Deputy Shoots And Kills Armed Suspect Inside Highway 97 Home
January 26, 2019
A man was shot and killed in an officer-involved shooting Friday night in Davisville.
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. A relative not at the residence told dispatchers that an armed family member was threatening to kill another family member.
Deputies arrived on scene, and the armed suspect refused commands, Escambia County Chief Deputy Chip Simmons told NorthEscambia.com on the scene Friday night. The man then raised his firearm in the direction of the deputy, forcing the deputy to fire his weapon. The man was struck three times from the weapon fired by a single deputy. He was pronounced deceased on the scene.
The shooting occurred inside the man’s home.
There were no law enforcement injuries, and the other family member on scene was not injured.
Per ECSO policy, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the officer involved shooting. The officer will be placed on administrative leave, as is standard procedure, according to Simmons.
The adult male’s identity has not been released.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, Escambia County EMS and LifeFlight were also dispatched to the scene. EMS and LifeFlight were canceled prior to arrival.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Bond Increased To $1 Million For Man Charged With DUI Deaths Of Siblings
January 26, 2019
Bond has been increased to $1 million in the traffic homicide case of a 24-year old man accused of the DUI death of two siblings earlier this month
Circuit Court Judge Jenny Kinsey granted the state’s motion to increase the bond for Hunter Black in light of new evidence that revealed Black attended a concert and went to a bar before the fatal crash, according to the State Attorney’s Office. They also said he may have crashed into a neighbor’s mailbox.
The Florida Highway said Black had been involved in another crash before the fatal wreck when he ran off East Kingsfield Road and struck a tree near Berrydale Road. He then made a U-turn and traveled back west on Kingsfield Road a short distance before the fatal crash occurred.
The FHP said Black was traveling west on Kingsfield Road near Kingslake Drive about 12:30 a.m. January 12 when he crossed the centerline into the path of a 2001 Mitsubishi driven by 22-year old Antoinette Marie McCoy of Pensacola. McCoy attempted to avoid the collision but was hit head-on.
McCoy and her brother, 15-year old Tate High School student Sean Banks, died at local hospitals shortly after the crash.
Black was released from the Escambia County on a $25,000 bond about 24 hours later, but he was returned to jail without bond after his bond was revoked on an unrelated battery charge.
According to State Attorney Bill Eddins, Black’s release from jail was the result of a misunderstanding with the Florida Highway Patrol, which led to the $25,000 bond amount being set.
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Private Investigator Murder Suspect Convicted Of Racketeering; Held Without Bond
January 26, 2019
The woman accused of murdering a local private investigator and burying her body on family property in Cantonment has been convicted on unrelated charges.
Friday, an Escambia County Jury convicted Ashley Britt McArthur, 41, of racketeering and organized fraud. Judge Jan Shackleford immediately remanded her into custody where she will be held without bond.
While employed by Pensacola Automatic Amusement, from 2015 to 2017, McArthur embezzled thousands of dollars from two clients, the Azalea Cocktail Lounge and Seville Quarter.
Pensacola Automatic Amusement serviced entertainment machines and jukeboxes for various clients in the Pensacola area for 40 years. McArthur falsified collection reports for jukeboxes at the Azalea Lounge and Seville Quarter while keeping the unreported proceeds.
A sentencing date has not yet been set. The state intends to seek the maximum sentence of 35 years.
McArthur is facing a first-degree murder charge for the death of 33-year old Taylor Wright, a private investigator and former police officer. Wright’s body was found in September 2017 off Britt Road, just west of County Road 97 near Muscogee Road in Cantonment. She allegedly stole $34,000 from Wright.
McArthur was free on a $400,000 bond on the murder charge until being remanded into custody Friday. She will face trial on the murder charge later this year.
Friends Of The Library Big Winter Book Sale Is This Weekend
January 26, 2019
The Friends of the West Florida Library Big Winter Book Sale is this weekend at the downtown library at 239 Spring Street.
