WALTON COUNTY, Fla. — Two men from Georgia are facing felony charges after a wave of vehicle burglaries and a shooting in Miramar Beach that left a visitor wounded, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office said.
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The investigation began on April 20 when deputies responded to several reports of overnight vehicle burglaries in Miramar Beach. Walton County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) deputies increased patrols and worked to develop a suspect vehicle description.
By the night of April 23 into the early hours of April 24, WCSO received more burglary reports — this time from areas off Chat Holley Road and U.S. Highway 331 South, as well as spots along the Highway 98 corridor west to Miramar Beach.
Deputies said all of the incidents followed a similar “smash and grab” pattern. Suspects reportedly used a window punch to break into locked vehicles. In one case near North Beach Social, a firearm was stolen from inside a vehicle.
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At around 1:15 a.m. on April 24, deputies responded to 911 calls reporting a shooting off Holiday Road in Miramar Beach. According to the WCSO, the victim had been robbed at gunpoint by a man matching the earlier burglary suspect’s description.
The victim, a tourist from Louisiana, was shot and sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
A WCSO sergeant transported the victim to the hospital while gathering a suspect description. After carrying the victim into the emergency room, the sergeant returned to the scene to assist with the investigation.
Crime analysts and deputies tracked a black Toyota Corolla seen fleeing the area shortly after the shooting. The vehicle was intercepted later that morning in Cook County, Georgia, around 11:15 a.m. Three individuals were detained by Cook County deputies.
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Two of those individuals — Wisdom Hughey, 18, and Darrick Darnell Jennings, 19, both of Butler, Georgia — now face charges of grand theft of a firearm and armed burglary. Both suspects are awaiting extradition to Walton County.
The WCSO said additional charges are expected as investigators work to identify a third suspect.
