FORT WALTON BEACH MAN CHARGED WITH DISTRIBUTION OF METHAMPHETAMINE

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA - Travaess McLemore, 41, of Fort Walton Beach, was indicted by a federal grand jury, charging him with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charges today.

McLemore appeared for his arraignment in federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Zachary C. Bolitho on September 23, 2025, in Pensacola, Florida. Jury trial is scheduled for November 10, 2025, before District Court Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II.

If convicted, McLemore faces up to life imprisonment.

The case was joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office. Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey Tharp is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation's principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.