Four Charged In Saturday Morning Alabama Prison Smuggling Attempt
April 19, 2026
The Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) successfully thwarted a coordinated contraband smuggling attempt at Fountain Correctional Facility during the early hours of Saturday.
The operation began around 1 a.m. when a trespasser was detected and subsequently apprehended by an ADOC K-9 unit. Simultaneously, the Atmore Police Department conducted a related traffic stop, resulting in the arrest of two additional suspects and the recovery of two firearms. During the operation, correctional staff recovered multiple contraband packages containing approximately 750 grams of marijuana, 15 cell phones, and one knife.
The suspects were taken into custody and transported to the Escambia County Detention Facility.
DeJa Johnson faces several charges, including attempting to commit a controlled substance crime, prohibited activities, promoting prison contraband first and second degree, possession of marijuana first degree, being a certain person forbidden to possess a firearm, and chemical endangerment.
Savion Gilchrist was charged with attempting to commit a controlled substance crime, prohibited activities, promoting prison contraband first and second degree, possession of marijuana first degree, and being a certain person forbidden to possess a firearm.
A third suspect, a juvenile, was also taken into custody but was not identified due to their age. Inmate Justin Hoyle is facing both criminal charges and administrative disciplinary action for his involvement; Hoyle is serving a 20 year sentence out of Lee County for robbery first degree.
“This operation is the result of strong teamwork and a proactive approach taken to ensure the security of ADOC facilities. I want to thank every staff member and agency involved for their swift and coordinated response. ADOC has zero tolerance for contraband or those who attempt to introduce it into any of our facilities. We will continue to identify, disrupt, and hold accountable anyone involved in these criminal activities,” said ADOC Commissioner John Q. Hamm.
Pictured: (L-R): Savion Gilchrist, DeJa Johnson, and inmate Justin Hoyle.
Former School Employee Pleads Guilty To Federal Child Sex Charges
April 19, 2026
A former school employee has pleaded guilty to federal charges for attempted sex trafficking of a minor in Escambia County.
Christopher W. Glover, 47, of Semmes, Alabama was indicted in federal court in Pensacola on attempted sex trafficking of a minor, attempted enticement of a minor, and traveling in interstate commerce to engage in illicit sexual conduct.
He faces up to 30 years in federal prison when sentenced.
At a detention hearing in federal court in Pensacola, evidence was presented that Glover communicated with who he believed to be a 14-year-old female and offered to pay her hundreds of dollars in return for sexual acts. It is alleged that Glover then traveled from Alabama, where he worked for the Baldwin County School District, to Pensacola to meet with the minor. The purported minor, however, was an undercover law enforcement officer. When Glover reached Pensacola to engage in the sexual acts with the minor, he was taken into custody. Glover remains detained in the custody of the United States Marshals Service.
The case is being jointly investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Florida Highway Patrol, and the United States Marshals Service.
Glover was arrested in October 2025 along with a dozen other people in a FDLE operation.
Tate Aggies To Face Gulf Breeze In Flag Football District Quarterfinals
April 19, 2026
The Tate Aggies begin play on Monday in the 3A District 1 flag football quarterfinals.
The No. 6 Aggies (6-7, 3-2) will travel to Gulf Breeze (8-4, 4-4) to take on the No. 3 Dolphins at 6 p.m.
The teams have met once this year, with Gulf Breeze taking the win 19-0 on February 16.
The winner will travel to No. 2 Pace (10-5, 4-2) on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the semifinals.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Pensacola Bay Center Future Begins To Take Shape Following Joint Government Meeting
April 19, 2026
A better image of what the future of the Pensacola Bay Center might look like emerged during a recent joint meeting of the Escambia County Commission and the Pensacola City Council.
No final decisions were made on the $180 million project. In June, the commission is expected to discuss next steps for the design of the Bay Center renovations and the design of a new flexible event center, which will help determine the scope of the project along with next steps.
The current Bay Center, which opened in 1985, has a capacity of 8,050 for hockey and 10,000 with a center stage. It currently averages 123 annual events with an attendance of 352,700.
A three-part proposal from Legends Global includes $71 million in renovations for the Bay Center, which will happen. A new ice rink, it appears, will rely upon private financing, and plans for a new event center are still taking shape.
To see the proposal, click here.
The complete proposal as pesented included:
Pensacola Bay Center (PBC) Improvements $71 million
Exterior upgrades & façade enhancements.
New club seats (between 400 and 600).
2 new club rooms/areas.
Expanded concourses.
Expansion & improvement of F&B and retail spaces & offerings.
New/expanded LED signage offerings.
Back-of-house & central plant improvements and upgrades.
Seamless connectivity to new Practice Ice Rink and Event Center.
New Practice Ice Rink $29.8 million
Attached or connected via enclosed walkway to PBC and Event Center.
one permanent ice sheet (NHL size, 200’ x 85’) with fixed seating for between 600 and 1,000.
4 locker rooms with toilets and showers.
2 coaches/officials rooms.
2 party rooms/flex rooms.
Pro shop/first aid.
Concessions & vending space.
(Optional) Physical therapy/weight room/fitness space.
Small allotment for dryland training space/other amenities (i.e., esports, golf simulator, stickhandling station, etc.).
350 incremental parking spaces needed.
New Event Center $84.4 million
Attached or connected via enclosed walkway to
PBC & Practice Ice Rink.
55,500 net square feet (185’ x 300’), column free, concrete floor, 2 moveable airwalls allowing for subdivision into 3 halls, minimum of 35-foot ceiling height.
