ECSO: Byrneville Man Stole Two UTVs from Solar Farm, Traded Them For A Ford Mustang
June 21, 2025
A Byneville man is charged with allegedly stealing two side by sides from an area solar farm before trading them through Facebook Marketplace for a Ford Mustang.
Christopher Clayton Simmons, 38, was charged with two counts of grand theft of motor vehicle, two counts of grand theft, petit theft, criminal mischief with property damage, using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony, dealing in stolen property,
The investigation began when deputies responded to a report of two side by sides from a Florida Power & Light solar farm located on Cox Road. Authorities discovered tire tracks leading away from the secured site, indicating the vehicles were driven off the property before likely being loaded onto a trailer nearby. The stolen UTVs were a Club Car 1700 Carry All and a Kubota RTV900Kv.
Simmons later offered over Facebook to trade the stolen UTVs for a Ford Mustang. After trading his Mustang, the victim discovered that the UTVs had been stolen.
The Ford Mustang was subsequently seized from a residence on Byrneville Road.
On May 29, deputies confirmed the recovery of both stolen UTVs, which had been seized by another agency after their VINs were run and confirmed stolen. One of the UTVs was observed to have been spray-painted. The estimated cost of repairs for the damaged UTV is approximately $1,000.
Simmons remained in the Escambia County Jail Saturday with bond set at $18,000.
Berrydale Man Charged With Allegedly Beating A Puppy With A Pole
June 21, 2025
A 57-year-old Berrydale man was charged with beating a 5-month-old puppy with a fiberglass pole, causing a traumatic injury.
Michael Dexter Hunter was arrested for aggravated animal cruelty after his wife reported the incident at their home.
According to an arrest report, the Blue Heeler puppy was traumatically injured, unable to walk, foaming at the mouth and “yelping hysterically while spinning in a circle.”
Hunter’s wife told deputies that she walked out of the house to see Hunter standing over the puppy with a fiberglass pole in the air.
According to the report, the wife took the puppy to an emergency veterinarian in Pensacola. The vet provided pain medication and advised proper home care for the puppy.
Tate Grad Maum Awarded Escambia Retired Educators Scholarship
June 21, 2025
At this week’s Escambia County School Board meeting, the Escambia County Retired Educators Association awarded Nicholas Maum with a $1000 scholarship.
Maum, a 2025 Tate graduate, plans to enter the educational field.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Gulf Coast Recreation Classic Is Next Week At John R. Jones Ballpark
June 21, 2025
Next week, Escambia County Parks and Recreation will host the 2025 Gulf Coast Recreation Classic at the John R. Jones Ballpark at 555 East. Nine Mile Road.
The games begin on Monday, June 23 and last until Saturday, June 28. Game times are 5:30 p.m., 7 p.m., and 7:15 p.m. Monday-Friday and Saturday games will begin at 9 a.m. Roger Scott Athletic Complex, located at 2130 Summit Boulevard., will host the 10U division games June 23-24, 26-27 at 5:30 and 7:15 p.m.
There will be 62 recreation-based all-star teams participating in the Gulf Coast Recreation Classic, including teams from Escambia County, City of Pensacola, City of Gulf Breeze, Santa Rosa County, and Okaloosa County. Teams consist of youth baseball players ages 7-15. The tournament is open to the public at no charge. All spectators are welcome to support the recreation all-stars.
Escambia County teams include players from Northwest Escambia Baseball (NWE), Perdido Baseball, NEP Baseball, Molino Recreation Association, and West Pensacola Baseball.
“We’re thrilled to welcome these all-star teams back to Escambia County for another great year of youth sports,” Escambia Parks and Recreation Director Michael Rhodes said. “It’s an honor to be selected to host these teams, and I’d like to give a special shoutout to our staff who works hard to make this event happen. The passion our players and their families have for youth sports is what makes events like this possible. We look forward to a great week of youth sports and invite everyone to come out and join us.”
