PANAMA CITY — A Panama City Beach man who stole golf carts from his neighbors has been sentenced to more than a year in prison after the charges were upgraded to three counts of grand theft auto, according to court documents.
Nathan Michael Huston, 38, initially was charged by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office with three counts of grand theft, dealing in stolen property and uttering a forged instrument after three golf carts came up missing Nov. 23 in the area of his home at 21310 Front Beach Road. Prosecutors filed grand theft auto charges against Huston days before he pleaded no contest Tuesday, and he was sentenced to more than a year in prison.
The State Attorney’s Office specified, in the information filed against Huston, each of the EZ-GO golf carts taken between Nov. 20 through Nov. 26 fell under a “motor vehicle” classification.
One of the golf carts was returned to its owner after it was spotted in a wooded area in the 200 block of 13th Street in Panama City Beach along with the other two Nov. 23. The person reporting the whereabouts of the golf carts said two men were in the woods with the golf carts. However, when deputies arrived, only the one golf cart remained, according to the BCSO arrest affidavit.
Days later, the owner of one of the other two golf carts informed BCSO he had seen it in front of Huston’s residence, officials reported.
Investigators went to the residence, and Huston claimed to have purchased the two golf carts via the online classified website Craigslist. Huston recanted the original story and said he purchased them through a “friend of a friend” but couldn’t remember the names of those involved, BCSO reported.
Authorities only recovered one golf cart from Huston’s home, and he was arrested on three counts of grand theft auto.
Huston pleaded no contest to the charges Tuesday and was sentenced to one year and four months in prison.