STEPHEN PAUL NICHOLS
A man wanted on an outstanding warrant was charged with resisting arrest after he ran from a deputy investigating a complaint about utility theft Sept. 30.
Calhoun County Deputy Jarrod Taylor went to a Fountain residence in response to an inquiry from Gulf Coast Electric after they discovered the power was back at an address where it had been recently disconnected.
The woman living at the residence said the power was turned off Sept. 21. She said she tried to borrow money to pay the bill but was unable to do so. She said she went to Bay County one day, leaving her boyfriend and another man at the home. When she returned, the power had been restored.
She said she didn’t know what happened and when she asked her boyfriend, he told her to “see it as a blessing.”
While at the scene, the deputy learned that another man who was at home was wanted in Bay County for failure to appear.
When he attempted to detain Stephen Paul Nichols, 38, Nichols turned and ran. When he failed to heed the deputy’s order to stop, the deputy drew his taser and attempted to shoot him but missed. Nichols continued running but stumbled. The deputy grabbed him and the two fell to the ground. Nichols was handcuffed and taken into custody.
The issue of the illegally-connect utilities is still being investigated.