Pictured: NWE 10U at the Gulf Coast Recreation Classic. File photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
White Debuts, Wahoos Fall In Wild 10-Inning Finish
June 21, 2025
written by Willie Phaler
Even with a 3-2 loss in extra innings on Friday night, there was a special buzz around Blue Wahoos Stadium. With specialty jerseys and a beanie giveaway for Snowmageddon night, a capacity crowd filed in.
Oh yeah, and for the Double-A debut of the Marlins’ No.1 and MLB Pipeline’s 30th overall prospect, Thomas White.
With all of the hype surrounding the young right-hander’s Blue Wahoos debut, it was overshadowed by pure chaos in extra innings.
Heading into extras with the score at 1-1, there had already been nine unpredictable innings played. White and his counterpart, Brody Hopkins, both made early exits, and each team’s bullpen was lights out. To pair with on-the-fly bullpen pairings from each side, Pensacola manager Nelson Prada was ejected in the third inning, arguing a ball-in-play call with home plate umpire Jared Duerson.
In the top of the tenth, Montgomery took a two-run lead after a double from Matthew Etzel off of Will Kempner (L, 0-1), with Tatem Levins getting just under Ryan Ignoffo’s tag at the plate, infuriating the Blue Wahoos on the field and in the dugout. Following the play, multiple ejections ensued, including reliever Ricky DeVito in the bullpen and second baseman Cody Morissette.
The Blue Wahoos, fielding a makeshift defense that included Nathan Martorella moving from first to left field and Dalvy Rosario coming in to second from center field, escaped the top of the tenth. Martorella singled in Grant Richardson on the first pitch of the bottom half of the inning to cut the lead to 3-2.
The Blue Wahoos were able to load the bases with two outs, as Johnny Olmstead reached on a dropped third strike and Ignoffo reached on an infield single. The Biscuits let nothing more come from it, as Jackson Lancaster (S, 1) induced a ground ball to short from Dalvy Rosario to end the night.
White’s night began with an up-and-down first inning. After notching his first career Double-A strikeout against Homer Bush Jr. to lead off the night, he walked the next two hitters, along with a single to Matthew Etzel. White picked up two more punchouts, sitting down Colton Ledbetter and Tres Barrera to wiggle out of the self-induced jam, but not without racking up his pitch count to 37 in the first frame.
Montgomery continued to force White into elevating the pitch count, forcing an early exit. As the Massachusetts native was taken out at 2.2 IP, he allowed three hits, one earned run, four walks and four strikeouts in his first start at Double-A.
“It’s good to see that my stuff definitely does play,” White said. “I felt pretty comfortable, actually. I think there’s sometimes you just go out there and maybe you just don’t have it, whether something’s not clicking mechanically or just release point-wise.”
After the Biscuits pushed a run across against White in the third thanks to an infield single by Etzel, the Blue Wahoos tied things up at one with a bases-loaded walk. Montgomery starter Brody Hopkins walked four in the fourth, allowing Shane Sasaki to score to bring it to 1-1.
Alex Williams was a standout for the Pensacola bullpen as he shouldered the load for the staff. After White lasted only 2.2 IP while pushing his pitch count to 70, Williams provided 4.2 IP of shutout baseball. While allowing only two hits, the right-hander pushed his scoreless streak to 19.1 IP, tying Tim Adelman for the tenth-longest streak in franchise history.
The Biscuits found success in the bullpen, piecing together 5.0 shutout innings prior to Martorella’s RBI in the tenth against Lancaster. Dan Hammer, Keyshawn Askew and Trevor Martin (W, 3-1) put together this stretch that helped push the Biscuits to their third win of the week.
The Blue Wahoos and Biscuits will meet for the fifth game of a six-game series Saturday night, with Dax Fulton (3-4, 3.60 ERA) taking the mound for Pensacola while Ty Cummings (2-2, 3.07 ERA) will make his fifth start of the year for Montgomery.
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Montgomery Biscuits vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Saturday and Sunday.
