Alabama fugitive arrested in Santa Rosa Beach

A pre-dawn raid on Santa Rosa Beach by the Walton County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshal’s Service nets an Alabama Fugitive. Just after 6 a.m., authorities located Philippona Reinier at a residence near Deer Lake.

The Houston County Sheriff’s Office has been seeking Reinier’s location for more than a year. In late 2008, the 45-year-old suspect contracted to do tile work at Sunset Memorial Park Funeral Home and Crematory in Dothan. Reinier failed to perform the work, and did not pay Jenkins Brick Company of Dothan for the tile. A Houston County Sheriff’s Official estimates the total loss at more than $15,000.

Reinier had reportedly been living at several different locations in Bay and Walton Counties before his arrest this morning. The U.S. Marshal’s Service along with the Houston and Walton County Sheriff’s Offices combined forces in tracking down Reinier’s location.

Reinier has been booked into the Walton County Jail and has a scheduled court first appearance Saturday morning in DeFuniak Springs.  The Houston County Sheriff’s Office plans to transfer him back to Alabama to face the charge of Theft of Property First Degree (By Deception).  It is not known whether Reinier will fight extradition back to Houston County.