dependency court. However, Friday's celebration was a display of compassion, understanding, and ultimately triumph. 'The perspective matters because the obstacles these families face with the wrong perspective, that pulls them in the wrong direction. But with the right perspective, it can be a positive change, and it can be a force for good, and it can turn an otherwise difficult, challenging moment into an opportunity to be better, to do better, and to be the parent that they've been called to be. And so these types of events, these types of celebrations for reunification are worth our time,' 14th Judicial Circuit Judge Dustin Stephenson said. Judge Stephenson said he runs his courtroom looking to the positive, and encourages families that celebrations like Friday's are in their future. Panama City Commissioner Janice Lucas presented those in attendance with a proclamation solidifying June as National Family Reunification Month. The event was the first of its kind for Bay County. And it was possibly overdue for all of the caseworkers, judges, community partners, and families who play a pivotal role in the process. Judge Stephenson said Bay County is in dire need of foster parents who can step up, even temporarily, while a parent is going through the reunification process. He says many Bay County children have had to be relocated to Central or South Florida due to the lack of foster parents in our area. To learn more about becoming a foster parent, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Local attorney honored with Larry G. Smith Professionalism Award
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB)- The local legal community honored one of their own on Thursday. Each year, the 14th Judicial Circuit hands out the Larry G. Smith Professionalism Award to a local attorney who exemplifies and promotes professionalism. During his career, Smith served as a private attorney, assistant state attorney, and circuit judge in Bay County. After his death, his colleagues decided to honor him by naming the professionalism award after him. This year's recipient is Sandy Sandborn. He has been a lawyer in Bay County for 49 years. Sandborn practices civil litigation at the Barron and Redding firm. He said he is honored to receive the award. 'I looked up to Judge Smith from the time I first came to town back in 1986. He was already on the first district court of appeal, but he was very well respected. And I knew Larry from his time on the bench and also attended the same church with him. And he was just a superhuman being and a wonderful judge and so, yeah, it's an honor to have an award with his name on it,' Sandborn said. Sandborn said he still enjoys going into work every day and has no plans to retire. He said the most rewarding part is helping people resolve difficult cases. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Miami Herald
21-02-2025
- Miami Herald
Parents decide to leave toddler in car to sleep, then she dies in heat, Florida cops say
Two parents 'decided' to leave their sleeping 2-year-old daughter in their car when they got home late one night, then they forgot about her for approximately 14 hours as she died in the hot vehicle, Florida authorities said. The mom, 25-year-old Kathreen Adams, has now been sentenced to 18 years in prison on charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child, possession of methamphetamine and aggravated child abuse, the State Attorney's Office for the 14th Judicial Circuit said in a Feb. 19 news release. The child's father, 34-year-old Christopher McLean, pleaded no contest to a similar set of charges and was sentenced to 22 years in prison in January. McClatchy News reached out to both parents' attorneys for comment Feb. 21 but did not immediately receive responses. Prosecutors and law enforcement said Adams and McLean bought and used meth once Adams got off work, then they picked up their 23-month-old and 4-year-old from a family member and drove home, arriving after midnight on May 16, 2023. 'The baby was asleep in the car, in a car seat,' Holmes County Sheriff John Tate said in a news conference. 'They decided to leave the child in the car, went inside and ultimately fell asleep and did not wake up or did not realize the child was in the car until around 3:41 that afternoon.' The first deputy arrived within minutes, and the parents told investigators they found their daughter, Margie, unresponsive in her bed, according to the sheriff's office. But investigators became suspicious upon learning the child's body temperature was 107 degrees. Adams later said that she 'purposely left the child in the car throughout the night' for about 14 hours as she and McLean went inside and fell asleep, according to Tate. The 4-year-old made it inside and was placed in state custody after the sibling's death was discovered, according to authorities. Prosecutors said Adams 'accepted responsibility for what happened, saying she is haunted by her actions that day and the loss of her child.' McLean is accused of not cooperating, and prosecutors said he 'coached' Adams to lie about finding their daughter in her bed. Holmes County is in the Florida Panhandle. Hot car deaths More than 1,000 children have died in hot cars since 1998, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 'About 40 children a year die from heatstroke, either because they were left or became trapped in a car,' officials said. 