Lynn Haven Police Chief Pleads No Contest in Hit-and-Run Case and Faces Civil Law Suit

LYNN HAVEN, FL - Lynn Haven Police Chief Rickie Ramie has pleaded no contest to charges related to a hit-and-run accident that occurred last December 2023. The incident, which took place in the parking lot of Ms. Newby’s Liquors and Nightclub on Thomas Drive in Panama City Beach, resulted in $3,500 in damages.

Chief Ramie, appeared via Zoom on Thursday morning to enter his plea. The judge has imposed a $400 fine on Ramie, required him to complete a driver safety course, and ordered him to write a letter of apology to the vehicle owner within 60 days.

The City of Lynn Haven has suspended Chief Ricky Ramie without pay for 25 days following his plea of no contest to charges of leaving the scene of an accident. Deputy Chief Steve Enfinger will serve as Acting Chief of Police.

Lynn Haven Commissioner Jamie Warrick said in an interview on WJHG. “I think people think it’s a joke. A slap on the wrist.” He added the citizens of Lynn Haven that care about this issue are invited to come to the commission meeting this Tuesday August 27 at 5:30pm at Lynn Haven City Hall. At the February commission meeting residents asked for his resignation. One resident stated, “Chief Ramie has made many choices that reflect his lack of integrity and honor as a city employee that the citizens of Lynn Haven have assumed he possesses.” In January of 2023, former Commissioner Judy Tinder called for Chief Ramie to be fired after text messages surfaced in late 2022 showing crude remarks about Tinder and her partner.

The City Manager Gainer stated, “Further lapses of judgment by Chief Ramie will not be tolerated. Going forward, any violation of city policy, any unacceptable act, intentional or not, which demonstrates a lack of professional judgment or raises questions about his professionalism and ability to perform at the highest level of leadership, will result in immediate termination.”

In a related legal development, a complaint filed on August 20, 2024 by former Mayor Margo Anderson, accuses Chief Ramie, City Manager Gainer and Sheriff Tommy Ford of tortious interference and negligent infliction of emotional distress. The plaintiff claims that Ramie’s actions maliciously disrupted her advantageous relationship with the City of Lynn Haven and caused significant emotional and financial harm. The former Mayor was facing 64 federal charges that were all dropped. She announced in an interview that she was sentenced to one month in prison, 100 hours of community service, a $100 fee, and one year of probation for her "giving a false statement to the FBI."

The next meeting of the Lynn Haven Commission is Tuesday August 27 at 5:30pm at Lynn Haven City Hall.