ECSO: Woman Pepper Sprayed Victim, Took Swing With Pink Baseball Bat In Century Assault
May 31, 2026
An Alabama woman was arrested following an early May altercation at Century Woods Apartments where she allegedly sprayed another woman in the face and took a swing at her with a pink baseball bat.
Alexis Marie Cooper, 27, of Atmore, was booked into the Escambia County Jail on charges of felony charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill.
According to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrest report, deputies met with a female victim, who was wearing a cast on her arm, two days after the alleged incide. The victim stated that Cooper had arrived at her apartment on West Highway 4 to engage in a verbal dispute.
The argument escalated when Cooper allegedly advanced toward the victim on the sidewalk, armed with pepper spray and a pink baseball bat. Cooper then sprayed the victim in the face and swung the bat at her head, missing her face. The victim told deputies she defended herself by punching Cooper, which she believed caused her own hand to break.
A witness later corroborated the victim’s account, identifying a pink baseball bat decorated with a pencil graphic that was turned over to law enforcement as evidence. A teenage witness also positively identified Cooper in a photo lineup.
Cooper was released from jail on a $30,000 bond.
Rainfall Brings Slight Improvement To Drought Conditions
May 31, 2026
Recent rainfall has slightly improved drought conditions in the area, but most of Escambia County remains in a severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor data released on Thursday.
A small portion of extreme northwest Escambia County is now under a moderate drought.
The nearest weather station to the area, in Walnut Hill, has recorded 15.9 inches of rain since May 1.
Scattered Afternoon Storms Ahead of Midweek Change
May 31, 2026
A standard late-spring pattern of daytime heating and afternoon storms dominates the start of the week, but a weak front shifting through by midweek promises a distinct drop in both daytime highs and overnight humidity.
Pop-up afternoon storms remain a threat through Monday and Tuesday, with Tuesday carrying the highest coverage at 60 percent as a wind shift takes hold. By Wednesday, an easterly breeze ushers in a welcome string of slightly cooler, significantly drier days with highs holding in the lower 80s and clear, comfortable nights dipping into the 60s.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
This Afternoon: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 88. Southwest wind around 5 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
Monday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. West wind around 5 mph.
Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Tuesday: 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. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Tuesday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm, then a chance of showers between 10pm and 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. North wind around 5 mph becoming northeast after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 82. East wind around 10 mph.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 63. East wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 64.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 84.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 67.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 84.
Former Cantonment Volunteer Firefighter Rises To Assistant Chief At NAS Pensacola
May 31, 2026
A Cantonment resident is the new assistant fire chief at NAS Pensacola.
Fire and Emergency Services Gulf Coast (F&ESGC) promoted Hercules Kinnard from battalion chief to assistant fire chief in a recent ceremony.
Kinnard is a former member of the Cantonment Volunteer Fire Department.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Legends 12U Goes Undefeated To Claim Ripken Experience Championship Title
May 31, 2026
The Pensacola Legends 12U won the Memorial Day Classic tournament at The Ripken Experience in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
The Legends went 6-0 to claim the 12U title.
There were 20 teams from at least five states in the tourney.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Former PPD Officer Facing Two Additional Charges Of Failing To Disclose HIV Status To Partner
May 31, 2026
A now-former Pensacola Police Department officer is facing two new charges of allegedly having sexual intercourse with someone without informing them of his HIV status. He was initially arrested on one count in March 2026.
On Friday, Pierce Avery Cotton, 32, was arrested on the two new counts of third degree felony “crime against person — HIV infected person having sex without informing partner.”
He is now facing three total counts.
In a brief statement released in March 2026, a PPD spokesperson said, “On March 13, 2026, the Pensacola Police Department arrested PPD Officer Pierce Cotton, charged with Florida State Statute 384.24(2).”
F.S. 384.24(2) states:
“It is unlawful for any person who has human immunodeficiency virus infection, when such person knows he or she is infected with this disease and when such person has been informed that he or she may communicate this disease to another person through sexual intercourse, to have sexual intercourse with any other person, unless such other person has been informed of the presence of the sexually transmissible disease and has consented to the sexual intercourse.”
Cotton is pictured in a February 2023 PPD photo. His mugshot is exempt from disclosure under Florida law.
Milbrandt, Blue Wahoos Reach New Heights In 7-2 Win
May 31, 2026
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos beat the Birmingham Barons 7-2 on Saturday night, climbing a season-high two games above .500 behind ace starter Karson Milbrandt.
Though Milbrandt was unable to complete 5.0 innings for the first time since mid-April, the righty still racked up seven strikeouts over 4.2 frames and extended his scoreless inning streak to 27.0 innings before surrendering a two-run homer to Drake Logan in the fifth. Milbrandt’s scoreless streak, which began on May 2, ended as the second-longest in team history behind reliever Lee Hyde’s 31.0-inning streak in 2013 and the longest ever for a Pensacola starting pitcher.
