FWC Law Enforcement Report
September 7, 2019
The Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement reported the following activity during the period ending August 15 in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
Officer Specialist McHenry conducted a resource inspection on an individual fishing at the Fort Pickens Fishing Pier. He was found in possession of 40 Spanish mackerel, 32 of which were undersized. The individual claimed two of his children helped catch the fish. Officer Specialist McHenry seized the illegal fish and cited the individual.
Officer Allgood was patrolling near the Navy Point Boat Ramp when he noticed a vessel returning to the ramp without the proper navigational lights. After the individual loaded his vessel on his trailer and pulled it into the parking lot, Officer Allgood approached him. The person showed several signs of impairment and field sobriety tasks were conducted. The subject was arrested for driving under the influence, failure to give a breath sample and other misdemeanor charges.
Officer McHenry was getting into his truck at a Pensacola marina when he noticed two individuals posing for pictures with a red drum. They were standing next to a small fishing pier and were also holding spear fishing equipment. Officer McHenry approached the individuals and spoke to them about the red drum. They denied spearing anything, they had wrapped the fish in a towel and placed it in a vehicle when they noticed Officer McHenry. Officer McHenry explained what he had witnessed and they admitted spearing the fish. The fish was over the legal-size limit. One of the individuals was cited for harvesting red drum by illegal methods.
Officer Allgood and Lieutenant Lambert were checking subjects as they returned to Galvez landing. They saw a charter boat returning to the ramp without the proper navigational lights. After discussing the lighting violation, a fisheries inspection revealed several fillets of vermillion snapper. Citations were issued for the violations.
Officers Allgood and Long stopped a vessel to perform a fisheries inspection. They found the two occupants in possession of six red snapper. Citations were issued accordingly.
Officers Allgood and Long were on patrol in the Big Lagoon area when they heard several people on a vessel yelling. They approached the vessel and spoke to the operator. The operator showed several signs of being impaired. Field sobriety tasks confirmed the operator was impaired and he was arrested for BUI. The operator was transported to the Escambia County Jail where he refused to give a breath sample.
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
Officer Mullins received information that a subject was in possession of a gopher tortoise. The officer located the subject and discovered he had two gopher tortoises in an enclosure at his residence. The subject had the tortoises for some time and had been caring for them as pets. Officer Mullins issued a notice to appear for possession of a threatened and endangered species and the gopher tortoises were returned to the wild.
This report represents some events the FWC handled during the time period; however, it does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement. Information provided by FWC.
NorthEscambia.com photo.
9 Mile Road Traffic Shift West Of Untreiner Avenue To Surrey Drive
September 7, 2019
Motorists traveling Nine Mile Road from west of Untreiner Avenue to Surrey Drive in Escambia County will be transitioned to the newly constructed eastbound roadway the week of Monday, Sept. 9. The traffic shift will allow crews to begin reconstruction efforts on the westbound travel lanes and median. Drivers may encounter intermittent lane restrictions from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. as crews prepare for the shift.
In addition to the traffic shift, drivers will notice the following changes:
- New stop sign at Highway 29 off-ramp: Vehicles turning right onto westbound Nine Mile Road from southbound U.S. 29 will be required to come to a full stop before merging with westbound traffic.
- Bowman Avenue to Ashland Avenue.: Due to an elevation change, access to the properties on the north side of Nine Mile Road between Bowman and Ashland avenues will be acquired via a frontage road instead of directly from Nine Mile Road.
The Florida Department of Transportation is urging driver to use extra caution as drivers become familiar with the new traffic patterns. Motorists should also watch for construction workers and equipment entering and exiting the roadway as they prepare for the shift.
All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather
Friday Night Finals
September 7, 2019
Here are Friday night finals from around the North Escambia area:
FLORIDA
- Tallahassee Lincoln 43, Tate 0
- Flomaton 40, Jay 0
- Catholic 50, West Florida 14
- Escambia 23, Pine Forest 20
- Washington 38, Pensacola High 0
- Gulf Breeze 27, Choctaw 24
- Navarre 21, Milton 13
- Northview – Open
- Pace – Open
ALABAMA
- Escambia County (Atmore) 46, Monroe County 0
- Tuscaloosa Academy 20, Escambia Academy 19
- Flomaton 40, Jay 0
- T.R. Miller 12, Excel 7
- Hillcrest 47, W.S. Neal 0
Pictured: Flomaton shut out Jay Friday night. NorthEscambia.com photo.
Escambia County Swaps Beulah Road To State For Perdido Key Drive
September 6, 2019
The Escambia County Commission unanimously approved a road swap Thursday night, trading part of Beulah Road to the state for part of Perdido Key Drive.
Escambia County will give 2.5 miles of Beulah Road from Mobile Highway to Isaacs Lane to the Florida Department of Transportation. In turn, FDOT will give 6.2 miles of Perdido Key Drive from the Alabama state line to Gongora Drive to Escambia County.
The county and FDOT have worked on negotiating the transfer since 2017.
The swap is expected to be a major step forward in the construction of a new I-10 interchange at Beulah Road for an eventual connector to Highway 29 somewhere in between Barrineau Park Road and Quintette Road. The so-called Beulah Beltway is envisioned as a four-lane divided highway with controlled or limited access.
And on Perdido Key Drive, Commissioner Doug Underhill says he’s looking forward to safety improvements, including in the area of the Flora-Bama.
It is expected to take about three months for the legal side of the road swap to be completed to make the deal official.
Pictured: A portion of Beulah Road. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Multiple Injuries In T-Bone Wreck On Highway 29 In Molino
September 6, 2019
At least two people were injured in a T-bone type collision late Thursday afternoon on Highway 29 in Molino near the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office substation.
They were transported to an area hospital by Escambia County EMS with injuries that did not appear to be immediately life threatening.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating and has not released any additional details.
The Molino and Cantonment stations of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Utility Trailer Stolen In Brewton Located Near Jay; One Charged
September 6, 2019
Alert citizens, social media and multi-jurisdictional law enforcement involvement led to the recovery near Jay of a utility trailer stolen from Brewton and an arrest.
Dover Dwight Daniels, 50, was charged with theft in the first degree by Brewton Police.
The trailer was stolen overnight Monday from in front of a hotel under construction in Brewton. A Facebook post by the trailer’s owner was shared over 500 times, and the trailer was spotted by an alert citizen on Camors Road off Morristown Road near Jay.
The trailer was recovered by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, and the Flomaton Police Department was also involved in the investigation.
Pictured above and below: A utility trailer stolen from a construction site in Brewton was recovered sitting next to Camors Road near Jay. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview JV Beats West Florida Freshmen (With Photo Gallery)
September 6, 2019
The junior varsity Northview Chiefs defeated the West Florida Jaguars freshmen 32-20 Thursday night in Bratt.
Northview’s junior varsity will travel to Pine Forest on September 19 befort returning home to host Baker on September 26. West Florida’s freshmen will be at Pensacola High School on September 12.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Man Charged With Attempted Aggravated Battery At Pensacola State College
September 6, 2019
An Cantonment man was charged with attempted second degree felony aggravated battery using a deadly weapon after allegedly nearly running over a woman in the Pensacola State College parking lot.
Dawon Kweku Siaw was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $500 bond.
Siaw allegedly drove directly at the victim in a parking lot at the PSC main campus, swerving at the last moment when less than foot from her person. The victim was able to identify Siaw as the driver because he was known to her. The connection between Siaw and the victim was redacted from an arrest report, but the charge was not listed as being domestic violence related.
Van Crosses Center Lane, Sideswipes Car On Highway 29
September 5, 2019
At least two people were transported to the hospital after a van sideswiped a car on Highway 29 in Century Thursday afternoon.
Video from a nearby surveillance camera showed the northbound van cross the center lane into the southbound lane and collide with the car. The driver of the car was temporarily trapped in her vehicle until she was extricated by firefighters. Her injuries did not appear to be serious.
The crash closed the southbound lanes of Highway 29 for over an hour. The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating.
Escambia County EMS, the Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, Flomaton Fire Department and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
One Seriously Injured In Kingsfield Crash
September 5, 2019
At least one person was seriously injured in traffic crash Thursday afternoon on Kingsfield Road.
The person was transported to an area hospital as a “trauma alert” following the wreck at Stallion Road.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating.
Reader submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.