Suspects arrested after morning manhunt in Miramar Beach

Miramar Beach, FL –A homeowner on Garden Bay Circle in Miramar Beach observed a person attempting to break into vehicles around 3 a.m. this morning.  The homeowner contacted the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, and responding Sheriff’s Deputies quickly set up a perimeter of the area.  A Deputy arrested Payton Fitzgerald after he climbed over the privacy fence on Walton Way.  The 19-year-old faces a charge of loitering or prowling.

A few hours later Sheriff’s Deputies arrested an accomplice.  Twenty-two-year-old Dane Patrick Hanlon Kemper was driving a BMW 528I when he was stopped at the intersection of Shore Drive and Hidden lakes Drive.  Walton County Sheriff’s Investigators found tools inside the car, which are commonly used in vehicle break-ins’.  Kemper was transported to the Walton County Jail and faces driving with a suspended license first offense.

The Sheriff’s Office has investigated a rash of vehicle, residential, and commercial break-ins’ across South Walton County over recent weeks.  Deputies and Investigators are keeping a close eye on any reports of suspicious activity near residential and business areas.  Sheriff's officials hope this morning’s manhunt might bring them information on the burglaries’.

Walton County Undersheriff Bill Chapman said, “The Walton County Sheriff’s Office will continue to use all resources available to solve property related crimes of those looking to take advantage of honest hardworking citizens in our communities’ ”.