UWF Police and Escambia Sheriff’s Office Break Up Two-Month Scooter, E-bike Theft Operation
January 14, 2026
A joint investigation between the University of West Florida Police Department and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has shut down a theft ring responsible for two months of e-bike and scooter thefts on campus.
The crackdown culminated Tuesday morning when investigators executed a search warrant to recover stolen property.
UWF Police said the suspects have been identified and will face numerous charges including grand theft, dealing in stolen property, felony narcotics possession, and outstanding warrants. Their names have not yet been released.
“This morning, investigators paid an unexpected visit to recover the stolen property,” UWF Police officials said. “Turns out we weren’t exactly on the invite list, but we did come with a warrant.”
The department credited the success of the operation to a close partnership with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Chip Simmons.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Man Faces 15 Years After Pleading To Federal Firearm Possession Charge
January 14, 2026
An Escambia County man faces up to 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Isaiah Markeis Sims, 23, entered in the plea at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola.
According to court documents, deputies with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle, and Sims was a passenger in the vehicle. Sims fled on foot from the deputies and when he fell to the ground, deputies located a loaded Glock handgun beside him on the ground. He is a convicted felon.
“I am very proud of the excellent work by Sheriff Chip Simmons and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, in collaboration with our federal law enforcement partners, to remove this dangerous felon from our streets, and my office will continue to back up their efforts with successful prosecutions,” said John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
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Pensacola Beach Named Best In The U.S. By National Magazine
January 14, 2026
Pensacola Beach was recently named the best beach in the United States in the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards, earning the top spot on the list among prominent beaches in California, Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and more.
For the 38th edition of the Readers’ Choice Awards, respondents from across the globe weighed in on all things travel, with 757,109 voters selecting their favorites. Pensacola Beach claimed the top spot for the best beaches in the U.S., with Condé Nast also highlighting local events and other offerings throughout the area:
“Taking the top spot on this list, Pensacola is so much more than its beach,” writes Condé Nast Traveler. “Venture beyond its perpetually summery sands and discover a thriving arts and culture scene well worth its own full itinerary. The so-called ‘Festival City of the South,’ Pensacola has a fully booked dance card of cultural programming to catch, including Mural Fest, the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival, and the Pensacola Foo Foo Festival, all of which happen in November and showcase a wide range of regional artistic talent. Add on a revitalized nightlife scene plus a culinary landscape where you can tell the chefs are having fun, and you have the ingredients for a formidable Readers’ Choice Awards winner.”
Pictured top and inset: A sunny winter day on Pensacola Beach. Pictured below: Looking back at Pensacola Beach from the end of the Pensacola Beach Fishing Pier. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Charles Monroe Young
January 14, 2026
Charles Monroe (Monty/Shake) Young, 58, of Molino, FL, left us too soon on January 1, 2026, peacefully at home with his wife. Monty was born on Mar 24, 1967, in Athens, Ohio to Deanna Sue Young, but raised by his grandparents, Helen and Charles Young, with his 3 aunts, Sharon, Linda and Carol Young. He went to high school in Athens, Ohio and took the mechanic class at Tri-County Vocational School. He established a trucking business with his family in 1999, CVC Young & Son Transport, but currently was employed by Escambia County Board of County Commissioners.
Monty is preceded in death by his grandparents, Charles and Helen Young; his birth mother, Deanna Sue Young; aunt, Linda Schlaghter; cousin, Kindalyn; and his brother, Jamie Ohler.
Monty is survived by his wife Valerie Stotts Young; son, Jamie (Nikki) Young; daughters, Lindsey Young, Ashley (Max) Clark, and Daphne (John) Rogers; grandchildren, Jaden, Jonsey, Tres, Haiven, Charlie and Little Max; aunts, Sharon Young of Virginia, Carol (Pat) Smith of Pickerington Ohio; sister, Helaina (Tony) Young Rittenhouse of Parkersburg WV; and several cousins, nieces, and nephews including Katie, Leann, Kaison among others, including other children who were always welcome into the family.
