Police Blotter

Man accused of threatening nurse at care facility

A Miramar Beach man is accused of threatening to “smack the smirk off the face” of a nurse at a care facility where a relative was a patient.

Okaloosa County Sheriff’s deputies were called to Destin Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, 195 Mattie Kelly Blvd., around 9:15 p.m. on April 14, according to the arrest report. A nurse reported that the 56-year-old man was “intoxicated and angry” because he didn’t like the way his relative was being cared for.

The man “yelled at the victim” that “he wanted something done now,” the report said. He then allegedly told her he would “yank her up by her hair, drag her across the desk, and smack that smirk off her face.”

She said his yelling and cursing disrupted the other staff and patients, who feared for their safety. Witnesses reported that the man threatened the nurse and was “acting aggressively.”

When deputies spoke with the man, he yelled and waved his arms, stating that deputies “needed to arrest him,” the report said. They found a loaded handgun with a round in the chamber in the man’s pocket.

He had a concealed weapon permit, but was in “an intoxicated state,” according to the report.

He is charged with assault on an officer, firefighter or emergency medical care provider and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors.

His next scheduled court date is April 21.

Man facing multiple charges after allegedly driving without headlights

A Crestview man is facing multiple felony weapon and drug charges after being pulled over for allegedly driving without headlights.

Okaloosa County Sheriff’s deputies noticed the vehicle driving on Beach Drive in Destin around 1 a.m. on April 9, according to the arrest report. Since the driver, identified as 27-year-old Stefen Michael Kessler, was driving without headlights, deputies attempted to make a traffic stop.

Kessler continued on through residential areas, reaching speeds of 60 mph on Airport Road while fleeing deputies, the report said. He reportedly failed to maintain a single lane, ran multiple stop signs and red lights and went the wrong way through a roundabout during the chase.

Kessler went to Indian Lake Apartments and ran from the vehicle, which was still in gear and rolling through the parking lot, according to the report. He was caught on the third floor of an apartment building after a foot chase.

An inventory of the vehicle revealed a loaded Glock 19 between the front seats, a handgun holster in the passenger floor board and cocaine and alprazolam in the center console. Deputies also found $228 in cash under the bag with the drugs.

Kessler is charged with fleeing a law enforcement officer, driving while his license is suspended as a second offense, carrying a concealed weapon during a felony, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, possession with intent to sell cocaine, possession of a controlled substance and felony violating probation.

His next scheduled court date is May 19.