CRESTVIEW, Fla., Nov. 15, 2024—An Okaloosa County Sheriff’s deputy who made a traffic stop near Crestview early this morning charged a Georgia man with human smuggling.

The deputy spotted Michael Byron Frost, 62, of Columbus, Ga., driving south in the northbound lanes of State Road 85 near Airport Road around 12:30 a.m. in a white pickup truck with Georgia plates, according to an OCSO news release. Frost then made a U-turn in the middle of Hwy 85 and headed north.

After making a traffic stop at the Circle K convenience store on N. Ferdon Boulevard, he discovered Frost had two male passengers with him from Mexico who didn’t speak English and had only Mexican identification.

Frost told deputies he was paid $100 to smuggle the men from Alabama into Crestview for a “friend,” according to the release.

Upon questioning, the Mexican passengers said they entered the United States illegally and were unsure of where they were, only that they were in the States, that they didn’t know the driver and that their “boss” had paid Frost to drive them to an unknown location, according to the arrest report.

Investigators found Frost had $,2000 in cash which included 20 fresh $100 bills, according to the report.

He is being held in the Okaloosa County Jail in Crestview on two counts of smuggling illegal individuals into the state.

The case remains an active investigation.

OCSO news release