Sheriff’s Report – The Wakulla Sun

This report is for activity May 15 to 21.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Because of the Memorial Day holiday last week, we didn’t have a Sheriff’s Report – so this week there are two reports.

FRIday, MAY 15

Deputy Zachary Godwin responded to Walmart and made contact with Walmart Asset Protection due to them having a subject detained for passing the last point of sale with $176 in non-purchased items. The subject was ultimately placed under arrest and transported to the Wakulla County Jail.
Deputies Austin Rivers and Joshua Martin responded to Ochlockonee Street and made contact with a citizen who stated an unknown suspect entered his residence by breaking the glass in his front door. Once inside, several items were taken, totaling $478. In addition to the stolen items, approximately $100 in damage was sustained to the front door. Crime Scene responded and processed the scene. Case forwarded to Criminal Investigations Division.

SATURday, MAY 16

Deputy Dustin Saba responded to Walmart and made contact with Asset Protection, who stated a female passed the last point of sale with $103 in unpaid merchandise. Case forwarded to CID.

SUNday, MAY 17

A traffic stop was conducted for excessive speed. The driver later was discovered to not have a valid license. The driver was taken into custody and transported to the jail facility.
Deputy Dylan Buckhalt responded to Gray Circle in reference to a burglary complaint. Contact was made with the reporting party, who discovered multiple sheds burglarized on his property. He advised he last visited the property approximately a week prior. He and his wife are currently in the process of having a new home built on the property and have temporarily stored some of their belongings in sheds on the property. He advised he discovered fishing gear, a BMX bike, and fishing equipment missing from the sheds. The missing items totaled $8,500. Crime Scene responded to process the scene. There were no witnesses to the incident.

MONday, MAY 18

Deputy Joshua Parker responded to the 600 block of Shadeville Road in reference to a burglary complaint. Contact was made with the reporting person, who advised he discovered the shed on his property had been burglarized. He stated he discovered over $1,600 of power tools missing from the shed. He stated the burglary occurred sometime between April 13 and April 19. He has been out of town for medical treatment lately, causing the delay in reporting. There were no witnesses to the incident. Case forwarded to CID.
Deputy Kory Smith responded to Spring Creek Highway south of Jack Crum Road in reference to a citizen wanting to report a theft. He stated sometime over the last week – May 13 to 18 – someone stole approximately 50-feet of underground internet cable from the side of the road. He stated he arrived at the site this evening and discovered the cable had been dug up from the ground and the utility box had been destroyed where the cable was removed. He valued the total loss to be around $5,000 including the cost of the stolen wire. Case forwarded to CID.

TUESday, MAY 19

Deputy Dylan Buckhalt conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in the 2600 block of Crawfordville Highway after observing the driver utilizing a cell phone while operating a moving vehicle. The vehicle initially failed to come to a complete stop as it entered the Bealls parking lot. Eventually the vehicle came to a halt near CVS. As Deputy Buckhalt approached the vehicle, he observed the driver migrate to the rear of the vehicle and the front passenger migrate to the driver’s seat. Both parties were asked to exit the vehicle. Post-Miranda the driver reportedly admitted to never being issued a Florida driver’s license and he confirmed this was his reason for failing to initially stop the vehicle. He was subsequently arrested and transported to the Wakulla County Jail without further incident.
Deputy Lexi Kreitlow responded to the 700 block of Rehwinkel Road in reference to a theft complaint. Contact was made with a citizen who advised he observed an unknow male remove multiple construction cones from the side of the roadway near his residence. The suspect was last seen fleeing the scene southbound on Rehwinkel in a black SUV. Contact was made with an employee of M&L Plumbing on scene, who advised they would like to pursue charges for the incident. The stolen cones totaled $150.
Deputy Joshua Parker responded to Waterline Road in reference to fraud. Contact was made with the reporting person who advised she had received a new phone and number. Due to this, her old number was reassigned to another unknown individual. The unknown individual then began to contact her friends and family requesting money. Along with that, the subject also requested new various TV subscriptions. She advised she was at no monetary loss at this time but needed a report so that she could provide it to Verizon to cancel all accounts.

WEDNESday, MAY 20

Deputy Dustin Saba responded to the front lobby and made contact with a citizen, who stated an unknown subject purchased $3,500 in merchandise on Amazon using his Capital City Bank debit card without authorization. Case forwarded to CID.

THURSday, MAY 21

Deputy Joshua Martin responded to Walmart in reference to a retail theft. The suspect passed all points of sale and departed the store with some $27 in unpaid merchandise. A possible suspect has been identified. Case forwarded to CID.

This report is for activity May 22 to 29.

