Joseph Floyd Boutwell, Sr.
December 30, 2010
Mr. Joseph Floyd Boutwell, Sr., 76, passed away on Thursday, December 30, 2010, in Lottie, AL.
Mr. Boutwell was a native of Flomaton, AL, and a resident of Lottie, AL for the past 57 years. Preceded in death by a son, Robert Boutwell and five brothers, Herman Boutwell, Jimmy Boutwell, J.L. Boutwell, Buddy Boutwell and Chester Boutwell.
Survivors include his wife of 56 years, Katherine Weaver Boutwell of Lottie, AL; four sons, Joseph Floyd Boutwell, Jr. of Huxford, AL, Jessie Boutwell of Flomaton, AL, Rodney Boutwell of Perdido, AL, and Destry Boutwell of Lottie, AL; two daughters, Ora Jane Dorriety of Lottie, AL and Bernice Hadley of Perdido, AL; 18 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; two brothers, Alvoid Boutwell of McCullough, AL and Aaron Coy Boutwell of Flomaton, AL; and four sisters, Beatrice Emmons of Flomaton, AL, Marie McMillan of Brewton, AL, Hazel Walston of Byrneville, FL, and Melba Lambeth of Atmore, AL.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, January 1, 2011, at 2 p.m. at Petty- Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with Sister Helen Stewart officiating. Burial will follow at Traveler’s Rest Cemetery.
Visitation will be held Friday, December 31, 2010, from 6 until 9 p.m. the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.
Pallbearers will be Roil Lamar Hadley, Jr., Joseph Floyd Boutwell, III, John Salter, Jessie Boutwell, Jr., Robbie Turberville and Jeremy New.
Rain Moving Into Forecast
December 29, 2010
Rain is moving into our North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: A 40 percent chance of showers after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. Southeast wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Thursday: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 67. Southeast wind between 10 and 15 mph.
- Thursday Night: Areas of fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. Southeast wind around 10 mph.
- Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 70. Southeast wind between 10 and 15 mph.
- Friday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Cloudy, with a low around 60. Southeast wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
- New Year’s Day: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before noon, then showers likely. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. High near 66. Southeast wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
- Saturday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 42. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 61. North wind around 10 mph.
- Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 38. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 60.
- Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 36.
- Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 65.
- Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 48.
- Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 66.
Wreck Victim Found Three Hours After Crash
December 29, 2010
A traffic accident victim was found hiding in the woods about three hours after a crash early this morning.
The single vehicle accident occurred around midnight on Pine Barren Road near Lambert Bridge Road. Authorities became aware of the wreck after a resident on Pine Barren Road reported a strange person on their porch to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies then discovered the van, which had flipped over, not far away. They also located a second occupant of the vehicle along Pine Barren Road. Neither man was seriously injured in the crash.
Both men told deputies that there had been a third person in the van that had fled into a wooded area. A complete search by the McDavid Station of Escambia Fire Rescue did not locate the alleged third person, and the search was called off about 1:30 a.m.
A Florida Highway Patrol trooper working the crash could hear someone calling for help in the woods about 2:30 a.m. The McDavid Station of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the crash site a second time. Firefighters found the man across a deep ditch in the wooded area about 2:45 a.m. He was reportedly suffering from hypothermia after falling into a creek.
Further details were not available Wednesday morning. The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Man Arrested For Bringing Gun Into Escambia Courthouse
December 29, 2010
A 53-year old Cantonment man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly bringing a gun to the Escambia County courthouse.
Employees of Securitas Security were conducting a security check at the M.C. Blanchard Judicial Building Tuesday when they allegedly found Perry Gray Jr., of Cantonment, in possession of a handgun.
Deputies working the courthouse security detail were notified and immediately responded and took Gray into custody.
Deputies said Gray does not have a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
“Even if Gray had a concealed carry permit, it is illegal to carry a firearm into any courthouse,” said Sheriff’s spokesman Chris Welborn.
