Salvation Army Thief Arrested
December 19, 2015
An Escambia County man who allegedly burglarized a Salvation Army thrift store earlier this week has been arrested.
David Lamar Jones, 32, no permanent address, was charged with burglary, possession of burglary tools, grand theft, and criminal mischief.
Officer Brandon Byrd was dispatched to the Salvation Army Family Store, 3870 North Davis Highway, just after 10 a.m. Monday to investigate a burglary.
Employees told Byrd the store had been burglarized some time between 5 p.m. December 12 and 10 a.m. Monday December 14 and that an undisclosed amount of cash had been stolen.
Jones, who was employed by the Salvation Army at the time of his arrest, was identified by employees through surveillance video.
Meanwhile, Detective Eric Hubley said an investigation continues into the theft of two Salvation Army donation kettles on December 12. In that incident, a man collected the two kettles from volunteers in front of Sam’s Club on Airport Boulevard. The suspect, who was wearing a red apron similar to one worn by Salvation Army volunteers, said he was early because the Army’s van had broken down.
Anyone having information on the incident is asked to contact the Pensacola Police Department at (850) 435-1900 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433- STOP.
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Hosts ‘Shop With A Cop’
December 19, 2015
Dozens of Escambia County children had the chance to “Shop With a Cop” Friday afternoon.
Each child received $125 to shop with a deputy from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. They were able to gift shop for family members and themselves.
The children were selected with the help of the Escambia County School District, and the shopping trips were make possible thanks to donors.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Two Injured In Highway 29 Crash Near Molino
December 18, 2015
Two people were injured in a two vehicle accident Thursday night on Highway 29 in Molino.
One person was airlifted to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola by LifeFlight as a “trauma alert”, while a second person was transported by Escambia County EMS to a Pensacola hospital. Further details on their conditions were not available. A third victim refused medical treatment.
The cause of the accident was not immediately clear. But both vehicles overturned off Highway 29 near Rawhide Lane, just north of Highway 95A. At least one of the vehicles snapped a utility pole. One vehicle, a Saturn car, came to rest on its side while a Chevrolet Silverado pickup came to rest partially on the Saturn.
The seriously injured victim was trapped in the Saturn as firefighters were forced to remove the roof of the vehicle to free him.
The accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. Further details have not yet been released as they continue their investigation. The Molino, McDavid and Cantonment stations of Escambia Fire Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Price, click to enlarge.
Florida Supreme Court Signs Off On Medical Marijuana Proposal
December 18, 2015
In a key step for supporters of legalizing medical marijuana, the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would go on the November 2016 ballot.
Justices said the proposal, spearheaded by the group People United for Medical Marijuana, meets legal tests that include dealing with a single subject and having a clearly worded ballot title and summary. The Supreme Court does not consider the merits of proposed constitutional amendments but reviews them, in part, to make sure voters would not be misled.
“(The) ballot title and summary fairly inform voters of the purpose of the proposed amendment — the state authorization of medical marijuana for patients with debilitating medical conditions,” the 15-page opinion said. “The language is clear and does not mislead voters regarding the actual content of the proposed amendment.”
People United for Medical Marijuana, which is led and heavily financed by Orlando lawyer John Morgan, still needs to submit 683,149 valid petition signatures to the state by a Feb. 1 deadline. As of Thursday morning, it had submitted 400,032, according to the state Division of Elections website.
“The unanimous decision by the Florida Supreme Court to approve the new medical marijuana constitutional amendment is a huge victory for hundreds of thousands of sick and suffering Floridians who could benefit from the passage of such a law,” campaign manager Ben Pollara said in a text message. “While we still must collect the required number of petitions before officially being placed on the 2016 ballot, we are confident that we will and that Florida voters will approve this amendment in the general election.”
The group, also known as United for Care, tried to pass a similar constitutional amendment in 2014 but fell short of getting approval from 60 percent of voters, as is required by law. About 58 percent of voters supported the measure, which drew opposition, in part, from a group heavily funded by Las Vegas casino magnate Sheldon Adelson.
Supreme Court justices split on the wording of the 2014 initiative, ruling by a 4-3 margin that it could go on the ballot. Attorney General Pam Bondi argued that the ballot language could deceive voters about the extent of marijuana use that would be allowed.
But supporters revised the 2016 proposal to address concerns raised about the 2014 initiative by Supreme Court justices and opponents. With the changes, Bondi did not contest the 2016 proposal at the Supreme Court.
The proposal, in part, would allow patients with “debilitating” medical conditions, as certified by physicians, to get medical marijuana. The initiative lists a series of conditions that could be considered debilitating, including cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV, AIDS, post-traumatic stress disorder, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis.
Lawmakers and Gov. Rick Scott last year approved a measure that allows limited types of medical marijuana for certain patients, such as children with severe forms of epilepsy. But those types of cannabis purportedly do not get users high.
The proposed constitutional amendment, however, would make available euphoria-causing marijuana to a larger number of patients. The Florida Department of Health would have regulatory powers.
“We conclude that the initiative has a logical and natural oneness of purpose, specifically, whether Floridians wish to include a provision in our state Constitution permitting the medical use of marijuana,” the Supreme Court opinion said, addressing a requirement that initiatives deal with single subjects. “The proposed amendment’s provision regarding the specific role for the Department of Health in overseeing and licensing the medical use of marijuana is directly connected with this purpose.”
by Jim Sanders, with contribution by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
School Toy Drive Shuts Down Classroom
December 18, 2015
A toy drive in Atmore shut down one classroom. Escambia County High School teacher Tiffany Oliver challenged her students to bring in toys for a local toy drive. She challenged them to donate enough toys to block her classroom door to win a “get out of an assignment” pass. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Man Jailed As He Awaits Sentencing To More Prison Time In Drug Case
December 18, 2015
A Century man that recently completed a prison sentence for a drug crime is now back behind bars awaiting a sentence of more prison time due to an opinion issued in October by Florida’s First District Court of Appeals.
At a circuit court hearing this week before Judge J. Scott Duncan, 38-year old Steven Daniel Kite was remanded into custody without bond pending sentencing next month.
Kite was arrested as part of the “Operation Blister Pack 2″ sweep in April 2013. It took an Escambia County jury just under an hour to find Kite guilty of conspiracy to traffic in methamphetamine and unlawful possession of a listed chemical – pseudoephedrine.
However, Kite moved for and obtained a judgement of acquittal on the conspiracy to traffic count. The trial judge cited two grounds for the judgement of acquittal — inaccurate wording and the failure to prove that there was any agreement between Kite and any other person to purchase and deliver pseudoephedrine. The state appealed the ruling.
In October, the appeals court found the acquittal on the conspiracy to to traffic count to be incorrect and ordered the trial court to reinstate the jury’s original guilty verdict.
The appeals court found that Kite did conspire to traffic in methamphetamine. Between December 2010 and April 2013, Kite made 53 purchases of pseudoephedrine, totaling 123.94 grams, from various pharmacies. He would deliver the package of pseudoephedrine to the home of a known methamphetamine cook and receive half a gram of meth each time in return.
According to the State Attorney’s Office, Kite faces a minimum mandatory sentence of seven years on the reinstated trafficking charge. The seven years must be served day by day without the possibility of parole or gain time. He will not be able to receive any credit for the two years already served under the possession charge.
Kite previously received a two year sentence, with credit for 122 days previously served, on the possession charge. According to Florida Department of Corrections records, Kite was released from prison on September 20.
In 2013, Operation Blister Pack targeted nearly 80 individuals on methamphetamine and pseudoephedrine related charges. Many of those arrested were involved with drug groups dubbed “The Village Group”, centered around “The Village” area of Forrest Street and Lakeview Avenue in Cantonment; and “The Ayers Group”, a group centered around Ayers Street in Molino, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Offfice.
