Billings Murder Mastermind Appeal Rejected
September 14, 2018
The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously turned down an appeal by death row inmate Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Jr. He convicted of killing Byrd and Melanie Billings during a July 2009 home-invasion robbery that drew national attention.
Justices rejected arguments raised by Gonzalez, who was convicted of first degree murder in the slayings.
Gonzalez and four other men entered the home to steal a safe that they thought contained $13 million, according to court records. Byrd and Melanie Billings died after each being shot multiple times.
In the appeal decided Thursday, Gonzalez raised arguments including that he had received “ineffective assistance” from his attorney before being convicted. In part, Gonzalez contended that his attorney didn’t adequately argue for a change of venue because of publicity surrounding the case.
Also, Gonzalez contended that the attorney did not adequately determine during jury selection whether jurors could be impartial.
But the Supreme Court, in a nine-page opinion, upheld the convictions.
“The record before this (Supreme) Court demonstrates that trial counsel provided prospective jurors with a questionnaire inquiring, among other things, about their exposure to pretrial publicity,” the opinion said. “Members of the (potential jury) who responded that they were familiar with the publicity were asked if they could set it aside and consider only the evidence presented during the trial.
Two prospective jurors who indicated they could not set aside what they had heard or read were excused for cause. Once the jury selections were completed, Gonzalez was asked personally if he was satisfied with the jury as selected and he replied affirmatively.
Accordingly, the record reflects that Gonzalez was able to select a fair and impartial jury and the trial court would not likely have granted a renewed motion for change of venue at that time.”
Justices Barbara Pariente, Peggy Quince, Ricky Polston, Jorge Labarga and Alan Lawson concurred in the opinion. Chief Justice Charles Canady and Justice R. Fred Lewis agreed with the outcome but did not fully sign on to the opinion.
Byrd and Melanie Billings died after each being shot multiple times.
“In the case of Mr. Billings, Gonzalez shot him in one leg, repeated the request for money, and then shot him in the other leg when Mr. Billings was still not forthcoming about the money,” earlier court documents said. “Gonzalez then placed Mr. Billings in a headlock and dragged him into the master bedroom where he shot him in the side of the face. Only after Mr. Billings was terrorized and endured repeated non-fatal shootings did Gonzalez finally shoot him in the head. As to Mrs. Billings, although her actual shooting and death occurred fairly quickly, she was aware of her impending death and probably fearful of suffering multiple gunshot wounds, having witnessed her husband being shot and suffer. She was then shot in the face, while looking at her attacker and knowing that her children were probably also in grave danger.”
by The News Service of Florida with contribution from NorthEscambia.com
GED Classes Available At The Molino Community Center
September 14, 2018
Fall 2018 GED classes have started at the Molino Community Center and meet every Monday and Thursday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. This is an open enrollment program, so students may enroll anytime during the semester.
Classes are actively taught by certified teachers and personalized instruction is given based on each individual student’s academic level. Tuition is $30 per semester.
For more information, click here.
New students must complete an online application at www.georgestonecenter.com.
Gulf Power Prepares Storm Team For Hurricane Florence Help
September 13, 2018
A 76-person Gulf Power storm team was released on Thursday, shortly after beginning their trip to the Carolinas to assist with restoration following Hurricane Florence.
“With the hurricane weakening slightly as it approaches, the anticipated crew levels needed are being adjusted,” said Gordon Paulus, Gulf Power spokesperson. “However, there is a chance we could be picked up by another utility between now and Monday.”
The storm is forecast to be a tropical storm as late as Saturday night in South Carolina.
The unpredictability of tropical storms means planning is constantly shifting. Gulf Power is part of the Mutual Assistance group of the Southeastern Electric Exchange, which coordinates the placement of utility restoration teams with the host utilities that might need them.
“Once the utilities in North and South Carolina assess how much damage there is from the winds of Hurricane Florence and the flooding, we could very well be called to assist one of them,” Paulus said. “We are ready to help.”
Gulf Power has a strong history of restoring power — both at home and away assisting other utilities. Crews have deployed nearly 40 times since 2008 to help other energy companies restore power to their customers, most recently to Puerto Rico, to help rebuild the energy grid following Hurricane Maria.
