PANAMA CITY — The sounds of creaking wood in the wind and splashing of the water — noticeably unhindered by the persistent hum of a motor — are reminders that sailors are on a piece of history.

Beginning this year, the Governor Stone, a National and Florida Historic Monument, sets sail the second Saturday of each month at the St. Andrew Marina at 10 a.m.

Normally people would be able to enjoy a two hour sail around the bay, but this Saturday the Governor Stone will reach its 20 person capacity with members of the nonprofit organization that pays for maintenance of the ship. However, the group — 130 members strong — will have a booth in front of their slip to sign people up to the organization — $25 is the minimum — and to solicit other donations.

“This is looking to promote the vessel and make people aware of it,” Secretary Treasurer Carol Visalpatara said.

The Governor Stone was built in 1877 and was one of the last commercial schooners, Visalpatara said. It was used to transport cargo all over the Gulf and as an oyster fishing boat. In the 1920s, it was even used to run rum originally transported from Cuba.

The boat has sunk three times — 1906, 1939 and 1956 — and was restored to its commercial boat condition in the 1990s after being used as a yacht for a time. The vessel requires considerable upkeep, undergoing a $100,000 rehab in 2013 — $50,000 of which was paid by a State Historical Monument Preservation grant. A reconstruction like that is required every 20 years — which was the planned life span for the boat.

“It’s expensive,” Visalpatara said of yearly maintenance.

The Governor Stone also receives about $5,000 a year from Panama City and a free slip at St. Andrews Marina.

After this Saturday, the next sailing trip will April 11.

I can’t help but think of Luke Bryan treating rehearsals like science experiments.

“No, we cannot start the song that fast, it’s got to build into a party crescendo,” he shouts at his a rent-a-band like a composer.

Quick side note, the band’s appearance was somewhat comical. You have long haired blond older guy on bass, blond guy wearing a white bandana on keyboards, spiky dark haired guitarist, wiry violinist in a silly hat, bald banjo player and bearded guy with sleeves of tattoos on drums – he might as well of gotten them out of Backing Band Magazine.

--- LUKE BRYAN'S SWAN SONG»»

--- SOCIAL: FANS REACT TO THE CONCERT IN TWEETS AND PHOTOS»»

Bryan won’t win a Noble Prize for his scientific efforts, or a Grammy most likely, but I think he has cracked the formula to get people to drink copious amounts of alcohol -- right on the edge of blacking out -- and then have sloppy, partially clothed sex on the floor of a dirty hotel room. He is the pied piper of binge drinkers.

Contrary to his party boy image -- I’m sure at this moment he is strategically flipping around his cap around for emphasis -- he did not come by this musical concoction by accident.  It took practice over many Spring Breaks and the study of different types of drinking music.

The covers Bryan’s band chose were an interesting window into this analysis. They threw in a little bit of AC/DC, a little bit of Metallica, a little bit of Mark Ronson and the theme for the “Fresh Prince of Bell Air (because that's a song everybody knows the words to).” Now, AC/DC and country are similar – about good times; you know “Have A Drink On Me.” But I thought “Enter Sandman” would be out of place, since the song is about a demon invading the nightmares of a child.

Wrong. Metallica may be a different type of drinking music – drunk to the point of destroying things – but it’s still drinking music. Then you’ve got Mark Ronson, which gets the country girls to shake their butts in a little bit of a different way.

You can hear some of these different influences in songs like “That’s My Kind of Night” and “Country Girl.” Also, all of his songs seem to build but start with a good, up-beat groove. The simplicity of his songs makes them easier and more fun to play live. In general, he is better live than in studio.

Fight breaks out and he’s unfazed – “Fighting ‘aint gonna stop this good time,” he said Thursday. His band took one break … one, and they played for almost two hours. That was impressive; there was no talking in between songs -- just bang, bang, bang one after another.

What I’m saying is that people should not be sad that he may not play another Spring Break; he’s spreading his wings. He can bring his drunk music to stadiums of inebriates instead of clubs not designed for the size of crowd he can draw.

Who knows, Bryan may be happy to have a gig during Spring Break if he finds out party music is a young man’s game. However, no one thought AC/DC would be playing the Grammys in their 60s.

PANAMA CITY — The two Americorps volunteers started by scraping old white paint off the porch ceiling of the Glenwood cottage on Friday. On the docket was painting the exterior baby blue, at the behest of home owner Lucille Green.

Green’s home, at 530 East Seventh Court, is the first of seven in Glenwood that Americorps is planning to provide exterior rehabilitation.

Green has lived in that house since it was built in 1962, raising two children. She volunteers at the Glenwood Community Center, serving local seniors lunch. She already said the work the group completed around the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, when they scraped and painted the front porch railing and power washed the siding, has had a transformative effect on the property.

“When you don’t have income, that’s a blessing from the Lord,” Green said.

Green signed up for the program, which is a collaborative effort among Goodwill, Americorps, Glenwood Working Partnership and Panama City Community Redevelopment Agency. The CRA provides a $900 paint voucher, Home Depot provided tools, Glenwood Working Partnership provided some connections in the community and Americorps and Goodwill provides the labor. Goodwill and Americorps are linked in Bay County with Goodwill acting as the funnel for $225,000 of national Americorps funding.

Onna Crose and Brenda Carroll normally work at Americorps office in Chipley as education coordinator and resource manager respectively, but were the ones scraping the porch ceiling. Typically, the education coordinator organizes courses such as money sense for budgeting, resume building and QuickBooks. The resource manager directs people in need to the proper resources.

“Americorps position came open and has helped me give back,” Carroll said.

Goodwill Director John Shaffer was willing to get his hands dirty on Friday. He has been the program director for two and half years with Goodwill and Americorps. His wife Jo is a volunteer. Like Shaffer, Beverly Neild is a full-time employee, volunteer coordinator in Panama City and was also helping with the house.

The group also recruited five Americorps volunteers from Tallahassee — Jessica Jones, Jazmine Hudson, Nickee Taylor, Marisa Thomas and Cammia Dawson.

BAYOU GEORGE — A beating that prompted a shootout at a Bayou George home left three people injured, one of them with a gunshot wound to the face, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office said Friday.

BCSO was searching for one man involved in the incident.

Investigators said Joe Silva, 45, drove to the residence of Calvin Williams at 8307 Cluster Road, with his two sons, Joseph and Jacob, at 10 p.m. on Thursday. When one of the residents of the home, a 60-year-old male whose name was not released, went outside he was struck on the head with either a baseball bat or a wooden stick, police said.

Authorities are unclear as to which member of the Silva family allegedly struck the man.

The victim cried out for help and Williams came outside and began shooting at the Silvas, BCSO reported.

Jacob Silva was shot in the face and arm and Joseph Silva was struck in the leg, according to police. Joe Silva is believed to have returned fire and struck Williams’ vehicle, BCSO reported.

Joe and Joseph Silva drove away, leaving Jacob Silva in a ditch, according to the BCSO. Joe Silva dropped Joseph Silva at a local hospital and left him there, driving away, police said.

