State Attorney John Durrett announces that David Appling was found guilty by a jury in Dixie County on September 26, 2023, of Possession of Fentanyl. The charge was punishable by up to 5 years in prison. After the return of the verdict, the Honorable Jennifer Johnson sentenced David Appling to 5 years in prison.
On February 28, 2022, officers with the Dixie County Sheriff’s Office attempted to serve a warrant on the Defendant. After he fled into the woods, a K-9 was deployed to assist in locating the Defendant. David Appling was taken into custody and was found to be in possession of a container which contained a .08 grams of a powdered substance. This substance was sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for analysis. A chemist with FDLE issued a report confirming the substance to be fentanyl, which is a violation of Florida Statute 893.13.
The case was investigated by the Dixie County Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Jarrett Thomas and Carey D. Carmichael, Jr..
