Officer Involved Shooting Of Davisville Man Ruled Justified
March 13, 2019
The State Attorney’s Office has ruled the officer involved shooting of a Davisville man on January 26 was justified.
Robert C. “Bobby” Martin, 69, was shot inside his home by an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputy.
“[The deputy] believed he and the other Deputies were in imminent danger of harm or death. This belief was a reasonable,” Assistant State Attorney John Molchan wrote in his report. “The use of force…was reasonable and justifiable under Florida law and no criminal charges will be filed.”
Molchan described Martin as “armed and non-compliant”.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to a welfare check about 8:35 p.m. at a home in the 10000 block of Highway 97, about one mile south of the Alabama state line. Martin’s wife said he had been drinking at a bar in Atmore until about 3 p.m., and he was belligerent and cursed at her. The wife spoke to her son in Tuscaloosa, and the son had two conversations with Martin about 8 p.m.
In those phone discussions, Martin stated “I’m going to finish her off” and “I wouldn’t waste a [expletive] bulled on her [expletive]“. While on the phone, the son heard Martin yelling at his wife, “I ought to blow you away [expletive]“. The son then called the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
As three deputies entered the kitchen area with an island in the middle, Martin had a pistol The deputies ordered him to put the gun down and get away from it.
A supervisor arrived and attempted to diffuse the situation. Martin had his hand over the .45 caliber Derringer that was on the kitchen island. The supervisor drew his gun.
The supervisor advised a deputy to use his Taser on Martin, at which time Martin retrieved the gun and back up against a kitchen wall. Martin first pointed the gun down, but then he pointed up toward the deputies. The supervisor, in fear for his life, fired the three times, killing Martin. He was struck twice in the chest and once in the head.
The incident was not the first contact Martin had with law enforcement. In December 2018, he called the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and reported that he had been shot in the head and robbed. After treatment and as the investigation continued, Martin admitted he had accidentally shot himself.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Work Release Inmate Recaptured
March 13, 2019
An Alabama work release inmate was recaptured Wednesday morning in Flomaton, the day after he stole a Sheriff’s Office vehicle that was recovered in Florida.
Herbert Randal Adams, 28, was taken into custody on Selma Street in Pollard, according to Escambia (AL) Sheriff Heath Jackson.
Adams took an Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Office pickup truck from a work site on Highway 113 north of Flomaton on Tuesday. The truck was recovered Tuesday afternoon in the area of Morristown Road and Nelsontown Road in Jay, but a manhunt for Adams turned up empty.
Adams was jailed on a drug charges and will face additional charges for the escape and vehicle theft.
Third Earthquake In A Week Strikes Tuesday Night In Flomaton
March 13, 2019
The third earthquake in the North Escambia area this in the past week occurred Tuesday night in the town of Flomaton.
The magnitude 2.3 earthquake was centered near Highway 31 and Hillview Drive about 8:26 p.m. and was centered about three miles deep, according to the USGS.
NorthEscambia.com received reports from residents across the Flomaton, Century and Jay area from residents who felt the ground shake. According to the USGS, a magnitude 1-3 earthquake is usually felt by only a very few people “except under favorable conditions”.
A magnitude 3.1 earthquake was reported just outside Flomaton Monday afternoon. It occurred three miles north-northeast of Flomaton near Old Fannie Road and Welka Road at 1:36 p.m. The epicenter was about three miles deep.
A smaller 2.7 earthquake occurred the night of March 6 between Century and Jay. The epicenter was near the intersection of Nelsontown Road and Shell Road.
There were no damage reports from the earthquakes.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the North Escambia area sits on the Bahamas Fracture Seismic Zone (the BSZ). Several earthquakes have occurred along this zone in recent years, but most are too weak to be felt by residents. A significant earthquake is not considered likely in the area.
NorthEscambia.com graphics.
Tate Grad Returns To Explain Meteorology To Students
March 13, 2019
Tate High School students learned about the weather and a careers in meteorology from a Tate graduate.
Cantonment native Alexandra Kent visited Stephanie Price’s class Monday. She works as a weekend meteorologist for Delta News, a group of television stations in the Mississippi Delta.
Kent told the students that she wanted to be meteorologist since elementary school, and that desire was fueled by Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and a tornado outbreak in April 2011.
She will graduate from Mississippi State this May with a degree in meteorology degree at Mississippi State. She plans to work at a news station and pursue her master’s degree.
Kent graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2014 from Tate High School where she was a member of the Multimedia Academy. She also attended Ransom Middle School and Pine Meadow Elementary, and volunteered at Escambia Westgate.
Pictured top: Meteorologist Alexandra Kent talks about the weather at Tate High School. NorthEscambia.com photo by Kristi Barbour. Pictured below: Kent on camera for Delta News.
