No Injuries In Highway 29, Tate School Road Wreck
April 16, 2017
There were no serious injuries in a traffic accident just before 6 p.m. Saturday at Highway 29 and Tate School Road. Further details not yet released from the Florida Highway Patrol. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kirsti Barbour, click to enlarge.
Indecent Exposure: Century Man Caught With His Pants Down
April 15, 2017
A Century man remains behind bars after allegedly exposing himself to neighbors and deputies.
Isaac Levon Mitchell, 32, was booked into the Escambia County Jail on a charge of indecent exposure with bond set at $5,000.
When Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies answered a complaint call at Mitchell’s residence on Alger Road, they reported finding him standing in his front yard with his pants and underwear down to his knees. When he spotted deputies, he ran inside his residence and then out the back door, according to an arrest report.
He was taken into custody in the back yard with his pants and underwear reportedly still down to his knees. At least two people in addition to deputies were witnesses to the incident, an ECSO report states.
Deputies reported finding a couple of pornographic magazines on a truck where they first saw Mitchell standing.
Local Rolex Theft Investigation Reaches Around The World
April 15, 2017
The long arm of the law is reaching around the world in this investigation as law enforcement officers try to find two Romanian citizens who stole a Rolex watch from a Pensacola business, fled the area and were identified with help from a crime analyst in the United Kingdom.
German Adam, 27, and Constantin Munteanu, 28, are both wanted for grand theft of a Rolex watch from Jewelers Trade Shop, 26 S. Palafox St. The theft occurred November 17, 2016 when the two suspects entered the store and inquired about purchasing the watch, which was valued at $37,550.
The suspects said they would pay half the cost in cash and the remainder via credit card.
One of the suspects asked an employee to ask her supervisor for the best price they could get on the watch and told her they would return with the credit card. The suspects then left the store, and within approximately 10 minutes, the employee noticed the watch was missing. The employee told police that during their encounter, the suspects had constantly distracted her with questions and kept trying to give her cash.
The theft was posted on the Pensacola Police Department’s Face Book page, distributed to media via press release and an intelligence bulletin was sent to law enforcement agencies.
On March 29, Detective Gilbert Galloway Jr. received an email from an analyst for Northumbria Police in England who works with various international law enforcement agencies regarding Romanian nationals who commit sleight of hand distraction thefts.
The group has traveled from the United Kingdom to the United States and Canada.
The analyst told Galloway that Adam’s brother, Mircea Adam, was taken into custody March 27 in Nogales, AZ, after he illegally crossed the border from Mexico. Mircea Adam had arrived in Mexico on March 25 on a flight from Madrid. The analyst said Mircea Adam’s cell phone contained an image of an online article related to the watch theft in Pensacola.
As the analyst continued his investigation, he identified the two suspects and with combined information from Galloway, the two men were identified as the ones who stole the watch from Jewelers Trade.
Munteanu is believed to still be in the United States. However, German Adam was deported from Canada on March 4 and returned to Romania, Galloway said. Anyone having information on the incident or who may know Munteanu’s location is asked to contact Detective Gilbert Galloway Jr. at (850) 435-1974, the Pensacola Police Department at (850) 435-1900, or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
UWF Awarded $1.3 Million National Science Foundation Grant
April 15, 2017
The National Science Foundation awarded a $1.3 million, five-year grant to support University of West Florida students pursuing teaching careers in STEM fields, or science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
“Eighteen STEM majors will become Robert Noyce Scholars and receive funding for the cost of attending UWF during their junior and senior years,” said Dr. John Pecore, the principal investigator. He proposed and will administer the NSF grant. Pecore is an associate professor in the Department of Teacher Education and Educational Leadership in UWF’s College of Education and Professional Studies.
To be eligible to become a Noyce Scholar, students must be pursuing a UWF-Teach degree. Through a collaboration between the Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering and the College of Education and Professional Studies, UWF-Teach students graduate in four years with a Bachelor of Arts degree in a STEM field and Florida grades six through 12 professional teacher certification. Students complete the content of a regular science or math major along with education coursework and practical teaching experience.
The Noyce Scholarship Grant will fund the participation of the 18 UWF-Teach Noyce Scholars in a citizen-based education research project where they will collaborate with a Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering faculty member and a STEM master mentor to design lessons that elicit middle or high school students to engage in an ongoing UWF faculty research project.
“After graduating, each highly qualified Noyce scholar will work with an average of 150 different students per year for a total of approximately 750 students every five years. Eighteen Noyce Scholars will impact an estimated 13,500 students every five years in high-need school districts,” Pecore said.
Students applying to receive a Noyce Scholarship must maintain a minimum GPA, submit faculty recommendations, write a two-page essay and sit for an interview.
“The goal of the Noyce program is to recruit the best and brightest STEM majors who want to pursue a teaching career in high-needs school districts,” Pecore said.
In addition to funding the studies of juniors and seniors who become Noyce Scholars while pursuing their UWF-Teach degrees, the $1.3 million NSF grant will fund recruitment of students, with a special focus on recruiting underrepresented minorities into the STEM teaching field.
The project supports eligible dual-enrolled freshmen and sophomore STEM students at UWF, Pensacola State College and Northwest Florida State College. Support comes in the form of teaching experience in conjunction with coursework and a summer internship at a middle or high school in a high-needs school district.
“The idea is early and often,” Pecore said. “We want to get STEM majors into the classroom as early in their college career and as often as possible during their four years of study. These field experiences in the school setting are invaluable.”
Besides funding 18 Noyce Scholars and supporting recruitment of STEM majors into the teaching field, the NSF grant is also dedicated to supporting graduates during their first few years of teaching.
Pecore said one of the ways to support new teachers is to provide continual opportunities for professional development.
“By collaborating with school districts, UWF-Teach graduates will receive additional supports to ensure their success as a novice teacher, increasing the likelihood that Noyce scholars will remain in the teaching profession and continue to impact thousands of students,” Pecore said.
In addition to administering the grant during its five-year duration, Pecore will also conduct research associated with it.
“We want to determine what factors encourage STEM majors to consider teaching careers and what factors contribute to their retention in the teaching profession,” he said.
Wildfire Burns Through About 40 Acres In Molino
April 15, 2017
A wildfire burned about 40 acres in Molino Friday afternoon before being brought under control.
The cause of the fire is unknown and under investigation. But Florida Forest Service personnel and an Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement investigator believe it was caused by a person.
The fire was off Highway 95A and north of Molino Road in Molino in the area of Morgan and Nicholson Drive. The fire was well off the main roads.
The Forest Service and Escambia County Fire Rescue were first called to the area around 7 a.m. Friday as residents reported the smell of smoke. With foggy conditions, the smoke was indistinguishable and no fire was found.
At about 2:30 p.m., while on routine patrol, the Blackwater Forestry Center’s fixed wing aircraft pilot reported seeing smoke and flew the area. There were no authorized burns on record and crews responded with bulldozers and a brush truck to find the fire had burned through about 30 acres at the time suppression began.
Crews were able to establish a fire line around most of the burned area rather quickly but pockets of heat remain along the southern edge of the fire in a creek bottom where access was difficult. Forest firefighters were set to return to the area on Saturday to evaluate the situation.
In addition to the Florida Forest Service, the Molino, McDavid, Century and Cantonment stations of Escambia Fire Rescue also worked to contain the blaze and protect any threatened structures.
File photo.
Camp Fire Kids Attend Easter Egg Hunt At Century Health And Rehab
April 15, 2017
The children at the Camp Fire Century Youth Learning Center recently attended an annual Easter Egg Hunt with the staff and residents at the Century Health and Rehabilitation Center. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Softball Beats Niceville; Tate Baseball Beats Pace
April 15, 2017
SOFTBALL
Tate 9, Niceville 6
The Tate Lady Aggies came alive in the bottom of the fifth Friday on their way to a 9-6 win over Niceville.
The Aggies added six runs in the fifth for a 7-1 lead before Niceville answered with five runs in the top of the sixth.
Hannah Brown pitched a complete game for Tate, allowing 10 hits, six runs, three errors, walking three and striking out four. She was 3-4 at the plate with a double.
For Tate: Hayden Lindsay 2-4, 2R; Belle Wolfenden 1-3, RBI; Shelby Ullrich 2-3, R, RBI; Leslee Scruggs 2-4, R, 3 RBI 2B; Ashely Lundquist R; Shelby McLean 1-3, 2 RBI; 2B; Deazia Nickerson 1-3, R.
BASEBALL
Tate 7, Pace 2
The Tate Aggies beat Pace 7-2 Friday night.
Gabe Castro pitched a fulll game for Tate, allowing four hits, two runs, two errors an striking out one batter.
For Tate: Reid Halfacre 1-2, R; Mason Land 3-3, R, 2RBI, 2B; Logan McGuffey 1-4, 2RBI; Logan Blackmon 1-2, R, RBI; Jesse Sherrill 2-3, R; Corben Young, R; Blake Anderson R; RBI; Ethan Bloodworth R.
Blue Wahoos Fall To Shuckers 6-2
April 15, 2017
The Biloxi Shuckers sent nine batters to the plate in the bottom of the second and scored five runs to end the Pensacola Blue Wahoos three-game winning streak, 6-2, Friday at MGM Park.
Biloxi got four singles from right fielder Clint Coulter, second baseman Javier Betancourt, catcher Dustin Houle and shortstop Maurico Dubon and a line drive double to left field from third baseman Angel Ortega to score the first four runs in the inning and go ahead, 4-0. Ortega capped the scoring when he crossed the plate when first baseman Dustin DeMuth grounded into a force out.
Blue Wahoos righty Keury Mella lasted just 1.2 innings. He gave up five earned runs on six hits and struck out two. The Cincinnati Reds’ organization 19th ranked prospect is now 0-2 on the year.
Pensacola used four pitchers in relief of Mella and allowed just one more run to the Shuckers on five hits. Biloxi Michael Reed hit his second home run of the season to left field off of Blue Wahoos reliever Alex Powers in the fourth inning to put Biloxi up, 6-2. Powers pitched 3.1 innings in relief, giving up three hits and striking out one.
Seven of Biloxi’s nine starters earned hits in the game.
The Blue Wahoos had pulled within, 5-2, in the top of the fourth inning when second baseman Josh VanMeter doubled to center field with two outs to drive in both Brian O’Grady and Powers. VanMeter has three doubles this season and is hitting .292 on the year.
Blue Wahoos left fielder Gabriel Guerrero went 2-5 with two singles to raise his average this season to a team-leading .344. He has four multi-hit games in the first eight games.
Pensacola fell into a three-way tie with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp and Mississippi Braves for first place in the South Division at 5-3.
Hundreds Lose Power In The Walnut Hill Area
April 14, 2017
About 425 Escambia River Electric Cooperative customers in the Walnut Hill, Pineville and Enon areas were without power for about two hours Friday. The outage involved a portion of those served by the Oak Grove Substation on Highway 99A. The cause was reportedly an equipment problem in the substation. The power went out about 11 a.m., and crews restored power just before 1 p.m.
Century Continues To Burn 2016 Tornado Debris
April 14, 2017
Over the past month, the Town of Century has burned just over half of the vegetative debris that was left behind when an EF-3 tornado that ripped through town on February 15, 2016. The process, according to Mayor Henry Hawkins, has been slightly delayed by rain.
The downed trees and limbs were transported to an empty lot in the town’s industrial park. Piles were created for burning out of about 800 dump truck loads of trees and other vegetative debris from the tornado.
The first of those piles was burned Tuesday, March 14. Town employees are burning the piles under permits issued daily from the Florida Forest Service.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.