New Yorker Arrested for Stalking, Threatening, and Extorting Escambia County Clerk

According to a federal indictment filed on August 19, 2025, the FBI has arrested a man named Justin J. Wright in New York for a series of crimes targeting Escambia County Clerk of Court and Comptroller Pam Childers.

The investigation began over a year ago, following an arson incident that occurred near Childers' home in Cordova Park on June 1, 2024. The fire destroyed a neighbor's car, and Childers believed at the time that the arsonist had targeted the "wrong house" and that the incident was a "death threat" meant for her.

Wright now faces three felony charges: stalking, attempted interference with commerce by threats or violence, and using fire to commit a felony. Prosecutors allege that between March 1 and June 1, 2024, Wright traveled interstate with the intent to "kill, injure, harass, and intimidate" Childers, placing her and her family members in reasonable fear of death and serious bodily harm.

The indictment also accuses Wright of attempting to extort money from Childers by threatening her with physical violence and using fear to take funds from her control as the county clerk. Details of the alleged crimes remain sealed to protect the ongoing investigation.

Wright is currently in custody at Rikers Island in New York and is set to be transported to Pensacola, Florida, for his arraignment on September 9, 2025.