High Sunday In The Upper 50s, No Mention Of Rain Until Thursday
January 17, 2021
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 34. West wind around 5 mph.
M.L.King Day: Sunny, with a high near 57. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 34. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 63. East wind around 5 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 40. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 66. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 47. South wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 68.
Thursday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57.
Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68.
Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 61.
Pictured: Saturday was a beautiful, but cool, day for fishing at Lake Stone near Century. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Reminder: Nine Mile Median Crossovers At Highway 29 Closed, Other Nine Mile Delays
January 17, 2021
Nine Mile Road median crossovers at the Highway 29 intersection are scheduled to be closed through 7 a.m. Monday.
The temporary closures are required to adjust the elevation of the median crossovers at the interchange.
Drivers will not be able to make left turns across the median during the temporary closure. Additionally, Nine Mile Road east and westbound may be intermittently reduced to a single travel lane at Highway 29 during the work.
The following detour routes will be in place:
- Eastbound Nine Mile Road to Highway 29 northbound drivers should travel north on Cove Avenue, then east on Nine and a Half Mile Road, then travel north on Highway 29.
- Westbound Nine Mile Road to Highway 29 southbound drivers should travel south on North Palafox Street, then west on Hood Drive, then south on Highway 29.
- Northbound Highway 29 to westbound Nine Mile Road drivers will make a U-turn at Nine and a Half Mile Road to merge onto Highway 29 southbound; then, exit onto Nine Mile Road westbound.
- Southbound Highway 29 to eastbound Nine Mile Road drivers will make a U-turn at West Hood Road, then travel north on Highway 29 to exit onto Nine Mile Road eastbound.
This work is part of the $49 million construction project that is widening Highway 29 from four to six travel lanes and improving the Highway 29/Nine Mile Road interchange. Work is slated to be completed this summer.
Click graphic to enlarge.
Investigators Seek Help With 31-Year Old Cantonment Murder
January 17, 2021
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Department is asking for the public’s help to solve a 31-year old Cantonment murder mystery.
During the early morning hours of January 14, 1990, the body of Jesse Lee Davis, Jr., a 25-year old black male, was found apparently murdered in the area of Highway 95A and Highway 29 in Cantonment. Davis was last seen alive earlier that morning walking northward toward his home from the area of Muscogee Road and Highway 29.
The case remains unsolved. Anyone with information about what might have happened to Davis can contact the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Pictured: Photos of 1990 murder victim Jessie Davis, Jr. at about age 20 (left) and from grade school. Submitted photos from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
FDOH Reports Eight More COVID-19 Deaths And Another 274 Cases In Escambia County
January 17, 2021
THIS IS ARCHIVED STORY. SEE NORTHESCAMBIA.COM FOR THE LATEST DATA.
There were eight more COVID-19 deaths and 274 new cases reported by the state health department on Saturday.
Here is the latest data:
Escambia County cases:
Total cases: 27,242 (+274)
Non-Florida residents: 2,935
Recovered: 22,942*
Total deaths: 448 (+8)
Long-term care facility deaths : 188 (+4)
Current hospitalizations: 276 (-5)
Number of tests reported last day: 1,911
Percent positive reported last day: 17.5%
Percent positive reported last week: 11.6%
Escambia County cases by location*:
Pensacola: 20,031 (+207)
Cantonment: 2,438 (+28)
Century: 1,079 (+6)
—-including 774 Century prison inmates
Molino: 340 (+8)
McDavid: 169 (+1)
Walnut Hill: 47
Bellview: 43
Perdido Key: 18
Gonzalez: 11
Santa Rosa County cases:
Total cases: 13,698 (+155)
Non-Florida residents: 175
Total deaths: 177 (+3)
Long-term care facility deaths: 50 (+2)
Cumulative Hospitalizations: 641*
Number of tests reported day: 636
Percent positive reported last day: 19.3%
Santa Rosa County cases by location*:
Milton: 6,540 (+70)
Navarre: 2,708 (+25)
Gulf Breeze: 2,484 (+30)
Pace: 1,103 (+19)
Jay: 416 (+11)
Bagdad: 27
Florida cases:
Total cases: 1,260,186
Florida residents: 1,531,830
Deaths: 24,004
Hospitalizations: 67,790*
*“Hospitalizations” in the statewide and Santa Rosa County totals is a count of all laboratory confirmed cases in which an inpatient hospitalization occurred at any time during the course of illness. Most of these people are longer be hospitalized. The FDOH does not provide a count of patients currently hospitalized. The Escambia County number is current data compiled each day from the local hospitals.
**On cases by location, the city is based upon zip code and is not always received as part of the initial notification. There may be a delay in reporting locations as a result, and locations will not total the daily case increase as a result.
