Former Troy students convicted in assault case

Published 11:00 pm Thursday, September 22, 2016

Two former Troy students were convicted last week of sexual battery with multiple perpetrators in the 2015 incident at Panama City Beach.

Ryan Austin Calhoun, 23, and Delonte Martistee, 23, were convicted on Thursday in Bay County, Florida after seven hours of testimony from both sides and two hours of deliberation by the jury.

One of the pieces of evidence in the trial was a video that the Troy Police Department uncovered while investigating a shooting last year.

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Martistee, a senior at Troy at the time, and Calhoun, a sophomore at the time, were at Panama City Beach for Spring Break when the incident occurred. In addition to the crime itself, the video showed hundreds of bystanders on the beach who did not do anything.

Under Florida law, the presence of at least two perpetrators reclassifies the sexual battery offense from a first-degree felony to a life felony, which means both Calhoun and Martistee could be sentenced to life in prison.

The sentencing in the case is set for October 21. Calhoun and Martistee are being held without bond.