Escambia Woman Gets 20 Years For Sexual Activity With Young Teens
June 23, 2021
An Escambia County woman has been sentenced to state prison for sexual activity with two young teens.
Circuit Judge Jan Shackelford sentenced Leigh Ann Rhodes, 34, to 20 years. She previously entered no contest pleas to three counts of lewd or lascivious battery and one count of transmission of harmful materials to a minor. She was sentenced to serve five years of sexual offender probation upon release from prison, and was also designated as a sexual offender.
The charges stemmed from an arrest made in August of 2020 after the Department of Children and Families received a hotline tip that Rhodes was engaged in sexual behavior with two young teenagers. Rhodes was interviewed by Escambia County Sheriff’s Office investigators and admitted to engaging in a sexual relationship with the minors. Both minors were interviewed by members of the Child Protection Team at the Gulf Coast Kid’s House and detailed the sexual abuse. Cellphone evidence also corroborated the sexual activity, according to prosecutors.
New Nine Mile, I-10 Traffic Light Is Now Active
June 23, 2021
The new traffic signal at Nine Mile Road at the I-10 eastbound ramps was activated on Tuesday by the Florida Department of Transportation. It had been in flash mode to alert drivers for a week. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Council Moves Meetings Back To Town Hall After COVID-19 Decline
June 23, 2021
Now that COVID-19 numbers have declined, the Century Town Council has voted to move their meetings from a large community center venue back to their relatively small council chambers.
After holding meetings via Zoom for much of 2020 due to COVID-19, the council returned to in-person meetings at the Century Community Center back in January to allow room for more social distancing.
Beginning with their next meeting on July 6, the Century Town Council now will meet at the town hall at 7995 North Century Boulevard.
A bill list review will be held at 6:45 p.m. to be followed by a regular council meeting at 7 p.m. on the following dates:
- July 6 and 19
- August 2 and 16
- September 7 and 20
- October 4 and 18
- November 1 and 15
- December 20
Pictured top: A panoramic view of a recent Century Town Council meeting at the Century Community Center. Pictured below: The community center allowed for more social distancing. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Register Now For Tate Softball’s Summer Camp
June 23, 2021
The Tate Lady Aggies will host their annual softball camp the evening of July 1
The camp is for anyone age six to eighth grade. Pre-register at this link or register at the field on the day of the camp. The cost is $50 which includes a camp t-shirt (sizes are limited).
Burdick Homers, Wahoos Win Again
June 23, 2021
Peyton Burdick clubbed his team-leading 10th home run of the season and Will Stewart W, 3-3) nearly turned in a quality start as the Wahoos took the series opener, 4-3 on Tuesday at Regions Field.
The fireworks began in the second inning for Pensacola, where after a leadoff walk to Riley Mahan, Burdick belted a two-out, two-run home run off Konnor Pilkington (L, 1-3) to put the Wahoos ahead.
However, the Barons had a swift response for the Wahoos. Joel Booker took Stewart deep in the bottom half of the inning to put the Barons within a run.
In the fourth, the Wahoos used small ball to get that run right back. After a walk and hit-by-pitch, the Wahoos used a pair of groundouts to score, which made it a 3-1 game.
The only remaining offense the Barons had left came from Micker Adolofo. He hit a pair of solo homers deep to center, that each time cut the Wahoo lead down to one. In the sixth he led off the inning with a solo blast off Stewart, and in the eighth he took Dylan Bice deep to cut down Pensacola’s lead to 4-3.
However in the bottom of the ninth, Colton Hock worked around a two-out single and struck out Zack Granite to end the ball game. Hock finished with a pair of strikeouts and now has a league-leading 10 saves this season.
The series continues Wednesday night when Max Meyer (3-1, 1.42) gets the start for the Wahoos while he will be opposed by Blake Battenfield (5-1, 3.76), who has already beaten the Wahoos twice this season.
by Chris Garagiola, Blue Wahoos
One Seriously Injured In Jacks Branch Road Rollover Wreck
June 22, 2021
One person was seriously injured in a wreck Tuesday morning on Jacks Branch Road.
The driver lost control, ran off the roadway and overturned on Jacks Branch Road near River Annex Road. She was airlifted by LifeFlight helicopter to a Pensacola hospital after being extricated from her vehicle.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating and has not released further details. Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS also responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Annual Century/Flomaton Fireworks Show Canceled
June 22, 2021
The annual Century/Flomaton joint fireworks show has been canceled for this year.
Century Mayor Ben Boutwell said Monday night that the fireworks company was unavailable due to a scheduling conflict.
The show alternates between Century and Flomaton each year and is jointly funded. This year, it was set to be in Flomaton. In 2020, the Century/Flomaton fireworks show was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pictured: The 2018 Century/Flomaton fireworks show. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Overall Crime Rate Dropped In Escambia County, But Violent Crimes Were Up In 2020
June 22, 2021
The overall crime index in Escambia County dropped 6.2% during 2020 compared to the previous year, but violent crimes were up according to new data released Monday by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
The total number of burglaries and larcenies decreased, but there were increases in murders, rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults and meter vehicle thefts.
The countywide report covers crimes investigated by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Pensacola Police Department and other agencies like the Florida Highway Patrol, University of West Florida Police Department, and Pensacola State Police Department.
The number of reported murders during the year increased in Escambia County from 27 to 32, rapes from 186 to 225, robberies from 337 to 376, aggravated assaults from 1,227 to 1,306 and motor vehicle thefts from 650 to 732. The number of burglaries decreased from 1,828 to 1,588 and larcenies dipped from 6,724 to 6,039.
In 2020, there were 27 murders in the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office’s jurisdiction and five in the city of Pensacola.
During 2020, 32.6% of crimes in Escambia County were cleared, compare to 32.5% in 2019.
Cantonment Man Charged With Battery, Felony Child Abuse
June 22, 2021
A Cantonment man is facing charges after allegedly throwing a child across a room and hitting a woman.
Jacky Ray Mills, 45, was charged felony child abuse and misdemeanor battery.
Mills became angry after the victim played a practical joke on his son. Mills pinned the child against the wall before picking him up and throwing him across the room, according to an arrest report.
The adult victim stated she slapped Mills in defending the child, prompting Mills to grab her around the neck and push her down a hallway before hitting her.
The age of the child was redacted from the report, but he was old enough to be questioned by deputies. The nature of the practical joke was not specified in the report.
Mills was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $6,500 bond.
Escambia County Unemployment Rate Decreases
June 22, 2021
The unemployment rate in Escambia County decreased last month, according to data recently released by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
The unemployment rate in Escambia County was 4.7% in May, down from 4.9% in April. That represents 7,090 people out of work out of a county workforce of 151,713. One year ago, Escambia County’s unemployment rate was 11.3%, or 16,181 people.
The area’s private sector employment increased by 9,100 jobs over the year, an increase of 6.1 percent. The industries gaining the most jobs over the year were leisure and hospitality, increasing by 2,800 jobs, and professional and business services, increasing by 2,300 jobs.
Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.9 percent in May 2021, up 0.1 percentage point from the April 2021 rate, and down 9.3 percentage points from a year ago. There were 503,000 jobless Floridians out of a labor force of 10,314,000. The U.S. unemployment rate was 5.8 percent in May.