Lynn Haven grapples with fallout of city manager’s arrest

LYNN HAVEN — A day after the arrest of Lynn Haven City Manager Michael White on aggravated assault charges in a domestic incident, the city is left grappling with the fallout.

On Monday, law enforcement officials released a more detailed report on the domestic incident where White allegedly pointed a gun at his wife early Sunday, leading to the City Commission voting to suspend him with pay later that day. The report also helps piece together a timeline of the incident, which began in the early hours of Sunday and lasted until just before noon, ending in White’s arrest at a local hospital, and also involves Lynn Haven Interim Police Chief Ricky Ramie and City Commissioner Dan Russell.

Ramie told The News Herald on Monday that he received a call while camping in Campbellton from White’s wife, Amy White, about 1 a.m. EDT Sunday. According to the arrest affidavit, White had allegedly just pointed a .22 Magnum at his wife, and then himself, twice during an argument that had escalated to the point where Michael White had tried to shove his wife out of their camper while she was still nude after taking a shower.

“She is calling and saying, ‘Ricky, I need your help,’ ” Ramie said. According to the incident report, she told him her husband had pointed a gun at her.

Ramie said that, through this conversation, he could tell Amy White was “intoxicated and upset.” He said he got the details of the case and, learning that Michael White had left the residence, called a mutual friend, Russell, to pick up Amy White and take her to his house. The three couples, he said, are close friends.

At 6 a.m., Ramie then called Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford and explained the incident to him. He requested a female deputy, a supervisor and a victim’s advocate be sent to the Russells’ home and that BCSO take on the case.

Ramie said he waited to call to give Amy White a chance to “get some sleep, get sober” and get a “true story.”

“My biggest concern was for her safety,” he said. “And that’s why I got her to an undisclosed location.”

Michael White was later located in the hallway of the emergency room at Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center about 11:40 a.m. and was placed under arrest. He was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill.

According to the reports, Amy White told investigators that during the past four years of their relationship, other “physical acts of domestic violence” have occurred, though they were not reported to law enforcement. She went on to tell investigators that she had sought refuge with the Russells on several occasions after violence occurred between her and her husband.

Russell, in an interview with The News Herald, said he recalled two other times when he had taken in Amy White after arguments with her husband, but denied knowing about any alleged physical abuse. He said he is friends with Michael White, while his wife is closer to Amy White. Had he known, he said he would have done something.

“I was just trying to take care of her,” he said. “All I know is what she had told me.”

Russell said Ramie also was aware of past incidents when Amy White had sought shelter with the Russells.

When asked the extent of what he knew, Ramie, who is close to both the Whites and the Russells, said he knew that the couple had been arguing, but he was not aware of “anything other than arguments.”

“It is absolutely one of the most horrible experiences in my professional career that I’ve had,” Ramie said. “But at the end of the day, we have to do what we took an oath to do.”

White was hired by Lynn Haven in July 2017. At the time, it was known by officials that White had been arrested by the Lynn Haven Police Department in 2016 on a charge of DUI, a misdemeanor. White was arrested Feb. 21, 2016, and within a week entered a no contest plea to a reduced charge of reckless driving. White paid $1,450 in fines and court costs and finished probation early after completing a DUI first offender school and victim impact panel. Adjudication was withheld, according to court records.

After Hurricane Michael, White also was accused by one of his tenants at a rental property he owns of improperly using police vehicles to intimidate. No charges were filed against White.

At an emergency meeting Sunday evening, the City Commission voted to suspend Michael White with pay, pending the outcome of the investigation. An interim city manager was not appointed at that time, leaving the city essentially leaderless when it comes to the day-to-day decisions until Tuesday, when an interim manager likely will be appointed during the commission’s regular meeting.

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