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Teen Sentenced For Burglaries That Led To Shots Fired, Fiery Molino Wreck

A teen has been sentenced on multiple charges for his part in burglaries and a shots fired incident that led to a fiery two vehicle crash in Molino in late 2015.

Vashawn Brown was sentenced Monday to 15 years in state prison.

Brown was originally charged with attempted murder third degree felony murder, three counts of armed burglary of a conveyance, criminal mischief, grand theft auto and petit theft. As part of a plea agreement, Brown pleaded guilty to the lesser offense of aggravated assault and three counts of burglary of a conveyance, criminal mischief, grand theft auto and petit theft.

His co-defendants, Tracey Lett and Mariachi Chambers, were previously sentenced in August to 42 months in state prison to be followed by 18 months of probation on three counts of burglary of a conveyance, grand theft and criminal mischief.

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About 4:50 a.m. on November 28, 2015, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the area of Highway 29 and Barth Road for a burglary of a vehicle in progress. In the meantime, the burglary victim told dispatchers that he was following the suspects south on Highway 29, and then he advised the suspects were shooting at him and his vehicle.

When the suspects reached Barth Road in Molino, they veered into oncoming traffic and struck a pickup truck, according to multiple witnesses. The driver of the pickup, Randall Enfinger, and his 15-year old granddaughter, Abbigail Barninger, were critically injured.

A deputy that arrived on scene a short time later reported finding the suspects’ crumpled vehicle with the engine compartment on fire. He observed the driver, later identified as Chambers, being removed from the driver’s seat by a passerby and Lett trapped with his legs pinned under the dash of the burning vehicle. The deputy and passersby were unable to free him, and the deputy tried unsuccessfully to put out the fire using a fire extinguisher.  The deputy and bystanders then used dirt to smother the engine compartment fire and before pulling Lett from the vehicle.

The deputy then reportedly noticed that across the intersection one of the burglary victims was attempting to detain Brown. The deputy handcuffed and detained Brown.

The burglary victim told deputies that he was at his residence in the 500 block of Highway 164 when he heard his dogs barking and walking outside on his porch to see two males breaking into his 2006 Pontiac sedan. He said they ran away after he yelled at them. The burglary victim said his brother heard the suspects get into a vehicle and his brother followed the dark colored vehicle down Highway 29.

The burglary victim’s brother said he got into his pickup truck and followed the suspects down Highway 29. He said he tried to get around in front of them, according to court documents, but they came around his vehicle and shot at him five or six times. His pickup was hit at least three times. After observing the wreck, the victim’s brother said he chased one of the suspects, later identified as Brown, into the tree line and brought him back to the corner of the intersection.

An Escambia County EMS employee told deputies that Brown said he was walking home when he was chased and hit by a truck, dragged into the woods and hit several times. He told the EMS employee that he had found a gun on the side of the road and kept it for personal protection.

An investigation determined that the wrecked vehicle had been stolen earlier from a residence in the 9000 block of Barth Road where it was unlocked with a spare key in the trunk.

A debit or credit card belonging to the vehicle’s owner was recovered from Brown’s pocket, as was an empty magazine for a semi-automatic handgun that was recovered from the area were Brown was stopped, according to an arrest report.

The entire incident was investigated by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The Florida Highway Patrol responded to the scene but not process the traffic accident or make a report, according to court documents.

Brown and Lett were among five defendants charged in 2014 for their role in an August 2013 burglary at Molino Park Elementary School. Most the stolen items  — including computers and iPads– were burned by the suspects. They were placed on juvenile probation under the supervision of the Department of Juvenile Justice through age 19. Each was ordered to undergo counseling, and follow a curfew of 7 p.m. Sunday though Thursday nights and 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. It was not clear if that probation was still in effect at the time of the November 2015 burglary and traffic crash.

Pictured top and inset: Three people were injured when this vehicle crashed and burst into flames on Highway 29 at Barth Road November 8. Pictured below: The vehicle collided with this pickup, in which two people were trapped. Pictured bottom two photos: Bullet holes in a pickup that was reportedly following the car down Highway 29 after an attempted burglar in McDavid. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.