GAMETIMES: Saturday’s game starts at 6:05 p.m. The game on Sunday starts at 4:05 p.m.
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium
FHP: Cantonment Man Charged With DUI After Fleeing From Trooper Twice
June 20, 2025
A 53-year-old Cantonment mans is accused of DUI and fleeing from a state trooper that pursued him twice.
Bruce Maurice Tucker was charged with DUI, fleeing and eluding, reckless driving, and resisting an officer. He was later released on an $8,000 bond.
The Florida Highway Patrol responded to a Cedar Point Road in Cantonment where they found Tucker passed out behind the wheel of his Chevrolet Silverado in the middle of the road with the engine running, according to an FHP report. The trooper activated his blue lights and woke Tucker up. He reported smelling alcohol on Tucker’s breath.
FHP said he refused to exit the vehicle and drove away, with the trooper in pursuit. He stopped a short distance later, before fleeing again with the trooper pursuing him to a yard. The trooper reported hitting a tree stump, disabling his cruiser with a bent rim and Tucker continued down the roadway.
Troopers later obtained video of the Chevy swerving in the road prior to it stopping on Cedar Point Road, and FHP identified Tucker as the driver.
Want To Play Molino Photo Bingo? Take These Photos, Join Library Group On Monday
June 20, 2025
Want to play Molino Photo Bingo?
The Molino Library Photography Club will meet at 2 p.m. on Monday, June 23 at the library.
Attendees are taking part in Molino Photo Bingo to learn and improve their skills. The bingo card is pictured above (click to enlarge) or click here for a pdf. It is not necessary to participate in the bingo to attend the meeting.
Club members learn about photography, whether using a simple a simple camera, a more professional DSLR, or a phone. The meeting is open to anyone, whether a beginner or pro.
Why Is The Power Going Off So Much In The Flomaton, McCall Area?
June 20, 2025
Residents in the Flomaton and McCall areas has reported to us that they are experience frequent power outages, and Southern Pine Electric Cooperative has explained why.
In the Flomaton, McCall, Keego, and Pineview areas, Southern Pine is in the process of upgrading the three-phase power distribution lines in the area, and contractors are doing the work while the lines are still energized.
“For their safety we have to set the breaker in the substation to open much faster. This will help keep the workers in a much more safe position just in case an accident occurs while they are working,” Southern Pine said. “One downside to this is, anytime there is an issue such as lightning or any other fault on the lines, it can cause the breaker in the substation to cut the power much faster than it normally would.”
The utility said the upgrades are designed to ultimately enhance system reliability.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Furious Wahoos Comeback Falls Short in 7-6 Loss To Montgomery Biscuits
June 20, 2025
written by Bill Vilona
Jake Buxton waited nearly two years for his pitching return with the Blue Wahoos.
Unfortunately for him, fate wasn’t kind.
Buxton, a righthander, had a scorching line drive ricochet off his side in the second inning, forcing him out of the game and igniting a big inning for the Montgomery Biscuits they carried into an eventual 7-6 victory Thursday against the Blue Wahoos.
But on this night when an impactful part of Pensacola’s pro baseball legacy was honored, the home team nearly pulled off the biggest comeback this season.
Taking on identity of the Pensacola Seagulls, the most renowned of the city’s former teams during the segregation era, a 7-0 deficit after two innings was whittled into a one-swing game after the seventh inning.
The game at Blue Wahoos Stadium, which honored Pensacola’s heritage on Juneteenth, started nearly an hour late, following a massive thunderstorm.
That was the first patch of rough luck to start Buxton’s night.
He yielded a pair of walks, then a two-run homer in the first inning. With two on, none out in second inning, Biscuits third baseman Willy Vasquez blasted a fastball that exited his bat at 112 mph, striking Buxton above his waist with no time to react.
He tried two warmup pitches, but it was quickly determined he could not continue. Buxton, 24, started just once before with the Blue Wahoos, back on Sept. 13, 2023 during the team’s final homestand. He was elevated Tuesday from the Beloit (Wisconsin) Sky Carp, where he pitched the entire 2024 season.