'That's about one child every 10 days killed in a hot car.' Hot car deaths are most common in the summer, but they can happen at any time, according to the administration. The first 'vehicular heatstroke' of the year typically happens in March. 'Leaving a window open is not enough — temperatures inside the car can rise almost 20 degrees Fahrenheit within the first 10 minutes, even with a window cracked open,' the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. If you see a child alone in a vehicle, officials said you should make sure the child is responsive and if not, immediately call 911.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Florida Fire Service officials educate public ahead of wildfire season
SOUTHPORT, Fla. (WMBB) — Spring is approaching, and so is the wildfire season. Wildfire threat is worse in the spring because of the warmer and drier weather conditions. Florida Fire Service officials are encouraging the public to be wildfire-ready. 'The National Weather Service forecast for this weather season is for us to be very dry throughout the Panhandle. We're just cautioning the public to be very cautious during the upcoming months,' Florida Fire Service Public Information Officer Aleese Maples said. Circuit Judge Patterson reelected for Chief Judge of the 14th Judicial Circuit Wildfires can be caused by human activity or other weather events such as lightning. Officials said the best defense is to remove items that can act as fuel for the flames. 'If you live in the wildland-urban interface, make sure you don't have any debris or anything right up on the side of your house,' Maples said. Also, be careful when burning trash. Two of the last major wildfires in the Panhandle started as trash burns. The Mussett Bayou fire in South Walton County started on May 6, 2020, burning 343 acres and dozens of homes. The Chipola complex wildfires were a series of fires that burned more than 34,000 acres in the Bay, Calhoun, and Gulf counties. It started in March of 2022, using dead trees left by Hurricane Michael as fuel. 'Yard waste is one of the number one reasons for a while in fires. We just want to let the public be aware of when they choose to burn what the weather conditions are because they're not only endangering their own property, but they're endangering property around them,' Maples said. 17 Bay County churches come together to celebrate National Marriage Week Officials said they're wildfire-ready as well. 'Our firefighters have their equipment ready for when they are dispatched to a fire. Staying fire-ready is being close to where they're stationed and ready to receive that phone call,' Maples said. For more information on severe weather awareness week and wildfires, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Yahoo
DUI Driver Gets 40 Years for Killing Mom and Daughter While Going 130 mph
A Florida drunk driver who killed a mother and daughter in a 130-mph crash was sentenced to 40 years in prison. On Tuesday, Feb. 4, Jacob Manuel, 25, pleaded no contest to two counts of DUI-manslaughter and one count of DUI with serious bodily injury in connection with the deaths of Tallulah Montez Beaman Ellis and her daughter, Tammy R. Hughes, the State Attorney's Office for the 14th Judicial Circuit said in a press release. Manuel could have faced life in prison if he had been convicted in the May 10, 2022, crash. Authorities said Manuel arrived at a Panama City bar around 5 p.m. and left three hours later carrying an alcoholic beverage, according to an affidavit obtained by McClatchy News. Prosecutors said he was driving his Dodge Charger at around 130 mph eastbound on John Pitts Road in Panama City when he crashed into the back of the family's SUV, sending it into a utility pole. Ellis and Hughes were pronounced dead at the scene. Hughes' then 9-year-old granddaughter was injured in the crash but said Manuel's vehicle rolled, hit a fence and caught on fire, per the affidavit. Manuel, who had a suspended license, was pulled out of the vehicle. A blood test taken three hours after the crash showed that Manuel's blood alcohol content was .099, per the affidavit, per McClatchy News. The legal limit is .08. 'This case is a real tragedy, as is the case with most DUI-Manslaughters,' said Chief Assistant State Attorney Mark Graham. 'You have the Ellis and Hughes families that lost a mother and daughter – leaving behind great-grandchildren, grandchildren, children and more. And that's forever. 'Then you have the defendant who is a relatively young man with no criminal record and he's going to prison for 40 years from one bad night of making bad choices.' Read the original article on People
