Cantonment Woman Gets Five Years In ‘Heart-Wrenching’ Child Abuse Case
June 23, 2018
A Cantonment woman has been sentenced to five years in state prison for her part in the abuse of three children.
Rachel Linton was sentenced Friday in Escambia County; the five year sentence was the maximum allowed by law. Her husband, Jeffrey Scott Linton, was sentenced last year to 35 years in state prison for aggravated child abuse and multiple counts of child neglect.
Sheriff David Morgan called the case “heart-wrenching” and one of the worst he has ever seen.
The investigation began after the Department of Children and Families received an anonymous tip. That led to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office opening an investigation and executing a search warrant at the couple’s Cantonment home.
The allegations against the Lintons span the period August 2015 to May 23, 2016.
Nine children were removed from the home when the couple was arrested.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The remainder of this story details some of the severe physical child abuse allegations in this case. There are details that some readers will find disturbing.
The couple’s arrest reports indicated that one of the victims suffered a broken leg and then a broken arm caused by one of the siblings, and that Rachel Linton did not feed or bathe the children or take them to medical appointments. Two of the victims were born prematurely and are developmentally delayed.
DCF received a tip that Rachel Linton was planning to flee the area and has a history of fleeing when she is under investigation.
DCF received a report that two victims had injuries to their faces and heads, and Rachel Linton took the victims to West Florida Hospital where a trauma survey found that one victim had two broken arms and a broken leg and all three victims were malnourished.
The report says Rachel Linton frequently hit the victims’ heads on the walls and that Jeffrey Linton also abused them. Rachel Linton threatened the children with further punishment if they provided any information to DCF about the ongoing abuse in the home. Both allegedly told the children to blame their injuries on the other children in the home.
One child allegedly suffered a broken arm as the result of Jeffrey Linton twisting an arm. DCF discovered the children had multiple bruises on their faces, back and arms, and that the children had knots on the back and tops of their heads. They suffered a variety of other injuries, including an abscess on the bottom of a foot, scarring and scabbing of lips, scarring of a nose, lacerations to their ears and bruising to their genital areas.
A witness alleged that Jeffrey Linton would hold the victims upside down by their feet and hit their heads on the floor as punishment and that he would hit them with a paddle “2-3 feet long” and throw them and slam their heads against a wall, and he would allegedly hit them with a fly swatter.
The witness said the paddle was broken from use, and that she would hear the children cry and scream in pain.
Few Surprises As State Candidates Qualify To Run
June 23, 2018
Florida’s 2018 state elections are set, with seven major candidates running for governor, three contested state Cabinet seats and fifteen state Senate incumbents facing opposition as the qualifying period closed Friday.
At the top of the list is the campaign to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Rick Scott, who is running against U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson.
Chris King, a Democrat and Orlando-area businessman, was the last major gubernatorial candidate to file, submitting his paperwork shortly before the five-day qualifying period for state and local offices ended at noon Friday.
King entered a crowded Democratic field that includes former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham of Tallahassee, former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine, Palm Beach investor Jeff Greene and Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum.
“I still very much believe that I have a pathway to win this race, but I recognize that it’s daunting,” King said. “Democrats haven’t won since I was a freshman in high school. I would argue that it’s because we have not cast a vision that excites people and that lifts people up.”
Heading into the Aug. 28 Republican primary for governor are Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis of Palm Coast.
A third elected official won’t be on the ballot but will be involved in the GOP primary, a point that was underscored Friday morning when President Donald Trump tweeted an endorsement of DeSantis.
“Congressman Ron DeSantis, a top student at Yale and Harvard Law School, is running for Governor of the Great State of Florida. Ron is strong on Borders, tough on Crime & big on Cutting Taxes – Loves our Military & our Vets. He will be a Great Governor & has my full Endorsement!” the president tweeted.
DeSantis said he was “honored” by the thumbs-up from Trump.
“He has thrown his support behind me, because he knows I’ll fight to keep Florida the best state in the nation when I’m your governor!” DeSantis told his Twitter followers.
Trump’s endorsement comes after a new Fox News poll of likely Republican primary voters showed Putnam leading DeSantis by a 32-17 percent margin, with 39 percent undecided.
In other statewide races, 14 candidates — not including write-in candidates — qualified for the three Cabinet seats.
Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, who was appointed to his post by Scott, will face former state Sen. Jeremy Ring, D-Margate, in November.
Republican candidates seeking to replace term-limited Attorney General Pam Bondi include Ashley Moody of Tampa and state Rep. Frank White of Pensacola, while two Tampa Democrats — state Rep. Sean Shaw and Ryan Torrens — will face off in the August primary.
In the race for state agriculture commissioner, qualified Republican candidates include state Sen. Denise Grimsley of Zolfo Springs, former state Rep. Baxter Troutman of Winter Haven and state Rep. Matt Caldwell of North Fort Myers. On the Democratic side are Nikki Fried of Fort Lauderdale, Jeffrey Porter of Cooper City and Roy Walker of Fort Lauderdale.
by Lloyd Dunkelberger The News Service of Florida
Photos: Vegetation Fire In Walnut Hill
June 23, 2018
Firefighters from the Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue extinguished a small vegetation fire Friday afternoon on Highway 97 just north of Pine Forest Road. There was no property damage reported. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Voter 2018: Here’s Who Qualified To Be On The Local Ballot
June 23, 2018
Qualifying for local candidates ended at noon Friday. The following candidates qualified to be on the ballot this year:
County Commissioner, District 2
- Alan McMillan (REP)
- Scott Trotter (DEM)
- Douglas Underhill (REP)
County Commissioner, District 4
- Leigh Bell (WRI)
- Robert Bender (REP)
- Kendrick Doidge (REP)
- William Fetke (REP)
- Greg Litton (REP)
- Terry Strickland (REP)
- Boyce White (REP)
Escambia Soil & Water Conservation Dist, Grp 2
- Levin Morgan
- William Watkins
Escambia Soil & Water Conservation Dist, Grp 4
- Zackery Gossett
- Keith Washington
ECUA, District 2
- Lois Benson (REP)
- Gloria Horning (DEM)
ECUA, District 4
- Charles L. Bare (REP)
- C. J. Lewis (NPA)
- Walter D Perkins (REP)
ECUA, District 4
- Charles L. Bare (REP)
- C. J. Lewis (NPA)
- Walter D Perkins (REP)
School Board, District 1
- Kevin Adams
- Marjorie White
School Board, District 2
- Paul Fetsko
- Raymond Guillory
- Kells Hetherington
School Board, District 3
- Laura Dortch Edler
- Lee Hansen
- Larry Williams Sr
- J. Walker Wilson
Santa Rosa Island Authority
- Thomas Campanella
City of Pensacola Mayor
- Drew Buchanan
- Jonathan Green
- David Mayo
- Lawrence Powell
- Grover Robinson IV
- Brian Spencer
City Council, District 2
- Sherri Myers
City Council, District 4
- Peter Gaddy III
- Jared Moore
- Christopher Phillips
City Council, District 6
- Wilhelm Butch Hansen
- Ann Hill
- Paul Hamlin
- Joyce Williams
County Court Judge, Group 4
- Amy Brodersen
Court Judge, Group 5
- Kerra Smith
Century Town Council, Seat 3
- Benjamin D. Boutwell
- Amanuel Onell Dubose
Century Town Council, Seat 4
- Mary Bourgeois
- John Brian Johnston
- James Edward Smith Jr.
Century Town Council, Seat 5
- Sandra McMurray-Jackson
Molino’s CrossFaith Church Serves Up Lunch For Escambia Sheriff’s Office
June 23, 2018
CrossFaith Church in Molino fed deputies and staff at the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office on Friday. The church served a free pulled pork BBQ lunch. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Weekend Gardening: Expert Tips For The Month Of June
June 23, 2018
Here are gardening tips for the month of June from the Florida Extension Service:
Flowers
- Annuals to plant include celosia, coleus, crossandra, hollyhock, impatiens (pictured above), kalanchoe, nicotiana, ornamental pepper, portulaca, salvia, torenia, vinca and zinnia.
- Sow seeds of sunflowers. They are easy to grow if you have a sunny spot. Look for some of the new, dwarf varieties that can also be used as cut flowers.
- Remove old blooms (deadheading) to make flowers bloom longer.
- Allow the foliage on spring bulbs to grow. Do not cut it off until it turns yellow and falls over.
