Escambia Man Gets Life For Child Sexual Assault
October 24, 2017
An Escambia County man was sentenced Monday to life in prison on child sexual assault charges.
Christopher Altman was sentenced to life in state prison by Circuit Judge Thomas Dannheisser, according to State Attorney Bill Eddins.
Altman previously entered a plea on July 14 to two counts of sexual battery while in a position of familial or custodial authority.
In April 2017, a child disclosed that the defendant had sexually abused her multiple times since December 2016.
Woman Injured In Vehicle Crash With ECSO Deputy
October 24, 2017
A Pensacola woman suffered minor injuries in a two vehicle crash with an Escambia County Sheriff’s deputy.
About 4:50 p.m. Sunday, a Ford Mustang driven by 20-year old Destinee Brill collided with marker patrol Chevrolet Tahoe drive by Deputy Drake Fawcett. Fawcett was not injured.
Further information has not been released by the Florida Highway Patrol. The FHP said any charges with the case are pending.
Nine Mile Sporting Goods Store Armed Robbery Under Investigation
October 24, 2017
An armed robbery Saturday night at a Nine Mile Road sporting goods store remains under investigation.
The holdup happened about 7:20 p.m. at the Hibbett Sports store at 3 West Nine Mile Road. According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, a black male wearing a gray hoodie and brandishing a handgun robbed the store. He fled the store with an undisclosed amount of cash.
Further details have not been released.
Anyone with information on the robbery is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 436-9620.
Grab A Jacket, Chilly Overnights
October 24, 2017
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 41. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 66. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday Night: Clear, with a low around 41. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 76. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 54. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 76. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 63. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north in the afternoon.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 41. North wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 60.
Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 38.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 65.
Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 46.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 73.
Schools Earn Cash For Cutting Energy Costs
October 24, 2017
Several local schools have been recognized for their efforts to reduce utility costs.
The Escambia County School District Energy Management Program was established 12 years ago and has helped the district avoid milllions in utility costs. Since just year, the school district’s utility consumption is down 11 percent.
According to the district, the success of the energy program has been driven not only by the efforts of the Energy Management, Maintenance and Facilities Planning departments, but also by the staff, faculties and students at all of the district’s campuses.
For the past five years, the program has expanded to include an incentive program the recognizes and rewards schools for changing their behavior to comply with energy management guidelines.
This year all 51 Escambia District schools will receive a monetary award ranging from $350 to $1,050 for their energy savings. During the October Escambia County School Board meeting energy managers Tiffany Clark and Jackie Smith recognized the top ECSD Energy Manager schools:
Brown Barge Middle School
Brentwood Elementary School
Ernest Ward Middle School
Ferry Pass Elementary School
Jim Allen Elementary School
Lipscomb Elementary School
Northview High School
Oakcrest Elementary School
Pleasant Grove Elementary School
A.K. Suter Elementary School
C.A. Weis Elementary School
West Pensacola Elementary School
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ernest Ward Middle Names FFA Officers
October 24, 2017
Ernest Ward has named FFA officers for the 2017-2018 school year. They are:
President- Kohle Harigel
1st Vice President- Sarah Sconiers
2nd Vice President- Shelby Cotita
Secretary- Paige Gibbs
Treasurer- Jonathan Gibbs
Sentinel- Bailey Danielson
Reporter Braydon Harigel
Chaplain- Andrew Denton
Parliamentarian- J.P. Gilman
Photographer- Rachael Sanders
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Senate Bill Seeks To Change Painkiller Prescriptions To Seven Days Or Less
October 24, 2017
A prominent Senate Republican has filed a sweeping measure aimed at keeping patients from getting hooked on prescription painkillers. The proposal filed Monday by Senate Rules Chairwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto mirrors legislation filed this month by House Commerce Chairman Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton.
Under the bills, doctors would be limited to prescribing up to seven days’ worth of powerful narcotics and would have to consult a statewide database before ordering most pain medications.
The legislation would limit doctors to writing prescriptions for three days’ worth of controlled substances, such as the highly addictive opioid oxycodone, unless the practitioner decides a seven-day prescription is “medically necessary to treat the patient’s pain as an acute medical condition.”
Health care practitioners would also be required to consult the database, known as the prescription drug monitoring program, before writing prescriptions for controlled substances.
Under current law, doctors can access the program but are not required to use it. The measures also include some changes to the database, which pharmacists are required to use before dispensing most pain medications.
The bills proposed by Boyd and Benacquisto are intended to address a rapidly escalating opioid crisis in Florida, where 14 people die from overdoses every day, according to an interim report by the state’s medical examiners.
“This is ravaging families. It’s ravaging communities. As a human being, you cannot hear what’s going on and the pleas for help and stand on the sidelines,” Benacquisto, R-Fort Myers, said Monday. “This is the moment when we have to take strong action.”
The bills are filed for the 2018 session, which starts in January.
by The News Service of Florida
Tate High Names 2018 Senior Hall Of Fame
October 24, 2017
Tate High School has announced their 2018 Senior Hall of Fame members. They are:
- Ashlyn Adams
- Mollie Anderson
- Matthew Blalock
- Dylan Brown
- Kinsey Gill
- Juanito Gonzalez
- Emma Grissom
- Reid Halfacre
- Logan Hamlin
- Maurice Hendricks
- Hannah Huggins
- Kylee Jackson
- Shelby Jackson
- Michael Lett
- Adam Norre
- Blake Norre
- Riley Orr
- Levi Shaffer
- Jesse Sherrill
- Rosemary Smyth
- Sydni Solliday
- Nathaniel Walker
- Natalie Woods
- Nicole Woods
Driver Partially Submerges Truck; Flooding Closes O.C. Phillips, Pineville Roads
October 23, 2017
There were no injuries reported when a driver partially submerged a pickup truck in floodwaters sometime Sunday night or Monday morning on O.C. Phillips Road at Brushy Creek. The truck was discovered late Monday morning on the remote dirt road.
O.C. Phillips Road is now closed due to flooding at the bridge over Brushy Creek, between Highway 97A and South Pineville Road.
North Pineville Road is also closed due to flooding between Tullis Road and Jakes Road in the Nokomis area.
For information about an additional road closure on Barrineau Park Road at the Perdido River, click here.
Pictured top: A truck was partially submerged in floodwaters on O.C. Phillips Road. Pictured below: Another view of the flooding (after the truck was removed). NorthEscambia.com reader submitted photos, click to enlarge.
Barrineau Park Bridge Closed; Flood Warning For Perdido River
October 23, 2017
The Barrineau Park Bridge from Florida into Alabama has been closed due to flooding.
The Highway 196/Barrineau Park Road bridge west of Highway 99 is closed it crosses the Perdido River at the Florida/Alabama state line.
The section of the road was functioning as the detour route for the construction project on west Muscogee Roadand which is now closed at Alabama 112 and at County Road 99. Traffic will be detoured via Beulah Road. The current heavy truck prohibition on Beulah Road will be temporarily lifted until flood waters have subsided.
A flood warning is in effect for the Perdido River near Barrineau Park until Tuesday evening. At 10 p.m. Monday, the river was at 15 feet; flood stage is 13 feet. The river will continue rising to near 15.2 feet. The river will fall below flood stage Tuesday evening.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.