Bay County Sheriff’s Office Offense / Incident Report
Case Number: 2013-056761 Reported On: 08/07/2013 @ 15:05 AT THE TEMPLE OF HOLINESS 1830 CALLAHAN ST PANAMA CITY, FL 32409
Officer Reporting: K. LILLEY
Arrest YOUNG, RONNIE LYN
8732 E BAYHEAD CT, YOUNGSTOWN, FL 32466
Charges For: Arrest YOUNG, RONNIE LYN
Charge: CARRYING CONCEALED WEAPON FIREAR Statute #: 790.01(2) Date: 08/07/2013 Time: 17:30
Charge: WEAPON OFFENSE IMPROPER EXHIBIT FI Statute #: 790.10 Date: 08/07/2013 Time: 17:30
REVOLVER Brand: TAURUS
Serial#: DP180025 Model: JUDGE
Item Description: TAURUS 45 LON “JUDGE” REVOLVER Value: $300.00
Date Recovered / Seized: 08/07/2013 Recovered / Seized Value: $300.00
Narrative
ON 08/07/13 I RESPONDED TO 1830 CALLAHAN IN REFERENCE TO AN ALTERCATION THAT HAD OCCURRED INSIDE THE CHURCH AT THIS LOCATION DURING A FUNERAL SERVICE. THE COMPLAINANT, AUXILIARY DEPUTY BENSON, STATED THAT THERE WAS AN ARGUMENT INSIDE THE CHURCH DURING WHICH ONE OF THE SUBJECTS WAS ARMED WITH A HANDGUN. DEPUTY BENSON STATED HE HAD TAKEN THE GUN AWAY FROM THE UNKNOWN SUBJECT BUT THE ARMED SUBJECT AND ALL THE OTHER PERSONS INVOLVED HAD SINCE LEFT. INSIDE THE CHURCH I LOCATED A SINGLE WITNESS, PHILLIP BASS WHO STATED THAT HE OPERATES THE SOUND EQUIPMENT FOR THE CHURCH AND WAS FRIENDS WITH THE DECEASED BUT NOT RELATED TO ANYONE, NOR DID HE EVEN KNOW
MANY OF THOSE IN ATTENDANCE. MR. BASS RELAYED THAT A SUBJECT HE KNEW AS “JAY” YOUNG AND HIS BROTHER RONNIE YOUNG HAVE BEEN FIGHTING FOR YEARS. MR. BASS STATED JAY WAS DIRECTLY NEXT TO HIM WHEN THE DECEASED, (THEIR MOTHER) WAS BEING WHEELED OUT TO THE HEARSE. MR. BASS INDICATED THAT JAY JUMPED UP YELLING “I’M GOING TO GET YOU, I’M GOING TO GET YOU RIGHT NOW”, POINTING TOWARDS RONNIE. MR. BASS STATED THAT JAY WAS ATTEMPTING TO MOVE TOWARDS RONNIE AND WAS NEARLY “KNOCKING DOWN HIS GRAND YOUNGINS TO GET TO HIM”. MR. BASS STATED
THAT RONNIE PULLED OUT A GUN, POINTING IT AT JAY AND HE DOVE TO THE FLOOR SO HE WAS NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THAT. MR. BASS STATED THAT HE THOUGHT THEY WOULD KILL EACH OTHER IF THEY MET BACK UP AT THE CEMETERY AND EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT NO LAW ENFORCEMENT BEING PRESENT THERE.
I RESPONDED TO THE CEMETARY WHERE A PORTION OF THE FAMILY WAS FOUND. SEVERAL FAMILY MEMBERS WERE STILL CLEARLY AGITATED AND YELLING ABOUT HAVING BEEN THREATENED WITH A GUN. I MADE CONTACT WITH ONE OF THEM, WHO WAS IDENTIFIED AS WILLIAM “JAY” YOUNG. JAY STATED THAT HE AND HIS BROTHER RONNIE HAVE NOT BEEN ON SPEAKING TERMS FOR SEVERAL YEARS. JAY ADVISED THAT RONNIE HAS RECENTLY BEEN FIGHTING WITH OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS AND THREATENED HIS BROTHER DONALD A FEW DAYS AGO. JAY INDICATED THAT HE WAS JUST STANDING QUIETLY IN THE CHURCH WHEN RONNIE PULLED OUT A GUN FROM HIS BOOT AND STARTED YELLING THAT HE WAS GOING TO KILL JAY AND WAS POINTING THE GUN AT HIM AS HE WAS BACKING UP AWAY FROM JAY. JAY INDICATED THAT RONNIE THEN SCANNED BACK AND FORTH WITH THE GUN ACROSS THE ENTIRE SANCTUARY BEFORE SOMEONE WAS ABLE TO GET THE GUN AWAY FROM HIM. WHEN I WAS OBTAINING A SWORN STATEMENT FROM JAY, I ASKED HIM SEVERAL TIMES IF HE WAS IN FEAR FOR HIS SAFETY AND HE STATED “NO, HE JUST MADE ME MAD. I WANTED TO USE IT, (REFERRING TO THE GUN), I WANTED TO USE IT ON HIM, NO I WAS NOT SCARED”.
