Community honors fallen deputy with tributes across Walton County
It's been one week since May was killed while responding to a call in DeFuniak Springs. Through billboards, murals, and even coffees, the community is remembering him.
In Santa Rosa Beach, international street artist 'Preacher' painted a tribute mural for May. His art work has been on display several times at Helen McCall Park, but said this piece stands out from the rest.
Community honors Walton County deputy killed in the line of duty
'It struck like a different emotional chord with me; it was a tragedy, his death. So it's a current relevant topic on everybody's heart. It's heavy on their hearts. I think that's why so many people were behind it,' the Preacher said.
He said his inspiration for the mural was driven by his respect for May and law enforcement.
'Spray paint and police work typically aren't associated when they're on the same side, and in this instance, I would hope that shines a light on that. And that other people that are kind of resistant or apprehensive of promoting police work and police officers, I think they should come and check it out because these are some of the nicest guys I've ever met.' Preacher said.
But the tributes don't stop there.
In Defuniak Springs, a cafe called Caramel Cow came up with two specialty drinks inspired by May.
The first drink is called 'Slick Rick'. It's an energy drink inspired by Creamsicles. The Creamsicle flavor gives the drink an orange hue, paying homage to the bright orange sunglasses May often wore.
The second drink will be called 'Darling' and will be a coffee-based drink with chocolate chip cookie dough and cold foam. May was an avid video game player and the name comes from his gamertag.
The drinks will be sold on April 10th. All the proceeds will go to May's family.
Caramel Cow owner Elinda Soto said she hopes the day brings together the community in honor of May.
'We're hoping it's filled with May's memories. Hope that we have close friends come in and just enjoy something that will remind them of him and we hope that also it brings the community together' Soto said.
Walton County deputy killed in line of duty
Pizza by the Sea will also be holding a fundraiser for May later this month.
If you are unable to make it to the fundraisers, you can also donate through the Florida Deputy Sheriffs Association's Lend a Hand fund. You can find a link to that here.
You can also send a check to the Walton County Sheriff's Office. They ask that all checks be addressed specifically to 'Deputy May's Family. '
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
10 hours ago
- USA Today
South Carolina lawmaker resigns after arrest on child sex abuse material charges
A state lawmaker in South Carolina resigned from his seat months after being arrested for alleged distribution of child sexual abuse material, the state's House speaker announced on Aug. 11. RJ May, a 38-year-old Republican state representative and former South Carolina House Freedom Caucus strategist, was accused of using the screen name 'joebidennnn69' on the social media network Kik to exchange 220 different files of toddlers and young children. 'I have decided that it is in the best interest of my family and constituents to resign immediately from the South Carolina House of Representatives,' reads a resignation letter sent from May to the state's House Speaker Murrell Smith and obtained by local media outlets, including the Post and Courier and South Carolina Daily Gazette. In a statement, the South Carolina House Freedom Caucus, which May helped found, said the resignation is 'long overdue.' 'The people of District 88 deserve true and honorable representation," the statement said. According to court records obtained by USA TODAY, May exchanged the explicit files across five days in spring 2024. The records say the files were uploaded and downloaded on May's home Wi-Fi network and on his cellphone. In a June press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, officials said May faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, a fine of $250,000 and five years of probation. May is being held at the Edgefield County jail, awaiting the start of his trial. May's legal representation did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment on Aug. 12. Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
New York Post
7 days ago
- New York Post
Sicko arrested for trading child porn with ousted Republican South Carolina Rep. Robert ‘RJ' May
