Wrecks in Molino, Walnut Hill Injure Two People Monday Night
August 5, 2008
Two different wrecks Monday night in North Escambia sent two people to area hospitals.
The first accident (pictured below) happened about 7:30 at the intersection of Arthur Brown Road and Juniper Street in Walnut Hill. Witnesses tell NorthEscambia.com that the driver of a Honda Accent was making a U-turn at the intersection when the vehicle was struck on the passenger side by an older model Ford pickup. The driver ofthe Accent was transported from the scene by Atmore Ambulance.
The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. The Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department responded to the call.
The second accident (pictured above) about 9:30 Monday night in Molino sent one female to the hospital with minor injuries. Authorities say the driver of the vehicle ran through the stop sign at the end of Highway 95A and Highway 29. The vehicle became airborne, landing in an upright position in the median of Highway 29 just over a half mile north of Highway 97.
The exact cause that accident is also under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. The Molino Volunteer Fire Department and Escambia County EMS also responded to that scene.
Pictured above: The driver of this car sustained minor injuries in an accident at the intersection on Highway 95A and Highway 29 in Molino Monday night. Pictured below: Witnesses say this pickup hit a Honda Accent (pictured bottom) as the driver attempted to make a U-turn on Arthur Brown Road at Juniper Street in Walnut Hill about 7:30 Monday night. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Sports Park To Be Named For Pro Football Player
August 5, 2008
A local sports complex will be named for a former pro football player.
The Showalter Park Expansion will now be known as the Anthony Pleasant Sports Complex after a vote Monday night by the Century Town Council. The 22 acre expansion to Showalter Park in Century is currently under construction.
Pleasant, a Century native, is a former pro football player selected in the third round of the 1990 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. During his 14 year NFL career, Pleasant played for the Browns, the Baltimore Ravens, the Atlanta Falcons, the New York Jets, the San Francisco 49ers and the New England Patriots.
He played a total of 202 NFL games and racked up 58 sacks and two interceptions and a defensive end.
Town To Get Drunks Out Of Parks, Determines Location Of Town Limits
August 5, 2008
The Century Town Council took steps Monday night to eliminate alcohol consumption in the town’s parks and determined where exactly the city limits are on Pleasant Hill Road.
“The sheriff’s department has refused to do anything because they don’t have jurisdiction,” Council President Anne Brooks said of calls to the Escambia Sheriff’s Department to remove people drinking in a town park.
It’s a situation that has become a problem for a nearby business. Brooks said the Country Bumpkin has had problems with drunks in the nearby Roadside Park yelling at their customers. Calls to the sheriff’s department have not solved the problem, she said.
Brooks told the council that she spoke with Matt Dannheisser, the town’s attorney, and he suggested that the town notify the sheriff’s department that anyone consuming alcohol in a town park was violating a town rule. That would allow the town to have the person removed from the park for trespassing.
The council voted to have Mayor Freddie McCall send a letter to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department notifying them that anyone consuming alcohol in any town park was trespassing and should be removed.
In other business, the council know knows where the town limits are on Pleasant Hill Road. A map located by the town’s engineer clearly shows six lots on the west side of Pleasant Hill Road to lie within the town limits.
The town limit discussion began at a recent meeting of the town council. The council voted to forgive a past due garbage bill for a resident on Pleasant Hill Road who has not had a can for years but has run up a $446 garbage bill. The council also voted to require the resident to pay a garbage bill from now forward.
“When did I get in the city limits?” the man asked at the council’s July 21st meeting. “I’ve been on that hill for 36 years.”
But the map from the town’s engineer indicates the man’s property is in the Town of Century.
“There’s been some shady deals going on to get people in the city limits from the former administration,” Councilman Henry Hawkins said. He asked the mayor for a date the Pleasant Hill lots became part of the town.
“It it possible to satisfy the people on Pleasant Hill that we can get a date?” Council member Gary Riley asked.
Also at Monday night’s Century Town Council meeting, the council:
- Heard a report from the mayor that there were no new developments following the apparent closure of Helicopter Technologies
- Presented a certificate to Brooks for attending the Florida League of Cities 2008 Institute For Elected Officials
- Approved McCall’s request to attend the Florida League of Cities meeting next week in Tampa
- Delayed action on spending $1,210 to create a GIS (Geographic Information Systems) land use map for the town’s upcoming new comprehensive plan
- Scheduled a public hearing at 6:30 on August 18 for public input on a $200,000 grant application for work at the Anthony Pleasant Sports Complex
- Heard a request from Hawkins to consider a vision statement he presented to the council several months ago. Brooks suggested that the council schedule a workshop to review the document
- Heard from a representative from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department about an upcoming law enforcement academy. NorthEscambia.com will have a story about the law enforcement academy posted on Wednesday.
Meth Lab Found In Molino Home, Five Arrested
August 4, 2008
One of the biggest meth labs in recent Escambia County history was discovered in Molino Saturday.
