FORT WALTON BEACH MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO DISTRIBUTION OF METHAMPHETAMINE

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA - Travaess McLemore, 41, of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: "Thanks to the outstanding work of our state and federal law enforcement partners, another drug dealer has been removed from our streets. The residents of the Northern District of Florida deserve to live in safe, drug-free communities, and my office will continue to aggressively prosecute anyone attempting to flood our streets with deadly drugs to achieve that outcome."

Court documents reflect that on August 13, 2025, Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office conducted a traffic stop on the defendant's vehicle. During the traffic stop a canine alerted to the odor of narcotics. A search of the vehicle revealed 84 grams of methamphetamine. On the same date, deputies conducted a search warrant at the defendant's residence and located approximately 1,548 grams of methamphetamine.

Due to a prior conviction for a serious drug offense, McLemore faces a minimum term of 15 years' imprisonment with a maximum of life imprisonment. Sentencing is scheduled for February 10, 2026, at 10:00 am before United States District Court Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II.

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

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF comprises agents and officers from multiple agencies with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida.

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 http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.