Molino Park Elementary Fall Carnival Is Tonight
November 6, 2009
The annual Fall Carnival will take place this evening at Molino Park Elementary School.
The carnival will take place from 4 until 8 p.m. at the school. There will be games, entertainment, bingo, informational exhibits, vendors, a health fair, pony rides and more clean, family fun. Twirlers from Escambia and Santa Rosa counties will perform, along with local teen band Empty Page.
The gift basket silent auction will also be held.
For more information, call the school at (850) 587-5265.
Barrineau Park Music Night Tonight
November 6, 2009
There’s some good entertainment on stage tonight in Barrineau Park — and it’s free.
The monthly Barrineau Park Music Night will be tonight at the Barrineau Park Community Center. The featured groups tonight are “Down Home” and “Rolling Tide”.
The singing starts at 7 p.m. and is free. Food and refreshments will also be available beginning at 6 p.m.
The event is family-friendly — no alcohol is permitted on the property, and no smoking is allowed in or near the building.
For more information, call (850) 587-5575.
The Barrineau Park Community Center is located on Barrineau Park School road, about three miles west of Molino.
Transformer Fire Leaves Some Customers Without Power, Phones
November 6, 2009
A transformer fire late Thursday morning left some area residents without power or phones.
The fire was reported at 11:26 a.m. on South Highway 99 at the railroad crossing near the Enon community. Firefighters arriving on scene reported a live power line down.
The transformer fire and downed power left an unknown number of Escambia River Electric customers in the dark for about an hour. A small number of Frontier Communications customers were also left without phone service after the power line shorted a portion of the telephone network in the area, according to a Frontier spokesperson.
McDavid Area Home Invasion Never Happened, Just A Misunderstanding
November 5, 2009
A home invasion reported Thursday morning in the Christian Home community near McDavid never happened — authorities say it was all a misunderstanding.
A mother and deputies learned late Thursday afternoon that the person that entered a church parsonage on North Pine Barren Road while two teen females were home alone was actually a church member.
“She had been to the church to clean the food pantry and it was locked. She checked the doors around back to see about getting in and noticed my daughter’s car home and went and banged on the door and opened the door to look in and left,” the mother of one of the victims told NorthEscambia.com late Thursday afternoon.
Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies confirmed that the incident was related to the church member, not a burglary or home invasion.
Below is an earlier Thursday morning NorthEscambia.com story about the incident.
Two female Jay High School seniors were alone in the home in the 3000 block of North Pine Barren Road when someone entered the home through a side door. There were no injuries, and nothing was taken from the home.
The mother of one victim said the girls had checked out of school in Jay with her permission to return to the home for shoes they had forgotten for a school pageant.
In an exclusive interview with NorthEscambia.com, the victims said they had just arrived at the home. One was in the kitchen getting food out of a cabinet, and the other was in a bedroom looking for the shoes. That’s when they heard a repeated forceful banging at a carport door just moments after their arrival. They ran to a bedroom and shut the door, armed with a shotgun and a knife. They heard the person or persons enter the home.
They were able to peer at a reflection on tile in a hallway to see if the suspect was approaching the bedroom, but they never saw the suspect approach. They called one of their parents on the phone, and the parent immediately called 911 at 10:04 a.m.
“I would have shot him if he’d come close to that door,” the victim said.
The victims were not injured, and nothing was reported missing from the home. Deputies confirmed that the suspect did enter the home’s kitchen area through the unlocked side door.
An Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputy responding to the call observed an older model, mud covered SUV leaving the area. Deputies were immediately put on alert to be on the lookout for the vehicle.
Deputies from the Molino area spotted the SUV and stopped it in the parking lot of the Tom Thumb at Highway 97 and Highway 29. It was driven by an adult white male and occupied by a 14-year old male Northview High School student.
The student told deputies that he had checked out of school at Northview at 9:54 a.m., just moments before the incident in Christian Home. The home is located location is about three and a half miles from school.
