Century Man Sentenced To Life Without Parole For Shooting Two People
May 18, 2017
A Century man will spend the rest of his life in prison after opening fire on two people inside a vehicle in Century during October 2015.
Akino Jama Jackson was found guilty of attempted first degree murder, attempted second degree murder and shooting into an occupied vehicle. Circuit Judge Scott Duncan sentenced Jackson to life in prison. As a prison releasee reoffender, he will not be eligible for parole and will actually spend his entire life in prison.
On October 7, 2015, Jackson armed himself with a firearm and fired eight times into a Dodge Charger, shooting Roosevelt Dixon in the back four times causing serious injuries. Dixon’s girlfriend, Amanda Conner, was in the front passenger seat at the time the shots were fired. She suffered injuries from broken glass but did not seek medical treatment.
Conner told investigators that she and Dixon were at his mother’s residence on Ivey Street in Century, and they had noticed a car in the area that Dixon was concerned about.
She said they left the mother’s trailer, eventually turning onto Old Flomaton Road. She said they traveled a short distance when she heard a loud noise followed by a another loud noise during which glass shattered. Dixon told Conner that he had been shot. At this point, they turned the car around, still not seeing the vehicle from which the shots were fired, and headed back to Ivey Street where Dixon got out of the Dodge Charger.
Conner then headed toward the Century Sheriff’s Precinct on Highway 29 in the Charger, stopping along the way at the Century Whataburger where she observed a deputy on a traffic stop.
Conner had received threatening text messages from Jackson in the days leading up to the shooting. Roosevelt Dixon was able to identify Jackson as the shooter.
Pictured top: The scene at Whataburger in Century on October 7, 2015. Pictured below: Numbers and trajectory rods show bullet holes in a Dodge Charger that was occupied by two people. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Florida’s SRO Of The Year, Ronnie Gill, Retires From Ernest Ward Middle
May 18, 2017
Ernest Ward Middle School, Northview High School, and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office celebrated the retirement of Senior Deputy Ronnie Gill Wednesday morning.
Gill retired March 30 from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office after 15 years with the agency. The school resource officer has volunteered his time as a reserve deputy since March 30 to continue his service at Ernest Ward Middle School until the end of the school year.
The Ernest Ward Middle School staff presented Gill with a Canon DSLR camera for his retirement and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office presented him with a plaque and watch. On behalf of several students, NorthEscambia.com presented Gill with a few needed accessories for his new camera.
His law enforcement career spans nearly 40 years. He joined the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office in 2002 and joined the school resource officer program over 12 years ago.
Last year, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Florida Association of School Resource Officers Monday named Gill as the 2016 School Resource Officer of the Year for Florida.
“Deputy Gill goes above and beyond to not only ensure the safety of students at the school he serves, but to also provide guidance to the youth in his community,” Bondi said at the time. “Resource officers play a vital role in the lives of students on a daily basis.”
Bondi and the FASRO present the School Resource Officer of the Year award annually to a Florida officer who demonstrates dedication and tireless work ethic to enhance the lives of the students they serve.
Gill was also awarded the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Meritorious Service Medal for the crucial role he plays in breaking down the barriers between law enforcement and youth.
Senior Deputy Gill not only worked hard protecting the students and faculty within Ernest Ward, he also gave selflessly of his time to mentor and help students in need. Whether it was counseling students, leading the Ernest Ward “Teens for Christ” group, or showing up at community sporting events to work security on his own time, Gill built a reputation within the student population as not just a law enforcement officer, but a person they can look up to and approach.
Gill also gave selflessly of his finances. He opened his own lunch account with the school and would transfer money into needy student’s accounts on a regular basis. He has been known to provide funds for students that cannot afford trip fees and club dues. He has also taken students shopping for Christmas and has even paid a high school senior’s graduation fees. Whenever there is a need that has been identified, Senior Deputy Gill would step up and fulfill that need.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Corrections Department Honors Employees Who Died In Line In Duty
May 18, 2017
With department Secretary Julie Jones saying each name “represents a hero,” the Florida Department of Corrections on Wednesday held an annual wreath-laying ceremony to honor fallen officers and employees.
The event, held at Wakulla Correctional Institution south of Tallahassee, included adding Sgt. Jorge Ramos and Karan Smith, a systems project consultant, to the names of 47 others from the Department of Corrections who have died in the line of duty over the years.
Ramos, who worked at the South Florida Reception Center in Miami-Dade County, died in May 2016 during a department training event. Smith died of a heart attack last July while on the job at the Reception and Medical Center in Union County.
“Each name represents a hero, a member who bravely took an oath to serve the people of the state of Florida, and they died in the line of duty,” Jones said. “Today we proudly honor them, and we also never forget them.”
by The News Service of Florida
Jim Allen Elementary School Names Students Of The Month
May 18, 2017
Jim Allen Elementary School has named Students of the Month for May. They are Clotee Williamson (left) and Marabelle Hamilton. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Nokomis and Meadows Stop Sign To Be Relocated
May 18, 2017
Effective Tuesday, June 6 the stop sign at the intersection of Nokomis Road and Meadows Lane near Davisville will change to improve safety, according to Escambia County.
Currently, there is a single stop sign on the westbound lane of Nokomis Road. On June 6, the stop sign will be moved to the southbound lane of Meadows Lane.
Motorists are advised to use caution when navigating the intersection during the transition period.
Northview Softball’s Jamia Newton Signs With Coastal Alabama
May 18, 2017
Northview High School senior Jamia Newton has signed to play softball with Coastal Alabama Community College in Monroeville, AL. She is pictured at a signing ceremony Wednesday afternoon at Northview with family, friends and fellow Northview Chiefs players. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
ECFR Installing Free Smoke Detectors Saturday In Harvesters Homes
May 18, 2017
Escambia County Fire Rescue will be installing free smoke detectors Saturday during a neighborhood canvas in the Harvesters Homes subdivision off Muscogee Road in Cantonment. ECFR will be going door to door starting at 8 a.m., walking the neighborhood and offering to install the free smoke detectors.
Smoke detectors that are properly installed and maintained play a vital role in reducing fire deaths and injuries. According to the National Fire Protection Association, a working smoke detector cuts the chances of dying in a reported fire in half. The Escambia County Board of County Commissioners and Escambia County Fire Rescue are continuing to work toward their goal of having a working smoke detector in every home in the county.
For more information, contact Escambia County Fire Rescue at (850) 475-5530 or fire@myescambia.com. For information about obtaining a home smoke detector, call 850-595-HERO (4376).
When Will The Molino Road Bridge Reopen?
May 17, 2017
When will the Molino Road bridge reopen? That was the hot question at a community town hall meeting Tuesday night with District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry.
“It’s been about three and a half weeks with any visible work on it,” local resident Bonnie Exner said. “The frustration is the lack of activity.”
The project, Escambia County Public Works Director Wes Moreno said, is funded by the Florida Department of Transportation and is outside direct county control. He said the contractor has until September to complete the bridge replacement under their contract with FDOT.
Numerous residents at the public meeting expressed their displeasure with the lack of signage on Molino Road near Highway 29 warning of the road closure.
“That’s something we can and will take care of,” Barry said, adding that the county will approach FDOT and the contractor for additional signs like a variable message board. If not, he said, the county will place their own message board warning of the closure.
The replacement of the Molino Road bridge over Penasula Creek, just east of Sunshine Hill Road, started in early January.
The project is expected to be completed in approximately 265 calendar days.
The old wood piling supported bridge was constructed in 1958 had reached a level of deterioration to warrant replacement and was next on the list of the FDOT’s Five-Year Work Plan. The project is being funded and the construction work will be performed under contract for the Florida Department of Transportation. After completion of the structure, Escambia County will be responsible for the maintenance of the bridge.
Pictured: Construction on the Molino Road bridge over over Penasula Creek as seen late Tuesday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Century Implements Reservation Fee For Splash Pad Pavilion
May 17, 2017
Due to the popularity of the Century splash pad, the town has implemented a reservation fee for a neighboring pavilion at Showalter Park.
Since the splash pad opened earlier this year, many more people are using the pavilion for birthday parties and other events, Mayor Henry Hawkins said. With no reservation policy in place, there have been conflicts between groups wanting to use the pavilion, the mayor said, including a disagreement that led to the involvement of law enforcement.
Now, the town will reserve the pavilion for $25 per hour, with a two hour minimum. For information on reservations, contact town hall at (850) 256-3208.
“If there is no reservation for a particular time, it is first come first served,” Hawkins said.
The actual splash pad is open to all and cannot be reserved.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Scott Faces Increasing Pressure On School Funding
May 17, 2017
The chorus of voices calling for Gov. Rick Scott to veto a controversial education bill — and perhaps part of the state budget for public schools — grew Tuesday, even as supporters tried to push back.
Two of the state’s major education organizations — the Florida School Boards Association and the Florida Association of District School Superintendents — sent letters to Scott on Tuesday asking him to nix a wide-ranging schools bill (HB 7069) unveiled on the next-to-last business day of the 2017 legislative session.
The superintendents went a step further and called on Scott to use his line-item veto to strike the Florida Education Finance Program, or FEFP, a move that would essentially force the Legislature to pass a new education budget. The FEFP comprises the majority of state and local funding that flows to public schools.
The letters from the two organizations came on top of calls from the Florida Education Association, the state’s main teachers union, for Scott to take dramatic action on HB 7069, a sweeping measure covering everything from school uniforms and sunscreen to teacher bonuses and recess.
The measure is perhaps best known for its inclusion of a funding program for “schools of hope,” including charter schools in areas with academically struggling traditional schools, and an expansion of the “Best and Brightest” teacher bonus system.
The school boards association was particularly blistering about the way that the bill was put together in budget negotiations between the House and Senate. The legislation emerged as a “conforming bill,” tied to the budget and essentially subject only to an up-or-down vote.
“Legislators took a six-page, single-subject bill, tacked on the content of two very contentious bills, and then added the camouflage of popular provisions from more than a dozen other bills to produce a 274-page behemoth. … We believe that this entire process for developing this conforming bill constitutes an abuse of the legislative process in general and the budget conference process in particular,” wrote Andrea Messina, the school boards association’s executive director, and Tim Harris, its president and a member of the Polk County School Board.
Meanwhile, Miami-Dade County Superintendent Alberto Carvalho appeared at a meeting of the State Board of Education to press the case from school chiefs that the bill and the budget should be vetoed. He said a 1.2 percent increase in the FEFP funding program in the budget year that begins July 1 is particularly paltry.
“That is the lowest increase outside of recessionary conditions,” Carvalho said.
Critics have also pointed out that, while there is a modest per-student increase of 0.34 percent in the FEFP by one measure, the per-student amount under another measure would actually drop. About 20 school districts are expected to see their revenues for each student drop if the current budget is signed by Scott.
Some of the members of the State Board of Education, which is appointed by Scott, suggested Tuesday that they were troubled by aspects of the budget, which defenders say sets aside an all-time high in overall spending on education. Because of enrollment growth and spending outside of the FEFP, the total funding for K-12 education would be at an all-time high even as per-student spending rises only slightly.
“What concerns me (is), if this is a record budget and most of our rural counties are losing money, I’m scared to death of what may happen if we ever have a down year,” said Andy Tuck, vice chairman of the board.
Carvalho suggested that if Scott were to veto both HB 7069 and the FEFP, lawmakers could more broadly spread nearly $419 million that was tucked into the conforming bill. Those funds are now earmarked for a variety of causes including charter schools, persistently failing public schools and teacher bonuses.
But supporters have begun mounting a counterattack. Earlier in the state board’s meeting, House Education Chairman Michael Bileca, R-Miami, defended the conforming legislation, which sprung largely from House ideas on charter schools and teacher bonuses.
“Our approach has been, how do we create this transformative approach to closing the achievement gap, to help really transform these persistently failing schools as well as the areas of the highest poverty in our state,” Bileca said.
Meanwhile, the Florida chapter of PublicSchoolOptions.org, which advocates for public school options like charter and magnet schools, issued a statement calling on Scott to sign the conforming bill.
“HB 7069 is a win for parents because it gives us more options for our children’s education and it entrusts us, not bureaucrats, to make these decisions for our children,” said Carmen Potter, a leader of the group in Florida. “After all, we know them best.”
It is not clear when Scott will have to make a final decision on the bill, which passed before the annual legislative session ended May 8. The governor has 15 days to sign or veto a bill after the Legislature sends it to him, but lawmakers have not done that with the budget or HB 7069.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida