We’re starting a new feature here at Bay Crime Watch. It is called This Week in Crime. Every week we’ll pull the best crime stories from NewsHerald.com and some of our sister papers and place them here. This will give y’all a chance to catch up on crime stories you may have missed and another chance to comment on local incidents. Look for it every week on or before Friday.

The first batch is below.

REEFER MADNESS

A boy who ran into the street Monday night and damaged a passing Mustang blamed his actions on his first time smoking marijuana.

According to a a report from the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, a woman driving along State 390 toward U.S. 231  at 9:30 p.m. reported a juvenile male had run into the roadway and run into the side of her car. She stopped to see if the boy was OK, and he began running at her car again. For her own safety, she drove to a nearby convenience store to call police.

The woman’s husband was following her in another car, and he stopped and detained the boy until a deputy arrived.

Another witness had also been driving in that area and said he almost ran into the boy when he was in the roadway, the report said. He waited with the victim and her husband until a deputy arrived so he could provide information to law enforcement.

The boy was placed in the back of the patrol car and read his Miranda rights, the deputy said. He told the deputy he had “tried marijuana for the first time in his life,” and that is why he ran into the side of the woman’s car.

Later, the boy provided personal information that revealed he was a juvenile, and the deputy did not question him further, according to the report. The boy was charged with felony criminal mischief and was booked at the Bay County Jail. He was then transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice and released to the custody of his mother and father.

MAN SENDS NAKED PICS OF HIMSELF TO COP

A Panama City man was arrested on Wednesday for charges relating to the online sexual exploitation of a minor, law enforcement officials said.

Edward Jay Kincaid, 43, was arrested after Georgia authorities contacted the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and informed them a warrant existed for Kincaid for illegal communications he had with a law enforcement officer, according to a Bay County Sheriff’s Office release.

During these communications, Kincaid allegedly sent nude images of himself to a person he believed was 14 years-old, the release said.

Kincaid was located at his residence at 3024 Laurie Ave. Panama City Beach and taken into custody for the outstanding warrant on computer or electronic pornography and child exploitation, the release said.

ELDERLY EXPLOITATION

Panama City police arrested Linda DeLoach, 51, of Panama City, on charges that she exploited an elderly woman for whom she was the caretaker.

DeLoach has been working as a caretaker for an 89-year-old woman, police said, and tried to purchase a car valued at $27,000 from a local dealership using the woman’s identity and credit information. The dealership suspecting fraud and called police, according to a news release from the Panama City Police Department.

DeLoach was charged with grand theft and exploitation of the elderly, according to the release. She is scheduled for a first appearance today (Oct. 28). Anyone with information about this incident may contact either the Panama City Police Department at 872-3100 or Crime Stoppers at 785-TIPS(8477).

NABBED BY A ‘BEAR’

An investigation that has been under way for the past several months led to an arrest this weekend of an Orlando woman for possession of controlled prescription drugs.

According to a news release, an inspector with the Florida Department of Corrections initiated the investigation after information obtained from monitored telephone calls indicated illegal prescription drugs were going to be smuggled into the Holmes Correctional Institution.

Holmes County Sheriff’s Office K-9 “Bear” was used to conduct a “free air” search of the suspect vehicle in the institution parking lot. Bear alerted to the vehicle and a search revealed a small plastic baggy containing 40 Xanax (brand name for Alprazolam) pills, police said.

Jessica Renee Guillemette, 22, of Orlando was charged with possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and was transported to the Holmes County Jail. Because of the quantity of pills found, the charge could be upgraded to trafficking, police said.

S. Brady Calhoun

The News Herald

A man is renting a room from his ex-girlfriend in her home. After a night on the town the man called the ex-girlfriend and asked for a ride home, she refused. Then things got complicated, Bay County Sheriff’s Deputies wrote in an incident report. The man called deputies and claimed he had been stabbed by his ex and showed them the wound and the bloody knife. The deputies wake up the ex who is surprised to find them in her home.