***The Florida Department of Health does not have a clear standard or definition of “recovered” and does not report a number of recovered individuals. Escambia County is reporting an approximate recovery number defined as the total cases prior to last month, minus deaths. In other words, anyone that tested positive more than a month ago is presumed to have recovered by Escambia County.
**Data Sources: Florida Department of Health, Escambia County, City of Pensacola, local hospitals.
New Mexican Restaurant Coming To Century
January 17, 2021
A new restaurant is coming to Century.
Vallarta Mexican Restaurant, which also has a location on Pensacola Boulevard at Nine Mile Road, is remodeling the former Becky’s Mini Mart at 9010 North Century Boulevard.
No opening date has been announced.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Highway 29 Briefly Closed Following Wreck At Paper Mill
January 16, 2021
At least one person was injured in a Saturday morning wreck that completely closed Highway 29 in Cantonment for a brief time period.
A driver rear-ended another vehicle before veering across the roadway and striking a utility pole in front of International Paper. A power service line was downed across Highway 29, closing the roadway until Gulf Power could remove it.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating. The Cantonment Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Pedestrian Struck And Killed Friday Night
January 16, 2021
A pedestrian was struck and killed Friday night in Escambia County.
It happened about 8:30 p.m. on Texar Driver east of North Tarragona Street. The Florida Highway Patrol said the driver of a pickup truck did not see the 48-year old female pedestrian in the roadway. The pedestrian was transported to Baptist Hospital where she later succumbed to her injuries.
The driver of the pickup truck was not injured.
The FHP did not release identifies.
Escambia Health Department Closes Online COVID-19 Vaccine Form
January 16, 2021
The Florida Department of Health in Escambia County has temporarily closed their online COVID-19 vaccination request form.
The form allowed individuals 65 and older to request a vaccination. The health department will continue to work through the list of individuals that previously completed the form and schedule appointments and vaccines became available.
FDOH-Escambia said the department is working to identify and implement a more efficient appointment process.
For more information, call FDOH-Escambia COVID-19 line at (850) 595-6500, option 6. Appointments cannot be made on the phone.
Surveillance Images Released From Century CVS Robbery
January 16, 2021
Surveillance images have been released from the Thursday night robber of the CVS Pharmacy in Century.
The images are poor quality, but the Escambia County Sheriff’s is hoping someone will recognize something about this suspect.
He demanded that OxyContin be placed in a bag before he ran from the store on North Century Boulevard. A K-9 was used to search for the suspect, but he was not located.
The suspect was described only as a white male about 18-20 years old. The ECSO said he did not display a weapon.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP or the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Images ECSO for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Registered Sex Offender Gets Life In Prison For New Child Sex Crimes
January 16, 2021
A registered sex offender in Escambia County has been sentenced to life in prison for new child sex crimes.
Travis M. Butler, of Pensacola, was sentenced Friday to life imprisonment on federal charges of enticing a minor for sexual activity and producing child pornography. Butler pled guilty to the charges during a pretrial conference just two days before his federal jury trial was due to begin, according to, Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
“Butler is a sexual predator who has repeatedly victimized underage girls for his own purposes,” said Keefe. “He has inflicted harm on far too many girls, but his trail of devastated young lives will come to an end behind bars.”
In September 2019, law enforcement officers with the Pensacola Police Department received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that Butler, 47, and a minor female from the local area were engaged in illicit communications and activity via Facebook Messenger.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Pensacola Police Department were able to geo-locate Butler’s criminal activity to Pensacola. This led law enforcement to obtain search warrants for Butler’s social media accounts, which produced troves of evidence displaying his sexual acts with the minor and his request for her to produce child pornography for his pleasure. Butler spent the summer of 2019 meeting and engaging in sexual acts with the minor victim, unbeknownst to her family. Social media account communications revealed that Butler hoped to continue their sexual relationship and even bring in a third party for group sex involving the minor. Butler was arrested by Homeland Security, with the assistance of the FBI, in November 2019.
“The horrible crimes against this child cannot be undone, but we hope this sentencing is another step in the healing process for his victim,” said HSI Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge K. Jim Phillips. “We are proud to be one of the law enforcement partners making our local communities safer through the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.”
Butler is a registered sex offender based on prior state of Florida convictions, in 2006, for lewd and lascivious battery and contributing to the delinquency of a child by impregnating (under 16). At the
sentencing hearing in that case, it was revealed that the victim was actually the third minor female with whom Butler had engaged in sexual acts. In each of his two prior instances of sexual activity, Butler impregnated the minors.
The case was investigated by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, the Pensacola Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.