FORT WALTON BEACH — Judsen Cunningham, on trial for causing a boating accident that killed two people, apparently took his own life early Thursday, the day his case likely would have gone to a jury.

Okaloosa County Circuit Judge John Jay Gontarek convened court Thursday morning long enough to declare a mistrial and dismiss the jury. 

Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Michele Nicholson said deputies were called to Cunningham's family's home at 6:43 a.m.

TRIAL PHOTOS: Day 2 >> 

They found Cunningham with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Nicholson said. Several family members were there when he killed himself, she said.

Cunningham's death came on the morning that his defense team was to begin its case. Assistant State Attorney Jonathan Schlechter had ended his case about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

“This has been a tragic case, and it is unfortunate it has ended in such a tragic manner,” said Bill Bishop, the chief assistant state attorney for Okaloosa County.

No one from Cunningham's family was in the courtroom when the news of his death was announced and a mistrial declared. The family of Avery Hatchett, one of the two people killed in the boat wreck for which Cunningham was being tried, was informed shortly before the jury was brought in. His mom, Lisa Hatchett, could be heard sobbing loudly from a room in back of the courtroom. The news left family and friends in tears.

"I was shook to the core of my being. Today is such a sad day for the Cunningham family," Hatchett said later. "It's a day I have experienced myself. I know what they are going to have to endure."

Gontarek brought the jurors in and, before announcing their service to the court had ended, thanked them for their attention during the first two days of trial.

TRIAL PHOTOS: Day 1 >>

“I have sad and disturbing news," he then told them. "The defendant in this case, Judsen Cunningham, was found deceased this morning. This is a very shocking development for everybody."

Schlechter stood after the announcement and said the charges against Cunningham would be dismissed.

The Okaloosa County Clerk of Court's website listed 14 charges. They included two counts of homicide/negligent manslaughter-BUI; two counts of homicide/negligent manslaughter; three counts of BUI causing serious bodily injury; two counts of BUI causing damaged to property or persons; four misdemeanor charges of violating navigation rules; and one count of larceny of less than $100,000.

Prosecutors seemingly had built a strong case against Cunningham during the first two days of trial. All 11 of the young people who had been on the boat March 18, 2016, when it crashed into the east jetty n Destin's East Pass testified that Cunningham was the driver. Several also testified that he had been drinking before boarding it. One witness even claimed to have seen Cunningham mix a drink after gathering a crew of 12 relative strangers for what was supposed to have been a short harbor cruise.

Although she had waited three years for the trial, Hatchett said she found no true closure, particularly given the sad way it ended.

"I think closure is a word that's definitely overused. I don't think you ever find closure in a horrific, bad situation like this," she said. "You find every day the tools you need to get by."

Cunningham spent less than a day behind bars in the three years since he was arrested. Jail records indicate he posted a $120,000 bond about 16 hours after his arrest Aug. 19, 2016.

PHOTOS: Site of crash site in 2016 >>

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has confirmed the following people were on the 28-foot boat Pursuit when it crashed in 2016:

Anna Sorokina, 21, and Avery Hatchett, 22, were killed in the crash.

• Judsen Cunningham, 29, of Destin
• Justin Echternacht, 27, of Fort Walton Beach
• Roxanne Angelle, 31, of Destin
• Tara Banks, 30, of Destin
• Jonathan Goodhart, 33, of Shalimar
• Alexander Staniszewski, 27, of Santa Rosa Beach
• Byron Weiss, 25, of Virginia Beach, Virginia
• Jerry Degroot, 27, of Destin
• Billy Blankenship, 27, of Destin
• Dylan Asble, 25, of Mary Esther

Passengers in the boat

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: JUDGE in BUI trial: 'I have sad and disturbing news'

CRESTVIEW — Construction of the new Okaloosa County Courthouse is on track for a late-July opening.

The courthouse was originally scheduled to be complete by July 3 but inclement weather last fall pushed the contract end date to July 29.

Jason Autrey, director of Okaloosa County Public Works, said that while the building may be open by July 29 , it could take more time before the courthouse is fully operational.

“We’re (going to) have about two, two and a half months of making sure the building is operating correctly,” Autrey said. “I would expect us to have full operation in October.”

One of the major features of the new courthouse will be enhanced security measures to keep inmates separated from judges and the public. Inmates will arrive at the facility through a separate entrance from the public, and will be secured at all times until they reach the courtroom.

“The inmates come into an area," Autrey said. "They never mix with the public, they never mix with the judges, they’re completely separated."

In the old courthouse, inmates would enter the building through the same entrance as the victims and judges. That presented a security concern now resolved in the new courthouse design.

“It takes advantage of the best management practices that we have available to us,” Autrey said. “Security is probably our most state-of-the-art component.”

The evidence storage room also has enhanced security features. In the event of a fire, the room will be sealed and a fire suppression system will remove all oxygen from the room, eliminating the need to fight the fire with water, which could damage evidence.

Along with the courtrooms and judiciary offices, the courthouse will host the Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners when it meets in the north end of the county. It will also feature an electronic law library located adjacent to the first-floor lobby.

“A lot of the information now, since it changes so fast, as opposed to having volumes of books, you just put it on the internet,” Autrey said. “They’ll have a kiosk so they can access it there.”

The new building will also include a fourth courtroom and judges’ chambers, after county commissioners voted to approve the addition in November of 2017. The board approved other smaller changes at the time, adding more than $500,000 in expenses to the project. However, the current cost is still within the original $23.7 million budget.

When it opens, the courthouse will be greater than 50 percent larger than the old courthouse with 20 additional parking spaces.

“It’s really nice,” Autrey said. “It’s functional; it’s a very efficient use of space. It’ll serve the needs, what we need for 50-plus years to come.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: New courthouse to feature enhanced security, more parking

PENSACOLA — Candace B. McLeod, 32, of Holt, was sentenced yesterday to 75 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and filing false tax returns.

Christopher P. Canova, acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the sentence.

Between 2009 and 2013, McLeod embezzled over $1 million from her employer, Destin Flooring.

McLeod worked as a bookkeeper, and she stole money by making unauthorized online payments to pay her credit cards with employer funds, using corporate credit cards for unauthorized personal purchases and issuing extra checks to herself from corporate accounts by fraudulently using the general manager’s signature.

She used her position to create false documentation and to manipulate accounting records to cover up her scheme. McLeod also failed to report the embezzled money as income on her income tax returns.

This case resulted from a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation and the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia H. Kim prosecuted the case.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Holt woman sentenced for wire fraud, identity theft and filing false tax returns

CRESTVIEW — William Eddins, State Attorney for the First Judicial Circuit, announced today that Elizabeth Stebbins Kollar has been sentenced to 10 years prison on the charges of exploitation of the elderly over $10,000.

The charges arose in late 2014 when it was discovered that Kollar, a registered CNA, who was acting as the caregiver for the 81-year-old victim, had stolen over $26,000 from the victim over several months.

Kollar also had fraudulently obtained a $10,000 life insurance policy on the victim, making herself the beneficiary.

The Crestview Police Department was responsible for the investigation and arrest.

Assistant State Attorney Laresa Dudley was responsible for the prosecution. Circuit Judge Michael Flowers imposed the sentence.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview woman gets 10 years for exploiting the elderly