One Seriously Injured In Crash; Dog Rescued
February 10, 2018
One person was seriously injured in a single vehicle crash Friday afternoon on I-10 in Pensacola, while their dog was rescued in good condition from the wreckage.
The Jeep SUV ran off the roadway and struck a tree. After being extricated from the vehicle, the victim was transported by ambulance as a “trauma alert” to an area hospital. Further details have not been released by he Florida Highway Patrol as they continue their investigation.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Ernest Ward Names Valentine’s Court
February 10, 2018
Ernest Ward Middle School held its annual Valentine’s Dance Friday night, naming a queen and her court based upon student votes.
King Noah Harigel and Queen Shelby Rice reigned over the dance, along with their court: Sixth Grade Knight Bentley Van Pelt, Sixth Grade Maiden Carsyn Dortch, Seventh Grade Knight Kaden Odom and Seventh Grade Elianna Morales.
Pictured top: King Noah Harigel and Queen Shelby Rice. Pictured below: Seventh Grade Knight Kaden Odom and Seventh Grade Elianna Morales. Pictured bottom: Sixth Grade Knight Bentley Van Pelt, Sixth Grade Maiden Carsyn Dortch. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Friday Night Homicide Suspect In Custody
February 10, 2018
A homicide suspect was taken into custody Friday night a short distance from the crime.
Patrick Miles Smith was wanted in connection with the murder that happened about 8:30 p.m. in the Ensley area.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the homicide appears to be domestic violence related.
The ECSO is not releasing further information at this time.
Any with information on this incident is asked to contact the Sheriff’ Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP
Updates will be published on NorthEscambia.com as available.
Gov. Scott Appoints Two To UWF Board
February 10, 2018
Governor Rick Scott announced the appointments of Alonzie Scott and Jill Singer to the University of West Florida Board of Trustees.
Alonzie Scott, 59, of Philadelphia, is the program manager for the Naval Sea Systems Command in Philadelphia. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of West Florida. Scott succeeds LuTimothy May and is appointed for a term beginning February 9, 2018 and ending January 6, 2023.
Jill Singer, 55, of Virginia, is the vice president of national security for AT&T Public Sector. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of West Florida. Singer is appointed to fill a vacant seat for a term beginning February 9, 2018 and ending January 6, 2021.
The appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.
Escambia 4-H Kids Really Know Their Bugs; Team Places Second In State
February 10, 2018
The Escambia County Junior 4-H Insect ID and Skill-a-Thon team really knows their bugs — the team place second in the recent Florida 4-H Insect-a-Thon contest at the Department of Entomology and Nematology at the University of Florida.
The Skill-a-Thon consisted of insect identification, insect damage matching, a pollinators test, and adult/juvenile insect identification. In addition to the second place junior team (ages 8-10), intermediate (ages 11-13) and senior (ages 14+) teams from Escambia 4-H also competed.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
House, Senate Tee Up Differing Budget Plans
February 10, 2018
The House and Senate this advanced separate versions of an $87 billion-plus state budget, with the two chambers taking different courses on health-care spending and a plan to link education policy to the budget process.
After initial debate on the bills, the Senate is poised to pass its $87.3 billion bill (SB 2500) on Thursday, and the House is expected to pass its $87.2 billion spending plan (HB 5001). After the floor votes, the chambers will be able to begin negotiating the 2018-2019 budget, facing a March 9 end-of-session deadline.
Although the two bills are only $100 million apart overall, details differ. One major hurdle facing negotiators is a House plan to directly link the $21 billion public-school portion of the budget to passage of a separate 198-page “conforming” bill (HB 7055), which contains dozens of education policy changes, including voucher-like scholarships to let bullied students transfer to private schools.
Rep. Manny Diaz Jr., a Hialeah Republican who leads the House PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee, acknowledged that if the House budget bill passed, but the separate policy bill failed, lawmakers would have to return to Tallahassee to pass a budget to fund Florida’s 67 school districts for next fiscal year, which begins July 1.
Rep. David Richardson, D-Miami Beach, offered an amendment seeking to sever the link between the education-policy bill and the budget.
“I think this is a bad precedent,” he said, saying there has not been enough public review of the massive education conforming bill, which was only heard by one committee.
But his proposal was defeated in a 72-39 vote, along party lines, with the Republican majority opposing the effort.
Senate Appropriations Chairman Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, said the Senate is taking the position that major policy bills should be handled through the normal committee process and not included in a budget-linked bill. A conforming bill cannot be amended and would only be subject to an up-or-down vote if it is approved in the House-Senate negotiating process.
“Our conforming bills this year are skinny, for the lack of a better word,” Bradley said. “They do only what is a bare necessity to make sure the budget is done in a legal manner.”
But Bradley also said many House education proposals would likely receive Senate support if the measures are handled through the normal bill process.
“Our objections are on procedure, not policy,” Bradley said. “I think as those issues move through the Senate process that they will be receiving favorable votes because there are many of us who are supporters of the parental-empowerment, school-choice movement.”
Another potential sticking point in budget negotiations is a Senate plan revamping the way Medicaid payments are distributed to Florida hospitals. It would replace an existing system that favors facilities that serve a greater percentage of poor and disabled patients with a plan that would increase base Medicaid payments for all hospitals.
House leaders say they favor the current system, noting major hospitals like Jackson Memorial in Miami would face a funding cut in excess of $59 million. House Appropriations Chairman Carlos Trujillo, R-Miami, said he supports helping major not-for-profit hospitals, like Jackson, while he is more skeptical of for-profit hospitals.
Bradley acknowledged the Senate and House plans “are wildly opposite,” but the Senate proposal is designed to spur a policy debate.
“We have a lot of work to do,” Bradley said. “But this is a debate that is long overdue in this building. Don’t fear the debate, we look forward to the debate over how we handle Medicaid payments for our medical providers moving forward.”
In floor action this week, the Senate adopted dozens of amendments to its budget bill, most related to funding local projects across the state.
One of the amendments, sponsored by Sen. Perry Thurston, D-Fort Lauderdale, and several other senators, would boost operational funding for Florida A&M University by $6 million. FAMU lost some $11.5 million in state performance funding this year because it finished near the bottom of annual rankings for the 12 state universities.
The House and Senate budgets would boost state and local funding for public schools by more than $500 million. The House has a $100 increase in per-student funding, while the Senate has a $110 increase.
Neither budget has a general pay raise for state workers. But the Senate bill would increase pay for state law enforcement officers by at least 7 percent, if the officers have 10 or more years of experience. The Senate also would provide a $2,500 pay raise for state firefighters.
The Senate bill would increase salaries for state Supreme Court justices and appellate court judges by 10 percent.
by The News Service of Florida, Lloyd Dunkelberger with contribution from Christine Sexton
Century Woman Charged With Stabbing Fiancé With Knife
February 9, 2018
A Century woman was arrested after allegedly stabbing her fiancé.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to a telemarketing company on Commerce Park Circle where they found the stabbing victim. He told deputies his fiancé, 20-year old Tonie Breanna Evelyn Johnson stabbed him with a knife, according to an arrest report.
He sustained a laceration to his left arm and other injuries.
Johnson left the scene and was later detained after a traffic stop on Saufley Field Road.
A witness told deputies that she witnessed Johnson hitting the victim multiple times while in a vehicle but did not know he was stabbed until he got out of the car.
Johnson charged with felony aggravated battery causing bodily harm and released from the Escambia County Jail on a $250 bond.
Grass Fire Burns Within Inches Of Cantonment Home
February 9, 2018
A grass fire burned within inches of a Cantonment home Thursday afternoon. The Cantonment and Ensley stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the fire in the 200 block of Madrid Road about 4:55 p.m. The cause of the fire was not known. There were no injuries. Photos by Kristi Barbour for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bingo Hall Operators Convicted Of Fleecing Charities
February 9, 2018
After an eight-day jury trial, Larry L. Masino, 67, of Gulf Breeze, and Dixie L. Masino, 65, of Pensacola, were convicted late yesterday in the U.S. District Court in Pensacola of wire fraud conspiracy, operating an illegal gambling business, and money laundering conspiracy. In addition, Larry L. Masino was convicted of 18 counts of money laundering, and Dixie L. Masino was convicted of 20 counts of money laundering.
Larry and Dixie Masino owned and operated Racetrack Bingo Inc. in Fort Walton Beach, which purported to conduct bingo games and provide the proceeds to a group of local charities in Okaloosa County. Between 2006 and 2015, the Masinos conspired to defraud the charities out of more than $8 million dollars. The Masinos specifically falsely assured the charities they were complying with provisions of the Florida statute. In fact, the Masinos were unlawfully paying themselves and their employees to conduct bingo games and were charging the charities a lease fee based on inflated expenses. Racetrack Bingo was an illegal gambling business because it was conducting bingo games and unlawfully retaining profit, rather than returning the net proceeds of the bingo games back to the players in the form of prizes. The Masinos conspired to launder more than $5.8 million of the bingo proceeds through profit distribution checks that the Masinos and their three children received as shareholders of Racetrack Bingo.
For the wire fraud conspiracy, the Masinos face a maximum of 20 years in prison. For the money laundering conspiracy and money laundering charges, the Masinos face a maximum of 10 years in prison. For operating an illegal gambling business, they face a maximum of 5 years in prison. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 25.
State Attorney: Deputies Justified In Shooting Suspect In The Buttocks
February 9, 2018
The State Attorney’s Office has ruled that two Escambia County deputies were justified in shooting a man in the buttocks after he opened fire on them.
The shooing occurred during the early morning hours of November 24, 2017, at a home on Holly Street approximately one block south of Nine Mile Road. Deputies Scott Rappa, Brant Kessinger, Eric Alvarez, and Larry Richardson responded to that address based upon an anonymous tip that a fugitive with outstanding warrants, Brittany Knapp, had just been dropped off at that location.
The uniformed deputies received permission from the lawful tenant to search the property. While searching a storage building attached to the rear of the home, Richardson and Rappa came in contact with Russell Enfinger and Kristen Allen. Allen obeyed the deputies’ directions and went outside to talk to Deputy Alvarez. After a brief discussion with the deputies, Enfinger stated ”I’m not going.” Enfinger then produced a firearm and pointed it at the deputies.
The deputies yelled “gun” and attempted to exit the storage building. The storage building, as well as the surrounding yard, was crowded with furniture, equipment, and miscellaneous other items. As Richardson and Rappa retreated from the storage building to a point of safety, they tripped and fell to the ground. Enfinger then exited the storage building and fired multiple times at the deputies.
Alvarez returned fire. Richardson moved to a wooded alleyway north of the residence where he saw Enfinger jump a fence into the alleyway. Richardson ordered Enfinger to drop his weapon. At this point, Enfinger turned and fired towards Richardson.
Richardson returned fire until Enfinger climbed over a second fence heading west. Additional deputies arrived on scene to assist and search the area. Enfinger was located a short distance away laying in a retention area behind a Taco Bell. Enfinger had been shot once in the buttocks. A firearm was located on the ground next to his leg.
Enfinger was taken into custody without further incident. First aid was provided and he was transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Enfinger is awaiting trial on three counts of attempted first degree murder.
Pictured: The scene at a Taco Bell on Nine Mile Road following deputy involved shooting last November. File photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.