Gray was not scheduled to appear in court and was there for other legal business.
Gray was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and booked into the Escambia County Jail. He was released on $1,000 bond.
Wanted Man Hits Deputy’s Cruiser
December 29, 2010
Charges are pending against a Pensacola man after a Tuesday night wreck with an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputy.
The Florida Highway Patrol said Raymond Qualls, 44, was traveling east on Lillian Highway approachong 50th Avenue when he attempted to turn across the path of a marked Escambia County Sheriff’s Office cruiser driven by Brandon Barnhill, 36.
Qualls and Barnhill both suffered minor injuries in the crash.
Charges are pending against Qualls, who had a suspended driver’s license and pending warrants for his arrest, according to the FHP.
Child Sex Predator Busted In Escambia; Video Shows Him Freed By Georgia Cops
December 29, 2010
A wanted Illinois sexual predator that was caught on video celebrating as Georgia police let him walk away a free man is now behind bars in Escambia County.
Stephen Patrick McClure, 40, was arrested by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department at Kenmore Road and Highway 29 on warrants out of Madison County, Illinois, on failure to appear and aggravated criminal sexual abuse warrants. McClure was convicted of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a 10 year old in Granite City, Illinois.
McClure remains in the Escambia County Jail without bond awaiting extradition back to Illinois.
McClure was among a group of carnival workers in van stopped by Decatur County (GA) Sheriff’s deputies in May. According to the online news website BainbridgeGa.com, deputies discovered that McClure was wanted out of Illinois, but Illinois authorities refused to extradite him from Georgia.
McClure was caught on video (see below) celebrating as Georgia authorities were forced to unhandcuff him and allow him to walk away a free man.
According to the Illinois sexual offender database, McClure was 35 at the time he sexually abused a 10 year old child.
Pictured top: McClure is released by Georgia authorities in May after Illinois officials refused to extradite him. The images in a still frame from the video below from BainbridgeGa.com.
Atmore Quarterback, Two Others Facing Felony Charges
December 29, 2010
Three people — including the quarterback for the Escambia County High School Blue Devils — have been arrested and charged with two felony counts each of shooting into an occupied building and one count of reckless endangerment.
ECHS quarterback Rico Cordall Stallworth, 18; Deauntae Kaevon Woods, 19, of Defuniak Springs and an unnamed minor were all charged following the December 22 incident on Laurel Street in Atmore.
The three were allegedly involved in an incident in which a BB gun was fired into a Laurel Street shed occupied by a man. The three reportedly continued to fire at the man as he gave chase.
The suspects were located by Atmore Police on Pine Street where they were arrested. The trio had reportedly also fired the BB gun into a Pine Street residence.
According to Atmore Police, Stallworth, Woods and the juvenile are also suspects in additional incidents in which BB guns were fired into vehicles in the area. They have not yet been charged in the additional shootings.
2010’s Best Photos: July, August
December 29, 2010
All this week, we are looking back at some of our favorite and most interesting photos of 2010. Today, we are featuring photos from July and August.
(For January and February, click here.)
(For March and April, click here.)
(For May and June, click here.)
Lightning strikes as thunderstorm rolls toward Molino on an August Sunday afternoon.
A Florida Highway Patrol Trooper looks at a wrecked motorcycle n Bratt as LifeFlight lifts off with the driver.
Michael Aaron Killam of McDavid is given a field sobriety test on a July Sunday morning along Highway 97 in Molino. Charges against Killam are still pending in the case.
A pickup truck crashed into a Highway 29 Tom Thumb, leaving the truck resting on the store’s case of propane tanks.
Summer band practice for the Northview Tribal Beat.
Coach Sid Wheatley looks on during the first day of practice for his Northview Chiefs in what would end as the best season in the history of the school.
An Escambia County Habitat for Humanity home was constructed in Nokomis was constructed by a host of volunteers.
Jimmy Buffet performs during a free concert in Gulf Shores to demonstrate support after the Gulf Oil Spill.
Four people died in, or as a result of their injuries from, a traffic crash at Highway 113 and Highway 31 in Flomaton.
LifeFlight lifts off from Highway 31 in Flomaton. One of the injured persons in the wreck passed away about two weeks later from her injuries.
There were no serious injuries in this crash on Highway 97 in Walnut Hill.
There were no
Mallory Ryan pitches for the Northwest Escambia All-Stars.
Scott Names Prisons Chief
December 29, 2010
Gov.-elect Rick Scott on Tuesday named an Indiana prisons official to head Florida’s system, potentially impacting facilitates like the Century Correctional Institution.
Scott named Indiana Corrections Commissioner Edwin Buss to head the Florida Department of Corrections, a high profile – and high pressure – pick because he’ll be expected to help figure out how to slash as much as $1 billion from the agency’s budget over the next seven years.
Scott’s choice to replace Walt McNeil as secretary of corrections, Buss, has dealt with prison overcrowding in Indiana, where the inmate population has grown but no new prisons have been built since 2002.
Buss has suggested that part of the problem there has been lawmakers toughening sentencing laws without thinking of the crowding consequences.
“The problem with our criminal justice system is it’s all anecdotal,” Buss said in an interview with the Corrections Reporter earlier this year. “You have some crime that is horrendous in a community and then, of course, the lawmakers come back and everything results in a new crime.
“Just in the last 10 years, there’s been 117 new crimes or enhancements. . . . We haven’t eliminated a crime. We haven’t looked at redundancy,” Buss continued. “This is significant. I think it’s huge.”
As head of Indiana Corrections, Buss oversees 7,500 employees and 26,000 inmates. Buss’ prior experience included stints supervising two state prisons, during which time he revamped the state’s death penalty procedure. Florida’s prison system, by comparison, holds four times as many inmates – over 102,000 in 146 facilities – with about 160,000 more monitored on probation or parole.
“Given the transformation and pro-taxpayer improvements over the last few years, it was inevitable that other states would come after top talent like Ed Buss,” Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels said in a statement. “He was actively pursued by several new governors. Congratulations to Gov.-elect Scott for winning the sweepstakes.”
Industry representatives say Buss is familiar with re-entry programs and dealing with tight budgets, experience that bodes well for the state, said George Camp, executive director of the Association of State Correctional Administrators.
“He is one of the bright lights in the corrections community,” Camp said. “He’s invested a lot of his time and energy on re-entry programs and reinvesting in community corrections to improve public safety.”
Buss will immediately be under the spotlight, coming to head the prisons agency at a time when Scott has targeted it for $1 billion in cuts over seven years.
By Michael Peltier
The News Service Florida
Golf Tourney To Benefit Wounded Deputy Cassady
December 29, 2010
The Escambia Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police is hosting a benefit golf tournament to raise money to support Deputy Jeremy Cassady, who was injured in the line of duty in October. The tournament will take place Sunday, January 9th at Scenic Hills Country Club in Pensacola with a shotgun start at 11:00 a.m.
Golfers who are interested in participating in the tournament can download a registration form by visiting www.golf4cassady.wordpress.com. Registration fees are $75 per player or $250 for a four person team. The field is limited to the first 144 registrants.
Throughout the day there will be complimentary drinks and snacks available to participants as well as a post tournament luncheon. Individuals who are not interested in playing in the tournament can still attend the buffet luncheon for $20. There will also be a silent auction featuring items donated from local businesses.
For more information concerning the Jeremy Cassady Benefit Golf Tournament, visit www.golf4cassady.wordpress.com or contact Tournament Chairperson Robert Vose at (850) 637-7929.
Deputy Jeremy Cassady was shot in the line of duty on October 29, 2010, while responding to a home invasion that resulted in a hostage situation in Pensacola. Deputy Cassady is a four-year veteran of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