Trees and Shrubs
- Mature palms should receive an application of granular fertilizer. Use a special palm fertilizer that has an 8-2-12 +4Mg (magnesium) with micronutrients formulation. Apply one pound of fertilizer per 100 sq ft of canopy area or landscape area.
- Do any necessary pruning of junipers this month.
- Finish pruning the spring flowering shrubs such as azaleas, camellias, spiraeas, wisteria and forsythia by early June.
- This is the month to reproduce plants by budding.
- Check mulch around ornamental plants to be sure it’s two inches thick. Add mulch as needed to help keep weeds down and conserve water. Keep mulch one to two inches away from trunk or stem.
- Inspect maple trees, especially silver maple for infestations of maple soft scale. Look for a white substance with some black on one end. Individual maple scales are about 1/4 inch in diameter and resemble bird droppings. They occur mostly on leaves and can cause defoliation unless controlled.
- Inspect the undersides of azalea leaves for spider mites and lace bugs. If dry weather conditions exist, these insects can do some serious damage if not controlled.
- Check conifers for signs of bagworms. Call your local Extension Service for control measures.
Fruits and Nuts
- Harvest peaches, nectarines and plums as soon as they mature, before the squirrels and birds get to them
Vegetable Garden
- Side dress vegetable gardens with fertilizer containing nitrogen and potassium. A fertilizer such as a 15-0-15 can be used. Use approximately 2-3 cupfuls (1 to 1 ½ pounds) per 100 feet of row.
- Increase watering frequency and amount as tomatoes load up with fruit.
- Vegetables that can be planted outdoors include eggplant, lima beans, okra, southern peas, peppers and sweet potatoes.
- Sweet potatoes are started from plants or “draws”. Be sure to purchase only certified weevil free sweet potato plants.
- Check for the following pests and control them if necessary: tomato fruitworm, stinkbugs on vegetables and aphids on all new growth
Lawns
- Check for the lawn pests and control them if necessary: Spittlebugs in centipedegrass. They are more attracted to especially lush areas of the yard such as along septic drain fields and in areas where excessive nitrogen fertilizer has been used. Chinch bugs in St. Augustinegrass Sod webworm in all turf
- Start monitoring for mole cricket infestations and prepare for treatment.
Generals Sweep Doubleheader With The Pensacola Blue Wahoos
June 23, 2018
The Jackson Generals swept the Blue Wahoos in Friday’s doubleheader at The Ballpark at Jackson. The Generals took the first game 2-1 before edging the Wahoos 5-3 in game two. Jackson has now won all seven meetings between the two teams.
In game one Rudy Flores hit a two-run double over the first base bag to score Daniel Robertson and Domingo Leyba in the first inning. That proved to be enough. Pensacola got a run in the third when Luis Gonzalez doubled home TJ Friedl. The Wahoos got the tying run to third in the seventh but Taylor Sparks was stranded when Friedl flew out to center field.
Daniel Wright (L, 3-5) went the distance. He allowed just the two first inning runs over his six innings. He struck out four without a walk.
In game two the Generals struck first again. This time with a four-run second inning. The Blue Wahoos committed three errors in the inning behind starter Wyatt Strahan (L, 5-7). Jackson still used five hits in the inning, but all were singles.
Trailing 4-1 in the sixth, Pensacola rallied to pull within one. Narciso Crook was hit by a pitch to start the inning and advanced to third a batter later on Shed Long’s single. Gavin LaValley doubled them both home before Luis Gonzalez reached on an error. Yoan Lopez (S, 6) came in from the Generals bullpen with LaValley at third and Gonzalez at first and pitched out of the jam without allowing the tying run to score. Jackson added an insurance run on the bottom of the sixth to cap the win.
Strahan took the loss after pitching two innings and allowing four runs (two earned). He walked one and struck out three.
The Blue Wahoos and Generals continue the six-game series on Saturday. LHP Seth Varner (3-0, 2.55) will get the start for the Blue Wahoos against Generals RHP Bo Takahashi (0-1, 8.56).
Fourth Suspect Arrested In Fatal Walnut Hill Double Shooting
June 22, 2018
A fourth suspect was arrested Friday morning in connection with a fatal double shooting in Walnut Hill earlier this month after which the victims were dumped at an Alabama creek.
Jessica Nichole Thomas, 30, was charged with accessory after the fact to homicide and accessory after the fact to attempted homicide for the shooting at her home on Highway 164. She is being held with bond set a half million dollars.
Investigators said Thomas acted as a lookout, prompting the charges.
Thomas’ ex-husband, 37-year old Christopher Alan Stacey, was charged with homicide and attempted homicide. His son Christopher James Logan Stacey, 18, and Alexis Ileene Shiffner Cain, 21, were each charged with accessory to homicide and accessory to attempted homicide.
Their arrests came after two men were found shot in the head near Atmore Sunday morning.
Dalton Davis was found dead in a truck in Brushy Creek on Deere Creek Road, and Troy Boutwell was found near the road after crawling from the truck, according to an arrest report. He was transported to Atmore Community Hospital and then airlifted to the USA Medical Center in Mobile in critical condition.
Alabama detectives learned that Boutwelll had been at his friend’s house in the 5900 block of Highway 164, just east of Highway 97 in Walnut Hill. Deputies responded to find the three suspects and another individual in the home.
An Escambia County, FL, investigator was contacted by Atmore Police to relay information on the shooting location. He instructed deputies to respond to the home where they found a couch burning in the backyard (photo below). Deputies extinguished the fire. Victim Boutwell later said he was shot on the couch in the home’s living room of the home, which is about nine miles from where the men were found with the truck.
According to the report, an AR-15 was found in one of the bedrooms and a 12 gauge shotgun was found in another bedroom. The report does not specify if either was the murder weapon. A bullet hole was found in an interior wall.
Christopher Alan Stacey was seated on a bucket across the road from the residence watching as investigators processed the crime scene, while his son sat a wooden chair in front of a neighboring home (both pictured below). Cain and Jessica Thomas were placed in the back of ECSO patrol vehicles as investigators worked.
Florida investigators also responded to the truck at Brushy Creek on Deere Creek Road in Alabama to process that crime scene with Alabama agencies. The straight-line location of the truck was about 1,000 feet north of Alabama-Florida State line.
Christopher Alan Stacey, resides with Thomas her at the home on Highway 164. Boutwell told law enforcement that he was shot because of an argument with her ex-husband. The son, Christopher James Logan Stacey, also resides in the home, the report states.
Christopher Allen Stacey and Christopher James Logan Stacey are being held without bond. Cain remains jailed with bond set at $151,000.
NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Above: Suspects Christopher James Logan Stacey (left) and Christopher Alan Stacey (right) watch as investigators process a murder scene in Walnut Hill Sunday.
Above: A deputy questions Jessica Thomas as she sits inside a patrol vehicle in Walnut Hill.
Above: Deputies found a burning couch in the backyard of the Walnut Hill home.
Above: Florida investigators arrive at the scene on Deere Creek Road in Alabama.
Two Arrested In Cottage Hill Shots Fired, Cutting And Robbery Incident
June 22, 2018
Two people have been charged after a woman was assaulted Thursday afternoon in Cottage Hill.
Deputies received a shots fired call at 5:05 p.m. on Handy Lane off Williams Ditch Road. They found a woman with what appears to have be a non-life threatening knife wound to her calf. The woman was transported by Escambia County EMS to an area hospital.
Jerry Kenneth Taber, 34, was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, using or displaying a firearm during a felony, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, child neglect without great bodily harm and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. Due to outstanding warrants, Taber is being held without bond for the U.S. Marshals, according to jail records.
Elizabeth Ashley White, 29, was charged with robbery with a firearm, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, using or displaying a firearm during a felony, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, battery and petit theft. She was also arrested on outstanding warrants for passing a forged instrument and a probation violation. She remained in the Escambia County Jail without bond.
The victim told deputies that Taber told her to come to his location on Handy Drive to get belongings that she had left at the residence. When the victim arrived with a male friend, Taber snatched her from the driver’s seat of her pickup and dragged her by her hair to the backyard where White stomped on her stomach, according to an arrest report.
In an attempt to fight back, the victim started to kick Taber who then cut her on the back of her leg with a knife, the report states. The friend began to scream. and he was pulled to the backyard and heard a gun that he did not immediately see being fired. The victim then saw White holding a .38 special pistol recognized as belonging to Taber. Taber hit one of the victims in the head with the revolver, deputies said in their report.
White allegedly took the male victim’s cell phone during the incident.
A neighbor told deputies that they heard a gunshot and heard a female scream, “They are trying to kill me me, they stabbed me and want to shoot me.”
Taber and White were apprehended nearby in a vehicle at McKenzie Street and Ezell Drive. A deputy reported that he located a knife in sheath on Taber’s belt, and there was a firearm case in the passenger seat with no firearm. The revolver was then located to the front of the center console of the vehicle. Two baseball size plastic bags of methamphetamine were also recovered from the vehicle, according to the report.
A child was in the vehicle at the time of the traffic stop.
Taber was previously convicted of felony armed burglary; White has a felony conviction for burglary.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Online Shopping May Cost More In Florida After Court Sales Tax Ruling
June 22, 2018
A U.S. Supreme Court decision expanding the ability of states to pull in tax dollars from online purchases could have a significant impact in Florida.
In a 5-4 ruling Thursday, the nation’s highest court upheld a South Dakota law that allowed the state to apply its sales tax to major online retailers, even if they had no physical presence in the state. The ruling reversed a 1992 court decision that held online retailers could only be required to collect and remit sales taxes if they had stores or some other “nexus” in states.
Brick-and-mortar retailers in Florida and other states have long complained that allowing some online retailers to evade sales taxes creates a competitive advantage for the remote sellers. Consumers were supposed to voluntarily pay sales taxes on remote purchases, although it rarely happened.
In his majority opinion Thursday, Justice Anthony Kennedy cited the expansion of internet commerce since the court’s 1992 decision, noting national mail-order sales totaled $180 billion at that point, compared to $453.5 billion in online sales in 2017, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
“(The prior decision) puts both local businesses and many interstate businesses with physical presence at a competitive disadvantage relative to remote sellers,” Kennedy wrote. “Remote sellers can avoid the regulatory burdens of tax collection and can offer de facto lower prices caused by the widespread failure of consumers to pay the tax on their own.”
In a dissenting opinion citing the court’s prior ruling, Chief Justice John Roberts said federal lawmakers, not the court, should decide whether to tax remote sales.
“Any alteration to those rules with the potential to disrupt the development of such a critical segment of the economy should be undertaken by Congress,” he wrote.
The court decision was praised by Florida business groups.
“For years, online-only retailers have exploited this loophole that allows them not to collect sales tax, which has given them an unfair competitive advantage over brick-and-mortar stores,” said James Miller, a spokesman for the Florida Retail Federation. “This decision finally levels that playing field, and I think that’s all any business owner wants.”
The court decision could also be important in Florida because of the state’s heavy reliance on sales-tax revenue. Expected to generate more than $24 billion for the state government in the current fiscal year, the sales tax is the single largest source of funding for the state.
Dominic Calabro, president of Florida TaxWatch, a business-oriented advocacy group, said the ability to apply the sales tax to more internet sales will keep the state’s tax structure in sync with the evolving economy.
“The taxpayers of Florida really rely heavily on the sales tax. You’ve got to have a modern sales tax, so we don’t have to have any other kind of tax that people don’t want,” Calabro said. “So, by relying on a sales tax, you have to make sure it’s modern and up to date.”
The exact impact of the ruling on Florida’s sales tax collections is unknown but it could be significant.
Last November, the federal Government Accountability Office estimated that states could have collected between $8.5 billion and $13.4 billion in sales taxes in 2017 if they had expanded taxing authority. The estimate represented between 2 and 4 percent of total state and local sales tax collections in 2016, the analysts said.
In testimony before the Florida House Ways & Means Committee in January 2017, analysts gave a rough estimate of $200 million in potential sales tax revenue resulting from applying the tax to more remote sales.
In Florida, the sales tax has been applied to a wider range of internet sales over the last few years. In 2014, Amazon, the largest online retailer, began collecting the tax in Florida after it opened a series of “fulfillment centers” in the state. But the tax is not applied to “third-party” sales through the Amazon network.
And according to the Supreme Court case, some large online retailers do not collect taxes on their remote sales. Wayfair Inc., an online retailer of home goods and furniture that challenged the South Dakota law, had more than $4.7 billion in net revenue in 2017, according to the opinion.
But even with the court’s decision, not all remote sales are likely to be taxed. The South Dakota law only applied the tax to online retailers that had at least $100,000 of annual sales in the state or 200 individual transactions.
by Lloyd Dunkelberger and Tom Urban, The News Service of Florida