Escambia Armed Robbery Suspect Sentenced To Life In Prison
March 14, 2017
An Escambia County man convicted of armed robbery is headed to prison for life.
Demeko Sims was sentenced as a prison releasee reoffender to life in state prison without the possibility of parole by Circuit Judge Joel Boles. On January 25, 2017, an Escambia County Jury found Sims guilty of robbery with a firearm and petit theft.
Sims has an extensive criminal record including possession of a firearm by a minor, corruption by threat against public servant, battery, burglary, and numerous
charges of grand theft auto and violations of probatio
On October 24, 2015, the Kwik Mart on Fairfield Drive in Pensacola was robbed by two masked gunmen who stole money from the cash register. Sims and his co-defendant, Joseph Vaughn, were developed as suspects. On November 12, 2015, Sims and Vaughn were detained while driving in a truck together. A search of the truck returned the firearms and clothing worn in the Robbery. A search warrant of the apartment where Sims was staying, returned additional clothing Sims wore during the Robbery. Sims was interviewed at the Escambia County Sheriff’;s Office and confessed to the robbery.
On November 10, 2016, Joseph Vaughn pled and was sentenced to 10 years in state prison.
Local Unemployment Rates Show Largest Increase In Months
March 14, 2017
The latest job numbers released Monday show the employment rate increased in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
Escambia County’s seasonably adjusted unemployment rate increased from 4.8 percent in December to 5.5 percent in January. There were 7,786 people reported unemployed during the period. One year ago, unemployment in Escambia County was 5.3 percent.
“Hardworking businesses in the Pensacola area have created 4,100 new jobs over the year – creating thousands of opportunities for North Florida families. We will keep fighting to diversify our economy and grow jobs so Florida remains the best place to work, live and build a business,” Gov. Rick Scott said.
The industries with the largest job gains in the Pensacola area over the year were leisure and hospitality with 1,800 new jobs and trade, transportation and utilities with 1,000 new jobs. The Pensacola area had 4,161 job openings in January, including 1,256 openings for high-skill, high-wage STEM occupations.
Santa Rosa County unemployment rate jumped from 4.4 to 5.1 percent from December January. Santa Rosa County had a total of 3,863 persons still unemployed. The year-ago unemployment rate in Santa Rosa County was 4.8 percent.
Florida’s unemployment rate was 5 percent in January, up 0.1 percentage point from the end of 2016. Scott went to Herc Rentals, an equipment rental firm headquartered in Bonita Springs, to announce the numbers. In a news release, Scott focused on private-sector job growth and his support for the economic-development agency Enterprise Florida.
The jobless numbers released by the state do not include persons that have given up on finding a job and are no longer reported as unemployed.
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.
Scott Quickly Signs New Death Penalty Sentencing Bill
March 14, 2017
After more than a year of uncertainty, Florida is again poised to begin executions and prosecute death penalty cases after Gov. Rick Scott signed a law Monday aimed at fixing flaws in the state’s capital sentencing procedure.
“Governor Scott’s foremost concern is always for the victims and their loved ones. He hopes this legislation will allow families of these horrific crimes to get the closure they deserve,” Scott spokeswoman Jackie Schutz said in a statement early Monday evening.
The new law — the second death penalty “fix” in a year — came in response to a series of court rulings, set off by a U.S. Supreme Court decision in January 2016 in a case known as Hurst v. Florida.
The 8-1 opinion, premised on a 2002 ruling in a case known as Ring v. Arizona, found that Florida’s system of allowing judges, instead of juries, to find the facts necessary to impose the death penalty was an unconstitutional violation of the Sixth Amendment right to trial by jury.
The Legislature last year hurriedly passed a law to address the federal court ruling, but the Florida Supreme Court struck down the new statute. Florida justices said the law was unconstitutional because it only required 10 of 12 jurors to recommend death, instead of unanimous jury decisions.
The state and federal court rulings — and others related to it — created confusion regarding Florida’s death penalty, with circuit judges split on whether they could move forward with capital cases until the Legislature addressed the issue of unanimity.
Although the Florida court recently decided capital cases could proceed even in the absence of a statutory fix, legislators nevertheless rushed to address the issue, making it the first bill passed by both chambers and sent to the governor by the end of the first week of the 2017 legislative session.
The Florida Senate unanimously approved the proposal (SB 280) Thursday, and the House approved the measure by a 112-3 vote the following day.
