Panama City Beach Man Convicted of Attempted Enticement of a Minor

PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA – Yesterday, Michael Shawn Garrett, 45, of Panama City Beach, Florida, a colonel in the Florida Air National Guard, was convicted of attempted enticement of a minor for sex.  The trial lasted two days and was held in the U.S. District Court in Panama City.  The verdict was announced by Christopher P. Canova, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

In May 2017, undercover investigators conducted an operation to identify individuals seeking to engage in sexual activity with minors. Garrett responded to a Craigslist advertisement in which an undercover officer posed as a 14-year-old boy.  During ninety minutes of conversation with the undercover officer, Garrett discussed the sex acts he wished to perform with the boy.  Through his email communications, Garrett repeatedly requested the physical address of the boy, offering to pick up the boy to engage in the sexual encounter.  Garrett was arrested after arriving at the designated meeting place.

The sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 11, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. at the United States Courthouse in Panama City, Florida.  Garrett faces a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison.

The case was investigated by the Panama City Beach Police Department, the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher J. Thielemann.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website.  For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.