Sheriff: Two Jailed After Escambia Traffic Stop Nets Enough Fentanyl To Kill Over One Million People
September 4, 2026
A traffic stop in Escambia County led to the arrest of two men with enough fentanyl to kill over one million people, according to Sheriff Chip Simmons.
An Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputy stopped the vehicle in Wedgewood for a tag violation, and a K-9 alerted to the presence of drugs in the vehicle.
When deputies searched the vehicle, they reported finding 2,145 grams of fentanyl, along with $22,874 in cash.
“According to the DEA’s benchmark, two milligrams can potentially be a lethal dose,” Simmons said. “That means over a million people could conceivably have been killed with this amount of fentanyl.”
Ramon Becerra-Urbie, 24, and Adrian Medina-Ortiz, 25, were both charged with trafficking fentanyl and booked into the Escambia County Jail. Urbie (pictured left) was in the country illegally, according to the sheriff.
Scattered Storms Threaten Labor Day Weekend Weekend Plans
September 4, 2026
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Friday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming clear, with a low around 74. Calm wind.
Saturday: A chance of showers before 10am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 10am and 1pm, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. High near 89. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Saturday Night: A chance of thunderstorms before 7pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Sunday: Showers and thunderstorms likely after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Sunday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. Calm wind.
Labor Day: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph.
Tuesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 72.
Wednesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 72.
Thursday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Sunny, with a high near 90.
Man Arrested In Connection With Fatal 2025 Hit-And-Run Crash
September 4, 2026
A Milton man has been arrested in connection with a fatal hit-and-run pedestrian crash that occurred late last year in Santa Rosa County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Jarod Christian Phelps, 36, was taken into custody following a lengthy investigation by the FHP Traffic Homicide Unit.
Authorities said the incident occurred on November 20, 2025, between 4 and 6 a.m. Old Bagdad Highway near Rice Road. Investigators determined that a red 2016 Ford Explorer struck a female pedestrian and fled the area.
The pedestrian was later found deceased from injuries suffered in the collision.
Troopers eventually tracked down the red Ford Explorer at a home located at 4513 Elm Tree Drive and identified Phelps as the driver.
After securing a warrant through the Santa Rosa County Circuit Court, an FHP trooper assigned to the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force located Phelps leaving his workplace in Milton and placed him under arrest.
Phelps has been charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving death. He was transported and booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail where he remains without bond
Marion ‘Mike’ Jackson, Jr.
September 4, 2026
Marion “Mike” Jackson, Jr. went home to be with the Lord on September 1, 2026 at the age of 68.
Born in Pensacola, Mike spent the last several years in Oklahoma before returning home.
Mike is preceded in death by his father, MG Jackson; mother, Hattie Jackson as well as 3 sisters. He is survived by a wife, Diane Jackson; children, Gabe Jackson, Jessica Keef, Dixie Hadley, Josh Allen, Chelsey Hale and Trina Morris along with all of their families as well as a sister, Myra Harvey and many nieces and nephews. A lifelong heavy equipment operator and truck driver, Mike spent the last several years of his career driving for JRT Trucking, a company whose team loved and took care of him and he was proud to have been a part of. A special thanks to the ones who assisted and cared for him during his final days.
A memorial service will be held at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North on Wednesday, September 9, 2026 with visitation at 10:00 a.m., service at 11:00 a.m., and a graveside at Pugh’s Chapel Cemetery in Molino to follow.
Here Is This Week’s High School Football Schedule
September 4, 2026
Here are this week’s North Escambia area football games:
FLORIDA
Thursday
Godby 21 Pensacola Catholic 10
Pine Forest 38, Crestview 29
Friday
- Escambia at Tate
- Northview at Graceville
- Jay at Central
- Pensacola HIgh at Washington
- Fort Walton Beach at West Florida
- Pensacola Catholic at Godby
- Freeport at Gulf Breeze
- Choctawhatchee at Pace
- Milton at Navarree
ALABAMAA
- Opp at Flomaton
- Jackson at Escambia County
- Thomasville @ W.S. Neal
- T.R. Miller (open)
- Escambia Academy (canceled due to no available officials)
Wahoos Powered Down by Clingstones in 4-1 Defeat
September 4, 2026
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos waited out a lengthy stadium power outage on Thursday night, but couldn’t charge up enough offense in a 4-1 loss to the Columbus Clingstones.
The loss, Pensacola’s fourth in a row after a torrid 19-3 stretch, drops their division lead over the Clingstones to 4.5 games with 9 to play in the regular season. Their magic number to clinch the second half South Division title remains at 5.
Blue Wahoos ace Eliazar Dishmey breezed through a 1-2-3 first inning, but proceedings screeched to a halt in the top of the second when an area power outage impacted the lights and scoreboard at Synovus Park. The game wouldn’t start back up for another 90 minutes, preventing Dishmey from picking up the game upon its resumption.