Pictured: Corey Ness, a line technician out of the Pensacola Pine Forest office, packs some gear into a bucket truck in preparation for the storm restoration trip to the Carolina. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Molino Woman Accused Of Shooting At Her Son’s Friend In Drug Money Dispute
September 13, 2018
A Molino woman is accused of firing a gun at her son’s high school friend in a dispute over drug money in an incident that played out on the roads of Bratt.
Crystal Lorraine Holliday, 36, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, discharging a firearm from a vehicle and robbery with a firearm. She was released from the Escambia County Jail Wednesday morning on a $7,500 bond.
The victim told deputies that he was given $200 to go buy “weed” for the dad of another student he knew from school. But instead of purchasing marijuana, the victim decided to keep the cash.
He received text messages from a number he did not recognize asking him to meet at a convenience store at the corner of North Highway 99 and Highway 4 in Bratt. When he arrived at the store, he saw the man get out of his car and start to approach him. The victim became scared and drove away.
The student’s dad pulled up next to the victim’s car as they traveled on Breastworks Road. The student’s mother, later identified as Holliday, fired a shot at the victim, according to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office report. The victim stopped his car and put his hands up as Holliday pointed the gun at him and demanded the $200, the report states.
The victim told investigators that he had already spend part of the $200, so Holliday took a compound bow valued at $900 and his $600 iPhone at gunpoint and told him he could get his phone back for $90. The victim drove to a residence on Pine Barren Road and called deputies.
The father told deputies that there was never a gun involved in the incident, and Holliday owns a .380 caliber weapon that she keeps in another vehicle, according to the report. The father also said the money was for a cell phone that the victim did not give his son, so they chased him, taking his phone and bow until the victim could pay back the money.
Holliday’s statements to deputies were redacted from the arrest report.
The bow and iPhone were returned to the victim by the ECSO.
New Traffic Light At 297A And Kingsfield To Be Activated
September 13, 2018
Escambia County is currently constructing roadway improvements at the intersection of Highway 297A and Kingsfield Road in Cantonment. New overhead traffic signals will be installed and placed into flash mode today and will remain in flash mode until Monday when the signals will be fully activated.
The intersection improvement project also includes the installation of turn lane improvements, pedestrian amenities and drainage upgrades, and is anticipated to be completed within the next few weeks. All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or re-scheduled in the event of inclement weather.
The project will greatly improve both general and school traffic flow along the two roadways. Drivers are advised to be aware of the new traffic improvements at the intersection and take caution when driving around construction areas. If lane or roadway closures are necessary at any time during construction, another notice will be issued.
Century Man Charged With Threatening To Kill His Sister With A Machete
September 13, 2018
A Century man was arrested after allegedly threatening to kill his sister with a machete.
The victim told the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office that she became involved with an argument with Samuel Donald Ewing, 69, over broken household items. He then went to his room in their house and retrieved a machete and made threats to kill her, an arrest report states. The victim and her sister were able to wrestle the machete away from him.
Ewing was charged with felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He remained in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $10,000.
IMPACT 100 Names 2018 Finalists For $100K Grants
September 13, 2018
IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area, a local women’s philanthropic group, has announced 15 grant finalists for 2018. Eleven of the 15 nonprofit finalists will each receive a grant of $100,300 at the IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area Annual Meeting in October.
The 15 finalists selected by IMPACT 100’s Focus Area Committees are as follows:
ARTS & CULTURE
• First City Arts Alliance, Inc. dba First City Art Center
Project: Creating Space for Educating and Inspiring Youth
• Pensacola High School Band Boosters Association, Inc.
Project: Music is for Everyone at PHS
• Pyramid, Inc.
Project: Bringing the Arts to the Underserved in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties
EDUCATION
• Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge, Inc.
Project: Return to the Wild
• Escambia County Public Schools Foundation for Excellence, Inc.
dba Escambia County Public Schools Foundation
Project: Swim, Soar, and Fly into Science Inspiring Hands-on Exploration of Our Natural World
• Santa Rosa County 4-H Association, Inc.
Project: 4-H Field Education Facility
ENVIRONMENT, RECREATION & PRESERVATION
• Miracle League of Santa Rosa County, Inc.
Project: Miracle Field of Dreams
• Mother Wit Institute, Inc.
Project: Save the Ella L. Jordan Home – A Historic Place
• Veterans Memorial Park Foundation of Pensacola, Inc.
Project: Restoring Veterans Memorial Lighting
FAMILY
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida, Inc.
Project: There’s No Place Like Home
• Sacred Heart Foundation, Inc.
Project: “Paw”erful Medicine – Using Animal-Assisted Therapy to Make “Ruff” Days a Little Brighter
• Young Men’s Christian Association of Northwest Florida, Inc. dba YMCA of Northwest Florida
Project: The Wheels on the Bus
HEALTH & WELLNESS
• KlaasKIDS Foundation, Inc.
Project: Missing Child Response & Child Exploitation Prevention
• Opening Doors Northwest Florida, Inc. dba EscaRosa Coalition on the Homeless, Inc.
Project: Opening Doors on a Mission to Reach, Respond, Restore
• Re-Entry Alliance Pensacola, Inc. dba REAP
Project: REAP’s Women’s Re-entry Portal – Pathway for Success
Since its inception in 2004, IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area has awarded 87 grants totaling $9,395,000. With the addition of this year’s awards, IMPACT 100 will have awarded 98 grants totaling $10,498,000.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ribbon Cutting Held For New Doughnut Shop In Century
September 13, 2018
The Century Area Chamber of Commerce held a grand opening ribbon cutting at a new doughnut shop. Sunrise Donuts is located at 8321 North Century Boulevard in a building last occupied by a Chinese restaurant. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Democratic Party Reaches Out To Voters During Century Stop
September 13, 2018
The Florida Democratic Party brought their statewide tour to Century Wednesday afternoon as they look to gain support in Escambia County, a traditional Republican stronghold.
Only one Century resident — other than local candidates or the mayor — attended the meeting.
The tour is part of the party’s effort to ensure they are reaching voters across the state and bring attention to their candidates in rural areas that have not seen a Democratic candidate in decades.
“We are here to talk about the issues that are important to the rural areas of Florida. We know that rural counties have been particularly hard hit by the last 20 years of Republican rule,” Terrie Rizzo, state chair of the Florida Democratic Party told NorthEscambia.com. “We have a record number of Democratic candidates that have stepped up to run and present issues to the local areas.”
Rizzo said the visit to Century is part of the party’s 67-county plan, because “every county in Florida matters”.
For more photos, click here.
“We deal with a lot of poverty, and we deal with a lot of infrastructure needs that go overlooked, as well as transportation to get to things such as education, transportation to health care and transportation to jobs, Vikki Garrett, Democratic candidate for Florida House District 1, said.
“I have a real concern about out public education from the state level as far as the resources we can bring back to District 1,” Garrett said.
“We will build up Escambia,” Democratic Florida Chief Financial Officer candidate Jeremy Ring said. “Probably starting from Pensacola, especially with all the defense work. And the communities start to build opportunities moving north.”
Ring is a former state senator from Broward County and was one of the first people to work at Yahoo during the the company’s early years. If elected, he would be first Democrat to win a statewide race for a Florida office since 2006 when Alex Sink won the CFO job.
The Democratic Party’s “Rural Tour” stop in Century was billed as a “Rural Education Forum”, a topic Century Mayor Henry Hawkins said he holds dear.
Carver/Century K-8 School, the last public school inside Century, closed in May 2009 as the students were consolidated into Bratt Elementary School and Ernest Ward Middle.
“In the past 10 or 12 years with two superintendents, they have closed every predominately black school there is in Escambia County,” Hawkins said. “Century was the last one.”
Hawkins said the county spent millions more building a new facility at Ernest Ward Middle School in Walnut Hill, instead of spending millions less to move students to the former Carver Middle School in Century.
The one local resident that attended the event, Tawana Jones, told the panel that there is more to Century that most people see.
“I don’t want you guys to think we are all just needy and poor, because that is misrepresentation of us,” Jones said. “There’s a lot of us that work, that have great jobs, that are productive members of society. So we are not all poor, we are not all begging…..there are people that are doing well in Century. I want that to be portrayed about my community.”
“Century has a lack of resources for its citizens, and school is that resource. That is the main resource,” Jones added. She said “the majority” of the children in Century do not attend Bratt or Byrneville elementary, Ernest Ward Middle or Northview High schools because they are too far away. In the school attendance zone that includes Century, Ernest Ward is the greatest distance away at about 16 miles.
Pictured top: (L-R) Florida Democratic Party chair Terry Rizzio, Century Mayor Henry Hawkins and Florida CFO candidate Jeremy Ring. Pictured inset: Jeremy Ring. Pictured below: U.S. House candidate Jennifer Zimmerman (left) and Florida House District 1 candidate Vikki Garrett listen during Wednesday’s discussion in Century. Pictured bottom: Hawkins listens to Ring. NorthEscambia.com photos. click to enlarge.
Number Of Uninsured Increases In Florida, Tops National Average
September 13, 2018
More than 2.6 million people in Florida lacked health insurance at some point in 2017, according to data released Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
That means about 12.9 percent of the state’s population last year was uninsured — up from 12.5 percent in 2016 — as Florida continued to be higher than the national average of 8.8 percent.
“Florida is going in the wrong direction, and Florida already had a high uninsured rate to begin with,” said Joan Alker, executive director and research professor at the Center for Children and Families at the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy.
Nationally, the data showed that about 1 in 4 uninsured people were 26 to 34 years old, and about 1 in 5 uninsured people were ages 34 to 44. Data also indicated that the uninsured tended to have lower incomes and were more likely to have high-school educations or less.
Florida had the fifth-highest rate of uninsured residents in the nation, with the higher states Texas (17.3 percent), Oklahoma (14.2 percent), Alaska (13.7 percent) and Georgia (13.4 percent).
The release of the new numbers comes at a time when health care remains one of the top issues dividing Florida political leaders and as it has become a key issue during this year’s elections.
Democrats have long called for expanding Medicaid eligibility under the federal Affordable Care Act to include uninsured childless adults with incomes at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level. But the Republican-controlled Legislature has rejected the idea.
Before his 2014 re-election campaign, Republican Gov. Rick Scott came out in favor of Medicaid expansion but later resumed his opposition to the idea. Scott is running for the U.S. Senate this year, trying to unseat longtime Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson.
Scott spokesman McKinley Lewis said the narrative that Medicaid expansion is a cure-all “just isn’t’ true” and that “19 states that expanded Medicaid have seen an increase in the number of uninsured.”
“Florida’s Medicaid program is operating at an all-time high in efficiency and service to Florida families,” Lewis said. “The fact is, Gov. Scott has offered significant proposals on how Washington can increase quality and access to health care.”
After President Donald Trump was elected, Scott called for Congress to repeal the federal health-care overhaul, which was pushed into law by former President Barack Obama and is commonly known as Obamacare. The effort ultimately failed, although Florida is now part of an ongoing lawsuit that could dismantle key portions of the law.
A closer look of the new data shows that in Florida, about 45 percent of people with insurance in 2017 obtained it through their employers. Medicare, the government-run program for people 65 and older, and Medicaid, which covers the poor, elderly and disabled, account for 21.7 percent and 18.6 percent of the insured population respectively. Another 3 percent of Floridians with health insurance obtained it through the Veterans Administration, according to the data.
The remaining people obtained their insurance, according to the Census data, by directly purchasing policies. For many people, that meant buying policies on the federal health-care exchange, which was created through the Affordable Care Act.
Jodi Ray, director of the organization Florida Covering Kids & Families, said she wasn’t surprised by the Census data.
Florida Covering Kids & Families works to provide education, training and enrollment assistance to help people obtain health coverage. As she travels the state, it’s not unusual for her, she said, to speak with residents who aren’t aware that they can enroll in the federal health insurance exchange.
“It never fails to shock me when I hear them say, ‘I thought that went away,’ “she said.
by Christine Sexton, The News Service of Florida