Ransom Middle Jazz Band Jazzes Up School District Luncheon
December 18, 2015
The Ransom Middle School Jazz Band set the mood Wednesday during a performance at the annual Escambia County School District’s Holiday Luncheon. The event was held at the J.E. Hall Center in Pensacola. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
More Red Bulbs In Fire Safety Wreath
December 18, 2015
Friday, Escambia County Fire Rescue responded to a fire incident on the 5100 block of Plateau Rd., resulting in the seventh green light being replaced for the “Keep the Wreath Green” fire safety campaign.
The the first 911 call was received Friday, Dec. 18, at 1:25 a.m., with on-site crews reporting flames and smoke showing from a single-wide mobile home. The fire was brought under control at 2:06 a.m., but the structure and contents of the home resulted in a total loss. The residents of the home have been displaced, and the fire incident is currently under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s office.
Recently, Escambia County Fire Rescue responded to a structure fire on the 700 block of Citrus Street. The first 911 call was received at 8:40 a.m. Tuesday with on-site crews reporting smoke and flames showing from a mobile home. Escambia County Fire Rescue was able to extinguish the fire, but the structure and contents of the home resulted in a total loss. Residents have been displaced and are being assisted by the American Red Cross. The State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire.
Last week, crews also responded to a structure fire off New Warrington Road. The first 911 call was received at 5:04 p.m., and the fire was brought under control at 7:37 p.m. Flames were caused by an electrical fire, and no injuries were reported.
The “Keep the Wreath Green” fire safety campaign is a collaborative initiative with City of Pensacola and Santa Rosa County to promote fire safety during the month of December. During the month-long campaign, five-foot wreaths will be on display at 23 different county fire stations. Every time firefighters respond to a residential fire, a green light bulb will be replaced with a red one to remind citizens of the dangers posed by holiday decorations.
Santa Visits Bratt Elementary
December 18, 2015
Fourth grade students in Mrs. Hammac’s class were among those at Bratt Elementary School that were visited by Santa Thursday. The class also enjoyed a special treat from stockings that had been hung by the chimney (with care). Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Luna Colony Found In Pensacola – America’s First Multi-Year European Settlement
December 17, 2015
The University of West Florida archaeology program recently identified the archaeological site of the Luna settlement – the first multi-year European settlement in the United States – in a developed neighborhood in Pensacola.
The artifacts discovered are evidence of the Spanish settlement by Tristán de Luna y Arellano from 1559 to 1561, the earliest multi-year European colonial settlement ever archaeologically identified in the United States.
The work began on Oct. 2, 2015, when Pensacola native Tom Garner discovered Spanish colonial and Native American artifacts at a privately owned residential lot within view of the two uncovered shipwrecks in Pensacola Bay, which were also linked to the Luna expedition. In 1983, Garner attended a UWF archaeology field school led by Dr. Judith Bense, founder of the UWF archaeology program and current University president. Garner is well versed in the identification of historical artifacts and aware of areas considered likely candidates for the location of the Luna settlement.
After multiple visits and surface collections, Garner brought the artifacts to the UWF archaeology lab on Oct. 30, 2015. Dr. John Worth (left), associate professor of historical archaeology, is an archaeology and ethnohistory expert and focuses on the Spanish colonial era in the southeastern U.S.
“What we saw in front of us in the lab that day was an amazing assemblage of mid-16th century Spanish colonial period artifacts,” said Worth. “These items were very specific to this time period. The University conducted fieldwork at this site in the mid-1980s, as have others since then, but no one had ever found diagnostics of the sort that Tom found on the surface. People have looked for this site for a long time.”
With the cooperation and support of residents and property owners, UWF began test excavations at the site and recovered additional artifacts in undisturbed context. Worth is the principal site investigator and Dr. Elizabeth Benchley, director of the UWF archaeology program, provides administrative and financial support. Garner also recently joined the team as a research assistant and neighborhood liaison for the project.