He was 3-2 with a 2.10 earned run average in eight appearances this season in Beloit.
When he exited Thursday, reliever Ricky DeVito was summoned from the dugout. He tried in about five minutes to rapidly get loose on the mound during an extended play stoppage, but he didn’t have his normal command.
His first pitch to shortstop Gregory Barrios was laced over first base inside the foul line for a run-scoring double. A sacrifice fly scored another run. DeVito then walked the bases loaded, gave up a two run single and uncorked a wild pitch for a 5-run inning and 7-0 Biscuits lead.
Nathan Martorella started the comeback with a solo homer in the fourth inning. The Blue Wahoos then took advantage of some sloppy defense by the Biscuits to score three runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh.
In the seventh, Shane Sasaki led off with a double, advanced on an infield single and scored on Kemp Alderman’s RBI ground out. A dropped pop up at third base enabled Martorella to reach base. Cody Morissette drove in the sixth run with an RBI.
But the Biscuits bullpen held on in the final two innings. Alderman hit a line out to right field to start the ninth. Martorella drew a walk, before a double play ended the game.
A good portion of Thursday’s crowd of 3,334 remained for post-game fireworks to honor the Juneteenth holiday.
The Blue Wahoos wore the replica white uniforms with blue piping, numbers and logo of Pensacola Seagulls, as part of The Nine Initiative in Minor League Baseball, which launched in 2022 by Major League Baseball to honor and celebrate the historic impact numerous African-American baseball pioneers made on the sport.
Nine is a reference to the No. 9 worn by legend Jackie Robinson while he played in the minor leagues, before breaking the game’s color barrier in 1947 in a historic way with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson wore No. 42 through his decorated MLB career.
Though Robinson never played in Pensacola, he and his wife stayed overnight in Pensacola in 1946 on their way to spring training with the Dodgers organization.
The Seagulls were once a feeder team for the Negro Southern League, which had its final official season 74 years ago in 1951. In the Pensacola region, the Seagulls were the most prominent team of black players during the segregation era. They had a four-decade existence that ended as a local semi-pro team.
GAME NOTABLES
— Blue Wahoos outfielder Mark Coley II joined members of the Blue Wahoos front office staff, along with Kazoo, to participate in Pensacola’s Martin Luther King Parade downtown. The event on Juneteenth was originally scheduled on Martin Luther King Day in January, but that was the exact date of the historic 2025 snowfall in Pensacola.
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— This was the fourth consecutive year the Blue Wahoos wore the Seagulls’ uniforms for a game. Part of Seagulls history included outfielder Johnny Joe Lewis, who became Pensacola’s first African-American player to play in Major League Baseball when he made his debut on April 14, 1964 with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Part of the team’s history occurred during an era where Pensacola had other black baseball teams called the Arthur Giants, the Pensacola Clowns, the Olive Braves and Pepsi-Cola Stars.
— On Friday, 20-year-old lefthander Thomas White, the Miami Marlins’ No. 1 prospect, makes his Double-A level debut on the mound with the Blue Wahoos in a game being offered for free on the MiLB TV network.
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Montgomery Biscuits vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Friday Thru Sunday.
GAMETIMES: The games on Friday and Saturday all start at 6:05 p.m. The game on Sunday starts at 4:05 p.m.
Morristown Temporarily Reopened, But It Will Close Again Monday
June 20, 2025
Morristown Road, which was closed Tuesday, has temporarily reopened to all local traffic after recent roadway improvements. However, the road will close again briefly on Monday, June 23 for repaving. The road will reopen to all traffic once the paving is complete.
Residents will have access to their property. Signage will be placed at each end of the roadway to inform drivers of the closure.
On June 23, drivers should seek an alternate route until the roadway reopens. Drivers can utilize Dykestown Road to Ebenezer Church Road as a detour to the west and Shell Road to Nelsontown and Nelson Roads as a detour to the east.
Map courtesy Santa Rosa County.