Monty’s passion was demolition derbies in his younger years then dirt track racing where he won lots of end-of-the-year championships. He loved his friends; he never met a stranger. He was so funny, he spoke fluent insults “LOL” but his biggest accomplishment was his family. He is referred to as a legend in Ohio. May his legacy live on through his children, who loved him very much.
A celebration of life was held Tuesday, January, 13, at Faith Chapel Funeral Home and Crematory North.
Teresa Faye Stokes
January 14, 2026
Mrs. Teresa Faye Stokes, aged 69, passed away on Monday, January 12, 2026, in Milton, Florida. For the past 32 years, she called the Byrneville community her home. Teresa retired from the Atmore Nursing Center, where her compassion shone through. She had a passion for cooking and enjoyed attending Bingo games. Her favorite pastimes included watching cooking and crime shows. She cherished caring for others and treasured the moments spent with her family and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents, L.W. Flowers and Virginia Gaudet, her husband Larry Stokes, two sisters, Janet Tarver and Glenda Weaver, and one brother, Don Flowers.
She is survived by her three sons, James Steadham, of Byrneville, Florida; Brandon Stokes, of Byrneville, Florida; Micheal Stokes, of Flomaton, Alabama; two daughters, Lesley Haskew, of Pace, Florida; Dina (Alex) Lowery, of Flomaton, Alabama; two brothers, Ricky Flowers, of Molino, Florida; Glenn Tatum, of Orlando, Florida; one sister, Janice Padgett, of Milton, Florida; four grandchildren, Cody Kent, Paige Bell, Savannah Steadham, Reygan Steadham, three step- grandchildren, Ricky Kerns, Rusty Kerns, Raylin Martin, two great- grandchildren, and other relatives and friends.
The funeral service is set to take place at Petty Funeral Homes, LLC. with Reverend Mitch Herring officiating
Following the service, she will be laid to rest at Rigby Cemetery.
The pallbearers will be Michael Stokes, Braxton Manning, Reygan Steadham, Jeffery Hagan and Iris Young.
Arrangements are being managed by Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home, LLC in Atmore, Alabama.
Jean Edna Tesch Guidy
January 14, 2026
Jean Edna Tesch Guidy, 95, went home to our Lord, at home, with her loving family.
She was born in Kearny, New Jersey to Lt. Cmdr. Paul Tesch and wife, Edna Mae. She was a “Navy Bratt” raised for most of her formative years in the Panama Canal Zone. This is where she got her love of horses and her first pony. She started training jungle ponies and taking sailors out on trail rides.
She attended Auburn University Veterinary School for 2 ½ years, then was deferred due to soldiers from the Korean War returning and attending the school and she never returned. She would still scream “War Eagle!”
She settled in Mobile after leaving vet school. She worked for a stable owned by Bob and Helen Brasswell. Their stable provided the Mardi Gras horses. There, she became a Grand Marshall and as far as we know, the first and only woman Grand Marshall. She rode her personal horse, San Carlos, a blue roan American Saddlebred, side saddle.
She married the love of her life, Cecil, in 1960, bringing a son, David, with her. They began building a home and farm for their children. They also built a lasting legacy in the horse community- training horses and teaching adults and children the art of horsemanship, with a plus of sportsmanship.
Jean had a passion for teaching children that reached far and wide, even to Russia, adopting the Russian Delegates at 4-H Washington Focus. She was a 4-H leader since 1970 starting with horses, but soon branched out to all livestock and wildlife, then onto leadership and legislature. This led her to many awards, national trips, and being placed in the 4-H Hall of Fame.
She and Cecil ran the Pensacola Interstate Fair 4-H Red Barn for 35 years. She was a founding member of the Pensacola Hunter Jumper Association that was formed in 1973. She hauled kids and horses all over the southeast to shows.
Outside of her youth work, she was very active in the Lord’s work by supplying animals for live nativities and working the Allen Memorial Pumpkin Patch, and food pantry.