It took deputies and a hazardous materials team about 15 hours in to cleanup the methamphetamine lab in the 800 block of Nancy Lane off Highway 95A, about a quarter mile behind Highland Baptist Church. (A map is at the bottom of this story.)
Five people were arrested on various drug and child neglect charges due to a 10 year old living in the house.
Arrested were:
- Erica Diamond, 23, charged with child neglect, narcotics violation, trafficking, and possession/distribution chemical with known use to manufacture controlled substance. Her total bond was set at $21,500.
- Shannon Lee Boone, 22, charged with aggravated child abuse, two counts of narcotics violation, trafficking, possession/distribution chemical with known use to manufacture controlled substance, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, introducing contraband into a jail and violation of probation. His bond was set at $78,000.
- Amy Peavy, 28, charged with child neglect, narcotics violation, trafficking, and possession/distribution chemical with known use to manufacture controlled substance. Her total bond was set at $21,500.
- Doy Lynn Josey, 46, charged with aggravated child abuse, four counts narcotics violation, trafficking and possession/distribution chemical with known use to manufacture controlled substance. His total bond was set at $42,000.
- Johnny Ray Smith, 37, charged with driving while license suspended or revoked, child neglect, narcotics violation, trafficking, possession/distribution chemical with known use to manufacture controlled substance, failure of a defendant on bond to appear. His total bond was set at $34,500.
As of late Sunday night, all five suspects remained in the Escambia County Jail.
The meth lab was discovered in the quiet neighborhood after Smith was stopped about 6 a.m. for a traffic violation. Smith was discovered to be in possession of methamphetamines and other drug paraphernalia. Deputies were tipped off to the meth lab in the house by that traffic stop.
NorthEscambia.com graphics.
Century Men In Court Next Month On Dog Fighting Charges; Milton Man Gets 15 Years For His Part
August 4, 2008
Two Century men will face charges in court next month related to dog fighting in Santa Rosa County. Last week, a Milton man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for raising put bulls to be used in those dog fights.
Raymond Eugene Teamer, 42, of Milton was charged with 35 counts of training or baiting animals for fighting and two counts of possessing or selling dog fighting equipment, all third degree felonies, in connection with a raid on his property in Milton back in November of last year. He was sentenced in court Friday to 15 years in state prison.
Jeffery Jay, 34, and Michael Anthony Jones, 38, both of Century, were charged with training or baiting animals for fighting.
The Century men were arrested in early November following a traffic stop as they left Teamer’s Milton home. Two fighting dogs were found in the back of their truck, according to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Department. Other items that are used in the dog fighting community were also found in the vehicle. Both were released on $10,000 bond each the same day.
That traffic stop led to the search of Teamer’s home.
Investigators have been investigating Teamer for months in an effort to break up a large scale operation in which Teamer was breeding high dollar pit bulls for fighting other dogs in multiple states.
A search warrant was then obtained for Teamer’s residence. When the search warrant was executed, investigators found approximately 30 pit bull dogs located on the nine acre parcel of land owned by Teamer. These dogs were spread throughout Teamer’s property, chained fast to steel posts embedded in the ground with heavy industrial chains. The majority of the dogs had wounds, both fresh and healed, that are consistent with dog fighting activities. The investigation revealed that Teamer breeds these dogs specifically for the purpose of fighting. Numerous records, trophies, and other items were located on Teamer’s property that document Teamer’s activity of breeding, selling and fighting these dogs.
Multiple agencies and entities assisted with the investigation, including the collection and removal of the dogs from the property. The Flomaton Police Department as well as the Flomaton Animal Shelter also assisted in the investigation, due to the majority of the dog fights occurring in their jurisdiction.
Nominations Sought For Woman Of The Year In Florida Ag
August 4, 2008
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles H. Bronson has announced that nominations are being accepted for the 2008 “Woman of the Year in Agriculture” award. The award, now in its 24th year, recognizes women who have made outstanding contributions to Florida agriculture.
“This award spotlights the vital role of women in Florida agriculture and serves to encourage other women to get involved in the business,” Bronson said. “Many women have made significant contributions over the years in developing and sustaining this important industry, which has an overall economic impact estimated at more than $100 billion annually.”
Those nominated for the award will be judged by a panel familiar with Florida agriculture. The award will be presented in February at the opening-day luncheon of the 2009 Florida State Fair in Tampa.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which sponsors the event, has sent nomination forms to agricultural organizations around the state. The deadline for submitting nominations to the Department is November 1, 2008. Nominations remain active for two years; after that time they must be resubmitted in order to be considered.
For more information about the “Woman of the Year in Agriculture” award including screening criteria and biographies of previous winners, or to obtain nomination forms, call Richard Gunnels at (850) 488-3022 or visit www.florida-agriculture.com/agwoman/index.htm.