FRIday, MAY 22

Deputies Todd Kent and Joshua Parker responded to the area of McDonalds in reference to a suspicious vehicle. Upon arrival, the vehicle was located and appeared to have been stopped by a curb in the McDonalds parking lot which prevented the vehicle from travelling into the intersection of Wakulla Arran and Crawfordville Highway. Contact was made with the driver of the vehicle who had fallen asleep at the wheel, with his foot on the brake and the vehicle still in drive. While speaking with the driver, the odor of alcohol was coming from the interior of the vehicle. He was asked to exit the vehicle after placing it in park. During this interaction, he was reportedly observed swaying, and had difficulties standing. He also had glossy, bloodshot eyes, along with slurred speech. He refused to perform field sobriety exercies. He was placed under arrest and transported to the jail without further incident. Case Status: Closed
Wal-Mart Asset Protection reported a retail theft in progress. As deputies responded, the subject fled the store heading southbound on Crawfordville Highway on a scooter. Deputy Ashton Williams was able to distribute a store photo of the subject to help aid in identifying him. Deputy Lexi Kreitlow located him in the area of Walgreen’s where he was detained and subsequently placed under arrest for petit theft. Total cost of items was $69.86.

SATURday, MAY 23

Deputy Joshua Parker responded to Smokehouse Way in reference to a theft. Contact was made with the reporting party who stated while at Lost Creek earlier in the day he forgot his phone at the boat ramp. He advised he went back to retrieve the phone but was unable to locate it. He stated while searching, he observed another individual at the boat ramp walking away from where he had left his phone. He advised he did not know the subject but suspected him of taking the phone. The phone was valued at approximately $1,600. Case forwarded to CID.
While traveling on Bloxham Cutoff, Deputy Todd Kent observed a vehicle sitting at Slough Bridge with the passenger door open. Deputy Kent returned to the vehicle and observed the vehicle to be occupied by two subjects. While speaking with them, the odor of marijuana was detected. The deputy also reportedly observed a clear baggie containing a crystalline substance. A probable cause search was conducted after detaining both subjects. After the search, the crystalline substance was field test which produced a presumptive positive for methamphetamine.

SUnday, MAY 24

A citizen reported losing his tag off his motorcycle. It is believed the screw came out and the tag fell off along Coastal Highway. The tag was entered into FCIC/NCIC as lost or missing.
While on patrol in the area of Trice Lane, Deputy Joshua Parker observed a vehicle with only one working headlight. Deputy Parker activated his emergency lights and did a U-turn. The vehicle continued driving and was unable to be located. Additional units responded to the area. After a short time, the vehicle was located driving on Country Way without any headlights on. The vehicle was then stopped and contact was made with the driver. During the interaction, he was asked to exit the vehicle. Upon initial observation, he was seen wearing a black ski mask and head/hair covering. He was advised the reason for the stop. He was advised of his Miranda Warning and agreed to speak with deputies. He advised he saw a deputy turn around and activate his emergency lights. He stated even after seeing the lights, he continued driving. While speaking the odor of marijuana was detected coming from the interior of the vehicle. He advised he did not possess a medical marijuana card. Due to this, a probable cause search was conducted which resulted in locating 7.3 grams of marijuana, a THC vape pen and a large amount of paraphernalia. During the search, a pair of black gloves and more black clothing were located. Pictures were taken of the ski-mask, gloves, and other clothing. Due to circumstances above, he was placed under arrest and transported to the county jail.

MONday, MAY 25

Deputy Caleb Bushong conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for tag attached not assigned. During the stop the driver/owner of the vehicle advised he has not registered the vehicle for the past year that he has owned it. Due to this information, he was placed under arrest. During a search, a small bag of cocaine was located within his wallet. He was transported to the Wakulla County Jail without incident.

TUESday, MAY 26

Deputy Ian Kilbourn responded to P.A. Sanders Road and made contact with a citizen, who stated upon returning home from work early this morning, she discovered her car missing from her driveway. During the investigation, the repo log was checked with negative result, so the vehicle was entered as stolen. The vehicle was later located by Leon County Sheriff’s Office at a towyard in Tallahassee and it was determined the vehicle was repossessed.

WEDNESday, MAY 27

Wal-Mart Asset Protection reported a subject being observed on closed circuit TV inside the store Trespassing After Warning. They also advised he was observed taking bags of ice without paying for them. Due to the distorted video footage this incident is being forwarded to CID for further investigation.

THURSday, MAY 28

Walmart Asset Protection called regarding a subejct not paying for steaks after paying for over $800 worth of items. There was a dispute over the self-checkout freezing and having issues which a Walmart employee verified. She stated she believed the items scanned were included in the total amount when she made her large purchase. Based on the aforementioned, criminal intent could not be established and she was trespassed from Walmart.

FRIday, MAY 29

While conducting search warrant on Catherine Street, deputies observed a citizen returning to the residence driving a motor vehicle. Per Wakulla County LECO Center, his Florida Driver’s License was cancelled Feb. 4, 2026. He was arrested and transported to the Wakulla County Jail Facility.

Report suspicious or illegal activity at 850-745-7100, or call 911 for emergencies.