I ALSO SPOKE WITH JEANNIE YOUNG, ASHLEY YOUNG, AND DONALD YOUNG WHO ALL PROVIDED SIMILAR STATEMENTS DESCRIBING RONNIE POINTING THE GUN AT JAY STATING HE WAS GOING TO KILL HIM. ASHLEY’S STATEMENT WAS SIMILAR TO MR. BASS’S STATING THAT THE DISPLAY OF THE FIREARM WAS PRECEDED BY JAY STATING TWICE “I’M GOING TO GET YOU” TO RONNIE. BOTH JEANNIE AND DONALD STATED THAT NOTHING WAS SAID BY JAY TO PRECIPITATE THE INCIDENT, INDICATING THAT RONNIE HAD JUST SUDDENLY STARTED POINTING THE GUN AT JAY. WHILE I WAS OBTAINING STATEMENTS FROM THESE FOUR WITNESSES, THE FEW OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS PRESENT LEFT THE CEMETARY. AS I WAS CONCLUDING THE STATEMENTS FROM THOSE
PRESENT, JUDY GAY CALLED THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE FROM HER RESIDENCE STATING SHE AND HER BOYFRIEND, RONNIE YOUNG WANTED TO TALK TO SOMEONE IN REFERENCE TO THE INCIDENT.
MYSELF AND DEPUTY GRAINGER RESPONDED TO THE RESIDENCE AND MADE CONTACT WITH RONNIE AND MS. GAY. IN A POST MIRANDA INTERVIEW, RONNIE
INDICATED TO ME THAT THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING ISSUE FOR SEVERAL YEARS. RONNIE STATED HE HAD BEEN TOLD BY OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS THAT JAY WAS PLANNING TO ATTACK HIM AT THE FUNERAL AND HE FELT COMPELLED TO BRING THE FIREARM FOR SELF DEFENSE. RONNIE STATED THAT HE EVEN CALLED THE CHURCH PASTOR, SANDY HOLLY, ON MONDAY AND EXPLAINED TO HER THAT HE WAS IN FEAR FOR HIS SAFETY AND CONCERNED THAT THERE WOULD BE A PROBLEM AT THE FUNERAL. RONNIE SAID HE WAS EXITING THE CHURCH WHEN JAY BEGAN YELLING “I’M GOING TO GET YOU, I’M GOING TO GET YOUR RIGHT NOW” AND BEGAN TRYING TO GET THROUGH THE OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS TO HIM. RONNIE STATED THAT FEARING FOR HIS SAFETY, HE REMOVED THE GUN FROM INSIDE HIS BOOT. RONNIE STATED HE TOLD JAY TO JUST LEAVE HIM ALONE AS HE RETREATED AWAY FROM HIM. RONNIE STATED
THAT HE DID NOT WANT ANY ALTERCATION WITH HIS BROTHER, HE JUST WANTED TO ATTEND THE FUNERAL AND LEAVE. RONNIE STATED THAT HE DOES NOT HAVE A CONCEALED WEAPONS PERMIT BUT HE FELT LIKE HIS USE OF THE FIREARM WAS IN SELF DEFENSE BECAUSE HE WAS IN FEAR FOR HIS LIFE. RONNIE STATED HE BELIEVED HIS SISTERS SUE RETHERFORD AND JUDY BERRIGAN HAD BEEN PRESENT, AS WELL AS DILLON YOUNG AND TRAVIS CORBIN WHO BOTH STOPPED JAY FROM BEING ABLE TO GET TO RONNIE. CONTACT WAS ATTEMPTED WITH EACH OF THESE SUBJECTS, INITIALLY UNSUCCESSFULLY. AFTER OBTAINING SWORN TAPED STATEMENTS FROM MS. GAY AND RONNIE, RONNIE WAS PLACED UNDER ARREST FOR CARRYING A CONCEALED FIREARM
AND IMPROPER EXHIBITION OF A FIREARM. RONNIE WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE JAIL WITHOUT INCIDENT.
