Brass Knuckles Land Cantonment Convicted Felon In Jail
August 19, 2025
Brass knuckles sent a convicted felon from Cantonment to jail following a traffic stop in Pensacola.
The Pensacola Police Department stopped his orange Dodge Challenger in the area of I Street and Intendencia Street due to a records check showing the registered owner had an expired license.
The driver, 32-year-old Leo Valentino Benjamin, Jr., told officers that he knew his license was suspended due to insurance issues. A PPD K-9 alerted on the vehicle, and a probable cause search located a pair of full-size brass knuckles in the empty center console, according to an arrest report, and burnt foil with residue on the front passenger side.
Officers determined Benjamin had previous felony convictions for drug possession and obstruction of justice.
According to PPD, he told officers that he had obtained the brass knuckles earlier in the day for self-defense purposes because he was concerned about getting ambushed by someone.
He was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $6,000 bond.
‘Never Attempted To Stop’ — Report Details Habitual Offender’s Crash Into State Trooper
August 19, 2025
Witnesses said a habitual traffic offender never attempted to stop before he crashed into a Florida Highway Patrol trooper Sunday morning on Highway 29.
Deondrez Dequan White, 36, was charged with driving while license suspended as a habitual offender and booked into the Escambia County Jail after he was released from the hospital.
FHP said White rear-ended a 27-year-old male trooper who was investigating a previous crash on Highway 29 just south of West Roberts Road.
“Both witnesses advised the black SUV (driven by White) was traveling in the inside southbound lane and never attempted to stop,” states the FHP report obtained Monday by NorthEscambia.com.
At 6:21 a.m. Sunday, the trooper stated on the radio that he was involved in a vehicle crash. A second responding trooper arrived to find the first trooper’s patrol car facing south in the median of Highway 29 with crash debris in the inside lane. There were skid marks leading from the inside lane where the trooper’s car was parked in the inside lane with emergency lights activated.
White was still sitting in the driver’s seat of his SUV and requested to be transported to Sacred Heart Hospital. The trooper was transported to an area hospital for injuries “to his head, neck, back, and hands/arms,” the report states.
White was arrested after being medically cleared by the hospital and booked into the Escambia County Jail. He was released from jail about 5 p.m. Monday on a $500 bond. He is set to be arraigned on September 12.
According to the FHP report, White’s license had been suspended multiple times, since 2011, for failure to pay financial obligations and was revoked for five years in 2018. Court records show he was convicted of no valid driver’s license twice in 2013, driving with a suspended license in November 2014, driving with a suspended license in January 2017, driving with a suspended license in March 2017, knowingly driving with a suspended license in November 2019, and knowingly driving with a suspended license and leaving the scene of an accident for a December 2023 crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Funeral Home Hearse Burns At Highway 29 Gas Station
August 19, 2025
A hearse belonging to an Atmore funeral home burned Monday night at a gas station in Gonzalez.
The fire was reported about 9:30 p.m. at the Speed Mart on Highway 29 at Tate School Road. Firefighters were able to quickly bring the fire under control, without significant damage to the nearby fuel pumps.
There were no injuries reported. There was no casket or cargo in the vehicle, which belonged to Turner Funeral Chapel.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Used Car Dealership Planned For Highway 95A At Highway 29
August 19, 2025
An Escambia County man who filed development plans in June for property on Highway 95A at Highway 29 in Cantonment to include “Troublewide Saloon” has reapplied to place a used car dealership on the property.
An application filed by Robert Carlson and BDR Towing shows he is looking to use an existing parking lot and concrete slab to park cars and install a 12×20 office building “to satisfy the state requirement to get a dealer’s license.” The used car lot, if approved, will also include a fenced area for outside storage.
“I will continue to improve the appearance as I begin to enjoy some sort of infrastructure that I have never been allowed,” his application stated.
The proposal is set for a pre-application meeting with the Escambia County Development Review Committee at 3:15 p.m. Wednesday.
Carlson’s previous development application for a mixed-use development that appeared to include a saloon, a gravel path for truck and RV parking or storage never advanced.
Pictured top: A used car dealership is proposed for this lot on Highway 95A at Highway 29 in Cantonment. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Appointee Sought For Escambia Board Of Electrical Examiners
August 19, 2025
The Escambia County Board of County Commissioners is seeking two Escambia County residents interested in volunteering to be considered for an appointment to the Escambia County Board of Electrical Examiners.
Escambia County residents interested in serving on the Escambia County Board of Electrical Examiners are asked to submit a resume and letter indicating their desire to serve by the close of business on Monday, August 25. Resumes should be submitted to Jennifer Hampton, Division Manager, Escambia County Building Services Department, 3363 West Park Place, Pensacola, Florida 32505 or emailed to jahampton@myescambia.com.
Openings on the Escambia County Board of Electrical Examiners is as follows:
- One State Certified Electrical Contractor
- One State Registered Electrical Contractor
Established by a local ordinance, the duties of the board are to attend meetings to review applications, administer written examination of applicants, issue certificates of competency as electricians and maintain official records of all transactions. The board is to consider any charges against certificate holders for willful violations or incompetence. Members serve a three-year term of office and meet the third Tuesday of each month for approximately two hours.
Escambia County Company To Pay Federal Fines, Dissolve For Selling Pesticides To ‘Fight’ COVID
August 19, 2025
An Escambia County company has been fined and ordered to dissolve for a conspiracy to sell pesticides to fight coronavirus during the COVID pandemic, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
ServisMed, LLC pleaded guilty and was sentenced to engaging in a conspiracy to violate the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (“FIFRA”)
“This company broke the law by exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic to enrich itself through the deceptive distribution of a chemical agent that had not been registered or approved for use on humans. This conviction and sentence holds this company accountable for its corporate criminal conduct, and should serve as a deterrent against future criminal schemes that endanger our community,” John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida said.
Court documents reveal that ServisMed, LLC was a distribution company licensed to market and sell products that included disinfectant pesticides. During the COVID-19 pandemic, between March and December 2020, ServisMed, LLC conspired with others to distribute a pesticide product – in this instance purporting to fight COVID-19 – without it being registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as required. This included ServisMed, LLC, distributing such product to a local law enforcement agency as well as attempting to export the product to the foreign countries of Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Registration and proper labeling of pesticide products to be used on humans are intended, in part, to protect citizens of the United States against potential harms in using such pesticides and against potential danger when such pesticides are traveling on American soil during the distribution process for foreign export. Law enforcement was able to stop foreign exports by ServisMed, LLC and others valued at over $250,000.
Following the guilty plea, ServisMed, LLC will pay restitution to the local law enforcement agency in the amount of $13,330; pay a $40,000 fine; forfeit the foreign export products valued at over $250,000; and dissolve as a company.
“The defendant in this case sold unregistered pesticides in the midst of a global pandemic and sought to profit from people’s fears of contracting the coronavirus,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kristopher Martel of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division. “The sentencing demonstrates that corporations will be held criminally responsible for placing the public at risk by failing to ensure the integrity and safety of their products.”
The case was jointly investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency – Criminal Investigation Division, the Department of Commerce – Bureau of Industry and Security Office of Export Enforcement, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation
NWE Football Needs More 6U Players; Registration Is Free
August 19, 2025
NWE Football in Walnut Hill needs three to five more players to join the Chiefs 6U football team. Registration is free.
“Let your kids be part of a great team, learn the game, make friends, and have fun,” Wesley Morris, NWE Football president, said.
For more information and to sign up today, contact Wesley at (850) 418-2767.
Did Nine Mile Road Crossing Gates Malfunction? FHP Investigates After Train Vs. Truck Crash
August 18, 2025
UPDATED AUG 18 1 P.M. — An investigation is underway to determine if warning lights and crossing gates were working properly Sunday morning when a train struck a pickup truck on Nine Mile Road.
About 7:25 Sunday morning, A GMC pickup truck driven by a 33-year-old Milton man was traveling east East Nile Mile Road, just east of Highway 29 and North Palafox Street, as a freight train was traveling north across Nine Mile Road. The train collided with the passenger side of the pickup, which came to rest in the center median.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the train’s emergency systems were activated, and it stopped north of the area.
“A witness on the scene stated the warning lights and crossing gate arms did not activate until the train was at the crossing,” FHP said Monday afternoon. “CSX investigators have been contacted, and the investigation is ongoing.”
The pickup driver was transported to the hospital with minor injuries. There were no other occupants in the vehicle.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Driver Arrested After Crashing Into FHP Trooper Investigating Previous Wreck On Highway 29
August 18, 2025
An Escambia County man was jailed Sunday after rear-ending a Florida Highway Patrol trooper working a previous crash on Highway 29 on Sunday morning.
The 27-year-old male trooper had responded to a crash on Highway 29 just south of West Roberts Road around 5:15 a.m. As the trooper was completing that previous crash investigation, his cruiser was rear-ended around just over an hour later by a SUV driven by 36-year old Deondrez Dequan White.
Both the trooper and White were transported to the hospital for treatment.
White was charged with driving while license suspended as habitual offender and booked into the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $7,500. Court records show he was convicted of knowingly driving with a suspended license and leaving the scene of an accident for a December 2023 crash, and was convicted with knowingly driving with a suspended license in November 2019, convicted of driving with a suspended license in March 2017, convicted of driving with a suspended license in January 2017, convicted of driving with a suspended license in November 2014, and convicted of no valid drivers license twice in 2013.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Atmore Woman Charged With Using Grandparent’s Debit Card At Florida Lottery Retailer
August 18, 2025
An Atmore woman is facing felony charges after allegedly using her grandparents’ debit card to make hundreds of dollars in purchases from a Florida Lottery retailer just across the state line in Davisville.
Whitney Savannah McGhee, 25, was charged with fraudulent use of a debit card and grand theft from an individual over 65 years old, both felonies. The victim had reported the Regions debit card stolen to the Atmore Police Department.
According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, McGhee was captured on video surveillance using the debit card on July 3 for $241.88 at State Line Lotto on Highway 97 before returning to make another purchase for $242.98 on July 6 for a total of $484.82. The victim told Florida deputies that he had not given any permission for McGhee to use the debit card.
McGhee was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $5,000 bond.