She tells them he is making the stabbing story up. After examining the knife closer deputies determine that the amount of blood seems to indicate that someone held the knife to the wound in order to get more blood on it. The man was intoxicated and kept changing his story, deputies wrote.  Deputies decide that the man cannot complete a statement because he is too drunk and drop the matter without arresting anyone.

A Callaway man keeps going to the party even when he isn’t invited. A woman told Bay County Sheriff’s deputies that the man keeps kicking her door in and coming in uninvited. He has been thrown out of her house by her guests several times. In the most recent incident the man knocked a beer out of another man’s hands and called him a racial slur. During the course of the investigation the man, who was quite intoxicated, told deputies that he did not kick the door in he just pushed it very hard.

The man was charged with trespassing and resisting and officer without violence.

A transient broke into a church and attempted to steal a coin-filled offering bucket, Panama City Beach Police officials said in a Saturday news release.
Police said a witness heard the sound of glass breaking and saw the lights on inside Cornerstone Family Fellowship Church in Panama City. The witness then watched as Larry Henderson, 43, exited the church and headed southbound on Grace Ave. Henderson was captured and found to be in possession of the church’s offering bucket.
He was charged with burglary of a structure.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact either the Panama City Police Department at 872-3100 or Crime Stoppers at 785-TIPS(8477).

Bad idea: Boating under the influence.

Worse idea: Thinking that you can confuse an officer by growling or falling off a dock.

According to a news release from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Officer David Erdman was refueling his patrol boat at a local marina when he observed a rental pontoon boat violate the idle speed zone in Grand Lagoon. Attempts to conduct a vessel stop were ignored by the operator, who proceeded to a boat ramp. Upon arrival at the ramp, Erdman attempted to gain the operator’s attention.

The operator and two other male occupants quickly confronted Officer Erdman with “a verbal barrage” and ”growls and hollering,” according to the report. They ignored all requests to provide identification and vessel documentation. A female occupant attempted to exit the vessel with her 3-year-old child.

Erdman summoned backup as he began what he now believed was a boating under the influence (BUI) investigation. He first ensured the woman and child were safe and then returned his attention to the boat operator.

This is when the two other male passengers tried to interfere — by falling overboard and off of the dock.

Bay County Sheriff’s Lt. Jay Chesser and Officers Neal Goss and Nick Price arrived to assist. “Once order was brought to the scene,” the report said, Erdman was able to continue his investigation. End result: arrests for boating under the influence with a minor present, interference with an officer, an active warrant out of Kentucky, and providing false information to law enforcement.

Some people take pens and staplers from work, police say Marisol Monroe-Garcia took $30,000.

But she planned to pay it back.

This is for those that missed it the first time around. The full story was in Sunday’s paper.

By S. Brady Calhoun

CALLAWAY

A Cedar Grove woman who admitted stealing more than $30,000 from her employer said she would pay it back, authorities said.

Bay County Sheriff’s investigators said Marisol Monroe-Garcia, 43, of 2511 Cedar Lane, used the money she stole from a hair salon to buy a car, go on a cruise and play bingo. Deputies charged her with grand theft of more than $30,000. She was arrested Thursday and released Friday on pretrial release.

According to an incident report from the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, Monroe-Garcia was the manager of Cuts By Us on Tyndall Parkway in Callaway. She stole money from the business between October and December 2007, Deputy Luther Burnham said in a Sheriff’s Office incident report. The incident report said Monroe-Garcia “rolled the money,” basically stealing a deposit and then replacing it with a later deposit.

When her boss confronted her, Monroe-Garcia wrote a confession and said she would pay the money back with monthly installments of $500 and give up her vacation pay for 2008, according to the report. But instead of agreeing to the payments, the owner called the Sheriff’s Office.

Everyday I check the comments to see what you think about these crazy criminals in the blotter. And everyday I see only spam. Help me out dear readers. What do you think?