BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WDNews) – In Bay County, a local judge has handed down a maximum sentence to a Panama City Beach man for the theft of a condominium.
On Tuesday afternoon, Judge Dustin Stephenson sentenced 37-year-old Olandis Dean Hobbs to 40 years in prison.
Hobbs was convicted of grand theft, forgery, and fraudulent use of personal ID and information. A jury found him guilty in just 35 minutes, two weeks prior to the sentencing.
The case dates back to November 2022, when Hobbs filed fraudulent paperwork, falsely claiming ownership of a $700,000 condo in Panama City Beach. The real owners were an 85-year-old Alabama woman and her adult daughters. After securing the condo, Hobbs changed the locks and lived there for six weeks before the actual owner discovered the fraud and contacted the police.
Following his prison term, Hobbs will also serve 30 years of probation, as ordered by Judge Stephenson. This case highlights the severe penalties for property fraud and the swift actions taken by the justice system in Bay County.