AFTER LEAVING THE JAIL, I CONTINUED TRYING TO LOCATE AND MAKE CONTACT WITH OTHER WITNESSES WHO HAD LEFT THE SCENE PRIOR TO MY ARRIVAL. PASTOR HOLLY WAS CONTACTED AND SHE CONFIRMED THAT RONNIE HAD SPOKEN TO HER ON MONDAY AND STATED THAT JAY HAD BEEN THREATENING HIM AND HE WAS WORRIED SOMETHING WOULD HAPPEN. PASTOR HOLLY INDICATED SHE DID NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED
BECAUSE SHE HAD BEEN OUTSIDE WHEN THE ALTERCATION STARTED. JUDY BERRIGAN WAS FINALLY REACHED AND SHE STATED SHE SAW NOTHING AND HEARD NOTHING AND WAS ALREADY OUTSIDE AS WELL. PATRICIA “SUE” RETHERFORD WAS LOCATED AND INDICATED THAT SHE HAD BEEN PRESENT. MS. RETHERFORD PROVIDED A SWORN TAPED STATEMENT IN WHICH SHE INDICATED SHE SAW JAY TRYING TO GET OUT OF THE PEW AND WAS YELLING “ANGRY” THINGS AT RONNIE BUT SHE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT. MS. RETHERFORD INDICATED IT WAS ONLY AFTER THIS THAT RONNIE PULLED THE GUN OUT
BUT SHE NEVER HEARD RONNIE SAY ANYTHING IN RESPONSE TO JAY.
FOLLOW UP CONTACT WAS ALSO MADE WITH AUXILIARY DEPUTY BENSON TO OBTAIN A SWORN STATEMENT. DEPUTY BENSON INDICATED THAT AFTER BEING TOLD THERE WAS SOMEONE WITH A GUN INSIDE, HE ENTERED THE CHURCH AND SAW A SMALL HANDFUL OF PEOPLE. DEPUTY BENSON STATED THAT HE SAW TWO MEN NEAR THE FRONT OF THE CHURCH AND WHEN HE STARTED ASKING WHO HAS THE GUN, SOMEONE INDICATED THE TWO MEN. DEPUTY BENSON APPROACHED THE TWO MEN AND ASKED THEM WHO HAD THE GUN AND THE ONE MAN INDICATED THE OTHER ONE. DEPUTY BENSON STATED HE THEN NOTED THAT THE OTHER MAN WAS HOLDING THE GUN DOWN BY HIS SIDE CALMLY. DEPUTY BENSON STATED THE MAN GAVE HIM THE GUN AND HE
UNLOADED IT AND TOOK IT OUTSIDE. DEPUTY BENSON ADVISED THAT AFTER OBTAINING THE GUN, HE MADE CONTACT WITH AUXILIARY CAPTAIN TAYLOR WHO WAS DEALING WITH SEVERAL SUBJECTS OUTSIDE THE CHURCH IN A VERBAL ARGUMENT. DEPUTY BENSON INDICATED THAT HE ASSISTED IN DISPERSING THE CROWD AND EVERYONE LEFT INCLUDING THE SUBJECT WHO HAD THE GUN. DEPUTY BENSON STATED HE DID NOT OBTAIN ANY OF THE INVOLVED PARTIES NAMES, NOR DID HE INTERVIEW ANYONE OR OBTAIN STATEMENTS.
CONTACT WAS NOT ABLE TO BE MADE WITH TRAVIS CORBIN. CONTACT WAS MADE BY PHONE WITH DILLON YOUNG AND HIS WIFE AMY. DILLON STATED HE WAS OUTSIDE WHEN THE INCIDENT STARTED AND DID RUN INSIDE TELLING BOTH JAY AND RONNIE TO “STOP IT” BUT DID NOT WITNESS THE INCIDENT. AMY INDICATED THAT SHE WAS DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF RONNIE AND HEARD JAY STATE, “I’M GOING TO GET YOU, TODAY’S YOUR DAY AND I’M GONNA GET YOU RIGHT NOW” AS HE WAS TRYING TO GET OVER THE PEW TOWARDS HIM. AMY STATED WHEN SHE SAW RONNIE PULL OUT THE GUN SHE GOT ON THE FLOOR UNTIL SHE SAW HER HUSBAND COME IN. AMY DECLINED TO PROVIDE A STATEMENT, ADVISING SHE DID NOT WANT TO GET IN THE MIDDLE OF HER HUSBAND’S FAMILY MATTERS. ALL 8 WITNESS STATEMENTS THAT WERE ABLE TO BE OBTAINED, ALONG WITH THE DEFENDANT’S STATEMENTS WERE SUBMITTED FOR
TRANSCRIPTION. THE DEFENDANT’S STATEMENT WAS ALSO TRANSFERRED TO A DISK FOR SUBMISSION INTO EVIDENCE. A FCIC/NCIC CHECK OF THE FIREARM, (A TAURUS “JUDGE” .45 LONG REVOLVER), WAS COMPLETED AND IT WAS SUBMITTED INTO EVIDENCE AS WELL. THE AMMUNITION WHICH HAD BEEN LOADED INTO THE FIREARM AT THE TIME IT WAS SEIZED BY DEPUTY BENSON WAS PACKAGED SEPARATELY AND SUBMITTED AS WELL.