The Blue Wahoos jumped ahead on Barons starter Gabe Davis (L, 0-1) in his Double-A debut, scoring four early unearned runs thanks to infield miscues. After a Juan Mathews sacrifice bunt was thrown away in the second inning, Dillon Lewis scored on a wild pitch and Dylan Jasso laced an RBI single for a 2-0 lead. They added two more in the third when a Fenwick Trimble bunt was misplayed by Davis, and Matheus and Cristian Hernández hit back-to-back RBI singles. Hernández’s knock extended his hitting streak to 10 games.
Aiva Arquette, thriving in his first week at the Double-A level since a promotion on Tuesday, stretched the Pensacola lead to 5-0 in the fourth inning with an RBI double.
Milbrandt’s scoreless streak ended in the fifth inning when Logan homered, and he allowed two more singles and a walk before departing with a season-high 97 pitches thrown. Colby Martin (W, 2-2) entered to strand a pair of inherited runners in the fifth, and ultimately worked 3.1 scoreless innings of long relief to earn the win.
Trimble hit a solo homer in the sixth and Matheus added an RBI single in the ninth to extend the lead to 7-2 before Livan Reinoso finished off the win with a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth.
The Blue Wahoos wrap up their series against the Barons on Sunday afternoon.
written by Erik Bremer
Beulah Man Facing New Charges For Using AI To Create Child Porn
May 30, 2026
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s case against a Beulah man has expanded after the Office of the State Attorney filed additional felony counts under Florida’s new artificial intelligence child exploitation law.
Tyler Michael Vanover, 38, was originally arrested on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at his residence on Fort Deposit Drive off Bridlewood Road following an investigation into the use of artificial intelligence to generate and possess child sexual abuse material.
While initially booked on nine felonies, court records show the State Attorney’s Office added several charges on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. Vanover now faces a total of 21 felony counts:
- Nine counts of generating child pornography
- Eight counts of possessing child sexual abuse material
- Three counts of possessing or soliciting child pornography
- One count of unlawful use of a two-way communication device
The newly added generation charges fall under a state statute enacted by the Florida Legislature in 2025. The law—which was heavily prompted by a Pensacola case where a student used AI to virtually undress female classmates—makes generating child pornography a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison per count.
The investigation initially began in January 2026 after the FDLE received numerous cyber tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children indicating that 47 files of child sexual abuse material had been uploaded to a generative AI platform. State agents traced the activity back to the IP address at Vanover’s home on Fort Deposit Drive.
During a post-arrest interview with investigators, FDLE said Vanover made a full confession, stating he had a “sick” pornography addiction that was greatly enhanced by the use of artificial intelligence.
According to an arrest report, Vanover confessed to using the Grok AI application to generate child sexual abuse material. He told investigators he would take older child sexual abuse material images he found online, input them into Grok, and instruct the AI bot to alter or generate new content. Vanover claimed he attempted to restrict the AI prompts to individuals in the 16 to 20-year-old range, but stated that the AI application would often generate images depicting much younger children.
A subsequent search of Vanover’s laptop by investigators uncovered multiple files of child sexual abuse material, including files depicting a nude female estimated to be between 9 and 11 years of age in a lewd and lascivious manner.
Vanover remains held in the Escambia County Jail.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Office of Agriculture Law Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations all assisted the FDLE with the execution of the initial search warrant.
First-Year Success: Coach Paul Bryan Leads Tate Girls Track To Historic, Record-Breaking Season
May 30, 2026
The Tate High School Aggies Girls Track and Field Team celebrated a great year at their end-of-season banquet last week.
During the team’s first season under head coach Paul Bryan, the Aggies broke 11 school records, won five invitational meets and claimed both a county and district championship.
Bryan’s coaching career started at Woodham High School in 1996, and he later moved on to Pine Forest High School. In almost three decades as a track head coach, he won state championships at Pine Forest in 2010 and 2011 and finished as state runners-up at Pine Forest in 2009 and at Woodham. He also earned a half-dozen state top 10 finishes. He had won eight regional championships and 20 district titles prior to coming to Tate, and he was named the Florida Dairy Farmers Girls 3A Coach of the Year three times.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Scattered Afternoon Storms For Sunday
May 30, 2026
While the first half of the week offers plenty of sunshine between pop-up storms, a slightly more unsettled weather pattern moves in by Thursday and Friday, introducing higher rain chances and a modest cooling trend into the low 80s.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Sunday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 89. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Sunday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm, then a chance of showers between 10pm and 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Monday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. Calm wind.
Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph.
Wednesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 86.
Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 68.
Thursday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 82.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68.
Friday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 82.