Flashlights swept over the beach as Panama City Beach Police rounded up numerous people on the beach Sunday at about 1:30 a.m. Police reports said the defendants were “resting in an attitude of sleep.” The first wave of 11 people taken to jail from an area near Beach Access 32 showed up at the Bay County Courthouse on Wednesday to be arraigned on the charges.
Richard Spanos, 58, said he was relaxing when about 10 uniformed and undercover officers descended on a crowd near the pier behind Pineapple Willy’s, 9875 S. Thomas Drive.
“They took my dog to jail, too,” Spanos said.
Spanos was in jail for about 12 hours, he said, before getting out and able to bail his dog, Gordo, out of the animal shelter lockup. Spanos was listed as a transient on his arrest record, which he did not deny.
City law prohibits sleeping in public areas from 1 to 6 a.m. and, coupled with a suspect not having lodging or a destination, can be interpreted as camping in the city limits. The law dates to 1973.
Beach Police Chief Drew Whitman said complaints from residents prompted police interest in the area, and the bust wasn’t in anticipation of the Fourth of July weekend.
“They had basically created a couple little villages over there,” Whitman said. “We’ve always enforced that ordinance, but we had a heightened amount of complaints from residents in that area.”
All of the people taken to jail were listed as transients on their arrest records, but some of those present for arraignment refuted the claim.
Wesley Jedlicka, 23, was on the beach when he saw police flashlights moving through a large group of people nearby, he said. He wasn’t part of the group, so he didn’t leave.
“I have a job and a home,” Jedlicka said. “I wasn’t trying to sleep out there.”
However, the law also prohibits temporary resting along beaches during nighttime hours. Jedlicka also spent about 12 hours in jail.
Camping on the beach is a misdemeanor offense, which carries a fine between $300 and $500. If the person has prior arrests, it can cost much more.
Leslie Russell, 45, admitted to having past legal problems. Russell was on probation for domestic violence before police arrested him Sunday for camping. Now he could face a year of jail time.
“Now I have to fight for my life just for sitting on the beach,” Russell said.
