Florida Sexual Predator Charged With Sex Crime Against Atmore Teen
July 15, 2020
A convicted Florida sexual predator has been charged with a sex crime against a minor in Atmore.
Ernest Powell III, age 40, is charged with transmitting obscene material to a child by computer. He remained in the Escambia County Detention Center in Brewton bond set at a half million dollars.
According to the Atmore Police Department, the parents of a 15-year old girl reported Powell showed the girl sexaully explicit photos from a cellphone while she was working at a local business.
Powell was convicted in 2002 of sexual battery with a weapon or force in Escambia County. He was released from a Florida prison in April 2018 after serving a 20 year sentence and required to register as a sexual predator.
Editor’s note: The “Inmate” watermark on the picture was placed by Escambia County (AL) Detention Center’s system.
Escambia County Seeks Volunteer For Disability Awareness Committee
July 15, 2020
The Escambia County Board of County Commissioners is seeking District 2 and District 3 county residents interested in volunteering for an appointment to the Escambia County Disability Awareness Committee, which was established by the board in 2013.
Escambia County residents interested in serving on the committee are asked to submit a resume and letter indicating their desire to serve by the close of business Friday, July 16. Letters and resumes should be submitted to Shamara Jernigan, Program Coordinator, Board of County Commissioners, P.O. Box 1591, Pensacola, FL 32502, or emailed to BoardApply@myescambia.com.
Resumes submitted for consideration are subject to public records requests and are included in Escambia County Commission meeting information, including the agenda and official meeting minutes.
The purpose of the committee is to make recommendations to the board of county commissioners regarding issues relating to the disabled community and any other issues requested by the board. The committee is composed of seven voting members, and all members of the committee must be electors of Escambia County. Each commissioner on the board of county commissioners appoints one member to the committee, and each member serves concurrently with his or her appointing commissioner’s term. The board collectively appoints two at-large members, who each serve a four-year term.
There are four meetings scheduled each year on the third Wednesday of the month. Meetings begin at 3 p.m. and typically last until 5 p.m. Special meetings may be scheduled if needed. There is no travel required.
Baptist, Sacred Heart Hospitals Implement No Visitors Policy; West Florida Delays Elective Surgeries
July 14, 2020
West Florida Hospital has delayed all elective surgeries, as Ascension Sacred Heart and Baptist hospitals returned to a no visitors policy, due to the spread of COVID-19.
Ascension Sacred Heart Statement:
The health and safety of our patients, associates and visitors is our top priority. Because of the significant increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in our community, we have decided to temporarily impose additional restrictions to limit the number of visitors entering our Pensacola hospital.
Effective Wednesday, July 15 at 6 a.m. CT, we will be suspending patient visitation at Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola.
Exceptions may be made for:
– Pediatric/Neonatal ICU patients: Two designated parents or guardians may visit, but only one at a time.
– Patients with disabilities or impairments or who are elderly: One visitor.
– Women giving birth: One partner
– Patients requiring surgery or other medical procedures: One visitor.
– Patients presenting to the Emergency Department: One family member or friend.
– Patients receiving end-of-life care: One visitor.
All visitors must be at least 18 years of age.
We will continue to require all staff and visitors to wear a mask inside the hospital. We also will continue to screen all permitted visitors, including temperature checks.
We encourage families and friends of our patients to communicate through the use of cell phones and apps for virtual visits. We have added these temporary restrictions with great reluctance. However, these steps are necessary to limit the numbers of people in our hospitals, and protect our patients, visitors, care teams and community to control the spread of this highly contagious virus. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation for the common good. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation for the common good.
West Florida Hospital Statement:
As positive COVID-19 cases continue to rise across Florida and here in our area, West Florida Hospital is taking proactive action in order to position our hospital to better serve the immediate health care needs of our community. Beginning Thursday, July 16, West Florida Hospital will temporarily defer the scheduling of elective surgeries as a measure to increase hospital bed capacity. This measure will be implemented as part of established hospital surge plans and is being done to ensure our care teams can continue to deliver safe, effective, and compassionate care to our patients experiencing both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 health concerns. This change does not affect surgeries scheduled to take place before July 16, 2020. West Florida Hospital will continue with Urgent and Emergent surgery. Low acuity surgeries that were scheduled on or after July 16, 2020 will be appropriately deferred at a surgeon’s discretion, hospital policy and in consultation with the patient. The deferred cases will be concentrated in low acuity and those that may require an overnight stay at the hospital.
We are confident in our hospital’s ability to care for the community as the pandemic evolves in Florida and here in our area. Again, this step is proactive to ensure our readiness as we monitor the capacity in our hospital, which fluctuates daily, and the reported COVID-19 positive cases around the state. West Florida Hospital will work with our surgeons to evaluate the status of each elective surgery on a weekly basis and will work to reschedule as soon as possible.
Baptist Hospital Statement:
Because the recent spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in our state and local area threatens the health of everyone, Baptist Health Care has revised its visitation policy. Effective Wednesday, July 15 at 5 a.m., no visitors will be permitted at Baptist, Gulf Breeze and Jay Hospitals, Baptist Towers and all Baptist Health Care medical parks, urgent care centers and physician offices. Visitor exceptions will be made for end-of-life situations, critical caregivers and essential support persons.
The visitation policy includes limited entry doors. All patients and authorized support persons entering any Baptist Health Care location must wear a mask, be screened and have a temperature check. They should allow extra time upon arrival for this screening. Screening stations are set up at select entrances of all locations.”
Ascend Creates New Mask Technology To Protect Against COVID-19, And It’s Made In North Escambia
July 14, 2020
Ascend Performance Materials has developed a new mask technology that protect against SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19, and the material to make it is manufactured at the company’s North Escambia facility on Old Chemstrand Road.
The masks, a nanofiber and a microfiber nonwoven version each branded under the Acteev Biodefend line for medical devices, deliver a one-two punch of antiviral properties plus top-level barrier protection against microbes, harmful airborne particles and fluid splatter, according to the company.
“The material that goes into this material is made in Pensacola. We’ve submitted a filing with the FDA to market technology in a surgical mask that lab tests show to be 99% effective against SARS-CoV-2,” Nicki Britton, Ascend’s global communications manager, told NorthEscambia.com. “It’s a new way of achieving efficacy – our scientists and engineers have invented a process for embedding active zinc ions into soft nylon, resulting in a fabric that is both antiviral and comfortable. The mask designs we filed also achieve top level filtration.”
“We’ve been working on this technology for several years. When the pandemic hit we went shifted our business to answer this immediate need. Our products are manufactured in the U.S.A.,” Britton said.
Ascend has filed the necessary paperwork with the FDA to market the masks and is hoping for approval soon.
Acteev technology has been shown in laboratory tests to deactivate SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and other pathogens including H1N1, betacoronavirus OC43, human coronavirus 229E and Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria such as staphylococcus and E. coli, according to Vikram Gopal, Ph.D., Ascend’s chief technology officer. The testing was conducted following the protocols of ISO, ASTM or other international standards organizations.
The proposed masks also meet the requirements to qualify as Level III standards, as tested by independent laboratories as well as Ascend scientists. Level III is the highest tier for physical barrier and safety properties, according to the common international testing standard.
Dr. Gopal said the combination of superior physical properties and antiviral protection is a breakthrough in medical device technology, as many masks succeed either at antiviral protection or at filtration and barrier effectiveness but not at both.
“Previous technologies rely on the materials within a mask to retain an electrical charge to achieve filtration efficiency,” Dr. Gopal said. “But when antimicrobial agents are added, those materials lose their charge and begin to fail as barriers.”
Acteev masks, however, achieve antiviral effectiveness through active zinc ions embedded within the polymer structure of polyamide 66, a hygroscopic nylon material whose equilibrium moisture keeps the zinc ions active.
“With Acteev, we have cracked the code of balancing top physical performance with antiviral protection,” Dr. Gopal said.
The technology, covered by more than 15 patent families, has been tested in multiple end forms, including knit and woven fabrics; engineered plastics; and nanofiber meltblown, microfiber meltblown and spunbond nonwoven materials.
Photos courtesy Ascend Performance Materials for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Man, 18, Charged With Sexual Battery Of 14-Year Old Runaway
July 14, 2020
An 18-year old Cantonment resident is facing two felony charges for allegedly have sex with an endangered 14-year old runaway.
Samuel Tate Mullen, 18, was charged with two second degree felony counts of lewd or lascivious battery on a victim age 12-16.
Mullen allegedly met the teenage girl after she texted to say she had snuck out of her house, according to an arrest report.
The girl told deputies she had sexual encounters with Mullen two or three times, and that she had been dating him for two weeks in an ongoing relationship, the report states. The arrest report indicates Mullen lied about his age, and the girl told him she was 16.
He was released from the Escambia County Jail on $10,000 bond.
Ballots Mailed For August Primary, But About 50,000 Escambia Voters Not Eligible
July 14, 2020
Vote-by-mail ballots for the August 18 primary election are now in the mail to voters that requested them, according to Escambia County Supervisor of Elections David Stafford.
Florida law establishes a window for mailing civilian ballots between 40 and 33 days prior to election day. Ballots for military and overseas voters were sent on July 2.
However, not all registered voters in Escambia County are eligible to receive a ballot in the primary election, as a result of Florida’s closed primary system and Escambia County’s single-member districts. This impacts nearly 50,000 of Escambia County’s 223,000 registered voters in the primary election.
All registered Republican voters are eligible in at least one contest due to the countywide primary for the U.S. House of Representatives nomination. Registered Democrats, No Party Affiliation voters, and minor party voters in some but not all precincts are eligible, depending on the district in which they are registered.
Registered Democratic voters in the following precincts do not have any contests in which they are eligible to vote in the primary, and as a result will not be issued a ballot:
- 1, 3, 15, 24, 30, 35, 40, 41, 42, 46, 49, 50, 54, 58, 64, 67, 71, 72.1, 77, 82, 83, 94, 97, 105, 106, 107, 108, 110.1
Voters in the following precincts with No Party Affiliation or registered in a minor party do not have any contests in which they are eligible to vote in the primary, and as a result will not be issued a ballot:
- 1, 3, 15, 24, 28, 29, 30, 31, 34, 35, 40, 41, 42, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 54, 58, 60, 63, 64, 67, 69, 70, 71, 72, 77, 80, 82, 83, 90, 91, 94, 97, 98, 101, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 110, 113
Any Florida voter can choose to vote by mail. If you have not already made a request and wish to receive your ballot in the mail, visit EscambiaVotes.com/vote-by-mail or call us at (850) 595-3900. The request deadline is August 8.
The deadline to register to vote or change party affiliation before the August 18 Primary Election is July 20. Visit EscambiaVotes.com/register-to-vote for more information. A sample ballot will be mailed to all registered voters prior to the start of early voting and will be posted at EscambiaVotes.com. Voters with questions about their eligibility should call (850) 595-3900 or visit EscambiaVotes.com/am-i-registered for more information.
Pictured: Escambia County vote-by-mail ballots were mailed Monday. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
37 Tons Of Debris Collected During Cantonment, Farm Hill Neighborhood Cleanup
July 14, 2020
About 37 tons of debris was collected during a recent Cantonment and Farm Hill neighborhood cleanup.
The District 5 event allowed residents to leave items at the curb to be disposed of free of charge by Escambia County and partnering agencies as part of the county’s ongoing efforts to keep local communities clean and safe.
In Cantonment and Farm hill, the county collected about eight tons of yard waste, 25 tons of bulk waste, four tons of tires (that’s about 370 tires) and about three-quarters of a ton of household hazardous waste placed at curbside for pick up. About 350 gallons of old paint was collected and will be recycled.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
FHP Investigates West Kingsfield, South Highway 97 Wreck
July 13, 2020
There were reportedly no serious injuries in a two vehicle crash Monday afternoon at the intersection of West Kingsfield Road and South Highway 97, just west of Ransom Middle School.
The collision between a Range Rover and a Chrysler happened about 1:30 p.m. and is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
The Cantonment Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS also responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
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Homicide Investigation Underway After Man Found Shot To Death In A Vehicle On Olive Road
July 13, 2020
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a murder after a man was found shot to death in a vehicle on Olive Road early Monday morning.
At 1:09 a.m., ECSO deputies responded to a suspicious vehicle on Olive Road just east of the Palafox Street intersection. They found a 2008 red Toyota Prius parked in the roadway. Brian Keith Abercrombie, 53, was located deceased in the driver’s seat from an apparent gunshot wound.
Anyone with information on the homicide is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
ECSO: Cantonment Man Charged With Witness Tampering, Burglary
July 13, 2020
A Cantonment man that allegedly punched his friend and body slammed him into a car earlier this year is now charged with tampering in the case and pushing his way into the man’s home.
Andre Tervarris Cobb, 34, was charged with second degree felony aggravated battery causing bodily harm in March. The victim told the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office that Cobb was extremely high on drugs and intoxicated when suddenly begin beating him with his fist before body slamming him against a car, according to an arrest report. A witness corroborated the victim’s story.
Last week, Cobb was charged with burglary of an occupied residence, tampering in a second degree felony proceeding and marijuana possession.
Cobb allegedly went to the home of the victim from the March case on Booker Avenue and yelled for him to come outside. The victim said Cobb opened the front door and entered his home without permission, “yelling at him and threatening to kill him if he did not drop the charges put on him”, according to an arrest report. A witness corroborated the allegations.
Deputies located Cobb on Booker Avenue and noted in their report that he had a powerful odor of alcohol emanating from his breath and was “obviously under the influence of alcohol”. They also located a marijuana bunt in a bag in his position, according to the report.
While in the back of the deputy’s vehicle, Cobb became very belligerent and was banging on the prisoner partition in the vehicle. After being warned several times to stop, he was placed in hobble restraints to prevent injury.
Cobb remained in the Escambia County Jail after his bond was revoked in the earlier aggravated battery case.