An Oklahoma man was arrested for allegedly swapping child pornography with disgraced South Carolina Rep. Robert 'RJ' May over a month after the former lawmaker was booked. Christian Soto, who has a lengthy criminal record including threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend, was arrested in connection with the FBI's probe into May's online exchanges of more than 220 graphic files of child pornography. 4 Christian Soto was arrested in connection with a child pornography probe involving former South Carolina Rep. Robert 'RJ' May. Now, Soto faces additional federal charges including receipt of child pornography, possession of child pornography, and prohibited possession of ammunition. May, a 38-year-old father of two, was arrested at his home in June after authorities found he used the online handle 'joebidennnn69' to trade explicit content of young children and toddlers engaging in sex acts over five days last spring. 4 May was arrested in June. AP The three-term representative allegedly requested content of 'bad moms' from Soto, who operated under the more stereotypical degenerate handle 'randomcouplehere,' according to court documents obtained by KOCO. The duo swapped files over Kik, with May offering Soto more than 50 files graphic sexual abuse material involving pubescent children, according to the documents. When Soto was apprehended, authorities also recovered dozens of digital items from his home and vehicle containing even more child sexual abuse material. Among the content seized from May's house when he was arrested was a file containing several videos of himself on trips to Colombia engaging in sex with three women who appeared to be underage and were paid, a Department of Homeland Security official testified. 4 The two allegedly swapped pornography over Kik. AP It's unclear how many other people May might have exchanged pornography with. During his time in the House of Representatives, May frequently led crusades against LGBTQ+ policies while claiming the governing body had 'an obligation to ensure that our children have no harm done to them.' 4 May messaged under the username 'joebidennnn69.' AP Each of the 10 charges May faces carries a five-to-20-year prison sentence. May was ordered to remain in custody until his trial and denied bail — as his two young children are close in age to the victims exploited in the pornography. The long-winded investigation started after Kik flagged suspicious activity on its platform to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in April 2024.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Yahoo
Islamist preacher unable to 'bury' anti-Semitism ruling
An Islamist preacher who used harmful racial stereotypes about Jewish people in sermons will be forced to tell the world of his anti-Semitism through prominent online posts. Sydney-based Al Madina Dawah Centre cleric Wissam Haddad was ordered by the Federal Court earlier in July not to repeat the perverse and racist tropes used in a series of fiery sermons from November 2023. In the speeches, Mr Haddad - who is also known as William Haddad or Abu Ousayd - variously referred to Jewish people as "vile", "treacherous", "murderous" and "mischievous". Justice Angus Stewart found the sermons contained "perverse generalisations" against Jewish people and included racist, anti-Semitic tropes. The judge on Thursday ordered the preacher "pin" or "feature" corrective notices describing the court's findings to the centre's website and social media pages on Facebook, Rumble, Instagram and Soundcloud. He has been given 21 days to comply with the order and the posts had not been made as of Thursday afternoon. Mr Haddad objected to prominently displaying the notices, saying this would go beyond what was ordinarily ordered by the courts. Pinning the posts would be tantamount to promoting or advertising the findings, he said. Justice Stewart ordered the notices to be pinned for 30 days, saying the requirement was not unduly burdensome and would stop them disappearing from view. "It will prevent them from being deliberately buried by way of successive further posts," the judge wrote. Promoting the notices was part of their objective, he said. "The respondents promoted the unlawful lectures and it is not disproportionate to require them to promote the corrective notice in the relatively constrained manner described above as an appropriate form of redress," he wrote in his judgment. The notice itself highlights the "unlawful behaviour based on racial hatred" of Mr Haddad and the centre. The three lectures - titled "The Jews of Al Medina" and published on video hosting site Rumble - were reasonably likely to offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate Jewish members of the Australian community, the notice says. The lawsuit was brought by Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Peter Wertheim and deputy president Robert Goot, who claimed the lectures were offensive and could incite violence towards Jewish people. The pair said they were vindicated by Justice Stewart's findings, saying no community in Australia should be dehumanised. "Freedom of expression should not be abused by the promotion of hateful anti-Semitism and those who wish to do so should know that conduct shouldn't be tolerated by us," Mr Goot told reporters after the judgment. The cleric has been ordered to remove the lectures and not to repeat similar racist statements about Jewish people in public. He will also have to pay the legal bill for Mr Wertheim and Mr Goot, which is estimated to be in the six figures. Mr Haddad's speeches were delivered after Hamas, designated by Australia as a terrorist group, attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. The attack sparked Israeli retaliation that has left Gaza in turmoil and tens of thousands of civilians dead.