Joe Silva’s truck was located later in the evening off Ormond Road in Springfield by the Springfield Police Department and has been towed to the BCSO.

The conditions of those injured was not available Friday night.

The investigation is ongoing and Joe Silva had not been located as of late Friday.

PANAMA CITY BEACH — A man visiting the area on Spring Break was arrested and charged with attacking an elderly man in his home for no apparent reason, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office reported Friday.

Keith Leon Rakestraw, 24, of Chetopa, Kan., was charged with burglary of an occupied dwelling with intent to commit a battery and battery of a person more than 65 years of age after authorities said he entered the Gulf Drive home of a 93-year-old man Thursday afternoon.

Rakestraw allegedly walked through the front door while the elderly man was sitting on the couch. Rakestraw went to the sliding-glass door and grabbed a PVC pipe that the victim used to secure the entry, police said. Rakestraw approached the victim and began striking a newspaper on the couch with the pipe, the BCSO reported.

The victim told police he tried to speak with Rakestraw but received no response. Rakestraw then struck the victim with the pipe in the right arm and cheek, police said.

Rakestraw then left the house and was spotted by one of the victim’s neighbors, who led later deputies to the suspect.

After being taken into custody, the victim identified Rakestraw as the attacker, according to the BCSO. The victim stated he had never seen the man before the attack.

The victim suffered minor lacerations and bruising and told deputies he would seek medical attention on his own.

PANAMA CITY BEACH — A highway that officials say will be the start of an alternative corridor to traveling Back Beach Road is a step closer to reality.

The Panama City Beach City Council, on the prodding of County Commissioner Mike Thomas, late Thursday night voted to enter into an interlocal agreement that will allow the St. Joe Co. to start engineering work for the new “Loop Road.”

“I’m going to bring back an agreement between the St. Joe Co. and Panama City Beach,” City Manager Mario Gisbert said after the council meeting. “We’ve pretty much gone through all the legal terms and everything. We’re going to add the survey to that component. And then it will allow the St. Joe Co. to start the engineering for the project.”

The Loop Road would curve for about a 1.5-mile stretch in a northwesterly direction from the end of North Pier Park Drive up to State 79. North Pier Park Drive extends from Back Beach Road and dead ends just north of Palmetto Trace’s western entrance. When completed, the new road extension would allow drivers leaving Pier Park to drive to State 79 without traveling the congested segment of Back Beach Road.

Gisbert said the agreement being drafted is very specific to just the Loop Road segment from State 79 to North Pier Park.

“But we may be able to add some language in this that we will continue to work to get this all the way to Nautilus (Street),” Gisbert said. “I can tell you (St. Joe officials) are already working on the other leg to Nautilus. It’s just not in the agreement at this time.”

The city would fund the $2.6 million to develop a two-lane Loop Road, and the property owner, the St. Joe Co., would convey land for it and provide engineering work and mitigation services. The 150-foot swath would be enough land to four-lane the road in the future.

Gisbert told the council that that city and St. Joe Co. officials are evaluating a connection road linking the Colony Club subdivision to Nautilus Street as part of the overall project. This could mean Colony Club residents would have the option of avoiding driving into the median opening on Back Beach Road that is the only way in and out of the community. Residents would be able to travel straight up to U.S. 79 without ever having to turn onto Back Beach Road. Residents could also travel up to Nautilus Street and turn onto Back Beach Road at the traffic light.

Colony Club audience Phil Chester, who said he initially had reservations about the Loop Road project, said he would be elated if the overall project comes to fruition.

“That would be awesome,” he said Friday.

There could be a secondary major benefit to the new Loop Road. A portion of the new road would be built over the dirt Power Line Road, and paving that road could prod the state to move ahead with an expansion of a longer segment of a road — informally called Back Back Beach Road — that the Florida Department of Transportation supports; it is expected in the future to be an alternative east-west corridor to Back Beach Road.

At the end of the meeting during public comment, Thomas, who lives on Front Beach Road, urged the council to get the ball rolling on the Loop Road project.

He pointed out that a few months ago he came before the council urging them to move ahead on the Loop Road, but that hasn’t happened.

“We have looked at this for years, not primarily the Loop Road, but this is the start of the Back Back Beach Road,” he said. “That is what I think we need to focus on more than anything else, is beginning this process.”

Thomas said everyone from Department of Transportation to St. Joe officials to city officials recognizes that “sooner or later we have to have some relief to the north of us back there.”

“We’re not going to get it until we get started,” he said. “I would ask you all to authorize the resolution that starts this bid process, that starts this construction as soon as possible. You’ve collected the money from the people there that are supposed to pay for it.”

Gisbert told the council members that since he first brought the proposed Loop Road concept to them in August, staff has meet with DOT two times and five or six meeting with St. Joe Co. officials.

“In every conversation we’ve had with DOT you can definitely tell they are excited about the concept of this because being an alternate road off of Back Beach Road,” Gisbert said.

The city has set aside $1 million in impact fees charged to new development in the Pier Park corridor for the Loop Road, and the remaining $1.6 million would come out of the city’s general fund.

Councilman Keith Curry challenged Gisbert whether the Loop Road was the best way to spend $1.6 million in general fund dollars.

He said he wants the city to get the “most bang for its buck” on road projects.

“I mean, we’ve asked for some (funding for) areas where we have people getting killed and accidents, and we’ve seen nothing from you,” Curry told Gisbert.

Curry said he could see where the $1.6 million expenditure of taxpayer money on the Loop Road is going to benefit Pier Park, where it begins.

 “I can see where it’s going to benefit St. Joe,” he said. “I can see where it might benefit a new sports facility that the Tourist Development Council might want to build.”

PANAMA CITY BEACH — Bridge joint maintenance work will take place in the eastbound lanes of U.S. 98 Thomas Drive flyover in Bay County on Sunday, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.

Lane closures will remain in effect from 9 p.m. until 4 a.m.

All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather. Motorist are reminded to travel with care through the work zone.

Tombo Martin is one of the stars of Buck Commander on Outdoor Channel, a former major league baseball pitcher, graduate of Bay High and resident of our area. If you have a question for Tombo send it to AskTombo@gmail.com

Q: This will be my first season turkey hunting. The rules where I hunt allow shotgun only, no rifles. I have a Remington 12 gauge with several different chokes but my friends are telling me I need a special turkey choke. They cost more than $30. Is it really necessary? What difference does it make exactly?

Clay

Tombo: In my mind this is how I got started learning about chokes because when I started turkey hunting, I didn’t know a lot about it and I still don’t know a whole lot about it. But I learned the first time I tried to get a pattern without a turkey choke it was disastrous.

Especially on anything past 30 yards, if you don’t have a turkey choke you’re really just giving the gobbler that much more of an advantage of getting away.

A turkey choke is designed to concentrate the shot over a longer distance, giving you a better chance of hitting the gobbler in the head and neck area. Other chokes have different names, but a turkey choke is exactly what it says it is, there’s no guessing involved, it’s for a turkey load and you need it to hunt turkey.

The best one I’ve heard or seen is Kick’s Gobblin’ Turkey Choke (by Remington). I’ve only shot one gobbler in my life, two years ago, at my place and that was at 50 yards, which really is a stretch. I didn’t think he was going to come any closer and I had three shells — I was ready to use them all — and the first one hit him in the head.

That was a long shot and I can see why people get addicted to it. When you call them in yourself and they come running in from the woods and bob and strut right in your face and gobble, that’s a special feeling that runs through you.

Information is provided by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office on people arrested on charges March 4-9. Those arrested can contact The News Herald if charges are dropped or if they are acquitted. Addresses are those given by the defendant during arrest.

Charges listed in the arrest log published March 8 included incorrect information. According to the Bay County Circuit Clerk's website, Melissa Nicole (Whitford) Ducker was charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of paraphernalia and possession of a legend drug.

--- MUGSHOTS»»

Kylen Evan Trent Jackson, 19, 6341 Omogo Street, Panama City, possession of use of narcotic equipment

Daniel Latez Burgees, 27, 1301 Gordon Drive, Sheffield, Ala., grand theft

Matthew Allen Spooner, 24, 201 E. 25th St., Lynn Haven, burglary

Ronald Lee III Martin, 25, 6010 Minneola St., Callaway, possession of cocaine

Clyde Randolph Ferguson, 40, 1701 Hamilton Ave., Panama City, kidnapping/false imprisonment

Michael Anthony Foster, 36, 2626 Redwood St., Panama City, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver

Andrew Thomas Lee Loftis, 30, 234 North James Ave., Panama City, burglary with assault or battery

Eric Bernard Henley, 19, 127 Harlem Ave., Panama City, possession of cocaine burglary with assault or battery, possession or use of narcotic equipment

Jon Nicholas Whitworth, 56, 1516 Arthur Ave Panama City, possession or use of narcotic equipment

--- MUGSHOTS»»

John Lewis Page, 46, 836 Harrison Ave., Panama City, possession or use of narcotic equipment

Fabion Larry Renfro, 31, 6518 Kieber Circle, Panama City, aggravated battery with use of a deadly weapon

Michael Demetrius Turner, 21, 804 Dent St., Tallahassee, possession or use of narcotic equipment

Richard Odell Enochs, 47, 15141 Memorial Circle, Panama City Beach, possession or use of narcotic equipment

Justin Mathew Smith, 20, Fulton, Ohio, possession of synthetic narcotics with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver, possession of controlled substance without prescription, possession or use of narcotic equipment

Austin John Linden, 19, Broadview, Ohio, possession of synthetic narcotics with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver, possession or use of narcotic equipment

Matthew Scott Canon, 21, Elyria, Ohio, possession of synthetic narcotics with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver, possession or use of narcotic equipment

Andrew Christopher Bell, 20, Cortland, Ohio, possession of synthetic narcotics with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver, possession or use of narcotic equipment

Victor Paul Tithof-Hart, 27, 1400 Sandel Lane, Panama City Beach, possession or use of narcotic equipment

--- MUGSHOTS»»

Anthony Lamard Gilyard, 54, 905 W. 26th St., Lynn Haven, possession of cocaine

Dominick Michael Munno, 18, Orlando, possession or use of narcotic equipment

April Danielle Kimmel, 28, 113 N. Bestavia St., Panama City Beach, possession or use of narcotic equipment

Dominique Olden Neal, 24, Tallahassee, possession or use of narcotic equipment

Dontre Levelle Harris, 21, Ellenwood, Ga., possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver, possession or use of narcotic equipment

Jhade Marie Johnson, 18, Tuskeegee, Ala., possession or use of narcotic equipment

Johnnie Lee Schaffrik, 41, 1206 Wyoming Ave., Lynn Haven, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver, possession or use of narcotic equipment

James Robert Mclemore, 31, 402 Hidden Island Drive, Panama City Beach, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver, possession or use of narcotic equipment

Roderick Deshawn Davis, 20, Demopolis, Ala., possession or use of narcotic equipment

Ashley Tara Wilburn, 18, North Port, possession or use of narcotic equipment

--- MUGSHOTS»»

Ashley Nicole Sheats, 18, North Port, possession or use of narcotic equipment

Michael Todd Bloemsma, 24, Tampa, possession or use of narcotic equipment

Aaron David Monacelli, 20, North Port, possession or use of narcotic equipment

Yvel  Moise, 20, Orlando, possession of controlled substance without prescription

Terryal Lamar Jenkins Jr., 21, 10202 NW Third St., Bristol, possession or use of narcotic equipment

Gregory  Hill, 20, Memphis, Tenn., possession or use of narcotic equipment

Joshua Lee Hollingsworth, 23, Buford, Ga., possession or use of narcotic equipment

Vander Dan Purcell, 20, Greensboro, N.C., possession or use of narcotic equipment, possession of controlled substance without prescription

Jeffrey Allen Greenfield, 28, 19716 Deep Springs Road, Fountain, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver, possession or use of narcotic equipment

Ateon Montel Merriel, 18, 625 N. Ninth St., Panama City, possession or use of narcotic equipment

Rusty Samuel (Clark) Clarke, 37, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver, possession or use of narcotic equipment, possession of controlled substance without prescription,

Zavier Jovon Jenkins, 18, 1321 Lincoln Drive, Panama City, grand theft

--- MUGSHOTS»»

Kelvin Deshon Felder, 36, 4004 E. 11th St., Panama City, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without the intent to kill, felony or domestic battery by strangulation

Marshelia Anne Thomas, 18, Louisville, Ala., possession of heroin with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver, possession or use of narcotic equipment

Jasmine Kiara Edwards, 19, Fort Walton Beach, possession or use of narcotic equipment

Christopher James Simpkins, 34, Fort Walton Beach, possession or use of narcotic equipment

Torrey Darnell Benning, 19, Erie, Pa., possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver, possession or use of narcotic equipment

Mia Lashay Moorehead, 23, DeKalb, Ill., possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver, possession or use of narcotic equipment

Alexander Michael Joseph Cantrell, 19, Kansas City, Mo., possession of cocaine

Dominique Daron Gipson, 18, Indianapolis, Ind., possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, manufacture, sell or deliver, possession of controlled substance without prescription, weapon offense

Rahiim Ismaiil Aponte, 20, Lithonia, Ga., grand theft

James Zaquell Wacion Curtis, 20, Vineland, N.J., grand theft

--- MUGSHOTS»»

The first gobble on the first morning of Spring Turkey season, for a hunter, is a sound as sweet as the cork popping off a vintage bottle of champagne or the crack of a baseball leaving the bat for a walk off homerun for the home team.

That gobble will come next Saturday, and turkey hunters are gearing up for what they hope will be a bountiful season.

“You can’t predict the kind of harvest hunters will have, but the bird population seems to be doing well across the state,” said Bekah Nelson, public information coordinator for the Northwest Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission. “We offer 24 water management areas that lays out where people can hunt if they don’t have a place and there’s a map on our website (www.myfwc.com).”