Doors are open 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday. Paperbacks are two for $1; everything else is $1.
The popular $5 Bag Sale is 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Sunday. It’s just $5 for as many books as you can fit into a provided brown paper bag.
Cash, checks and credit cards will be accepted.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Cool Weekend, Turning Much Colder Next Week
January 26, 2019
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 36. Calm wind.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 60. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the morning.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 35. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 64. Light southwest wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of rain after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday: Rain likely, possibly mixing with snow after noon, then gradually ending. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 48. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph becoming north in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 22. North wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light northeast after midnight.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 50. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 30.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 53.
Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of rain. Partly cloudy, with a low around 39.
Friday: A 30 percent chance of rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 56.
Governor Appoints Clay Ingram As CEO Of Volunteer Florida
January 26, 2019
Governor Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of Clay Ingram as CEO of Volunteer Florida.
“I am happy to announce the appointment of Clay Ingram to lead our state’s volunteer efforts as CEO of Volunteer Florida,” said DeSantis. “Between his leadership in the Florida Legislature and his advocacy for the Pensacola community, this was an easy choice. I know Clay will make Floridians proud and lead the agency with the utmost integrity.”
Ingram is a Pensacola native who served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2010 to 2018. In addition to his legislative duties, he has also served as president and CEO of the Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce since 2015.
Very active in his community, Ingram is a member of Gonzalez United Methodist Church and serves as a board member for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida, United Methodist Children’s Home of Northwest Florida, Achieve Escambia and the Florida State University Alumni Association.
He graduated from Tate High School, and from FSU with a bachelor’s degree in general communication in 2000.
Volunteer Florida, the lead agency for volunteerism and national service in Florida, administers $31.7 million in federal, state, and local funding for national service and volunteer programs across the state.
Ethics Panel Finds Cause On Gillum Ethics Allegations
January 26, 2019
State ethics officials have found probable cause that former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, who narrowly lost the governor’s race last year and continues to draw national political attention, violated Florida ethics laws by accepting gifts from lobbyists.
The Florida Commission on Ethics isn’t expected to announce the findings until next week. However, Gillum’s attorney, Barry Richard, and Erwin Jackson, a Tallahassee businessman who filed the complaint, said after a closed-door meeting Friday that the commission was unanimous in support of its staff’s findings and that the case is now headed to a hearing before an administrative law judge.
“The month of January is not going to be good for Andrew Gillum,” said Jackson, who hopes the commission’s findings will be followed by criminal charges against the former Democratic mayor.
“Locally, hopefully, the word is getting out, we expect our local officials to act ethically and honestly, and represent the public instead of themselves,” Jackson said.
Richard said the findings were based on Gillum receiving gifts, not that he solicited anything.
“The (commission’s) advocate says that (Gillum) was hanging out with these people who were lobbyists and had an interest,” Richard said. “But there is no evidence in this case, and there is no allegations that he ever did anything for anybody, as a quid pro quo for receiving a gift. There is no suggestion he took a payment he wasn’t entitled to, that he voted for somebody for something.”
Richard said the hearing before an administrative law judge could be held in 45 to 60 days.
Gillum did not attend Friday’s ethics commission meeting.
The ethics complaint added to questions that dogged Gillum throughout his gubernatorial campaign about possible ties to an FBI investigation of Tallahassee City Hall.
In December, former Tallahassee City Commissioner Scott Maddox and a close associate, political consultant Paige Carter-Smith, were indicted on 44 counts, including bank fraud, extortion, making false statements to federal officers and filing false tax returns.
No charges have been filed against Gillum, but Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis used the FBI investigation to slam the ethics and honesty of Gillum during the campaign. DeSantis ultimately won the race and was sworn into office Jan. 8.
DeSantis’ allegations were aided during the campaign by the release of documents related to the ethics investigation. The documents raised questions about how Gillum paid in 2016 for a pricey ticket to the hit musical “Hamilton,” a boat ride in New York City and a Costa Rica vacation.
Public officials in Florida are prohibited from accepting gifts of $100 or more from lobbyists and others that work with the government.
The attacks on Gillum reached the White House, where just over a week before the election President Donald Trump tweeted that Gillum was a “thief” who oversees one of the country’s “most corrupt cities.”
On Thursday, DeSantis downplayed Gillum’s situation.
“At the end of the day, he was a tough competitor,” DeSantis said. “I think he’s a talented guy. I don’t wish anything ill for him.”
DeSantis acknowledged he didn’t know all the facts of the ethics complaint after noting he had “opined a time or two during the campaign on some of the issues.”
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Pictured: Andrew Gillum during a Pensacola campaign appearance last October. NorthEscambia.com file photo.
One Injured In Head-on Crash In Molino
January 25, 2019
One person was taken to an area hospital following a head-on crash on Highway 95A Friday morning.
The crash happened just north of the Molino Road intersection about 11:20 a.m. and temporarily closed Highway 95A.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating.
The Molino and Cantonment stations of Escambia Fire Rescue, and Escambia Count EMS responded.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Two Injured When Fire Rips Though Molino Home
January 25, 2019
Two people were injured when fire destroyed their home early Friday morning in Molino. They were transported by Escambia County EMS to Sacred Heart Hospital, one as a trauma alert, according to Escambia County.
The 12:30 a.m. fire in the 3500 block of Crabtree Church Road left three people, two adults and one adolescent, without a home. They are being assisted by the American Red Cross. Several dogs also escaped the blaze.
Family members said the two injured individuals were released from the hospital Friday morning.
Fire crews arrived to find smoke coming from the single-story wood structure. The fire was brought under control at approximately 1:37 a.m.
No working smoke detectors were present in the home, according to Kaycee Lagarde, Escambia County spokesperson.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office.
The Molino, Cantonment, McDavid, Ensley, Walnut Hill and Century stations of Escambia Fire Rescue were dispatched to the fire, along with Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Donations for the family are being accepted at the Jackson Hewitt Tax Service next to Domino’s Pizza on Highway 29 at Tate Road. The adolescent female wears a size 3-4 juniors, and an adult female wears size 0-1. Shoe sizes are 7 and 8.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Century Council Members Receive Fines In Sunshine Law Violation Case
January 25, 2019
Two Century Town Council members charged with civil violations of the Sunshine Law entered pleas before a judge Thursday, while a court date was postponed for a third council member.
Council member Sandra McMurray Jackson entered a plea of no contest and was fined $200. Council president Ann Brooks also pleaded no contest and was fined $100. Adjudication was withheld in both cases.
Brooks received a lower fine because “she was left culpable because she was at the meeting legally before Mr. Gomez and Mrs. Jackson arrived,” Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille said. “While she should have left immediately, she did not participate in the meeting to the extent that Mr. Gomez and Mrs. Jackson did.”
Councilman Luis Gomez, Jr. did not appear in court Thursday due to health reasons, and his hearing date was reset for late February.
The three council members “did unlawfully engage in a discussion or exchange of information with other members of the Century Town Council regarding a matter which foreseeably could come before said board or commission for action, outside of a public meeting, in violation of … Florida statues,” according to the charging documents.
Last summer, three council members attended at least some portion of a closed-door meeting with CPA Robert Hudson, Town Clerk Kim Godwin and the town’s auditors. The meeting was not advertised as a public meeting, which would forbid more than one council member from taking part under Florida’s Sunshine Laws.
The maximum allowable fine was $500 for each council member.
In the coming weeks, a grand jury will investigate “a number of issues” related to the operation of the town. Under Florida law, the nature of that investigation is will not be released until it is completed.
Pictured top: Century Council members (L-R) Luis Gomez, Jr., Ann Cofield Brooks and Sandra McMurray Jackson at a December 17, 2018, meeting. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.