Brayon Stevenson Given 36-Year Sentence For Having Sex With And Providing Drugs To Young Teen

BAY COUNTY, FL – A 36-year-old Panama City man who repeatedly had sex with a young teen while supplying her with drugs and alcohol was found guilty Tuesday of 3 counts of Lewd and Lascivious Battery.

Following the verdict, State Attorney, Larry Basford, said, Circuit Court Judge Brantley Clark sentenced Brayon Stevenson to 12 years in prison on each count. They will run consecutively, or back-to-back, for a total sentence of 36 years. He also was designated as a Sexual Predator.

Prosecutor JP Ferreira said the verdict and sentence send an important message: it is a crime for an adult to have sex with a minor under any circumstances – in this case while supplying and using marijuana and alcohol with the victim.

“Our laws are designed to protect juveniles who are vulnerable to predatory adults who would commit acts like this against a 13-year-old,” Ferreira said. “It does not matter if a minor is willingly drinking or using marijuana, an adult knows better, our laws recognize that, and the penalties are harsh.”

The victim’s mother first reported the sexual activity in 2022 after discovering it via a text she received.

Ferreira, with co-prosecutor Frank Sullivan, only called 3 witnesses: the victim, another juvenile who was with the defendant and victim on portions of the rides, and the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center staff member who interviewed the victim.

The victim said she met the defendant on Snapchat in 2022 while looking for someone to sell her marijuana. She said she and a friend rode around with the defendant and smoked marijuana. The defendant continued this pattern, she said, but on multiple occasions he dropped her friend off first, leaving her alone with him.

As the investigation – involving Panama City Beach Police, Springfield Police, and the Bay County Sheriff’s Office – continued, evidence showed the defendant would drop off the friend and then drive to various locations and engage in sex with the victim.

Basford thanked the multiple agencies involved for their work and collaboration.