Turkey hunters, particularly those who eschew deer hunting as being amateurish, are a different breed though. It is certainly a different kind of hunt if practiced in the traditional style of stalking and locating and finally luring in a heated up gobbler.

A deer hunter, and this is in very general terms, gets up well before sunrise and heads out just like a turkey hunter. But most are destined for stands of some sort set up near food plots and/or bait, and many are headed for fairly comfortable stands designed to offer nearly complete cover and comfort for hours, complete with padded chairs and windows.

The deer hunter sits and waits and stays quiet and checks his or her phone and maybe plays some games, hopeful a deer will venture into sight and shooting range on the food plot that has been so thoroughly tended to for months.

Often times the hunter will wear camo pants not because they have to – no beast could see into the stand or see anything below the hunter’s chest — but because it seems like the thing to do when hunting. They could just as well be wearing jeans or clown pants.

Turkey hunting, though, is different. While hunter can take advantage, and many do, of stable ground blinds, the turkey hunters looking for the real challenge venture out with, at best, a portable cloth-and-stick makeshift blind that might stand 18 inches high and provide cover for the boots of a hunter on the ground.

The turkey hunter will be in full camo garb, turkeys have keen eyesight and you are on the ground, with no exposed skin. If skin is exposed the turkey will likely see it, or worse, the mosquitoes will find it. He will be equipped with several different ways of calling the birds, from a turkey box to a mouthpiece to a slate friction call.

As the sun cracks, if a gobble isn’t heard, a light hen peck might be issued and if things carry on too long with no action he might bust out a crow call and try to get a “shock” gobble.

But a prepared turkey hunter has a general idea where the turkeys roost – turkeys sleep in trees, preferably over water — and can generally expect to be close enough that he will hear a gobble without doing anything. Having worked his way back against a nice pine or oak, seated and armed and still, the sound of that morning gobble will seemingly double the heart rate.

The hunter likely will be on the move, trying to find a place to next set up that will put him in the path of that bird or near enough to get its attention. He likely will move more than once, this is not a passive hunt.

There’s much debate about how to properly call in a gobbler looking for a hen, but the point is that it’s not easy and when you’ve tricked a nice gobbler into strutting within shooting range, generally 45 yards or less for a shotgun, you’ve earned it.

Because turkey hunting involves stealth on the move, as opposed to deer hunting where hunters generally stick to one spot, Nelson and the FWC reminder hunters to be particularly careful this time of year in the woods.

“Just always positively identify our target before pulling the trigger, that’s the biggest thing,” she said. “You can have multiple people out there hunting turkeys and some of these people are so good at the calling that you can’t tell if it’s the real thing or a sound made by another hunter, so you have to positively identify it. You can just shoot at sounds.”

Nelson also said hunters should be prepared to repel mosquitoes and should think about snake boots as protection against rattlesnakes. “Before you look before you step, and definitely before you sit down,” she said.

It can be tiring, the turmoil of life as we lead it.

Times are uncertain, as is the future for many. Companies cut costs, stress arises, bills are due and we worry and fret and try to hide all of that from our children, who only need to know they are loved and provided for and need not worry.

They’ll have plenty of time for that later, we know, as we watch them flit across the now-pristine beach of life in well-worn shoes, unaware, as they should be, of the storm clouds gathering in the distance.

Meanwhile, we adults can wallow in that uncertainty, forgetting the reality.

For me, today, the reality is that 11 people serving our country died in a helicopter crash Tuesday not far from the field where my son participated in a soccer tournament days earlier.

The reality for me, today, is that the weekend before that, we were at another soccer tournament in Daphne, Ala., and my son and I went to visit the grandfather he never met.

The reality is that 20 years ago today, his grandfather, my father, James Kennedy Cazalas, was eaten up with a small-cell cancer that would take him from diagnosis to death within a five-month period. For 20 years, my father’s earthly body has rested contently near the magnolias and crepe myrtles at Magnolia Cemetery, next to his parents.

I had kind of forgotten my visit to my dad’s grave two weeks ago until I saw a post this week from Marjorie Lahmeyer on Facebook that tugged at me. She posted, “I am going to share with u a note my daddy wrote in his final days.”

It was hand-written and titled, “Things I will miss,” with the notation, “not in order.”

He listed “camping,” “creek,” “shooting,” “hunting,” “tinkering with my little stuff in garage,” “watching girls in backyard,” “holding a sleeping baby” and “making love.” He also listed his “sweetie” twice, writing, “Sitting, etc., with Sweetie Hon,” and “Everything with Sweetie Hon.” He ended the note, again, with “not in order.”

Seeing that took me back to my recent visit, with my son, to see my dad.

It had been a few years since I visited the grave, my son in tow that time as well, and as part of our visit — we stayed with my Uncle Joe, my dad’s youngest brother — I wanted to visit my dad. My son, God bless him, who usually has to be cajoled into anything that is going to involve a car ride and going somewhere without Internet for his various devices, immediately said yes when I asked him if he wanted to go with me.

He only vaguely remembered having been there before, but, at 11, he has a deeper understanding of the father/son relationship and intuitively knew it was important to me. And he’s an empathetic child, the kind who insists on staying home when I’m sick to take care of me, and he said he didn’t want me to go alone.

We headed to Mobile, and my son again humored me by agreeing to lunch at the Dew Drop Inn, one of those restaurants where, at some point, its reputation attained such heights that the food could no longer match it but which still demands a visit when in town. I had a couple of hot dogs, for which they’re famous; my son had a burger, which he could not eat and which, after tasting, I couldn’t in good conscience chide him for not eating.

I wasn’t there for the hot dog as much as for the memories. The Dew Drop Inn is an institution not only in Mobile but with my family and is a place my dad always took me when we were there.

We drove to the cemetery and, despite the directions I had the foresight to write down the last time we visited, spent a good 20 minutes walking around the seemingly endless rows of graves looking for dad. My son and I played a game along the way, seeing who could find the headstone with the oldest date of birth, and my son was leading with a man born in the 1820s.

And there was my dad’s headstone, but I decided to let Dylan find it as we meandered that way, and moments later, he shouted, with enthusiasm, “There he is!”

That’s important. Dylan didn’t yell, “There it is!” He said, “There he is!” His grandfather is a person to him, not a thing, though they never met.

We laid on his grave, resting our heads on his headstone and cuddling in a way that’s acceptable for 11-year-old boys and their dads. I told him some stories, including how we dressed my dad in a suit top for the funeral so he would look respectable in the open casket, but that we put him in pajama bottoms and slippers so he’d be comfortable.

And though my son knows I don’t drink, he knows my dad enjoyed a drink, so I told him about the Bob Dylan tape we slipped into the coffin at the viewing, along with the bottle of what I remember to be Jack Daniels, but was a whiskey of some type.

I cried, and my son hugged me, and I explained that adults cry, too, and it’s healthy and that these were happy tears and that’s why it was OK for him to cry when he was sad. And he hugged me tighter and said he understood.

