Two-Year Old Dies After Being Shot By Felon At Escambia Apartment Complex; One Charged
May 7, 2021
A two-year old boy shot Friday morning at Pines at Warrington apartment has died from his injuries, and one person is now charged.
The young boy was identified as Sebastian Carlton Mooney.
Quentin Jerad White, 35, has been charged with manslaughter with a weapon, possession of a firearm during a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons said White was showing a gun to Mooney’s mother. As White was putting the gun away at the request of the mother, the gun went off and Mooney was struck by what appeared single 9mm bullet.
White fled from the scene and was arrested later in Pensacola.
“The community mourns this loss,” Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons said Friday afternoon. “This is a two-year old that never had the opportunity to grow up, never had the opportunity to ride a bike, to go to school, to go on a date, to prove that they could be a productive part in our community. All because of the carelessness of an individual that wasn’t even suppose to have a gun. That’s tragic.”
“Our hearts go out to the family.”
White is being held in the Escambia County Jail without bond. He faces a maximum of 30 years if convicted.
Pictured top: Two-year old Sebastian Carlton Mooney (photo courtesy Mooney family via WEAR 3). Pictured below: Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons at a Friday afternoon press conference.
Pedestrian Struck By Pickup Truck On Chemstrand Road
May 7, 2021
A man is in critical condition after being hit by a pickup truck on Chemstrand Road Friday morning.
Just before 5:30 a.m., a 35-year old Milton man was walking north on the white line of Chemstrand Road near Teleran Street as the pickup trick was also northbound from behind the pedestrian.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the pedestrian stepped out into the travel lane and into the path of the pickup.
“The driver of the pickup attempted to swerve to avoid the pedestrian but was unable to. The pickup collided with the pedestrian, throwing him onto the grass shoulder,” the FHP report stated.
The pedestrian was transported to a local hospital; the 51-year old male driver of the pickup was not reported to be injured.
File photo.
More Details Released In Tate High Homecoming Queen Vote Scandal As Altered Photo Appears In Yearbook
May 7, 2021
We are learning more about the Tate High School homecoming queen vote scandal as the school prepares to recall years books over a photo edited in a way some parents tell NorthEscambia.com is going too far.
Emily Rose Grover was 17-year old juvenile at the time of her arrest in April by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. She turned 18 just a few days later, and will now be tried as an adult.
Grover and her mother Laura Carroll, former assistant principal at Bellview Elementary School, were charged by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement with one count each of felony offenses against users of computers, computer systems, computer networks, and electronic devices; felony unlawful use of a two-way communications device, felony criminal use of personally identifiable information, and conspiracy to commit these offenses. The misdemeanor conspiracy charge against both has been upgraded by prosecutors to a felony count.
One edited photo in this year’s Tate High School yearbook shows Grover’s face covered with clipart of a horse that resembles the school’s mascot. The horse’s rear-end was used to cover Grover’s face, and that is the part that has upset many. The photo is above; note that NorthEscambia.com has blurred the faces of other individuals in the picture.
“They covered her face with a horse’s rear,” one parent wrote in an email to NorthEscambia.com. “That’s just too much and should have never happened.”
“We are recalling those yearbooks to fix that problem,” Escambia County School District Superintendent Dr. Tim Smith said. “Somebody went in and made an edit that shouldn’t have happened.”
The yearbook was published after Grover’s arrest. Parents tell us some students did not receive their yearbooks after the photo was discovered.
Grover was named Tate High School’s 2020 homecoming queen, but has since been stripped of the crown. A replacement queen was not named.
A newly unsealed court document reveals statements submitted by Grover and Carroll as part of a school district expulsion hearing.
“I’ve done wrong, ignorance is hurting me the most. I 100% knew it was wrong and would do anything to undo it but I had no idea this much trouble could come from this,” Grover wrote in an email.
“Emily is guilty of looking at information in my FOCUS account, but the hundreds of students she is alleged to have looked at were viewed by me, with district administrator access,” Carroll said. “Is is because of my negligence that she saw anything in FOCUS that she was unauthorized to view.”
“There is no excuse for me seeing other peoples grades but insecurities and curiosity led me to poor choices. I accept responsibility for what I have done and I understand why it was so wrong,” Grover said.
The investigation began in November 2020 when the Escambia County School District contacted FDLE to report unauthorized access into hundreds of student accounts. The investigation found that Carroll, an assistant principal at Bellview Elementary School, and her daughter Grover, a student at Tate High School, had accessed student FOCUS accounts. Carroll had district level access of the school board’s FOCUS program which is the school district’s student information system. FOCUS users are required to change their password every 45 days and Carroll’s annual training for the “Staff Responsible Use of Guidelines for Technology” was up to date.
In October 2020, hundreds of votes for Tate High School’s Homecoming Court voting were flagged as fraudulent, with 117 votes originating from the same IP address within a short period of time. Agents uncovered evidence of unauthorized access to FOCUS linked to Carroll’s cellphone as well as computers associated with their residence, with a total of 246 votes cast for the homecoming court. Multiple students reported that the Grover described using her mother’s FOCUS account to cast votes. The investigation also found that beginning August 2019, Carroll’s FOCUS account accessed 372 high school records and 339 of those were of Tate High School students.