Deputies questioned the boy and the driver, who reportedly lives in Molino. A crime scene technician processed the GMC SUV looking for anything suspicious. They were not seen removing anything from the SUV. After being fingerprinted, they were allowed to leave the Tom Thumb. They were not charged with any crime, nor were they official named as suspects in any crime.
The persons questioned by deputies at the Tom Thumb did not meet the description given by the victims in two home invasion attacks in Molino within the last week. In both of those instances, the suspect was described as being a slender white male over six feet tall. The persons questioned at the Tom Thumb in Molino Thursday morning were not tall.
In the two Molino attacks, the suspect made contact with the victims, injuring them — one with a knife and one with broken glass. The victims in Thursday morning’s incident in Christian Home did not ever see or hear the suspect. The Molino victims are cheerleaders at Northview High School and Ernest Ward Middle School. Thursday morning’s victims attend Jay High School and are not cheerleaders. The Jay students said they do not know either of the Molino victims.
NorthEscambia.com will continue to following these developing stories and post updates as new information become available. We do not identify crime victims or their families, and we do not identify persons that have not been charged with a crime or named as a person of interest in a crime.
Pictured top and bottom: Deputies question persons at the Tom Thumb in Molino about a Thursday morning home invasion in Christian Home. They were in a vehicle matching the description of one seen leaving the area of the crime by a deputy. Pictured top inset: Crime scene technicians look for evidence at the Pine Barren Road home. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Florida Frontier Telephone Customers Experience Temporary Calling Problem
November 5, 2009
(Updated) Frontier Communications customers in the 327 and 587 exchanges lost the ability to call telephone numbers outside of the Frontier system for a short time Thursday afternoon.
Cereal Daniel, Frontier’s local manager, said the problem esd outside the Frontier network. He said AT&T worked to isolate the problem and repair it as soon as possible.
Most 327 and 587 phone exchange customers were able to call numbers in those exchanges and well as Frontier customers in Atmore. Most Molino and Walnut Hill exchange customers were unable to call Pensacola and were not be able to complete some or all long distance calls.
The problem was repaired by about 3:40 p.m. for most customers.
Investigators Continue To Probe Molino Cheerleader Attacks
November 5, 2009
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate two home invasion attacks on young cheerleaders within the past week.
Wednesday, investigators to Molino to interview witnesses and the victims of with a home invasion Friday night on Highway 95A near Highway 97 and a Tuesday morning home invasion on Nancy Lane near Highland Baptist Church.
Deputies still have little information about their suspect — both victims described him as a tall, think white male dressed in all black, including a black mask. But authorities still have not publicly named a suspect. At this point, Sgt. Ted Roy, spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, said investigators have not determined if both attacks were carried out by the same person.
“There are some similarities but they still can’t confirm that they are the same suspect,” Roy told NorthEscambia.com late Wednesday afternoon. “We are continuing to follow up on leads.”
Roy said Molino area residents need to remain aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity, persons or vehicles to the Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office has interviewed multiple witnesses in and around Molino, and deputies have spoken to friends of both victims from Northview High School and Ernest Ward Middle School.
NorthEscambia.com has published the most complete coverage of the attacks first, and we will continue to follow this ongoing story.
To read previous stories, click a link below:
- Cheerleader Home Invasion Victim: “I Was Scared”
- Sheriff’s Report Details Friday Night’s Home Invasion
- Another Cheerleader Attacked In Second Molino Home Invasion
- Are The Two Cheerleader Home Invasion Attacks Related
- Molino Remains On High Alert After Attacks
- Home Invasion In Molino: Young Teen Cut Multiple Times With Knife
National Junior Honor Society At Ernest Ward Middle School Adds New Members, Officers
November 5, 2009
About 30 students were inducted into the National Junior Honor Society Wednesday morning at Ernest Ward Middle School.
The NJHS is the nation’s premier organization established to recognize outstanding middle school students. More than just an honor roll, NJHS serves to honor those students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, leadership, service, citizenship and character.
Students must have and maintain a 3.5 GPA for honor society membership.
For a photo gallery from the induction ceremony, click here.
