Three Area Residents Indicted As Members Of A White Supremacist Gang For Violent Crimes In Aid Of Racketeering
July 16, 2021
Three Escambia and Santa Rosa County residents were among members of a white supremacist gang indicted for violent crimes in aid of racketeering, according to federal indictments unsealed Thursday.
According to the indictment, the defendants were members of Unforgiven, a racketeering enterprise engaged in acts of murder, violence, kidnapping, robbery, obstruction of justice, and other offenses. The indictment also alleges that Unforgiven used “corrupt law enforcement officers and state employees” to gather information about people, investigations, and prosecutions, and to smuggle contraband to incarcerated inmates. The indictment charges each of the 16 defendants with committing at least one violent act in aid of Unforgiven, including kidnappings, conspiracies to commit assault, threats of violence, and assaults with deadly weapons.
Maverick Maher (aka “Saxon”), age 39 of Pensacola, was charged with assault in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to commit assault in aid of racketeering activity, and multiple counts of threats of violence in aid of racketeering activity.
George Andrews II (aka “Shrek”), age 51 of Pensacola, was charged with assault in aid of racketeering, and conspiracy to commit assault in aid of racketeering activity
Brandon Welch (aka “Scumbag”), age 34 of Milton, was charged with assault in aid of racketeering.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the St. Petersburg Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Natalie Hirt Adams.
District 5 Quintette Neighborhood Cleanup Collects 24 Tons of Debris
July 16, 2021
Escambia County collected and disposed of approximately 24 tons (48,000 pounds) of debris during the District 5 Quintette Neighborhood Cleanup recently, as part of the county’s ongoing effort to help keep local neighborhoods and communities clean and safe. The event allowed residents to leave items at the curb to be disposed of free of charge by the county and partnering agencies.
The cleanup on July 7 resulted in collection of 24.7 tons of debris, 400 pounds of household hazardous waste and more than 101 tires placed at curbside for pickup.
The neighborhood cleanup initiative involves an aggressive clean-up effort, targeting different neighborhoods throughout the county, with crew members picking up a variety of debris and waste, including electronics, furniture and household items. Since 2016, more than 3,259 tons (6,518,000 pounds) of debris were collected and disposed of through the Community Redevelopment Agency’s Safe Neighborhood Program.
The county’s neighborhood cleanup program is hosted by the Escambia County Community Redevelopment Agency’s Safe Neighborhood Program. Local partners include Escambia County Waste Services, Environmental Code Enforcement, Public Works, Animal Services and Road Prison, along with the City of Pensacola Sanitation Department.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Woman Gets 25 Years For Hot Vehicle Death Of Her 2-Year Old Child
July 16, 2021
An Escambia County woman was sentenced to 25 years in state prison Thursday for the hot car death of her child. The child spent about nine hours in the vehicle.
Jessica Lynn Monell, 38, entered a plea of no contest to aggravated manslaughter of a child and child neglect. She previously entered no contest pleas to multiple charges involving possession of controlled substances and paraphernalia.
On April 10, 2019, Monell’s two-year-old child was found deceased in Monell’s van parked outside the home. The subsequent investigation revealed that Monell had ingested methamphetamine and forgot to remove her child from the van. The child was strapped in her car seat from approximately 6 a.m. until 3 p.m.
The medical examiner determined that the child’s cause of death was hyperthermia. At the scene, Monell consented to a blood draw and methamphetamine was found in her blood.
A search warrant was executed on the home and various drugs and paraphernalia were found. The child’s autopsy report revealed that the child had a trace amount of methamphetamine in her system as well.
Mission Outreach: Church Takes VBS To Century Park (With Gallery)
July 16, 2021
Ray’s Chapel Baptist Church in Bogia took their “Mystery Island’ Vacation Bible School on the road to a park in Century Thursday afternoon as missions outreach.
They invited neighborhood children to take part in music, Bible stories and more while at the Nadine McCaw Park on North Century Boulevard.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Cribbs Delivers In The Clutch; Wahoos Walk-Off Lookouts 2-1
July 16, 2021
Tied 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth, Devin Hairston doubled before Galli Cribbs lined the game-winning single to left to give Pensacola a thrilling 2-1 walk-off win against the Lookouts on Thursday.
Hairston wasted no time in the ninth and he ground the first pitch he saw from Matt Pidich (L, 2-4) just inside the left field line for a leadoff double. That brought up Cribbs, who initially was trying to lay down a sac bunt. However, after a couple of pitches—and the corner infielders crashing aggressively—Cribbs laced a line drive into left-center that allowed Hairston to score the winning run from second. That base hit gave Pensacola their seventh walk-off win in 32 games at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Unlike the first couple of games in the series, neither side was able to generate much offense. For Chattanooga, their only run came from a solo homer against Max Meyer in the top of the third. Outside of that pitch, Meyer was excellent in his first outing since participating in the Futures Game in Denver. The Marlins #3 prospect ultimately worked six innings and allowed four hits while walking one and striking out four. It also was his third quality start of the season.
Chattanooga starter Ricky Salinas was even better for the Lookouts as he worked 5.2 shutout innings, scattering seven hits while tying his season high with eight strikeouts.
The Wahoos bullpen again rose to the occasion late in the game. Alberto Guerrero entered the game in the seventh and delivered two shutout innings. Dylan Bice (W, 4-1) replaced him in the ninth, and despite a leadoff walk, and runners on the corners with only one out, managed to escape trouble without conceding a run.
