ECFR: Electrical Fault Sparks Fire That Destroyed McDavid Home
May 27, 2026
A fire that destroyed a McDavid home on Friday evening was caused by an electrical problem, according to Escambia County Fire Rescue.
The fire displaced two adult residents and claimed the life of one dog.
ECFR responded to the residential structure fire in the 2800 block of Velor Road on Friday, May 22, at approximately 6:26 p.m. Upon arrival, crews discovered an active fire venting from the single-story home.
Firefighters launched a rapid attack, bringing the fire under control by 7:01 p.m.
Following an investigation, ECFR determined that the cause of the fire was faulty electrical wiring in the kitchen.
The home was a complete loss.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
High Daily Rain Chances Continue
May 27, 2026
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4am. Patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Thursday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 1pm and 4pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4pm. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 84. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 7pm. Patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 70. Calm wind.
Friday: A chance of showers before 10am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 10am and 1pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 83. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Friday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Saturday: Showers likely before 10am, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 10am and 1pm, then showers and thunderstorms likely after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Sunday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. High near 86. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Sunday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70.
Monday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Monday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69.
Tuesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 84.
Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 67.
Wahoos Drop Series Opener To Birmingham
May 27, 2026
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos dropped the opener of their road series against the Birmingham Barons on Tuesday night, falling by a score of 8-4.
After an afternoon filled with a dozen roster transactions, including the arrivals of infielders Aiva Arquette and Juan Matheus from High-A Beloit, the Blue Wahoos couldn’t get their offense going as they slipped back to .500 at 23-23.
The Barons took a quick 2-0 lead against Blue Wahoos starter Jacob Miller (L, 1-3) thanks to a second-inning RBI single from Jeral Pérez and a third-inning sacrifice fly from Alec Makarewicz. Cristian Hernández tied the game for Pensacola with a two-run homer in the fourth inning.
Birmingham took the lead for good in the fourth inning, loading the bases against Miller before reliever Luis Palacios served up a go-ahead grand slam to Colby Shelton. The Barons tacked on two more in the sixth inning with a two-out, two-run double from Makarewicz against reliever Livan Reinoso.
Dylan Jasso singled home Connor Caskenette in the top of the seventh inning and brought him in again in the ninth on a sacrifice fly, but the Barons bullpen held onto the lead for an 8-4 final.
Matheus was 2-for-3 with a double in his Double-A debut, and Arquette hustled out an infield single for his first Double-A hit in a 2-for-4 night. Caskenette, making his season debut for the Blue Wahoos after appearing in 14 games in 2024, was 2-for-4 with a double. Reliever Holt Jones, also called up from Beloit, worked a 1-2-3 eighth inning with a strikeout in his debut.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Barons on Wednesday afternoon as they play in “The Rickwood Game” at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham.
written by Erik Bremer
Cantonment Woman Charged With Felony Fraud For Using Stolen Checks
May 27, 2026
A Cantonment woman is facing multiple felony charges after allegedly stealing a local man’s checkbook and using it to at the grocery store.
Christina Marie Avirett, 38, was charged with four felony counts of uttering a false bank bill, note, check, or draft. She was later released on a $4,000 bond.
According to an arrest report, a deputy was dispatched to the Grocery Advantage on Highway 29 in Cantonment regarding a fraud complaint. A store manager reported that a female frequent shopper had used unauthorized checks to purchase items on consecutive days. When the same woman returned the following evening and attempted to use another check under the same victim’s name, the manager recognized something was wrong and denied the transaction.
Investigators contacted the victim, who stated his checkbook had been taken from a kitchen drawer. The victim noted that he personally only uses that checkbook for church, and the first fraudulent check actually had “Church clean up” written on the memo line. This led him to believe the suspect knew him and his specific check habits. The victim was able to identify a former coworker linked to Avirett’s residential address, noting that the individual had been inside the victim’s house three weeks prior.
The store manager later selected Avirett from a photograph line-up provided by the Sheriff’s Office, identifying her as the individual who passed the checks. Surveillance footage from Grocery Advantage also captured the suspect and her distinct electric bicycle, which the responding deputy recognized from prior interactions.
In total, three checks were successfully processed—two at Grocery Advantage and one online—totaling $369.96 before the account was frozen.
Ernest Ward Middle School Names Final Students, Employees Of The Month
May 27, 2026
Ernest Ward Middle School named its Students and Employees of the Month for the final three months of the school year.
May Employee of the Month is science teacher Tracy Bozeman, and Students of the Month are Ryleigh Crabtree, eighth grade; Colton Hopper, seventh grade; and Charlie Trawick, sixth grade.