New seventh grade National Junior Honor Society Members at Ernest Ward are: Penny Banda, Reagan Bell, Shalmali Bhadkamkar, Megan Bryan, Tiffani Cruce, Austin Cunningham, Elizabeth Fillingim , Hannah Gibson, Jessica Glick, Kyndall Hall, Julie Hester, Auden Lassitter, Benjamin Linam, Aaron McDonald, Madison McGhee, Amy Murph, Jaylen Parker, Madison Presley, Mallory Ryan, Samantha Sharpless, Danielle Suggs, Chelsea Turner, Morgan Ward, Tamara Wise, and Kelton Wooten.
New eighth grade members inducted Wednesday are: Samantha Barrow, Dale Brown, Chelsea Ward, and Karissa Strickland.
New officers were also installed. They are: Victoria Wright, president; Kasie Braun, vice president; Tamara Green, secretary; Jenny Spears, treasurer; Madison Arrington, parliamentarian; Paeton Hadley, reporter; and Courtney Weaver, historian.
Current NJHS honor members are: Anna Donald, Anna Fischer, Marina Gray, Mariah Albritton, Madison Arrington, Kasie Braun, Timothy Born, Katelynne Calloway, Kira Cartwright, Lana Clayton, Madalyn Coon, Morgan Digmon, Audra Martin, Rachel Presley, Tamara Green, Paeton Hadley, Casey Jackson, Chloe Leonard, Courtney Lewis, Jessica Lowery, Lakota Maloney, Courtney Weaver, Raven Weaver, Mallory Wiggins, Victoria Wright, Mikaela Santos, Danielle Scott, Courtney Solari, Jennifer Spears, Jeremy Stacey, Danielle Steadham, Lily Townson, and Ali Martin.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Trial Delayed For Accused Bratt Child Molester
November 5, 2009
Trial has been delayed for a Bratt man accused of molesting a four-year girl in 2000.
Perry Leonard Gibbs, 53, of 5451 Still Road Lot 5 in Bratt, was arrested in June and charged with molesting a child under the age of 12. He was due in court Wednesday for an for docket day and his jury trial was set to begin Monday. But Wednesday, his next court appearance was rescheduled for early January by Judge Nikolas Geeker.
He is now scheduled for a jury trial in early November.
Gibbs remains in the Escambia County Jail on $25,000 bond. If he makes bond, Gibbs was ordered to have no direct or indirect contact with the victim and to wear a GPS monitor.
A female told investigators under oath that Gibbs molested her in 2000 when she was four and five years old, according to Sgt. Ted Roy with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department. The victim told investigators that the molestation occurred in the Walnut Hill area.
The female made the allegations in May of this year, according to Roy.
The felony molestation charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
FFA Smoke Turkey/Boston Butt Sale Underway
November 5, 2009
The annual Northview High School FFA Alumni Smoked Turkey and Boston Butt Sale is now underway, just in time for Thanksgiving.
In the annual fund raiser, you can choose either a seven to nine pound smoked Boston butt or a 10-12 pound smoked turkey for $25 each
Boston butts will be available for pickup on Monday, November 23, the the smoked turkeys will be available for pickup on Tuesday, November 24.
Proceeds from the sale will go to benefit the Northview High School FFA Scholarship Fund. The sale is sponsored by Archie’s Catering Smokehouse in Molino.
For a printable order form that you can mail to the school with your payment, click here. Orders must be placed by Tuesday, November 10.
For more information, call (850) 327-6681 extension 248.
New Century Ordinance Allows Council To Set Their Salaries, Pay For Insurance
November 5, 2009
The Town of Century is considering an ordinance that lets the town council set their salaries and allows them reimburse council members for their individual health insurance policies.
The council chose to no longer offer health insurance directly to council members after discovering that it would cost about $60,000 per year to insure the two council members that opted for the town’s insurance plan.
Instead, the council decided to reimburse council members for their individual health plans. An ordinance to be considered by the council on November 16 allows the council to do just that.
The ordinance also allows the council to legal leeway to set its own salaries now and in the future.