Man found not guilty in 2020 armed robbery, shooting incident

Jeremy Leslie was found not guilty for charges of attempted felony murder and robbery with discharge of a firearm.(BAY COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT)
Published: May. 31, 2023 at 4:27 PM CDT

SPRINGFIELD, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - A Bay County jury found a Springfield man not guilty in a little over an hour on Thursday.

According to defense attorney, Albert J. Sauline, the defense called the alleged victim as a witness to testify against the prosecution.

Jeremy Leslie was charged with two other men in 2020 in connection to a shooting in Springfield.

ORIGINAL STORY: May 6, 2020 (5:07 p.m.) - Springfield Police say they have charged three men in connection to a shooting that happened in Springfield back in February.

According to police, on February 22nd, they responded to a call about a shooting. They say they found two victims at the scene, one with a gunshot wound to the head and the other with blunt force trauma to the face. Both victims were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police say they identified Dwight Barker, 20, of Panama City Beach, Mark Salmon, 21, of Panama City Beach, and Jeremy Leslie, 21, of Lynn Haven as suspects in the case.

Barker, Salmon, and Leslie were all arrested.

Barker was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm, robbery with a firearm, and attempted felony murder.

Salmon was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm, robbery with a firearm, and attempted felony murder.

Leslie was charged with robbery with a firearm, and attempted felony murder.

All three are being held in the Bay County Jail.

These men are also facing charges in connection with a kidnapping and robbery of a man in Panama City Beach on January 31st.

Deputies say they received a 911 call from the victim saying he had been robbed and held against his will by four men.

The victim told deputies four black men wearing masks and armed with guns surrounded his car. The victim said the men, who had Jamaican accents, bound him with tape and drove him in his car to his apartment on Allison Avenue in Panama City Beach.

The victim told deputies three of the men got out of the car after they arrived at his apartment in order to rob him.

he victim said the fourth man waited in the car with him.

The victim said a neighbor walked nearby and saw what was happening which caused the four men to run away and get into a car driven by a fifth suspect.

Deputies say using evidence collected from the scene, one of the suspects was identified as Mark Salmon, 21, from Jamaica. Deputies say Salmon was in the United States illegally. Salmon was arrested on April 15 and admitted to being involved in the robbery and kidnapping.

Deputies also identified Jeremy Leslie, 21, Dwight Barker, 20, and Alex Warren, 21, on April 16 as being involved in the robbery and kidnapping.

Leslie, Barker, and Warren are also from Jamaica and were in the United States illegally according to deputies.

Deputies say all suspects admitted to their roles in the robbery and kidnapping and admitted that multiple firearms were used, along with masks.

Salmon, Leslie, and Warren were charged with armed robbery with a firearm and kidnapping. Barker was charged with armed robbery with a firearm and principal to kidnapping. All four were booked into the Bay County Jail.

Deputies say the fifth suspect has been identified and is believed to be outside of the state of Florida. They say arrest warrants are being obtained for this suspect for armed robbery and kidnapping.