With the win, and Mississippi’s 10-2 loss to the Smokies, the Wahoos are now three games back of the M-Braves for the best record in the league.
The series continues tomorrow with LHP Jake Eder (3-2, 1.33) taking the hill for Pensacola. Chattanooga is using the combination of RHP Mac Sceroler (1-0, 1.50) and RHP Dylan Baker (0-0, 9.00).
Firefighters Battle Blaze At ECUA Recycling Center In Beulah
July 15, 2021
The Emerald Coast Utility Authority’s recycling facility was damaged by fire Thursday afternoon, but the extent of the damage remains to be seen.
The fire was reported about 5:10 at the ECUA Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) located at the Perdido Landfill in Beulah.
“The fire appears to have been located in the chute of the metal sorting area. Initial indications point to the possibility of a propane tank or battery, mixed in with the metal recyclables, as the potential source of the fire. An investigation as to the cause of the fire is ongoing,” ECUA spokesperson Nathalie Bowers told NorthEscambia.com. At the time, ECUA staff and fire officials were waiting for the smoke to clear to fully evaluate the damage to the MRF.
The visible fire was knocked down after 30 minutes, and there no injuries reported, according to Escambia County spokesperson Laura Coale.
“There is currently no impact to recycling collections for tomorrow and they remain on the normal schedule. Updates will be released as information becomes available,” Bowers said.
At about 8 p.m., firefighters were working to cool a hot spot and expected to remain on scene at couple more hours.
The Bellview, Ensley, Beulah, Ferry Pass and Osceola stations of Escambia Fire Rescue, NAS Pensacola Fire, and Escambia County EMS responded.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Molino Man Sentenced To State Prison For Molesting Young Girl
July 15, 2021
A now 79-year old Molino man has been sentenced to five years in state prison for sexually molesting a young girl over the course of several years.
Daniel Durwood Edmonson was charged in July 2019 with sexual battery on a victim under 12-years old and lewd and lascivious molestation on a victim under age 12.
Edmonson was also sentenced to 20 years of sexual offender probation upon release, and he was designated as a sexual predator.
At age 15, the girl disclosed the abuse by Edmonson to investigators. She said Edmonson had molested her for years at his residence, when she was between the ages of 5 and 12. Edmonson and the girl were related, according to court documents.
Woman, Two Dogs Rescued From Rising Floodwaters At Bluff Springs Recreation Area
July 15, 2021
A woman and her dogs were rescued from rising floodwaters Thursday afternoon in the Bluff Springs Recreation Area.
The Fort Walton Beach woman said she had been camping next to one of the gravel lakes for the past three or four days. By Thursday, the water was too deep for her to leave with her dogs or get her vehicle out.
Using a boat belonging to an area resident, Escambia Fire Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office were able to reach the woman and bring her back to dry land. The ECSO was working to assist the woman with a place to stay and transportation.
The woman and her dogs were not injured.
“I’m just glad you helped us,” she told her rescuers.
For more photos, click or tap here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia Sheriff Says He’s Cracking Down On Speeding, Meth And Crime in Century
July 15, 2021
Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons said Wednesday that he’s cracking down on speeding, meth and crime in Century.
“We are working with Mayor (Ben) Boutwell up there on some speeding right now,” Simmons said.
“In fact I am I telling you now, if you are coming and going through Century, we are going to start writing some tickets because the mayor of Century called me and said, ‘hey I need some help up here’. And we wanted to give some warnings, to be quite honest, but we also have to write some citations at certain times because there are fatalities taking place so we have to have traffic enforcement,” the sheriff said during a Jeff Bergosh “Coffee with the Commissioner” video event.
Simmons said the department is also targeting crime in Century.
“There are a lot of people riding their own ATVs wreaking some havoc with the people that live up in Century. And there is a bit of a meth issue up there in Century that we are targeting as well,” said Simmons. “So soon you will see a lot more speed enforcement coming in and out of Century, but you’ll also see the efforts on 4-wheelers, on ATVs; we have a bicycle unit that is funded through a grant.”
“It is very important for people to see the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office out there in their neighborhoods, not just engaging, but very much enforcing the laws and putting people in jail that need to go to jail,” he said.
“We are working with all of our communities,” he said, mentioning the opening of the Molino and Perdido precincts this year.
“I wanted every area of Escambia County to have that sense of a small town feel where you know who is doing your policing, you know who to go to. You don’t have to go to the sheriff; you can, but you don’t have to. You can go right around the corner to the Molino Precinct or the Cantonment Precinct.”
Pictured: The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office conducts a traffic stop on North Century Boulevard at Tedder Road. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Man Allegedly Threw Rock At Dump Truck For Driving On His Grass
July 15, 2021
A Cantonment man was charged with a weapons offense after allegedly throwing a rock at a dump truck after it traveled across his grass.
Kevin Lynn Goude, 46, was charged with a second degree felony for throwing deadly missiles and third degree felony criminal mischief.
A woman delivering a load of dirt for a septic tank company pulled about two feet off the road into a grassy area. “The large dump truck left slight marks in the grass but did not appear to damage the lawn in any way,” an Escambia County deputy wrote in an arrest report, noting that the area was on the county right of way.
The victim said she was approached by Goude who cussed her out and physically threatened her over the marks in the grass, the report states. He then allegedly threw a rock that hit the hood of the dump truck and bounced off a window, causing over $1,000 in damage to the 2020 model Peterbilt.
The report notes that Goude’s property on Soft Point Drive backs up to the incident location.
Goude was release from the Escambia County Jail on a $5,000 bond.