Atmore Reports Large Sewage Spill Into Creek Near Prisons
March 13, 2019
The Atmore Utilities Board is reporting a large sewage spill into a creek.
A lift station for the Fountain and Holman correctional facilities spilled between 75,000 and 100,000 gallons of raw sewage into Wet Weather Creek, according to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management. The spill was due to a large amount of heavy rain in a short period of time Monday morning.
Area Mourns Loss Of Newspaper Founder, Columnist, Educator McGill
March 13, 2019
A man involved in local media and education passed away on Sunday, March 10. Lowell Stephen “Gingerboy” McGill, Sr., was 84.
A native of Perdido, AL, he had resided in Atmore of the last 62 years.
McGill founded The Tri-Ledger in 1971 and operated The Atmore News Journal in the early 1980s. He also wrote a historical column for The Atmore Advance, where he ended with the quote “It always whispers to me…those days of long ago”. He also worked as a DJ at WATM radio in Atmore and was the voice of the Escambia County High School Blue Devils.
McGill taught school in Bratt and Century, and was principal of the school in McCullough.
He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Ouida Troutman McGill and numerous other relatives and friends.
Funeral services were held Tuesday at Brooks Memorial Baptist Church in Atmore.
Northview, Jay, Central Students Picked For Washington Youth Tour
March 13, 2019
Keaton Brown of Northview High School, Hannah Morris of Jay High School and Kylie Schwarz of Central High School have been name winners of the Escambia River Electric Cooperative 2019 Youth Tour to Washington contest.
Judges from PowerSouth Energy Cooperative in Andalusia, AL, and Southern Pine Electric Cooperative in Brewton, AL, scored contestants in their interviews based on their knowledge of Escambia River Electric Cooperative and the history of rural electrification. Personal attributes of each candidate such as character, academic ability, personality and leadership skills were also considered.
Brown, Morris and Schwarz will represent EREC on the Washington Youth Tour in June. They will also have the chance to see the sites, learn about the nation’s capital, rural electrification and more.
Tate Aggies Blank PHS; Clary Hits A Grand Slam, Tolbert Homers
March 13, 2019
The Tate High Aggies shut out Pensacola High Tuesday night 19-0 in five innings.
Tate’s Will Clary knocked a grand slam in the fifth inning, and Chase Tolbert hit a two-run homer in the fourth.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Jordan Jarman earned the win for the Aggies. He went four innings with no runs, no walks and striking out five. Ethan George threw one inning in relief out of the bullpen.
Raymond Lafleur, Darrien Mcdowell, Kaden King and Hunter McLean doubled for Tate.
The Aggies will be at Pensacola Catholic on Thursday.
Pictured: Will Clary (top) hit a grand slam for the Tate Aggies Tuesday night against PHS, and Chase Tolbert (below) had a two-run homer. Photos by Crystal Tolbert for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Alabama 10 Cent Gas Tax Increase Signed Into Law
March 13, 2019
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed a 10-cent gas tax increase into law Tuesday, about two hours after it received final legislative approval.
A six cent increase will go into effect on September 1. There will be another two cent increase in 2020, and another two cents in 2021.
New revenue generated by the increase will be dispersed between state, county, and municipal governments in Alabama. These funds are to be used for transportation infrastructure improvement, preservation and maintenance projects. A separate portion of the revenues will go to pay a bond to be issued to finance improvements to the ship channel providing access to the facilities of the Alabama State Docks.
Pictured: Regular unleaded gas was $2.25 a gallon Tuesday in Atmore as Gov. Kay Ivey signed an Alabama gas tax increase into law (pictured below). NorthEscambia.com and courtesy photos, click to enlarge.
Northview Beats Jay; Navarre Tops Tate
March 13, 2019
Northview 3, Jay 1
The Northview Chiefs defeated the Jay Royals 3-1 Tuesday in Jay.
For at Northview at Jay photo gallery, click here.
Tori Herrington earned the win for Northview, allowing two hits, walking one and striking out eight in seven innings.
Valen Shelley led the Chiefs at the plate, going 3-3 with 2 RBIs. Also for Northview: Herrington 2-4; Aubree Love 1-4, R; Ashley Ragsdale 1-4.
The Northview Chiefs will be at Freeport on Thursday.
Navarre 4, Tate 1
The Tate High School Lady Aggies fell behind early and could not recover in a 4-1 loss to Navarre on Tuesday.
Navarre took a 2-0 lead in the first with a two-run homer.
Avery Beauchaine homered in the second inning. Hannah Halfacre and Ryleigh Cawby also had hits for Tate. Beauchaine took the loss for Lady Aggies. She surrendered four runs on six hits over five innings, striking out three and walking zero.
The Aggies will be at Escambia on Thursday afternoon. The junior varsity plays at 4:30, and the varsity takes the field at 6:30.
Pictured: Northvew defeats Jay. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
