FHP Update: Troopers No Longer Searching For Suspect Vehicle In Fatal Nine Mile Hit And Run Crash That Killed Molino Man
November 21, 2023
The Florida Highway Patrol is no longer looking for a suspect vehicle in a fatal hit and run crash that claimed the life of a Molino man last week, but troopers have not specifically said if a suspect vehicle has been located.
“We are no longer in search of a suspect vehicle, this is an ongoing investigation, more to follow when we are able to share the information,” Lt. Jason King said late Tuesday afternoon.
FHP had released a blurry photo of what they said was the suspect vehicle.
The Florida Highway Patrol is looking for clues about a hit and run driver after a 20-year old motorcyclist from Molino was killed in a hit and run November 15 in Beulah.
The crash happened about 8:45 p.m. on West Nine Mile Road and Allegheny Avenue. Troopers said an unknown type of passenger vehicle turned left in front of the motorcycle, causing the crash. The Molino man was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The suspect vehicle may have both right side windows shattered and may be grey or silver, troopers said at the time.
Anyone with information is asked to call *FHP (*347), Crime Stoppers, or 911.
Embattled Contractor Jesse LaCoste Indicted On Felony Fraud, Racketeering Charges
November 21, 2023
Embattled contractor Jesse Wayne LaCoste of Cantonment has been indicted by a sitting Escambia County Grand Jury on one count of racketeering and two counts of organized fraud.
Both are first degree felonies punishable by a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for each count.
The indictment was announced Tuesday by State Attorney for the 1st Judicial Circuit of Florida Ginger Bowden Madden
The indictment alleges that between June 2018 and August 2022, LaCoste unlawfully conducted LaCoste Construction Group, LLC and LaCoste General Contractors LLC, through a pattern of racketeering activity, involving forgery, perjury, false official statements, theft, and insurance fraud.
The charges resulted from investigation of complaints of homeowners, business owners, subcontractors, and material suppliers, who contracted with LaCoste to provide repairs, renovations, new construction, and building material and services.
According to investigators, LaCoste allegedly defrauded homeowners, their insurance companies, and subcontractors and suppliers of more than $2 million. LaCoste also allegedly forged and falsified applications to obtain his county and state contractor licenses.
Bowden-Madden, whose staff investigated and presented the case to the grand jury, said that she is committed to protect the rights of homeowners and business owners and bring those who victimize them to justice.
LaCoste remains in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $405,000.
Rain Has Cleared. Turning Cooler For Thanksgiving.
November 21, 2023
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50. Northwest wind around 10 mph.
Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 60. North wind around 10 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 42. North wind around 5 mph.
Thanksgiving Day: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 57. North wind around 5 mph.
Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45. North wind around 5 mph.
Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 61. North wind around 5 mph.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 43. North wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 63. North wind around 5 mph.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 45.
Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 65.
Sunday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50.
Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 60.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44.
Tuesday: A slight chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 56.
Escambia County Employees Team Up To Revamp Historic Davisville Community Center
November 21, 2023
The Davisville Community Center has been well-loved over the years, with a long, rich history in North Escambia – once used as a school, and now as a community gathering place.
As with any 100-year-old building, the Davisville Community Center has started to show its age, with peeling paint, dry rot, and a severely weathered sign welcoming visitors to the building, located on Highway 97 in the Davisville community south of Atmore.
The Escambia County Facilities Management Department started making a plan to repair the community center, originally requesting a quote from an outside contractor to do the job. But when Maintenance Technician Samantha Mitchell caught wind of the project, she asked her supervisor if she could take the lead on the project and complete the work in-house instead. He agreed, and Mitchell quickly got to work, assembling a team of county staff and coordinating what needed to be done to give the community center a much-needed facelift.
For more photos, including before and after pictures, click or tap here.
After several months of work, the Facilities Management team completed numerous improvements at the Davisville Community Center, including repainting the building’s entire exterior, rebuilding four front gates, painting and repairing fencing, completely rebuilding the wheelchair ramp, replacing dry rotted siding, and installing new metal skirting to cover the building’s crawl space. They also completed some landscaping improvements, replaced potentially hazardous deck nails with screws, and replaced the community center’s front sign, among other interior and exterior upgrades.
