Cantonment Man Charged After Allegedly Forcing His Way Into Motel Room, Hitting Man
July 8, 2020
A Cantonment man was charged after allegedly forcing his way into a motel room and hitting a man with his fist.
Michael Dillon Herron, 21, was booked into the Escambia County Jail on charges of felony burglary with assault and battery first degree, and simple battery.
Herron allegedly forced his way into a room at the Extended Stay on Pensacola Boulevard. That is where Herron told a subject smoking a cigarette that he owned him $50. The victim told deputies that he did not owe any money and went back into his room. After he closed the door, Herron forced his way into the room and struck the victim on the jaw with a closed fist before fleeing across the street, according to an arrest report.
Arriving Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies detained Herron, and noted that the victim’s jaw was bleeding. He was evaluated on scene and cleared by Escambia County EMS.
Herron remained in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $50,000.
Two More Deaths Reported In Escambia County, Alabama, As COVID-19 Cases Double In Two Weeks
July 8, 2020
The number of COVID-19 cases in Escambia County, Alabama, have more than doubled in the past two weeks with two additional deaths, according to data Tuesday night from the Alabama Department of Health.
There have been 411 confirmed confirmed cases, with 238 of those reported from 1,035 tests in the the last 14 days for a positivity rate of 23%.
There have been a total of eight confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the county.
The Escambia County (AL) Healthcare Authority reports 204 positive cases from 1,163 tests at Atmore Community Hospital and 42 cases from 477 tests at D.W. McMillan Memorial Hospital in Brewton in data released Tuesday.
Pictured: Atmore Community Hospital. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Rain Or Shine: Cantonment Food Giveaways Continue
July 8, 2020
For four months now, the volunteers of the Cantonment Improvement Committee have distributed food weekly to those in need. And Tuesday was no different, despite a steady rain.
Hundreds upon hundreds of families have been served, including 276 in need last week.
The CIC accepts food donations each Monday at 3 p.m. for distribution at 3 p.m. Tuesdays at Carver Park, 208 Webb Street in Cantonment.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Man Arrested For Homicide Of Woman Whose Body Was Found Near Pensacola Boulevard
July 8, 2020
An Escambia County man was arrested Tuesday for the murder of a woman whose body was found along Pensacola Boulevard.
Andrew Justin Missal, 39, was charged with first degree felony homicide for death of Melisa Tody.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said Tody’s body was found near the intersection of Pensacola Boulevard and Boone Street on May. 23.
Missal was arrested Tuesday without incident near the intersection of Fairfield Drive and I-110, according to the ECSO.
Escambia Commissioner May Selected To Serve On FAC COVID-19 Committee
July 8, 2020
Escambia County District 3 Commissioner Lumon May has been selected to serve on the Florida Association of Counties (FAC) COVID-19 Ad Hoc Committee.
“I am extremely proud and honored to serve on the COVID-19 Committee for the Florida Association of Counties,” said District 3 Commissioner Lumon May. “Since the arrival of the pandemic in Escambia County, I have worked closely with local hospitals to ensure everyone had access to testing. I am looking forward to working with leaders statewide on COVID-19 related policies that will help return our state and counties back to normal while keeping residents safe and healthy.”
City Administration Recommends Removal Of Pensacola’s Lee Square Confederate Monument
July 7, 2020
City administration is recommending that the Pensacola City Council approve the removal of the Lee Square Confederate monument.
In a memorandum Tuesday, City Administrator Keith Wilkins also recommended that the Mayor Grover Robinson be given the authority to award a contract for the removal.
On June 11, the city council began discussions about the monument and initiated a 30-day waiting period for potential action, and staff started their discussions.
The Pensacola City Council will make a final decision on the monument at a special meeting on July 14th.
According to the memo:
“Under careful consideration and with Pensacola’s collective heritage and historic landscape in mind, staff has determined that Lee Square and the monument does not reflect our current values nor strive to create a more inclusive City. Although the Confederate monument remembers those that lead, fought and died for the Confederacy, it also promotes a post-Reconstruction “Lost Cause” narrative that memorializes a divisive time in American history reflective of “white supremacy” and the Jim Crow era. The Square and Monument are not equitable representations of all our citizens. To achieve a stronger and more unified community, staff recommends the complete removal of the Lee Square Confederate monument.”
To read the full 17-page memo on removing the monument, click here.
Pictured: The Lee Square Confederate monument in Pensacola was fenced off last week. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Florida Orders All Schools To Reopen In August
July 7, 2020
Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran has ordered all public schools in the state to reopen in August while offering “the full panoply of services” to students and their families.
“There is a need to open schools fully to ensure the quality and continuity of the educational process, the comprehensive well-being of students and families and a return to Florida hitting its full economic stride,” the emergency order released Monday states.
The order requires that all public schools reopen in August at least five days a week and provide all services that are required by law, including in-person instruction and services for students with special needs.
“Required services must be provided to students from low-income families, students of migrant workers, students who are homeless, students with disabilities, students in foster care, students who are English-language learners, and other vulnerable populations,” the order states.
Both public school districts and charter school boards must submit their reopening plans to the Florida Department of Education that show how they will fully open and offer all services to all students. They will also be required to project the number of students that are expected to continue with remove learning as was used after the March statewide shutdown.
“Although it is anticipated that most students will return to full-time brick and mortar schools, some parents will continue their child’s education through innovative learning environments, often due to the medical vulnerability of the child or another family member who resides in the same household,” the order says.
School districts are also instructed to follow any executive orders from Gov. Ron DeSantis along with any advice from state or local health officials.
Tap or click to read the full order.
Brenda Spencer Appointed To Century Town Council. She’s A Former Escambia County Legal Secretary.
July 7, 2020
The Century Town Council voted unanimously Monday night to appoint Brenda Spencer to a vacant seat on the board.
Spencer is a Century native who retired in 2012 after 21 years as a legal secretary and co-office manager for the Escambia County attorney and deputy attorney. She has previous experience as medical secretary and was secretary to the plant manager at Wayne Dalton Corporation in Century from 1980-1988.
She will be sworn in during the next regular meeting of the council on July 20. Spencer will remain in office until an elected council member take office the night of January 4, 2021.
The seat was was left vacant when Ben Boutwell resigned in early June in order to run for mayor. That put his Seat 3 position on this year’s ballot, and allowed the council to appoint a new member for the rest of the year to fulfill the remainder of his term.
Pictured: Brenda Spencer. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
One Injured In Bratt Highway 4 Wreck
July 7, 2020
One person was injured in a two-vehicle crash Monday night in Bratt.
A Jeep Renegade and a Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck collided at the intersection of West Highway 4 and Still Road about 7:43 p.m. One person was transported to an area hospital with injuries that were not considered serious by Escambia County EMS.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating. The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded to the crash that closed the roadway for at least half an hour.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Staff COVID-19 Cases Increase At Century Prison
July 7, 2020
The number of COVID-19 staff members at Century Correctional Institution has grown, but there are still no reported cases among inmates at the facility on Tedder Road.
There are now five positive correctional workers at Century CI, up from three in late June. Six inmates have been tested, and all have received negative results. Four inmates are being monitored in medical quarantine, but have not been tested, all according to a report from the Florida Department of Corrections. There have been no inmate deaths related to coronavirus at CCI.
Across the state, the FDC has reported 2,443 inmates and 622 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. There have been 25 inmate deaths, with the most recent coming over the weekend.
At Blackwater Correctional Facility in Milton, which is operated by the GEO Group, a total of 101 inmates and 16 staffers have tested positive. Another 1,824 inmates were negative.