Arrest affidavits obtained by NorthEscambia.com provide more details into the allegations.
When two FDLE special agents responded to Carroll and Grover’s residence in Cantonment to interview them, Carroll immediately stated that she would defer any questions to her attorney, FDLE said.
FDLE received nine statements from students and a teacher that all stated Grover spoke about accessing Carroll’s FOCUS account or they have seen her access it for almost four years.
“I have known that Emily Grover logs into her moms school account in order to access grades and test scores since freshman year when we became friends,” one student said in a statement to FDLE. “She has looked up [redacted] student ID before to [redacted]. She also knows that if she logs into her moms account at Tate it will ping that Laura Grover signed in at Tate High School. She looks up all of our group of friends grades and makes comments about how she can find out our test scores all of the time.”
“When Emily Grover was a sophomore [redacted] class, I recall times that she logged onto her moms focus account and openly shared information, grades, schedules, etc. with others. She did not seem like logging in was a big deal and was very comfortable with doing so,” another statement written by a witness said.
According to FDLE, the Escambia County School District FOCUS program contains grades, medical history, test scores, attendance, disciplinary actions, personnel information, emergency contacts, schedules, exceptional student education (ESE) information, student picture and student identification number. Teachers and staff members are able to view student profiles or more depending on access level.
The school district uses an application called Election Runner to perform activities such as homecoming court voting. FDLE was notified that Election Runner contacted the school district regarding over 100 flagged votes and an ethics complaint involving the Tate High School homecoming voting.
Carroll contested Grover’s expulsion from Tate High School that stemmed from the incident. An administrative hearing was held, and Grover’s expulsion was upheld.
Carroll remains suspended from her position with the school district.
Pictured: Yearbook, homecoming queen photos are NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia County Honors Late Baseball Hall Of Famer Don Sutton, Former Molino Resident
May 7, 2021
The Escambia County Commission issued a proclamation Thursday night honoring the late baseball Hall of Fame pitcher and former Molino resident Don Sutton. He passed away in January at age 75.
Members of Sutton’s family and members of the 1962 Tate High School baseball state championship team stood by as District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry read the proclamation and presented it to Don Sutton’s brother, Ron Sutton. (Read the complete proclamation below.)
“When Don talked about coming back here, he was coming home,” an emotional Ron Sutton told the commission. “The thing is his career is a testament to my mom and dad who taught us if you have a good work ethic, and you try hard enough, anything is possible.”
About the family’s move to Molino in 1950, Ron Sutton said, “My daddy always said we came to the land flowing with milk and honey, and I believe that.”
Sutton was born April 2, 1945, in Clio, Alabama. He attended Molino Junior High School for nine years and graduated from Tate High School as the Class of 1963’s “Most Likely to Succeed.” He played basketball, football and led two Aggie baseball teams to two state championship games. In 1962, he pitched 13 innings for the Aggies in their state championship win
During his career as a right-handed pitcher, he won 324 games, including 58 shutouts and earned the seventh place spot on baseball’s all-time strikeout list with 3,574. Sutton played over a decade with the LA Dodgers, and also played for the Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland A’s and California Angels before returning for one last season with the Dodgers. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998.
“My mother used to worry about my imaginary friends ‘cause I would be out in the yard playing ball,” Don Sutton said in his Hall of Fame induction speech in 1998. “She worried because she didn’t know a Mickey, or a Whitey, or a Yogi, or a Moose, or an Elston, but I played with them every day.”
Sutton also had a successful 29-year broadcasting career, working for major networks including TBS and NBC, along with the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals.
The Don Sutton Ballpark in Molino is named in his honor, and a portion of Highway 29 in Molino is known as the Don Sutton Highway. There is also a display devoted to Sutton in the Molino Museum in the Molino Community Complex.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are wearing the number 20 on their uniforms this season to honor Sutton.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Regional Softball: Chiles Eliminates Tate; Jay Tops Freeport By 10
May 7, 2021
Region 1-6A
Chiles 5, Tate 1
The Tate Lady Aggies fell behind early in a 5-1 Region 1-6A quarterfinal loss Thursday at Tallahassee Chiles.
Abbie Burks allowed five runs and seven hits in six innings, walking one.
Michayla Kent led the Aggies at the plate, going 2-3 with one run. Hannah Halfacre and Courtney Adams had one hit each for Tate.
Chiles will host Lincoln in the regional semifinals on May 11.
Region 1-1A
Jay 11, Freeport 1
The Jay Royals beat Freeport in the Region 1-1A semifinals 11-1 Thursday night in Jay.
Mattie Cochran earned the victory for Jay, going give innings, allowing one run and three hits will striking out nine and walking one.
Caitlyn Gavin (pictured above) had a fifth inning home run for the Royals. It was her ninth dinger of the season.
Brett Watson went 3-4 for the Lady Royals, and Audrey Barnes was 2-3 the plate. Jay also had hits from Gavin, Ella Nelson, Cochran, Madison Mathis and Kassidy Nevels.