For Mitchell, who has only worked at the county for just over a year, it was rewarding to see her first big project come to fruition. Mitchell said it was a team effort that involved multiple county staff members, but she and her coworker Jack Taylor took the lead on the project.
“We’re very project oriented, so having a big project like this versus having something that takes a couple hours is exciting to us,” Mitchell said. “It’s an accomplishment, because you can see a difference from where you started. The building has a lot of history, and it’s really cool because most of the stuff there is original, so you get to see the history.”
The project began in May 2023 and wrapped up by the end of July 2023, at a total cost of approximately $5,000 for materials and in-house labor. The same work would have cost more than $30,000 for a contractor to complete, meaning Mitchell’s initiative saved Escambia County approximately $25,000.
“It’s amazing to see the positive transformation of this historic and beloved building in the Davisville community, and even better knowing that the work was completed in-house by county staff at a cost savings to Escambia County and our citizens,” District 5 Commissioner and Chairman Steven Barry said. “The Davisville Community Center has long been a popular gathering place for the north end of the county, and I’m excited that we were able to make it an even better facility for the community to continue to enjoy for many years to come.”
Facilities Management Deputy Director Robby Freeman, one of Mitchell’s supervisors, said she has hit the ground running since she started working for the county, always taking initiative and looking for new projects to tackle.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
“She pulled a team together, they went up there, and they saved the county about $25,000 doing that project in-house,” Freeman said. “I’ve never had anybody step up that much to do that, and she’s continued to do that since she’s been here – wanting to take on pretty much anything and everything.”
In addition to Samantha Mitchell and Jack Taylor, other Escambia County staff members who worked on the Davisville Community Center improvements include Bill Barrett, Steve Dillard, Harold Hodges, and Glenn Kelly.
Mitchell said she’s already received positive feedback from residents and visitors who frequent the community center, which is used for everything from gymnastics and yoga classes to family gatherings and birthday parties.
“They were really excited that it went from looking kind of dingy and not very appealing to bright and shiny,” Mitchell said. “It’s a building that’s used quite often and rented out to the public, and it was cool to do something that the community is going to use, and something they can be proud of.”
Freeman echoed the public’s positive feedback about the project, also praising Mitchell’s drive to take the initiative and work with her team to get it completed.
“It went above and beyond what I expected,” Freeman said. “Just the whole aesthetics, and the whole entire project, came together I think even better than she thought it would. And it made a world of difference up in Davisville. She made a big showing up there, and the people up there absolutely love it. It looks like a brand-new place.”
For information about Davisville Community Center rentals, contact Escambia County Parks and Recreation at 850-475-5220.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Farm-City: Volunteers Harvest Thanksgiving Dinner For 1,000 Needy Families (With Gallery)
November 21, 2023
Monday, students and volunteers from Escambia and Santa Rosa counties worked in fields near Jay to harvest vegetables that will help feed 1,000 needy families this week for Thanksgiving.
The event at the University of Florida’s West Florida Research and Education Center is part of Farm to City Week, bringing the bounty of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences farm to the needy of the city.
The students were from agricultural programs and organizations that included FFA members from schools including Northview High, Ernest Ward Middle, Jay High School, Central High, Beulah Academy, Beulah Middle and others.
The produce will be distributed to 500 families in Escambia County and 500 more in Santa Rosa County along with a turkey or ham and all the fixings for a Thanksgiving meal from Feeding the Gulf Coast and the Waterfront Rescue Mission. The food will be distributed Tuesday at the Waterfront Rescue Mission at 348 West Herman Street from 9 a.m. until noon. Another distribution will take place Tuesday from 9 a.m. until noon at the the Milton Community Center. Both distributions are first come, first served with up to two families per vehicle.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Fire Rescue Urges Caution When Frying Turkey
November 21, 2023
Escambia County Fire Rescue is urging caution if you choose to fry your Thanksgiving turkey.