The Clingstones struck for a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning against reliever Jaydenn Estanista (L, 2-1), taking a 1-0 lead on a wild pitch and bringing home another on a Luke Waddell sacrifice fly. Though Payton Green answered for the Blue Wahoos with a solo homer in the third against Shay Schanaman (W, 5-7), the Clingstones would tack on additional runs with a fifth-inning RBI single from Eric Hartman and sixth-inning solo homer from Dixon Williams.
The Blue Wahoos got at least one runner on base in all nine innings, but hit into three double plays and went 0-for-3 with men in scoring position. Tyler LaPorte closed out the game for the Clingstones with a scoreless ninth.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Clingstones on Friday.
written by Erik Bremer
Cantonment Man Sentenced To State Prison Following $100K Stolen Property Investigation
September 3, 2026
A Cantonment man arrested last year after the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office recovered more than $100,000 in stolen property has been sentenced to state prison.
Colby Chase Myrick entered a plea of no contest and was adjudicated guilty by Circuit Judge John L. Miller, on charges of possession of a weapon or ammunition by a convicted Florida felon, dealing in stolen property, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, and resisting an officer without violence.
Judge Miller sentenced Myrick to 24 months in state prison on the three felony counts, with the terms set to run concurrently. On the misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest without violence, Myrick received a concurrent sentence of 11 months and 30 days in the county jail. He was credited with 147 days of time already served, and his driver’s license was suspended for six months on the drug possession charge.
The charges stemmed from an October 2025 operation in which Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies and the SWAT team executed a search warrant at a Cantonment residence. The warrant was part of an investigation into multiple burglaries, grand thefts, and dealing in stolen property, including stolen motorcycles. In total, authorities recovered over $100,000 worth of stolen items, including motorcycles and lawn equipment.
According to an arrest report, when tactical units arrived to serve the warrant, Myrick ignored verbal commands to stop and ran into a backyard storage shed where he was residing. He secured the door from the inside using a chain. Deputies forced entry and took Myrick into custody after he continued to resist orders.
During a search of the shed, deputies uncovered a Marlin .22-caliber rifle and 17 rounds of ammunition hidden beneath the bed where Myrick slept. Due to prior felony convictions dating back to 2008, he was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. Deputies also located a 2005 Honda motorcycle reported stolen out of Santa Rosa County near the shed.
Escambia Residents Sentenced To Federal Prison For Fentanyl Distribution
September 3, 2026
Two Escambia County residents have been sentenced to federal prison on fentanyl charges.
Adrian Dion Pettaway Jr., 25, was sentenced to 28 months in federal prison for distribution of fentanyl, and Gindy Nicole Lacey, 49, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for distribution of methamphetamine, tramadol, and fentanyl.
Court records in the separately indicted cases reflect that in November 2024, Lacey sold tramadol pills and methamphetamine to an undercover law enforcement officer. In December 2024, Lacey sold 1,000 pills containing fentanyl during an undercover operation. Further investigation revealed that Pettaway had supplied Lacey with the fentanyl pills sold during the undercover operation. Lacey was previously convicted of armed bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence.
The cases involved a joint investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
High Rain Chances Heading Into The Weekend
September 3, 2026
There is a slight chance of Thursday rain,, but rain chances will increase into Friday and the weekend.
Daily shower and thunderstorm chances increase especially on Friday, with scattered to numerous showers and storms continuing into early next week. A few storms could become strong with locally strong wind gusts and isolated flooding from intense rainfall rates the primary concerns.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Thursday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 4pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. North wind around 5 mph becoming east in the afternoon.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. Calm wind.
Friday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. High near 89. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Friday Night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm, then a slight chance of showers between 10pm and 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Saturday: A chance of showers before 10am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 10am and 1pm, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. High near 91. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. Calm wind.
Sunday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Sunday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. Calm wind.
Labor Day: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 72.
Tuesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89.
Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 72.
Wednesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90.
Registration Deadline Near For Tate Aggies Softball 11th Annual Sporting Clay Shoot
September 3, 2026
The Tate Aggies softball program will host its 11th Annual Sporting Clay Shoot on Friday, September 11, 2026, at the Santa Rosa Shooting Center in Pace, and the registration deadline is fast approaching.
Check-in starts at 7:30 a.m., followed by a safety briefing at 8:30 a.m. Shooting begins at 9:00 a.m.
Both breakfast and lunch will be provided, along with door prizes. Awards will be presented for top team, top shooter, top female shooter, and worst shooter.
Entry and sponsorship packages include:
- Showbird ($500): Four shooters.
- 410 Gauge ($800): Four shooters, station sign, and eight raffle tickets.
- 20 Gauge ($1,200): Four shooters, station sign, and 12 raffle tickets.
- 12 Gauge ($1,600): Four shooters, station sign, and 16 raffle tickets.
The deadline to register is Saturday, September 5, 2026. Click here to register online.
The Santa Rosa Shooting Center is located at 6950 Quintette Road in Pace. For questions or additional information, contact Bryan Walker at (850) 712-3159 or email tatesoftballboosters@gmail.com.
Pictured: Scenes from the 2025 Tate Softball Sporting Clay Shoot. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