Jay will travel to Holmes County on Tuesday in the regional finals.
Pictured: Caitlyn Gavin had a fifth inning home run for the Jay Royals Thursday night, her ninth homer of the season. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
NWE Celebrates Northview Chiefs Baseball As They Head Into Regionals
May 7, 2021
Many of the little league players at Northwest Escambia (NWE) in Walnut Hill dream of one day playing baseball for the Northview High School Chiefs.
The NHS Chiefs are headed into the first round of regional playoffs Friday night. So Thursday night, the NWE players decided to celebrate them and wish them the very best.
NWE players presented each district champion NHS Chief with a goody bag that included treats like sports drinks and sunflower seeds, inspirational quotes, and notes of encouragement.
Northview will host Paxton at 7 p.m. Friday in Bratt. The winner will face either Jay or Holmes County in the regional final on May 11.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Concrete Pours Completed On The Last Two Spans Needed To Open Pensacola Bay Bridge
May 7, 2021
Work is continuing on repairs to the Pensacola Bay Bridge, and the Florida Department of Transportation says they are still on track to open two lanes of traffic on the bridge the week of May 31.
Overnight concrete pours are completed on the last two spans before the bridge can open.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Take Two On The Road Over Mississippi
May 7, 2021
The Blue Wahoos swept a doubleheader over the Mississippi Braves Thursday. The Wahoos won the first game 5-1 and shut out the Braves 6-0 in the second. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia County Names New Fire Chief
May 6, 2021
Escambia County has named a new fire chief.
Jason Catrambone will join Escambia County on June 14 with more than 25 years of experience as an accomplished chief fire officer, including more than 18 years of command-level experience.
As the Escambia County fire chief, Catrambone’s duties will include supervising fire rescue staff, providing oversight and directing the implementation of internal operations, managing expenditures to the approved annual budget, developing goals and objectives and ensuring compliance with federal, state and local laws and regulations.
Escambia County’s last fire chief, Rusty Nail, was hired in April 2018 and resigned in April 2019.
“It’s an honor to be chosen to join the Escambia County Fire Rescue team and Escambia County community,” said Catrambone. “I’m looking forward to working with this motivated group of men and women to continue to serve the residents and visitors of Escambia County dutifully and honorably.”
He currently serves as the fire chief for the City of Williston, N.D. and has certifications as a hazardous materials incident commander and strike team task force leader. He earned an associate degree from Columbia Southern University and has continued coursework there toward a Bachelor of Science in fire service administration with an expected graduation date this year. He received an Executive Certificate in Public Leadership from John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
“Chief Catrambone brings the wealth of knowledge and a breadth of experience to this position that we were looking for,” said Interim Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore. “We’re excited to welcome him to the team.”
“We look forward to Chief Catrambone leading ECFR with his vast understanding and knowledge of firefighter personnel management,” said County Administrator Janice Gilley. “His 25 years of experience tell a story of dedicated and unceasing commitment to excellence and public service and we welcome him to the team.”
“I am very happy a new fire chief has been selected,” said Chairman and District 4 County Commissioner Robert Bender. “This is the first step in elevating Escambia County’s fire service. There is still a lot of work to do, and I’m looking forward to working with him.”
Catrambone is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs and previously served on the board of directors. He recently accepted the role of International Association of Fire Chiefs international director.
Catrambone was selected from a pool of 108 cumulative applicants for the Escambia County fire chief position after a thorough review process. The selection process included phone and in-person interviews, a tour of Escambia County Public Safety and a meet and greet with staff.
Century Council Rejects Mayor’s New Hires — For The Second Time
May 6, 2021
The Century Town Council has once again rejected the hiring of two employees recommended by the mayor.
In March, the council refused to approve the employees hired by the mayor because he violated the town’s charter. The charter states that the mayor will present his employee selections to the town council to be approved or denied. The council can only vote yes or no on the mayor’s choice; the charter does not give the council any authority to hire anyone not recommended by the mayor.
At a March meeting, the council turned down the employees because Boutwell had already hired them without their permission and voted to re-advertise the entry-level service worker and citizen services clerk jobs.
This week, Boutwell brought the same two employee choices back to the council, but a motion to hire them failed due to the lack of a second.
Council president Luis Gomez expressed concern that the clerk applicant had actually submitted her resume and application in November, months before the positions were advertised.
Gomez said he had personally contacted the references listed by the service worker applicant and had found he was terminated for just cause and was not eligible for rehired by a former employer. Gomez made additional disparaging comments about the individual.
The council provided no next step for the hiring process. Under the town charter, Boutwell can continue to come back to the council for approval of his choices, whether they be the same or different individuals.
The service worker the mayor hired has nine years experience as millwright at a lumber mill, five years in maintenance at a chemical plant, and six years in home construction. The office worker selected by Boutwell has almost 20 years experience at an area bank as a bookkeeper, loan assistance, teller and accounts payable clerk, and holds an associate degree from Pensacola Junior College.
Pictured: Century Mayor Ben Boutwell (above) and council president Luis Gomez (below) debate the hiring of two new employees. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
