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Toucan’s Restaurant Owner Wants Out of Jail
11/06/08 - 10:45 AM
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Tuquyen Mach - bio

Panama City, Fla:

The owner of a Bay County restaurant might get out of jail tomorrow as he awaits trial on federal charges.

Federal authorities arrested Paul Francis, owner of Toucan’s restaurant in Mexico Beach, in September.  He’s been held in jail since on charges of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Recent court documents show at the time of his arrest, Francis had over 28 grams of meth and seven firearms, five of them loaded.

Francis initially waived a bond hearing but has since filed a motion to be released until trial.  In court documents, his lawyer says Francis would not be a flight risk or a danger to the community and promises to appear at all court hearings.

But the government says Francis should not be released, because he was a fugitive for about 5 years on drug trafficking charges out of Massachusetts.  The U.S. Attorney’s office also says Francis is facing heavy penalties in this case, a mandatory sentence of 5 years in prison on each charge. Read the government’s response by clicking here.

Francis is scheduled for a hearing on Friday at the U.S. District Courthouse in Panama City.

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User Comments

Paul’s request for bail was rejected by the Judge today. Paul asked to speak and the judge said sure, he would swear him in and the prosecuting attorney would have a chance to cross examine, Paul decided to shut up and go back to jail.
I am still waiting for those people who have been talking trash about Paul getting out of jail and beating the wrap…does not appear to be working out for him.
As the prosecutor said, Paul will probably spend the rest of his life in jail…and the law abiding citizens of Mexico Beach can rejoice.

Posted by  on  11/07  at  05:43 PM

Poor Pauley!  He just wants to spend Thanksgiving with his children and grandchildren.  Boo Hoo.  He hasn’t seen them for 5 years and now he wants to spend thanksgiving with them.  They live in Massachusetts, they have been notified of his arrest and they have not come here to Florida It seems no one wants to claim him.

Posted by  on  11/07  at  05:11 PM

Wonder if the people around town saying Paul was going to beat these charges have read the following from the governments response to Paul’s request for bail?

“Here, on the drug charge alone, Francis faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five
years’ imprisonment and a maximum of forty years, prior to the filing of an enhancement
information; and a mandatory minimum of ten years and a maximum of life imprisonment,
after the filing of an enhancement information. The firearms violation carries an additional
mandatory term of five years’ imprisonment to run consecutive to any sentence on the drug
charge. Additionally, Francis is 62 years’ old and, if convicted, will face most or all of the
remainder of his life behind bars.”

Posted by  on  11/06  at  02:05 PM
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