Search Called Off For Missing Plane
August 3, 2008
Three days after an emergency “Mayday” was heard from an aircraft somewhere in the Mobile/Pensacola area, the Civil Air Patrol called off their search on Saturday.
The “Mayday” and emergency locator beacon was hear by multiple aircraft pilots in the area about 3:47 Wednesday afternoon. More than 50 Civil Air Patrol volunteers had put over 450 man hours in the search by early Friday, but nothing had been found.
“No evidence of a specific aircraft in distress has been found and all aircraft with registration numbers that matched the initial distress call have been contacted or accounted for,” according to a civil air patrol press release.
The Alabama Wing of the Civil Air Patrol have focused their efforts on Baldwin County. They say the plane could have gone down anywhere in the area.Nothing has been heard since on radio frequency that is used for emergency location transponders, nor has there been any report of a missing aircraft of pilot.
Miller: Congress Not Working To Reduce Your Gas Prices
August 3, 2008
By Congressman Jeff Miller for NorthEscambia.com
As the Congress wraps up its final week in session until September, I am sad to report to you that the Democratic leadership of this Congress is not working for the American people to reduce gas prices. Speaker Pelosi obviously believes that legislation such as House Resolution 1143, which supports the goals and ideals of the Apple Crunch and the nation’s domestic apple industry, is more important than voting on offshore drilling.
Adding insult to injury, the Democrats forced us to vote on going home without lowering your gas prices. I voted against the leadership of the “do nothing” Congress and against allowing Congress to adjourn for the summer without lowering your gas prices. Unfortunately, the vote was 213-212.
Speaker Pelosi was recently quoted as saying she “wanted to save the planet.” To that end, my colleagues and I signed a letter to the Speaker asking her to celebrate “American Energy Freedom Day on October 1, 2008” because we believe reducing dependence on foreign oil will help America , and the planet.
I’ve attached an excerpt below of our letter to Speaker Pelosi:
“It is our hope that all Democrats and all Republicans can stand together to celebrate American Energy Freedom Day on October 1, 2008. On that day, the current prohibitions on oil and gas leasing on most of the Outer Continental Shelf and on oil shale leasing on federal lands will expire, unless Congress acts to extend them. We strongly encourage you to allow the expiration of these prohibitions on American energy exploration and production, as scheduled under current law, and will actively oppose any attempt to extend them.”
“When these prohibitions expire on October 1, 2008, as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2008 (Public Law 110-161), all Americans will benefit, for vast amounts of American petroleum and natural gas will immediately become available for leasing activities. Estimates from the Minerals Management Service and the Bureau of Land Management indicate that there are upwards of 18 billion barrels of recoverable crude oil on the currently off-limit areas of the Outer Continental Shelf, as well as more than 55 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Estimates of American oil shale vary widely but range from the hundreds of billions of barrels to trillions of barrels of oil.”
During a recent “teletownhall” I conducted a survey and the overwhelming majority, eighty-five percent, told me that they supported offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico . I continue to support drilling in the Gulf and will work for you to make this happen. I can’t think of many things more important than this and assure you that although the Democrats will be on vacation this summer, I will be traveling throughout Northwest Florida listening to your ideas and telling you what I’m doing to address our energy needs.
I’m Jeff Miller and that’s what I think, what do you think? Email me through my website at www.house.gov/jeffmiller
Letter To The Editor: Thanks For Helping The Elderly
August 3, 2008
As part of an assignment for class that she is taking, Mae Hildreth was tasked with writing an editorial letter to a local newspaper. Her letter to the editor is below. Hildreth is the activities director at Century Care Center.
Letter to the Editor
I would like to express my opinion on an issue concerning the elderly.
I work at a local nursing facility.
Being located in a small, rural community is a blessing. The cache of volunteers who make themselves available to us, adds enrichment to our residents’ lives in untold ways.
There are gifted performers, people available to do arts and crafts, those who help with our wild parties, donate time and labor, and of course the churches who bring spiritual medicine to those who can’t go to church. They are showered with love and gifts.
The majority of those who contribute do so for the blessing it brings themselves, and the residents of our facility. I want to send a great big THANK YOU! to all those wonderful and giving people. I know they will be blessed.
Mae S. Hildreth
Two Churches To Hold Homecoming Services Today; Another Celebrates 100 Years
August 3, 2008
Two area churches will celebrate their annual homecoming services today while another church celebrates 100 years today.
Homecoming services will be held at 10:30 at the Walnut Hill Baptist Church. The guest speaker will be the Rev. Jerry Peebles.
The Faith Bible Baptist Church in Bluff Springs will celebrate its 32nd homecoming today. The day begins with Sunday School at 10 a.m. and worship services at 11. The day will also kick off a revival meeting for the church, with Evangelist Joe Bryant. Revival services will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday through Friday.
The Little Flock Primitive Baptist Church on Molino Road will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a special service at 10:30 this morning.