ECFR recently held their annual turkey burn demonstration, which exploded into flames.
Escambia Fire Rescue encourages residents to use these safety tips when deep-frying a turkey this Thanksgiving:
- Use a fryer with thermostat controls. This will ensure the oil does not become overheated.
- Thaw your turkey completely. Ice on the bird will cause the oil to splatter.
- Don’t overfill the pot with oil. If you do, the oil will overflow when you add the turkey, causing a fire hazard.
- Keep children and pets at least three feet away from the fryer.
- Always use the fryer outdoors. Ensure the fryer is at least 10 feet from a structure or other combustible material.
- Only use your turkey fryer on sturdy, level surfaces as they can easily tip over.
- Consider using an electrical or air fryer.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Driver Passes Away Following Crash Last Week on Chemstrand Road
November 21, 2023
One of the five people injured in a wreck November 13 at the intersection of Chemstrand Road and Crooked Oak Drive has passed away.
Two vehicles were involved in a crash with one vehicle crashing into a ravine. Two passengers were extricated from a pickup truck while an additional 20 minutes was required to extricate the passengers from the vehicle in the ravine. Five patients were transported to area hospitals.
The 43-year old male driver of the vehicle that went into the ravine passed away over the weekend, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The man’s name has not been released.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Marcus Pointe Baptist Holding Community Thanksgiving Service This Evening In Molino
November 21, 2023
Marcus Pointe Baptist Church will host a community Thanksgiving service at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Molino Community Center auditorium on Molino Road (by the library). Everyone is welcome.
Burglary And Vandalism Of Vacant Molino Church Under Investigation
November 21, 2023
The burglary and vandalism of a vacant church in Molino is under investigation.
The owner of the building at 314 Molino Road discovered the burglary Monday.
According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, someone made entry into the building, discharged fire extinguishers and dumped cleaning chemicals they found inside. An outside flag pole was also broken, but nothing was stolen, according to the ECSO.
For more photos, click or tap here.
Investigators said the building is vacant, not abandoned, and was recently purchased.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP or the ECSO at (850) 436-9620.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
William Haywood Rowland
November 21, 2023
Mr. William Haywood Rowland, age 82 of Wagon Wheel Road in Flomaton, passed away Monday November 20, 2023, at his Flomaton residence. He was a native of Jay, Florida and a former resident of Wewahitchka, Florida before moving to Flomaton in 1978. Mr. Rowland owned and operated Rowland’s Tires in Flomaton from 1978-2006. He was a graduate of Jay High School Class of 1959 and was a member of Jay First Baptist Church. Mr. Rowland was a lifelong member of “The Romeo’s” (Real Old Men Eat Out) Motorcycle Club, Avid Alabama Crimson Tide Football Fan, and enjoyed NASCAR Racing.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Burnice Milburn Rowland and Mary Lois Batchelor Rowland, brothers, Harold and Joe Max Rowland, great-grandson, Mason Rowland.
He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Shelly Rowland of Flomaton; son, Jon Malett (Julie) Rowland of Atmore; daughter, Ginya “Bunkie” (Gary) Murph of Flomaton; 3 stepsons, Jamie (Sonya) Barnes of Bluff Springs, Jeremy (Lisa) Barnes of Bluff Springs, Joshua Barnes of Lisbon, North Dakota; 15 grandchildren, Christopher (Eva) Rowland of Atmore, Jordan (Melanie) Rowland of Brewton, Devon Johnson of Opp, Savannah Fullerton of Atmore, Addison White of Atmore, Brayson White of Atmore, Cody Barnes of Mobile, Hunter Barnes of Bogia, River Barnes of Brewton, Charlie Jo Barnes of Brewton, Carson Ikner of Excel, Gracie Ikner of Excel, Keylon Ikner of Excel, Noah Ikner of Excel, Zack Ikner of Brewton; 7 great grandchildren and a special German Shepard name Rip.
Kindly omit flowers and make contributions to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital 501 St Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105.