He asked how I always knew what to say to him when he was sad, how I was able to talk to him about his fears, and I told him because he is a spitting image of me genetically, and I’ve been through every fear he has and can make his trek through life easier as long as he’s willing to talk about them.

After a bit, I told Dylan he could go play, that I was going to talk to my dad for a bit. I remembered him running around the last time we were there and how happy it made me.

It worked again as I watched him leap from ground to wall and back, from the wall to a magnolia tree, which he scaled and from which he swung. I marveled at the life he showed surrounded by death and smiled.

I know that but for the trials and stresses of life there would be no real joy, no revelations, no surges of pleasure over the little gifts that would otherwise go unappreciated.

For 20 years, my dad has had no concerns, no bills, no stress. Those do not exist in death. But there is no life there either — at least not on this earth — so my job today is to enjoy what I have.

Whatever you might think of Markus Bishop’s spiritual abilities, his earthly abilities have always seemed clear.

The guy can collect money.

Bishop was once the pastor of Faith Christian Family Church. His church purchased a 10,000 square-foot, five-bedroom, six-bath home in an exclusive neighborhood – nowhere near the church. The home was so opulent that it came under scrutiny from the local property appraiser who said it should not count as a tax-exempt parsonage. Years of court battles followed but Bishop won every time and the case was eventually dropped.

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However, Faith Christian fell on hard times and closed its doors. Bishop has since opened a new church, The Life Center, but the activities inside the center have led local officials like Sheriff Frank McKeithen to proclaim that Bishop is not running a church but “trying to get around the laws, and they’re using the church to get there.”

The Center has, since Feb. 28, run a seven-days-a-week party schedule as Amnesia: The Tabernacle. A video promoting activities there did not describe events that most people would consider spiritual.

The Tabernacle’s website boasts a pajama and lingerie parties, “Anything But Clothes” paint party and “Wet n Wild,” a water-themed event where “white water meets Tabernacle PCB with a little twerkin’.” Patrons are charged $20 at the door, which is called a donation.

“I’ve been in a lot of nightclubs and I’ve been in a lot of churches,” Panama City Beach Police Chief Drew Whitman told The News Herald’s Zack McDonald. “That isn’t a church.”

Dan Sowell, Bay County’s property appraiser, said he plans to officially notify The Life Center that it no longer has tax exempt status later this year. Sowell’s authority on the matter comes from Florida State Statute 196.196, which states that “property claimed as exempt for literary, scientific, religious, or charitable purposes which is used for profit making purposes shall be subject to ad valorem taxation.”

In other words, you probably can’t run a nightclub in a “church” seven nights a week during Spring Break. And, to the best of our knowledge, while they do ask for donations most churches, mosques and synagogues don’t have a cover charge.

The deeper question here is whether or not churches or “churches” should be exempt from paying taxes. It’s certainly true that The Life Center is far from the only organization that calls itself a church but then allegedly engages in activities designed to make the leadership wealthy at the expense of the followers. And, unfortunately, many people and organizations have taken advantage of the tax exempt status over the years.

However, bad actors don’t negate the necessity of treating churches differently from businesses.

Churches have been tax exempt since the founding of this country, a tradition that is believed to stretch back to the Roman Empire and Emperor Constantine’s conversion.

In 1970 the U.S. Supreme Court, in an 8-1 decision, upheld the status.

“The legislative purpose of a property tax exemption is neither the advancement nor the inhibition of religion; it is neither sponsorship nor hostility,” wrote Chief Justice Warren Burger. “New York, in common with the other States, has determined that certain entities that exist in a harmonious relationship to the community at large, and that foster its 'moral or mental improvement,' should not be inhibited in their activities by property taxation or the hazard of loss of those properties for nonpayment of taxes.”

Or as a local pastor put it to The News Herald’s Editorial Board, taxation is a form of control and the government should not seek to control churches just as churches should not seek to control the government.

Yes, agents from both sides often try to intervene in the workings of the other but just because that does happen does not mean it should. It is also ironic that those who want to see the government tax churches are also usually the loudest voices calling for a strict separation of church and state.

It seems clear that government officials had very good reasons for canceling The Life Center’s tax exemption status. We suspect that our court system will ultimately be called on to decide whether or not the center qualifies as a church.

Regardless, our society works best when spiritual matters are dealt with inside a house of worship and political matters are dealt with inside the legislative, judicial and executive branches.
 

PANAMA CITY BEACH — The Panama City Beach Police Department is investigating the death of 21-year-old Coty Trenell Haywood, of Perry.

Officers responded to a call about an unresponsive person at Boardwalk Beach Resort about 8:14 a.m. Saturday, PCBPD announced. They found Haywood dead in his hotel room.

No foul play is suspected at this time. The investigation is ongoing pending an autopsy by the Medical Examiner’s Office.

People who knew Haywood took to social media to express their condolences and shock over his death.

“R.I.P. Coty Haywood, prayers to your family. That's crazy, PCB is not all fun and games. Yall need to be safe out there,” @ImQueen_Key tweeted.

KISSIMMEE — It has been since 1999 that a Bay County wrestler won an individual state championship.

Make that had. More precisely, had, had.

Arnold’s Richie McClanahan and Brock Carlan each won titles on Saturday as the Class 1A State Wrestling Tournament concluded.

The last local wrestler to claim that accomplishment was Bay’s Earl Crawford.

“It’s one of those things; I’ve been coaching 20 years and we’ve come close a couple times,” Arnold coach Jeff Skipper said. “We talked that it’s not just about getting here, it’s about doing something when you get here.

“The whole crew, the coaching staff, school administration, former Arnold wrestlers who came out here to cheer us on. It’s about building a program.”

In addition to the championships, Paul Patterson placed third for Arnold at 138 pounds. McClanahan was paying close attention to his teammate’s fate.

“I got a text and knew Paul won, and had to go out and wrestle a tough match,” said McClanahan, a sophomore who wasn’t quite 1 year old when Crawford won his state title. “I did have a tough weight class, very tough top to bottom.”

McClanahan, 56-3 this season, improved on a runner-up finish in 2014 by edging Jake Brindley of Lake Highland Prep 4-3 in the 126-pound finals. Earlier Saturday, McClanahan advanced through the semifinals with a 7-2 decision over Calab Ashe of Key West.

“I fought hard in the semis and had to prepare myself mentally,” McClanahan said. “I wasn’t going to come out second place again.”

Not to be outdone, Carlan followed at 132 pounds with a 2-1 win over Jay Dugmore of Indian Rocks Christian to finish his final season 58-5. Carlan pinned Austin Rasmussen of Deltona in 39 seconds of the semifinals to reach the championship match.

“I made it here two times and was wrestling for placing only to lose out,” said Carlan, who demolished his weight class with two pins and a technical fall until his final match. He led 2-1 entering the third period, chose the down position and was able to ride it out.

“Having Richie and Paul with me, and this my senior year I needed to get some respect,” said Carlan, who is looking ahead to wrestling in college. “It’s pretty awesome.”

Patterson ended his junior season with a third-place medal at 138. Skipper said that Patterson has had to battle to maintain weight all season because of his height, and the fact he adds extra muscle to play football.

Patterson lost 10-4 to Keaton Koselke of Mariner in the semifinals, but was far from finished. He defeated Matthew Seymour of Taravella 4-3 to earn his way into the third-place match, then edged Alexander Perez of Monsignor Pace 4-3.

Patterson, 53-5 for the season, won four of five matches at state and three by 4-3 decisions.

“This is definitely the hardest tournament we come to and it’s just a different atmosphere,” said Patterson, who admitted that cutting weight became a strain.

“At the beginning of the year it wasn’t so bad, but it definitely wore on me. It was very tough. But now I can’t wait for next year.”

Randy Koscak also wrestled on Saturday in the 195-pound division. He was eliminated on a pin by Cody Ochat of Wakulla in 4:56 to finish 2-2 at state, 41-11 on the season.

Skipper was elated on Friday when every Marlin who made the trip to state, and it was a school-record seven who advanced, won at least one match.

Brian Girard, Michael Harris and Michael Mosley all were eliminated on Friday, but not without having their hand raised once.

SAND HILLS — As detectives tried to piece together the scene of an afternoon house fire in 1999, Janet Lay’s body lay smoldering among the ashes of her mobile home.

And authorities have yet to find the man who killed her.

The Skunk Valley Road house fire that started just after noon on April 9, 1999 was initially thought to be just an out-of control blaze that burned down a mobile home. That was until fire crews discovered the body of Lay under a section of collapsed wall in the living room. Lay, 45, had been stabbed multiple times and died moments before the house went up in flames, destroying any evidence that may have tied a suspect to her brutal murder.

Though BCSO charged a suspect with the murder of Lay, nobody was ever convicted in the case.

So what ever occurred in the investigation of Lay’s death?

Both the State Attorney’s Office and BCSO declined to comment on the status of investigations for this story. The murder remains an ongoing investigation.

Betty Mount, mother of Lay and the most vocal advocate of solving the murder, died about a year ago — never seeing justice for her daughter’s death. Attempts to contact Lay’s surviving family members were also unsuccessful.

However, defense attorney Walter Smith represented the man charged, and then dismissed of the charges, in connection with Lay’s murder.

“My theory was that whoever went in there went in there for drugs,” Smith said. “I was basically prosecuting someone else.”

Smith represented the now-also-deceased Robert Gene Marjenhoff, who was initially charged with murder and arson after Lay’s death. Investigators elicited a confession from Marjenhoff that he’d become angered when Lay disclosed a proposition of a three-way to Marjenhoff’s girlfriend. He went over to Lay’s residence to confront her on the matter before the confrontation escalated, and Marjenhoff set fire to the home to cover his tracks, investigators said at the time.

But Smith argued Marjenhoff’s alibi ruled their theory out. There was no way that Marjenhoff could have killed Lay at the time the medical examiner estimated she would have died, he said. Since there is no exact time of death, Smith made his argument on the basis of the most likely scenario.

According to her autopsy, there were no signs that Lay was alive when the fire started, because no signs of smoke inhalation existed. Smith said, coupled with the grease cooking on the stove that caused the fire, her death occurred about 40 minutes before the fire.

That time conflicted with phone records and receipts from purchases made by Marjenhoff across the county at around that time as Lay’s death. Smith said Marjenhoff only agreed with the investigators’ story because of his IQ, which was scored at levels associated with mental retardation.

“He was the type of guy who would grin and agree with you instead of looking stupid,” Smith said.

Smith also presented investigators with an alternate suspect. He was spotted leaving the scene as fire crews doused Lay’s smoldering home. He was also a known criminal with a penchant for prescription narcotics, which Lay had in abundance.

However, investigators never charged him with Lay’s murder. It is unclear why investigators never followed up on the lead, but Smith said the problem was likely inherent in the system.

“Once they focus in on their suspect, they put blinders on and don’t look anywhere else,” Smith said. “Competing theories take a lot of work to investigate. It’s a fault in our criminal justice system.”

Prosecutors abandoned the charges against Marjenhoff after Smith introduced evidence of an alibi in November of 2001. He spent nearly two years in jail, facing the murder and arson charges before his release. He died in 2006 at the age of 50.

PANAMA CITY BEACH — Reny Jose went missing during Spring Break last year.

His family, loved ones, the Baltimore Guardian Angels and others have not forgotten. A candlelight vigil was held Saturday to spread awareness of Jose’s disappearance.

“One year is like 10 years for me,” said Sherly Jose, Reny’s mother.

Jose disappeared March 3, 2014. Before the vigil on the beach off Front Beach Road, Sherly said she felt sad and wished she could find her son.

She hoped the vigil would reignite attention and awareness. The Jose family is from Albany, N.Y., and traveled to Panama City Beach for the gathering.

Reny, a 21-year-old mechanical engineering student at Rice University in Houston, rented a house with friends in Panama City Beach last year.

The Jose family said he was accompanied by 22 friends from college, but 18 of them left immediately before law enforcement learned of the disappearance. Police and the Jose family searched for Reny in the weeks after his disappearance, including vacant buildings in the area.

The Guardian Angels and family friends held signs Saturday in remembrance of Reny. Marcus Dent, who goes by the Guardian Angels code name “Strider” and is commander of the Baltimore Guardian Angels chapter, said Reny brought everyone at the vigil together. He asked them to keep the Jose family in their prayers.

Dent first met the Jose family in Albany at a conference on missing people. For anyone with a missing loved one, the family waits for that person to return, Dent said.

“This vigil is for Reny Jose,” Dent said.

Laurence and Jeanne Lehman of Jacksonville know what it’s like to wait for a loved one to return. They have worked with the Guardian Angels’ Baltimore chapter to raise awareness about their daughter, who disappeared in Baltimore last December.

The case was upgraded to homicide/missing status after the Guardian Angels helped publicize her case.

Laurence said they came out Saturday to support the Jose family. He added that there is a chance to find Reny.

“We understand how hard it is,” Jeanne said.

At 11:30 a.m. today the group will bring their awareness campaign to the intersection of Thomas Drive and U.S. 98 to catch motorists’ attention.

The Bay County Sheriff’s Office still is investigating, but there have been no updates.

Chevina Jackson, BCSO’s victim advocate, said she has been working with the Jose family. This weekend’s vigil might prod someone’s memory of Reny, she said.

After Saturday’s gathering, Jose George, Reny’s father, said he was sad and wished he could bring Reny home. Something in his heart said his son is still around.

George described his Reny as a loving, intelligent and very helpful young man who would do anything for his family and friends. Reny was due to graduate with a 4.0 GPA, George said.

“Reny was an excellent kid.”

JACKSONVILLE (AP) — A statewide audit by Florida newspapers shows most local and state agencies respond efficiently — and in some cases thoroughly — to simple public records requests, although the cost for similar records varied widely and some agencies failed to respond at all.

Throughout the last year, some newspapers and private citizens have encountered jaw-dropping fees for records such as a $399,000 quote to search a year’s worth of a South Florida police agency’s emails for gay slurs, a $45,000 estimate for a database of complaint and disciplinary records involving North Florida police offices, and a $700 estimate for Ebola reports in a state where there were no documented cases of Ebola.

Sometimes it’s not the cost, but the time it takes to produce the records that raised concerns.

The State Attorney in the 4th Judicial Circuit serving the Jacksonville area took four months to produce a simple phone directory, and the Broward County Sheriff’s Office said it would take four years to fulfill the gay slur email search.

While agencies often are accustomed to responding to requests from media, members of the public throughout Florida also can encounter large fees and long wait times, said Barbara Petersen, president of the Tallahassee-based First Amendment Foundation.

She pointed out citizens often don’t have the resources of a media organization to fight for the records.

“And it’s become more and more of a problem,” she said. “You guys made public records requests as reporters, the average citizen typically has a different response, frequently enough to be of concern. We have seen over the years a dramatic increase of the cost of gaining access to public records and an increase in the time for an agency to produce those records.”

An appellate court awarded local citizen watchdog Curtis Lee more than $75,000 after a dispute with the Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Fund about public records costs after he was told in 2009 it would cost him $326 before he could simply review documents that were sitting on a table at the pension fund office. The ruling is being appealed to the Florida Supreme Court.

Peterson said she always assumed that when government agencies became mostly computerized it would become easier and cheaper for the public to obtain records. Instead, she’s seen it become more difficult and more expensive.

But Peterson said she couldn’t say the high fees and long wait times were an intentional strategy to block the public’s access.

“I can’t say that it’s a strategy,” she said. “But it’s certainly an effective mechanism to thwart our constitutional rights to access. It’s a barrier.”

Frank Denton, editor of the Times-Union and president of the Florida Society of News Editors, had similar concerns.

“Whether the high charges and long delays are deliberate attempts to block reasonable public — and press — access or to generate revenue for the office, they certainly violate the spirit and purpose of the law, which is to allow citizens to inspect their governments,” Denton said. “Public agencies should have built into their staffing and functions the ability to deal with and respond to the public.”

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As part of the audit, 10 Florida newspapers reviewed how agencies throughout the state respond to records request. The newspapers asked for the same records in each part of the state from police agencies, school superintendents, mayors, county administrators and elected state attorneys. The newspapers paid close attention to cost and delivery time estimates.

A similar audit was done for state agencies.

The audit is a nonpartisan, national effort to highlight the importance of the public’s right to inspect and obtain public records. The public’s access to records such as emails and investigative reports is one mechanism citizens have to hold government accountable. The two-week campaign was initiated by the Florida Society of News Editors with help from the First Amendment Foundation.

The exercise showed that agencies throughout the state vary widely on whether they charge and how much they charge for similar types of records. A lot of the cost difference was driven by how long each agency said it would take to go through records to redact potentially exempted material.

For instance, a request for a week’s worth of Duval County Superintendent Nikolai Vita’s emails — about 3,400 of them — from early January would cost a member of the public an estimated $1,485. But for about 2,000 of Lee County Superintendent Nancy Graham’s emails from the same January week, the cost would be $438.90.

The key difference is how long the districts said it would take to go through the emails. The Duval district estimated it could review about 53 emails an hour at $21.53 an hour, whereas Lee officials estimated they could go through about 121 emails an hour for $26.60 an hour.

“That’s what I’m talking about, the lack of efficiency,” Peterson said. “Why does it take 64 hours to review those emails? It’s absurd.”

Of the 45 Florida agencies or public officials contacted by newspapers, all but a few responded quickly and some even provided records immediately and for free. Only three officials or agencies did not respond or acknowledge some portion of the requests within two weeks.

Those three agencies or officials were the Okaloosa County Administrator, the Walton County Administrator and the 4th Circuit State Attorney’s Office that serves the Jacksonville area. Another handful of agencies acknowledged receipt of the request but failed to provide the records or an estimate of cost and hourly rate within two weeks.

In Bay County, the four agencies from which records were sought complied under the letter of the law.

Lynn Haven officials agreed to produce the documents, but said it could take one to two weeks. They said they could not provide an estimated charge until they had gathered the records, and said the process could be sped up if something specific was being sought.

The State Attorney’s Office made the emails available and said it would take a little extra time to include attachments. It did not seek payment.

Panama City police also produced the documents, but said they were not available in a digital form and there was a per-page charge as allowed under the public records law.

Bay District Schools initially said there might be a charge because of the time required to redact students’ names and other information protected by law. But after officials checked the documents they contacted the News Herald and said there would be no charge.

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Agencies are often inundated with public records requests.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office receives large volumes of requests from citizens and local media on a daily basis for records and reports about crimes and accidents in the community. Those inquiries are largely handled quickly and without delay.

Jason Parsley, a former president of Florida’s Society of Professional Journalists and the executive editor for South Florida Gay News, made a request last year to have every Broward County sheriff’s deputy’s emails searched for gay slurs over a five-month period. He included specific terms.

The sheriff’s office told him it would cost $399,000, take four years and a dedicated staffer.

Peterson said the Broward sheriff’s office may be violating law if it is maintaining its records in a way that requires so much labor to comply with a request such as Parsley’s.

Sometimes there’s a debate on whether records are considered public.

The audit’s participating newspapers were the Apalachicola Times, The Florida Times-Union, The Fort Myers News-Press, The Gainesville Sun, Northwest Florida Daily News, Orlando Sentinel, Palm Beach Post, Sun Sentinel, Tampa Bay Times and the Tampa Tribune.

COMING MONDAY: A look at how state agencies responded to public records requests from newspapers throughout the state.

PANAMA CITY— Florida State Univesity Panama City will hold several educational camps for middle and high school students this summer.

These camps will take place through June and July, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

June 22-25, high school juniors and seniors can work on robotics with practicing STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) professionals and educators.

June 8-12 and July 15-19, students 15 years and older can participate in a SCUBA lab where they can work on gaining SCUBA Dive Certification and conduct marine research in the local Gulf waters. The SCUBA camp costs $57 and the student is required to have their own snorkel, mask, fin, booties and dive knife.

Students going into eighth, ninth and 10th grades can participate in the Summer STEM Camp where students can work with STEM professionals and local educators on chemistry, electronics, programming and robotics. Rising eighth graders will attend June 15-19 while rising ninth and 10th grade will attend July 13-17. Lunch and transportation are not provided at the STEM camps.

For more information on these programs, contact FSU Stem Institute Director John Smith at 850-770-2260. Applications can be filled out online at www.steminstitute.org.

MARIANNA -- A Fort Walton Beach man was arrested early Sunday after leading a Jackson County deputy on a chase.

