Ascend Cares Delivers Christmas Magic To Escambia Westgate Students
December 18, 2025
The Pensacola Ascend Cares teams took part in a Christmas Parade for the very special students at Escambia Westgate School.
The volunteers brought holiday light and laughter, along with a gift for over 130 students from their personal wish lists. Each gift was hand-delivered with love from Santa, and Mrs. Claus.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Commemorative 250th U.S. Anniversary License Plates Available In Florida
December 18, 2025
In honor of the United States’ 250th anniversary on July 4th, 2026, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has announced a new America 250 commemorative license plate.
“The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles is honored to give Floridians a meaningful way to participate in our nation’s 250th anniversary,” said Executive Director Dave Kerner. “This commemorative plate reflects our shared pride in America’s history and is a symbol of our state’s connection to America’s past.”
Unlike specialty plates, the America 250 plate serves as an alternative to the standard Florida license plate, with all regular fees applying. Motorists may request the America 250 license plate at the time of vehicle registration or renewal. The plate will be available through multiple channels, including local tax collector offices and authorized tag agencies.
Escambia Man Pleads Guilty To Possession Unregistered Machine Gun
December 18, 2025
An Escambia County man has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for possession of an unregistered machine gun.
Prashant M. Jenkins Jr., 24, previously entered a guilty plea in federal court.
Court documents state that on October 30, 2024, law enforcement officers found and seized from Jenkins’ residence an AR-style machine gun conversion device, a Glock pistol with a loaded magazine, a loaded AR-15 magazine, approximately 500 grams of marijuana, and other suspected drug trafficking paraphernalia. The conversion device, considered a machine gun under federal law, was not marked with a serial number and was not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record as required.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I applaud the excellent work of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and our federal ATF agents to make our community safer by getting this dangerous individual off the streets. My office remains fully committed to aggressively prosecuting those who illegally manufacture and possess these dangerous weapons, fulfilling the promise made by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to Take Back America by targeting violent criminals with the full force of the law.”
Jenkins faced up to 10 years’ in prison and will be prohibited from possessing any firearms or ammunition.
Tate Junior Mykamia Padgett Commits To D1 ASU Softball
December 18, 2025
Tate High School pitcher and infielder Mykamia Padgett, a junior, has committed to play softball for the NCAA Division I Alabama State University Hornets in Montgomery. Graphic for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Sex Offender, 84, Gets 30 Years For Viewing Porn On Probation
December 17, 2025
An 84-year old sex offender has been sentenced to three decades in prison for violating his probation.
Carl Wayne Castleberry was sentenced on Tuesday to 30 years in state prison by Circuit Judge John Miller.
Castleberry was on probation for two counts of lewd or lascivious conduct for abusing a young female relative. In September 2019, he pled guilty and was sentenced to 50 months in state prison to be followed by 25 years of sex offender probation. He was released from prison in August of 2022.
By October of 2025, his probation officer discovered that Castleberry had been viewing pornography in violation of his probation conditions, according to prosecutors.
Santa Claus To Visit The Molino Library On Thursday
December 17, 2025
Santa Claus will visit the Molino Library on Thursday.
Santa will hear Christmas wishes, and parents are invited to use their phone or bring a camera for photos. He will be at the library at 4:30 p.m.
The Molino Library is at 6450A Highway 95A, in the Molino Community Center.
Pictured: Santa Claus during a recent visit to the Century Library. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Bratt Elementary Students Donate To Area Nursing Home Residents
December 17, 2025
Bratt Elementary School students collected items for area nursing home residents.
The donations—including socks, lip balms, gloves, tissues, and lotions—were delivered Tuesday afternoon.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tax Collector’s MILO, OneBlood, Help A Neighbor At Thursday Walnut Hill Community Outreach
December 17, 2025
A community outreach event will take place Thursday in Walnut Hill with the Escambia County Tax Collector’s Mobile Identification and Licensing Office (MILO), blood donations with the Big Red Bus, and a donations will be accepted to help neighbors.
MILO Tax Collector Services
The Escambia County Tax Collector’s Mobile Identification and Licensing Office (MILO) will be at the Walnut Hill Community Center on Thursday, December 18, from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.
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/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.
Help A Neighbor
From 8 a.m. until 2 p.m., new socks and new underwear in original packaging will be accepted, along with new blankets with tags attached to help needy individuals in the community.
Blood Donations
OneBlood’s Big Red Bus will be onsite at the community center from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Donors will receive a sweatshirt and a $20 egift card.
Location
The Walnut Hill Community Center is located at 7850 Highway 97, just north of the fire department and Ernest Ward Middle School.
Escambia County Warning Contractors About License Payment Scam
December 17, 2025
The Escambia County Building Services Department has received reports of fraudulent emails claiming to represent Building Services, requesting immediate payment in order to receive an electrical license or other county license.
The county said do not respond to these fraudulent messages, pay the attached invoices, or click any links. These emails are not legitimate and are not associated with Escambia County Building Services.
Escambia County Building Services will never ask for payment via an email link, credit card, or wire transfer. Escambia County only accepts contractor license payments via cash or check.
FDLE Arrests Escambia County Sex Offender Who Now Faces 30 New Charges
December 16, 2025
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) has arrested a registered sex offender in Escambia County who now faces 30 new charges.
Donschee Ricky Montrell Foster, 33, was charged with 20 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material, one count of failure to report a change in residence, one count of failure to report vacating a permanent residence, three counts of knowingly providing false sexual offender registration information by act or omission and five counts of failure to report internet identifiers. He remains in the Escambia County Jail without bond.
he investigation began in early November, when FDLE discovered Foster was residing at an unreported address, which violates Florida’s sexual offender registration laws. The investigation revealed that Foster had not been at his registered residence for nearly a week but was living at an apartment in Pensacola which was also occupied by a juvenile family member. On November 17, FDLE obtained an arrest warrant for Foster for failure to report a change in residence, failure to report vacating a residence and knowingly providing false sexual offender registration information by act or omission.
During a post arrest interview of Foster, FDLE discovered that he was using multiple online accounts that had not been properly reported to the appropriate authorities in accordance with his registration requirements. FDLE obtained a search warrant for Foster’s cell phone. Agents said the digital forensic analysis resulted in the identification of five unreported online accounts including Facebook Messenger, Roblox, X, YouTube and Discord. The analysis also identified multiple files which appeared to depict the sexual abuse of children on his device. FDLE worked to obtain another search warrant to allow for a more thorough review of the contents of the device. The expanded search revealed numerous images involving the sexual exploitation of children.
On December 5, FDLE obtained a second arrest warrant for Foster for charges of failure to report an internet identifier and possession of child sexual abuse material.