Jean is survived by her daughter, Kristin Manning; step-daughter, Rosa (Angie) Knickelbine; grandchildren, Anthony Manning, Justin (Amanda) Manning, Drew (Julia) Manning, Kim Vinson, Kelly Norris, Jessica (Shawnn) Knickelbine, Keri Litton, Doug (Kristin) Arnold, and Derrick Arnold; and great-grandchildren, Austin, Addalyn, Hunter, Logan, Aiden, Emma, Audrey, Elenor, David, and Angel. She was Mom and Granny to so many more that were not blood but loved the same.
She is preceded in death by her parents; her beloved Cecil; her sweet son, David; step-daughter, Patricia; and step-son, Larry.
A Celebration of Life will be held on January 31, 2026 at 12:00 pm at:
Escambia County Extension Service
Livestock Facility
5701 Highway 29
Molino, Florida 32577
In lieu of flowers, please donate to:
4-H Arena Improvements
Escambia County Extension Service
3730 Stefanie Road
Cantonment, Florida 32577
4-H Pledge:
I pledge my head to clearer thinking
My heart to greater loyalty
My hands to larger service
My health to better living
For my club, my community, my country, and my world.
East KingsField Road Resurfacing Begins Next Week
January 13, 2026
A $875,000 resurfacing project will begin next Monday on East Kingsfield Road.
East Kingsfield will be resurfaced between Highway 29 and Highway 297A. Traffic on East Kingsfield Road will be reduced to a single lane during the construction period.
The paving project is expected to be completed by Friday, February 13.
Residents, pedestrians, local traffic, and emergency vehicles will have access to properties within the work area at all times; however, there may be short periods when a driveway or entrance may be blocked temporarily as equipment and materials are moved during construction.
NorthEscambia.com graphic, click to enlarge.
Fire Destroys Fifth-Wheel Camper On Highway 29 Near McDavid
January 13, 2026
Fire destroyed a fifth-wheel camper Monday evening near McDavid.
The incident occurred about 6:20 p.m. on the southbound side of Highway 29 about 1.5 miles south of Bogia Road. The driver of the pickup truck hauling the camper was able to get the vehicle almost off the roadway.
The camper was quickly engulfed in a fire and completely destroyed. There were no injuries.
For additional photos, click here.
Southbound Highway 29 was completely closed by the fire and the subsequent cleanup.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known. The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Sunny But Chilly Weather Continues
January 13, 2026
A mix of sunshine and scattered rain chances will define the middle of the week before a blast of cold air moves into the region. While residents will enjoy highs near 60 degrees through Wednesday, a strong cold front arriving Wednesday night will bring gusty winds and a significant temperature drop. By Thursday night, clear skies will allow temperatures to plunge into the lower 20s, marking the coldest point of the week before a gradual recovery begins heading into the weekend.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 59. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph.
Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of rain after midnight. Increasing clouds, with a low around 40. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of rain before noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 60. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of rain before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 47. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 23. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 58. Light and variable wind becoming southwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 38. South wind around 5 mph becoming west after midnight.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 58.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 31.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 50.
Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 26.
M.L.King Day: Sunny, with a high near 50.
Headlines
Jay Home Heavily Damaged By Fire; Century Firefighters Rescue Cat
January 13, 2026
A fire heavily damaged a home near Jay on Monday morning, but firefighters were able to save a cat from the blaze.
The fire was reported around 9:20 a.m. in the 3000 block of Shell Road. The first firefighter to arrive on the scene reported a working fire with smoke and flames visible.
Crewmembers from Escambia County Fire Rescue Engine 519 (Century) rescued a cat while battling the fire inside the home. The cat was successfully resuscitated on-site by first responders.
No human injuries were reported. The Jay, Allentown, and Berrydale stations of Santa Rosa County Fire Rescue responded, along with Escambia Fire Rescue (Century Station), Lifeguard EMS, and the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