According to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Sunday at about 1:15 a.m., a deputy was attempting to get on I-10 from U.S. 231 when he met a vehicle coming off the interstate on the on ramp, traveling against traffic. When the deputy turned around and activated his emergency lights in an attempt to stop the vehicle, a 2006 Pontiac, the vehicle fled down the ramp and continued on U.S. 231, traveling south in the northbound lane.

The Pontiac turned east on Dilmore Road at a high speed with the deputy is pursuit until hitting a dead end at Stanland Road and crashing into a telephone pole. At this point, the driver of the Pontiac attempted to flee on foot, but was caught by the deputy, whom he hit several times in the ensuing struggle. Escaping from the deputy, the suspect fled through a wooded area and across a pasture into another wooded area, where he was tracked by K-9 teams from Jackson and Apalachee Correctional Institutions until after daylight when he was spotted by a resident and was taken into custody. During this pursuit, the suspect damaged a fence of a home in the area.

After the subject was medically cleared due to injuries sustained in the crash, he was placed in the Jackson County Jail. He was charged with fleeing attempting to elude, resisting with violence, battery on law enforcement officer, DUI, DUI with property damage, leaving scene of accident, reckless driving and several other traffic citations.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The arrest of Robert Durst, a wealthy eccentric linked to two killings and his wife's disappearance, came on Sunday just before the finale in an HBO show about his life in which he said he "killed them all."

Durst was arrested on a murder warrant just before Sunday evening's finale of an HBO serial documentary about his links to three sensational killings.

In the finale, Durst was asked about similarities in handwriting in a letter he wrote and another linked to one of the killings. Later, filmmakers said Durst wore his microphone into the bathroom.

What followed was a bizarre rambling in which Durst said, apparently to himself, "There it is. You're caught" and "What the hell did I do? Killed them all of course."

The show ended, and it wasn't clear whether producers confronted Durst about the secretly recorded words, or what Durst meant by them.

Durst was arrested by FBI agents Saturday at a New Orleans hotel, on a warrant from Los Angeles for the murder of a mobster's daughter 15 years ago.

Durst was ordered held without bond pending another hearing Monday. His lawyer, Chip Lewis, said Durst will agree to be taken to Los Angeles to face the first-degree murder charge.

Durst participated in the documentary, giving an extensive interview to filmmaker Andrew Jarecki for "The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst." Lewis said nothing his client revealed changes his innocence.

"It's all about Hollywood now," Lewis told The Associated Press.

A call to Lewis seeking comment about Sunday's final episode hasn't been returned.

Durst's estranged and fearful relatives thanked authorities for tracking him down.

"We are relieved and also grateful to everyone who assisted in the arrest of Robert Durst. We hope he will finally be held accountable for all he has done," said his brother, Douglas Durst, in a statement.

Durst, 71, has always maintained his innocence in the 2000 murder of Susan Berman, whose father was an associate of Las Vegas mobsters Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky.

Berman, 55, a writer who became Durst's spokeswoman, was killed at her home near Beverly Hills with a bullet to the back of her head as New York investigators prepared to question her in the unsolved 1982 disappearance of Durst's wife, Kathleen.

"The jig is up," said former Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro, who had hoped Berman would help solve the disappearance. The documentary uncovered "evidence that law enforcement in three states wasn't able to unearth," added Pirro, who now hosts Justice with Judge Jeanine on Fox News.

The climax of last week's episode revealed a hand-written address on a letter, recovered by the slain woman's relative, that Durst had sent to Berman. The handwriting seems virtually identical to an anonymous letter alerting Beverly Hills police to a "cadaver" in Berman's home. Even the word "Beverly" is misspelled as "Beverley" on both documents.

Durst observes in the documentary that only Berman's killer could have sent the letter to police.

Jarecki is then shown putting the other letter in a safe deposit box.

The episode didn't indicate whether Jarecki shared that earlier letter with the authorities, but the Los Angeles Police said the arrest resulted from "investigative leads and additional evidence that has come to light in the last year."

Lewis said he didn't know if police had previously examined the newly revealed letter, but said Durst had provided handwriting samples to LAPD in the past.

"I know all about this case," Lewis said. "I have no doubt we will present a most compelling defense."

He's got no doubt the timing of the arrest was orchestrated in coordination with HBO's broadcast of the final episode. Neither LAPD nor the movie's producers would comment on that claim.

After Berman's death, Durst moved to Texas, where he lived as a mute woman in a boarding house until his arrest in 2001 after dismembered parts of the body of his elderly neighbor, Morris Black, were found floating in Galveston Bay.

Durst then became a fugitive, until he turned up shoplifting a chicken sandwich, Band-Aids, and a newspaper in Pennsylvania, even though he had $500 cash in his pocket and $37,000 in his rental car — along with two guns and marijuana.

Lewis told the jury that Durst shot Black in self-defense and suffered from Asperger's syndrome. Despite admitting that he used a paring knife, two saws and an ax to dismember Black's body before dumping the remains, Durst was acquitted of murder.

Durst still faced some consequences in Texas — in 2004 he pleaded guilty to bond jumping and evidence tampering, but with time served, he was paroled in 2005. Then, violating the terms of his parole, he returned to the boarding house where Black was killed, and had to serve another four months in jail.

Durst "has been incredibly lucky that so many people who've investigated him have dropped the ball, but I think that luck may be running out," said former Galveston County District Court Judge Susan Criss, who presided over the Texas murder trial.

Lewis defended Durst again in Texas after he inexplicably urinated on the candy display at the cash register of a CVS pharmacy in Houston last year. Durst paid a fine and compensated the store for what Lewis called an "unfortunate medical mishap."

Durst left his Houston town house for New Orleans to escape unwanted attention since the documentary's second-to-last episode aired, Lewis said.

The Durst family is worth at least $4 billion, according to the Forbes list of richest Americans.

The oldest son of the late real estate mogul Seymour Durst, whose Durst Corporation manages 1 World Trade Center, Robert Durst became estranged from his family when his brother Douglas was chosen instead of him to run the family business.

Robert Durst had known tragedy from an early age — when he was seven, his mother committed suicide.

In 1982, Robert Durst reported that his wife Kathie had suddenly disappeared from their cottage in South Salem, New York. No one was ever charged.

More recently, Douglas Durst has said he fears his brother would kill him. Robert Durst has denied that.

But in 2012 and 2013, his family members had restraining orders taken out against him, and he was ultimately acquitted of trespassing charges for walking in front of their townhouses.

Also in 2013, Durst tried unsuccessfully to claim $82,000 from his missing wife's estate, even though his personal net worth has been estimated at about $100 million.

"The story is so operatic," Jarecki told the AP before his documentary aired.

"That's what's so fascinating to me — seeing someone who is born to such privilege and years later is living in a $300-a-month rooming house in Galveston, Texas, disguised as a mute woman."

Jarecki told a fictionalized version of Durst's story in "All Good Things," a 2010 film starring Ryan Gosling. Then he got a call from Durst himself, who wanted to see it, and eventually agreed to talk on camera.

Jarecki said his documentary has left him with a "firm conclusion" about Durst's guilt or innocence. But he wasn't saying before Sunday's final episode.