April Students of the Month are Henry Cook, sixth grade; Jaelyn Connors, seventh grade; Jadon Long, eighth grade; and Employee of the Month is Kevin Knowles, PE teacher and coach.
March Students and Employee of the Month are Marlee McElhaney, sixth grade; Rachael Garrison, seventh grade; Walker Maughon, eight grade; and Yolanda Fountain, teacher assistant.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Man Charged With Trying To Pass ‘Play Money’ At Credit Union
May 26, 2026
A Cantonment man was arrested after he allegedly tried to exchange movie prop money for real cash and then use it to open an account at a local credit union
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to a counterfeit call at the Gulf Winds Credit Union located at 220 East Nine Mile Road in Pensacola.
Justin Wayne Jordan, 40, was booked into the Escambia County Jail on felony charges of passing a counterfeit bank bill and possession of 10 or more counterfeit bills.
According to an arrest report, Jordan entered the credit union and handed a credit union employee two $100 bills in an attempt to exchange them for real currency. The employee immediately noticed that the bills were counterfeit, observing that they were explicitly marked with the imprint “Copy Play Money”. When the employee informed Jordan that the bills were fake and could not be exchanged, Jordan stated he had more cash with him. He then produced additional movie prop bills and stated that he wanted to use them to open up a credit union account.
A responding deputy reviewed credit union video footage of the encounter, which corroborated the employee’s account of the incident. In total, law enforcement collected 12 of the fake bills to be submitted into evidence.
Jordan remains in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $5,000.
Ernest Ward Middle School Presents Student Awards
May 26, 2026
Ernest Ward Middle School presented student awards during last week of school programs.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Correctional Inmate Assaulted Staff Member, FDC Says
May 26, 2026
A Century Correctional Institution inmate assaulted a correctional officer recently, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.
Yomi Williams, Jr., 30, assaulted an officer by spitting on them, according to the FDC.
Williams is serving an eight-year sentence on multiple convictions from Alachua County, including multiple counts of aggravated battery of a pregnant victim and burglary with assault.
MILO Mobile ID And Licensing Unit In Century Tomorrow
May 26, 2026
The Escambia County Tax Collector’s Mobile Identification and Licensing Office (MILO) will be in Century tomorrow, May 27.
The mobile unit will be available from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. at the Billy G. Ward Courthouse. The next visit to Century is planned for July 16.
The event was originally scheduled for last week but was postponed to tomorrow.
MILO offers a convenient way for residents to access essential tax collector services, including:
- Driver License Services: Renewals, replacements, out-of-state license conversions/reciprocations, and address or name changes.
- Identification Cards: First-time issuance and renewals.
- Vehicle Services: Registration renewals and replacements, title transfers, and parking placards.
- Tax Payments: Property tax payments.
- Business Tax Receipts: Applications and renewals.
- Certified Driver Transcripts
Written and driving tests are not available at the MILO unit.
Florida drivers may renew their vehicle registrations for a period of one or two years and may renew up to three months in advance of the registration expiration. Vehicle registrations expire at midnight on the first owner’s birth date unless the owner is a business.
Pictured: The Escambia County Tax Collector’s MILO at the Billy G. Ward Courthouse in Century. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Habitual Traffic Offender Arrested After Fleeing Deputy, K-9 Search In Century
May 26, 2026
A Century man is facing felony charges after allegedly fleeing from law enforcement during an attempted traffic stop last month.
William Johnathan Hamilton, 35, was arrested last week on an outstanding warrant for fleeing and eluding law enforcement with active lights and sirens, and driving while license suspended as a habitual offender. He is currently being held at the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $5,000.
According to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrest report, a deputy was patrolling the area of Century Boulevard and West McCurdy Street when he observed a dark 2007 Chevy Silverado being driven by a man later identified as Hamilton. The deputy noted that the driver was not wearing a seatbelt and the vehicle lacked a proper license tag.
When the deputy pulled behind the truck, Hamilton made a sharp right turn onto Hilltop Road and accelerated, according to the report. The deputy activated emergency lights and sirens to initiate a traffic stop, but Hamilton refused to pull over, eventually speeding onto a dirt road and into a field on his property
The deputy briefly lost sight of the vehicle but later located the abandoned truck hidden in a wooded area on the back lot of the residence on Hilltop Road. An ECSO drone unit and a Century Correctional Institution K-9 unit searched the surrounding area, but Hamilton was not found at the time. The truck was subsequently towed and impounded.
A records check revealed that Hamilton’s driver’s license had been suspended indefinitely since June 2024.