Under the law, juries will have to unanimously recommend death for the sentence to be imposed on defendants convicted of capital crimes.
With nearly 400 inmates on Death Row, Florida has more prisoners facing execution than almost any other state.
As of last year, Florida was one of only three states — along with Alabama and Delaware, which has since blocked the death penalty — that did not require unanimous jury recommendations for death sentences to be imposed.
At the time, Florida required only a simple majority of jurors to recommend death. But the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Hurst, which did not address the unanimity issue, forced Florida lawmakers to reconsider the state’s entire capital sentencing system.
The “fix” authorized by lawmakers last year, and signed by Scott, required, among other things, at least 10 jurors to recommend death. But a majority of the Florida Supreme Court decided that the state’s constitutional right to trial by jury required unanimous jury recommendations, as in every other jury verdict, for death to be imposed.
Lawmakers backing this year’s effort maintained that, even if they disagreed with the court-ordered unanimity requirement, they were willing to back the change to put the state’s death penalty system back on track.
“It was important to me that, in the very first week of session, that we address this issue so we have a constitutional statute — as juries are being selected and as families of victims are in court in very stressful circumstances and in very difficult circumstances, we want a law that is orderly and structured and constitutional,” Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, said Thursday, after his chamber’s vote.
But public defenders and criminal defense lawyers contend that the state law remains flawed.
Requiring unanimous jury recommendations is “only one step in a long journey,” 10th Judicial Circuit Assistant Public Defender Pete Mills told The News Service of Florida on Friday.
“Florida’s death penalty still has problems of constitutional magnitude, including but not limited to the failure to limit the scope of its application, racial disparities, geographic disparities, and execution of the mentally ill,” Mills, chairman of the Florida Public Defenders Association Death Penalty Steering Committee, said after the House overwhelmingly approved the measure.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
No Serious Injuries In Highway 95A Wreck
March 14, 2017
There were no serious injuries in a two vehicle crash on Highway 95 just south of East Kingsfield Road early Monday evening. The white vehicle (above) was moved into the Whataburger parking lot following the wreck. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Aggie Classic Gets Underway (Scores, Schedule)
March 14, 2017
Here are Monday’s scores and Tuesday’s schedule in the 24th annual Aggie Classic. Many of Monday’s games were rained out and rescheduled for later in the week, including Tate’s game against Durant, OK, which was moved to 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Monday scores:
Presbyterian Christian, MS vs. Washington, OK 12 – 7
Milton, FL vs. Southmoore, OK 5 – 3
Ft. Gibson, OK vs. Niceville, FL 1 – 7
Houston, TN vs. Jenks, OK 7 – 5
Edmond North, OK vs. Bartlett, TN 13 – 0
Mustang, OK vs. Knoxville Catholic, TN 13 – 3
Mustang, OK vs Washington, FL 10 – 2
Tuesday Schedule:
At Escambia High: Mustang, Oklahoma vs. Houston, Tennessee at 4 p.m.; Gibson, Oklahoma vs. Knoxville Catholic, Tennessee at 7 p.m.
At Gulf Breeze High: Pryor, Oklahoma vs. Leon at 1 p.m.; Leon vs. Durant, Oklahoma at 4 p.m.; Piedmont, Oklahoma vs. Gulf Breeze at 7 p.m.
At Milton High: Milton vs. Edmond North, Oklahoma at 4 p.m.; Bartlett, Tennessee vs. Pryor, Oklahoma 7 p.m.
At Pace High: Choctaw, Oklahoma vs. Magnolia Heights, Mississippi at 1 p.m.; Magnolia Heights vs. Southmoore, Oklahoma at 4 p.m.; Jenks, Oklahoma vs. Pace at 7 p.m.
At Tate High: Second Baptist, Texas vs. Union, Oklahoma at 1 p.m.; Second Baptist vs. Coweta, Oklahoma at 4 p.m.; Tate vs. Coweta, Oklahoma at 7 p.m.
At Washington High: Niceville vs. Washington, Oklahoma at 4 p.m.; Choctaw, Oklahoma vs. Pensacola Washington at 7 p.m.
At West Florida: West Florida vs. Piedmont, Oklahoma at 1 p.m.; Presbyterian Christian, Mississippi vs. Union, Oklahoma at 4:30 p .m.; Berryhill, Oklahoma vs. West Florida at 7 p.m.