UWF archaeologists recovered numerous sherds of broken 16th century Spanish ceramics found undisturbed beneath the ground surface. They are believed to be pieces of assorted cookware and tableware, including liquid storage containers called olive jars. Small personal and household items were also among the findings – a lead fishing line weight, a copper lacing aglet and wrought iron nail and spike fragments. Additionally, the team recovered beads known to have been traded with Native Americans. These items are consistent with materials previously identified in the shipwrecks offshore in Pensacola Bay.
The artifacts were linked to the Spanish expedition led by Tristán de Luna y Arellano, who brought 1,500 soldiers, colonists, slaves and Aztec Indians in 11 ships from Veracruz, Mexico, to Pensacola to begin the Spanish colonization of the northern Gulf Coast in 1559. One month after they arrived, the colony was struck by a hurricane, sinking many of their ships and devastating their food supplies. After two years, the remnants of the colony were rescued by Spanish ships and returned to Mexico.
The Luna settlement inhabited Pensacola from 1559 to 1561, which predates the Spanish settlement in St. Augustine, Florida, by six years, and the English settlement in Jamestown, Virginia, by 48 years.
“If the Luna expedition hadn’t been devastated by a massive hurricane and had instead achieved its original goal, the reasons and circumstances surrounding the 1565 establishment of St. Augustine might never have happened,” explained Worth. “If Florida had grown as an extension of New Spain through Pensacola on the Gulf Coast to Santa Elena on the Atlantic, the history of the United States itself could have evolved quite differently.”
The winter encampment of Hernando de Soto’s Spanish exploratory expedition to Tallahassee, Florida, from 1539 to 1540, is the only earlier European habitation site positively identified by archaeologists in the southeastern U.S. Two earlier Spanish colonial settlements have yet to be found – those of Juan Ponce de León near Fort Myers, Florida, in 1521 and of Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón near Brunswick, Georgia, in 1526. However, neither settlement lasted more than a few weeks.
The discoveries made at the site of the Luna settlement signify that the two shipwrecks previously discovered in Pensacola Bay were wrecked at the anchorage for the entire Luna fleet. The first shipwreck was discovered by the Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research, and the second was found by UWF. The second shipwreck is currently being excavated by UWF with the assistance of a Florida Division of Historical Resources Special Category Grant. This new information about the location of the settlement may help UWF archaeologists narrow the field of search for the remaining shipwrecks.
With the continued cooperation of residents and property owners, UWF archaeologists will continue to examine the neighborhood to determine the extent and organization of the site.
“The shipwrecks have provided a tremendous insight into the nature of the machinery that brought Spain to the New World and how they operated this entire vast empire,” explained Worth. “In terms of understanding who they were after coming to the New World, this kind of archaeology at the terrestrial site will provide us that window.”
The UWF archaeology program includes a select group of 13 full-time professional archaeologists, nine support staff and numerous graduate students. The program has a rich history of significant instruction, research and public outreach in the Pensacola region. Exhibits displaying UWF research and Pensacola area archaeology are open to the public at the UWF Archaeology Institute, T.T. Wentworth Jr. Florida State Museum and Destination Archaeology at the Florida Public Archaeology Network Coordinating Center.
Experiential learning is a key component of undergraduate and graduate education at UWF. Each summer, the archaeology program offers multiple 10- to 11-week field school sections – like the one Garner attended in 1983 – during which students receive hands-on experience and develop skills necessary for employment. The University plans to include the Luna settlement site in field school sections led by Worth in Summer 2016.
“It’s hard to believe that this opportunity is finally here,” said Worth. “Not only do we know where the site is, but now we get to explore it.”
In order to protect the neighborhood and the integrity of the site, the UWF archaeology program does not plan to disclose the exact location of the Luna settlement.
