OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. — An Okaloosa County jury has convicted a man of fentanyl trafficking and resisting an officer without violence, according to the Office of the State Attorney.
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Prosecutors said Malik Humphries was found guilty of Trafficking in Fentanyl (28 grams or more) and Resisting an Officer Without Violence following a two-day trial that ended November 5. Mr Humphries was later sentenced to 30 years in state prison by Circuit Judge Lacey Clark, a term that includes a mandatory $500,000 fine tied to the trafficking charge.
The Office of the State Attorney said the case began on May 2, 2024, when a Corporal with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) was patrolling the area of Miracle Strip Parkway in Mary Esther. The Corporal was investigating a suspected vehicle burglary when he saw a man later identified as Humphries lying back in the driver’s seat and peering out the rear window.
The Corporal approached the vehicle and attempted to speak with the driver. Prosecutors said Mr Humphries kept the window closed and made statements that appeared designed to divert the Corporal’s attention. Based on the circumstances, the Corporal detained Humphries and opened the driver’s door, where he saw a backpack in the passenger seat.
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Mr Humphries then fled on foot while carrying the backpack. The Corporal pursued him until he jumped a fence and ran off, reportedly dropping the backpack in the process. The Corporal recovered it from the ground at the fence line.
Inside the backpack, investigators said they found just over 66 grams of fentanyl pills. According to prosecutors, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) tested and weighed the pills, confirming the fentanyl amount that qualified for the trafficking charge.
The OCSO conducted the arrest and investigation. Assistant State Attorney Jessica Giardina, with Assistant State Attorney Rachel Gainer as co-counsel, prosecuted the case on behalf of State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden of the First Judicial Circuit of Florida.