Freeze Warning For Tonight
March 14, 2017
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
FREEZE WARNING FOR TONIGHT
Tonight: Patchy frost after 5am. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 33. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday: Patchy frost before 9am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 54. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday Night: Areas of frost after 1am. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 28. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Thursday: Areas of frost before 9am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 60. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 40. Calm wind.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 70. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the morning.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 51. South wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 74. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 47. North wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 70.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 46.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 74.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 52.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 77.
Northview, Pine Forest Baseball Game Reschedule For Thursday
March 14, 2017
Northview High School’s home game against Pine Forest High School that was rained out on February 27 has been rescheduled for Thursday, March 16.
Missing Teen Found
March 13, 2017
UPDATE…This missing teen has been located.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in locating a missing teen that may be in need of medical treatment.
Linda Faye Bruster, 14, was reported missing about 12:30 a.m. Monday from her home located in the 1500 block of Kyle Drive. She is 5′7″, 160 pounds, and was wearing a shoulder length purple wig, with a brown purse.
Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP or the ECSO at (850) 436-9620.
Fire Heavily Damages Molino Mobile Home
March 13, 2017
The cause of a fire that heavily damaged a mobile home in Molino Sunday night is under investigation.
The fire was reported about 10:30 p.m. on Duxbury Avenue, just off Highway 29. The fire was reportedly through the roof of the mobile home when the first firefighters arrived on scene.
There was no immediate word on the cause of the fire.
There were no injuries reported.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
FDOT: Weekly Traffic Alerts
March 13, 2017
Drivers will encounter traffic variations on the following state roads in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities.
Escambia County:
· Gregory Street (U.S. 98), Bayfront Parkway (State Road (S.R.) 196) and Ninth Avenue (S.R. 289) Temporary Closure St. Patrick’s Day Run- Temporary closure of Gregory Street between Jefferson and Gregory streets, Bayfront Parkway between 9th Avenue and 14 Avenue and Ninth Avenue between Gregory Street and Wright Street from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, March 11 for St. Patrick’s Day run. Traffic will be detoured and local law enforcement on site to assist with traffic control.
· Bayfront Parkway (State Road (S.R. 196) 2017 Maritime DeLuna Duathlon- Temporary closure from Tarragona Street to Salamanca Street from 4 a.m. to midnight Sunday, March 12 for festivities. Traffic will be detoured and local law enforcement on site to assist with traffic control.
· S.R. 4 Resurfacing from U.S. 29 to the Escambia River Bridge- Intermittent and alternating lane closures from the west end of the Escambia River Bridge on S.R. 4 to a point just east of the railroad tracks before U.S. 29.
· Interstate 10 (I-10) Widening from Davis Highway to the Escambia Bay Bridge – Scenic Highway (U.S. 90) southbound traffic, south of the I-10 interchange, will encounter temporary and intermittent lane shifts the week of Monday, March 13 as crews install drainage structures. One lane will remain open in each direction at all times. Once the work is complete, traffic will be shifted back into alignment.
· I-10, I-110 and U.S. 98 Routine Maintenance- Crews will perform sign maintenance at the following locations. Motorists can expect lane restrictions from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. from Monday, March 13 through Thursday, March 16.
o I-10 between the Escambia Bay Bridge and U.S. 29
o U.S. 98 between N. Pace Boulevard and Fairfield Drive
o I-110 between Burgess Road and U.S. 98
· U.S. 29 (S.R. 95) Widening from I-10 to Nine Mile Road- Alternating lane closures continue from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. on U.S. 29 between I-10 and 9 1/2 Mile Road and on Nine Mile Road near the U.S. 29/ Nine Mile Road overpass as crews perform drainage and bridge operations.
· Nine Mile Road (S.R. 10/U.S. 90A) Widening from Pine Forest Road (S.R. 297) to U.S. 29-The detour on Nine Mile Road between Stefani and Waring roads was removed and the traffic pattern returned to its original configuration Thursday, March 9. Alternating lane closures continue on Untreiner Avenue as crews perform jack and bore operations.
Santa Rosa County:
· I-10 Widening from Escambia Bay Bridge to Avalon Boulevard (S.R. 281/Exit 22) – Alternating lane closures on I-10 east and westbound near Avalon Boulevard from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. the week of Monday, March 13 as crews remove barrier wall.
Drivers are reminded to use caution, especially at night, when traveling through the construction
zone, and to pay attention for workers and equipment entering and exiting the work area. All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather.