FDFS investigators seizes computer from Holmes County Commission office

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GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. AND THANKS FOR JOINING US. I'M SHELBY PAY. YOU'RE WATCHING NEWS. 13 AT 6.

THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES ARE CONDUCTING A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION AT THE HOLMES COUNTY COMMISSION. OFFICE INVOLVES COUNTY COMMISSIONER BRENDA NEWSOM AND NEWS THIRTEEN'S HEATHER BAZLEY TELLS US BEGAN LAST MONTH WHEN INVESTIGATORS SERVED A SEARCH WARRANT AT THE OFFICE AND COLLECTED POSSIBLE EVIDENCE. ON MARCH, 28 FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES. INVESTIGATORS WALKED INTO THE HOLMES COUNTY COMMISSION OFFICES AND SEIZE A COMPUTER, FORMER ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT WITH THE MILLBURN, PRIMARILY USE THE COMPUTER. SHE HAD RESIGNED 3 DAYS BEFORE THE SEARCH CITING A HOSTILE WORK ENVIRONMENT, MELBOURNE, ALLEGED UNETHICAL CONDUCT BY COMMISSIONER BRANDON NEWSOM AND COMMISSIONER CLINT SEARCH WARRANT, INVESTIGATORS WERE COLLECTING EVIDENCE CONCERNING NEWSOM'S COMPANY BAIL BONDS BY BRANDON NEWSOM.

BASED ON THE CONTENTS OF THE SEARCH WARRANT, IT'S EVIDENT AUTHORITIES BELIEVE NEWSOM HAD WORK FOR HIS BAIL BOND COMPANY. STATE LAW REQUIRES ANYONE HANDLING BAIL BOND MONEY OR ACTING ON BEHALF OF A LICENSE. BAIL BOND AGENT MUST HIS LICENSE. BUT THE COUNTY EMPLOYEES ALLEGEDLY HANDLING MONEY FOR HIS COMPANY ARE NOT LICENSED. IF TRUE, THEN THAT WOULD CONSTITUTE UNLAWFUL DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY WORKING WITHOUT PROPER LICENSURE AND DISTRIBUTING SUPPLIES TO LICENSE INDIVIDUALS.

PUBLIC RECORDS CONFIRM MELBOURNE'S COUNTY COMPUTER MAY CONTAIN FILES TO PROVE THE LEGAL ACTIVITY ON THE PART OF NEWSOM. BESIDES THE COMPUTER, INVESTIGATORS SEIZE HARDWARE, PASSWORDS AND DATA MODERN SUPPORT CONTRACTOR HIRED BY THE COUNTY ISSUED A WRITTEN STATEMENT CLAIMING FROM MELBOURNE'S COMPUTER JUST DAYS BEFORE THE SEARCH WARRANT MODERN TECH SONAR MATT WALK AND SAYS HE PROVIDED NEWSOME WITH THE UNREDACTED BILES ON A FLASH DRIVE. ACCORDING TO OUR MEDIA PARTNER, THE HOLMES COUNTY ADVERTISER. THE FLASH TRY CONTAIN BLANK IN PREFILLED COURT FORMS COMMONLY USED BY BAIL BOND AGENTS. ONE CONTAIN THE INFORMATION OF AN INDIVIDUAL PREVIOUSLY BAILED OUT BY NEWSOM'S AGENCY IN 2021.

OTHERS WERE PRE-FILLED FOR WALTON HOMES AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES, ALL PLACES WHERE BAIL BONDS BY BRANDON NEWSOM DOES BUSINESS. WE SPOKE TO CLINT ERICKSON AND HE SAYS HE WAS BLINDSIDED BY THE ALLEGATIONS. HE ALSO SAYS THERE WAS NO COMPLAINT FILED TO COMMISSIONERS REGARDING UNPROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR AND HE WAS NOT AWARE OF THE INVESTIGATION HIGHLIGHTING OUR CALLS FOR COMMENT. THE HOLMES COUNTY ADVERTISERS SPOKE TO WHITNEY MILBURN WHO DECLINED TO COMMENT ON THE STORY IN ORANGE COUNTY HAS A VASTLY NEWS, 13 PANHANDLE, STRONG. THIS REPORT CONTAINS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF INFORMATION FROM OUR MEDIA