A man convicted of shooting another patron at a Fort Walton Beach bar has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.
- Circuit Judge William Stone sentenced Michael Alan Ladson on Oct. 16, following his conviction for attempted second degree murder by an Okaloosa County jury on July 30.
The shooting occurred in the early morning hours of March 26, 2022, when Charles Meeks was shot in the upper chest while playing pool at Coasters in Fort Walton Beach. Meeks and his friends had verbal disputes with Ladson outside the bar that night, prompting a security guard to tell Ladson to leave the property and not return for the night.
Evidence presented at trial showed that Ladson re-entered Coasters approximately an hour after being told to leave, pulled out a firearm and fired a single shot at Meeks, according to the State Attorney’s office. The security guard immediately detained Ladson and held him until the Fort Walton Beach Police Department arrived.
- The jury found Ladson guilty of attempted second degree murder and determined that he was in actual possession of a firearm, discharged that firearm, and the discharge caused great bodily harm.
Ladson’s 30-year sentence includes a 25-year mandatory minimum.
The Fort Walton Beach Police Department conducted the investigation and made the arrest. Assistant State Attorney A.J. Gomez prosecuted the case on behalf of State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden of the First Judicial Circuit of Florida.