6,000 square feet of breakout meeting space.
Warming/prep kitchen.
Enhanced FF&E:
Portable retractable seating for 2,000.
Rollable carpet for one subdivided hall (approximately 18,500 SF).
Portable SportCourt-type athletic surface.
(Alternate) Portable hardwood courts plus climate-controlled storage on-site.
Athletic netting systems & game equipment.
Approx. 105,000 gross square feet (2.4 acres) for facility footprint.
1,200 incremental parking spaces needed.
Blue Wahoos’ Bats Explode In 13-4 Blowout Win
April 19, 2026
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos got the offensive outburst they had been searching for on Saturday night, thrilling a sellout crowd with a 13-4 victory over the Knoxville Smokies.
After scoring a league-fewest 37 runs in their first 12 games, Pensacola poured it on with three homers and a seven-run sixth inning to score a season-high 13 times despite collecting only six hits.
Dillon Lewis jump-started the bats in the first inning, hitting a three-run home run off Smokies starter Jake Knapp (L, 0-1) for a 3-0 lead. It was the second three-run homer of the series for Lewis, who also went deep in the first inning on Tuesday.
Gage Miller added on with a solo homer in the second inning, his first of the season, to extend his hitting streak to a team-high six games.
Blue Wahoos starter Karson Milbrandt allowed a two-run homer to Andy Garriola in the fourth, but struck out a season-high eight batters over 4.0 frames in an effective start. The Blue Wahoos got the runs back on a bases-loaded walk to Miller and a sacrifice fly from Ian Lewis Jr. to stretch their lead back to 6-2.
After the Smokies added two more in the fifth on RBI singles from Garriola and Ethan Hearn, the Blue Wahoos exploded for a seven-run sixth inning despite collecting only two hits. With the bases loaded thanks to a pair of walks and an infield error, Fenwick Trimble served a two-run single to right field. Dillon Lewis sent a bases-loaded chopper to shortstop that could have ended the inning, but a bad throw from Karson Simas sailed down the right field line and plated two more. Jay Beshears put an exclamation point on the outburst with a three-run homer for a 13-4 lead.
Logan Whitaker (W, 1-0) was awarded the win in relief, scattering two hits over 3.1 scoreless innings.
The Blue Wahoos wrap up their series against the Smokies on Sunday.
written by Erik Bremer
Suspect In Cantonment Homicide Captured At Bus Stop In Phoenix
April 18, 2026
The suspect in a homicide last month in Cantonment has been arrested at a bus stop in Phoenix, Arizona.
Devaughn Kentrell Williamson, 29, was wanted in connection with a homicide that occurred on Wednesday, March 4 in the 100 block of Booker Lane, just north of Booker Street.
He was located on Friday morning at a bus stop in Phoenix with a bus ticket in his pocket for El Paso, Texas, according to Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons. The sheriff said he had cut off his dreads, which were in a bag in his possession (pictured left), and he also had a handgun (pictured bottom).
He was captured with the assistance of a U.S. Marshals Task Force. He is being held in the Maricopa County Jail in Arizona, awaiting extradition back to Escambia County.
Deputies originally responded to Booker Lane after a report of “deadly missiles” and found blood and shell casings at the scene.
Deputies were working a missing persons case and developed Williamson as a suspect, which ultimately led to the discovery of the victim’s body.
Man Gets 15 Years For Fatally Shooting Teen At 2024 Cottage Hill Party
April 18, 2026
A Cantonment man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after being convicted of manslaughter for the April 2024 fatal shooting of a 16-year-old at a party at a Cottage Hill home. He was also convicted of evidence tampering a concurrent sentence of just over 10 years.
Ethan Alexander O’Brien, now 21, will receive credit for 724 days served while awaiting trial. Once released, he will be on supervised probation for 15 years.
The investigation determined that during a large gathering at the residence, O’Brien, then 19, was showing off his firearm, at which time it discharged, hitting 16-year-old Bryson Allen (pictured below).
The incident happened about 11:30 p.m. Friday, April 12, 2024, at a home in the 600 block of Wishbone Road.
The victim grabbed his side after being shot and said, “You just shot me bro” before falling to the ground, a witness told law enforcement. He said O’Brien had an “AR style” rifle and he was playing with it before the shooting.
Allen was pronounced deceased at the scene, and investigators said O’Brien fled the scene. The weapon was never found.
Pictured top: The scene on Wishbone Road in Cottage Hill late Friday night, April 12, 2024, after a teen was shot and killed. Pictured below: Crime scene tape still surrounded the home the following morning. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Northview Claims District Championship With 2-1 Win Over Jay (With Gallery)
April 18, 2026
The Northview Chiefs won the Rural District 1 championship on Friday night, 2-1 over Jay in a game played at Central High School.
“It’s amazing, they worked so hard,” first-year Northview head coach Justin Raley said after the win over the Royals. Justin Raley had been an assistant coach the past three seasons at Jay, under the leadership of his father Duane Raley, who is now an assistant coach at Northview.
“This group of guys is special; they’ve bought in from day one, and they deserve every bit of this,” he added.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Bryant Mason earned the win on the mound for the Chiefs, giving up two hits and no runs in five innings, walking two and striking out eight. Jack Boutwell opened on the hill for the Chiefs, allowing three hits and one unearned run in two innings, walking two and striking out one.
Landon Golden went five innings for the Royals, allowing one hit, two earned runs, striking out seven and walking six. Brison Nelson was on the mound for one inning, giving up one hit and walking two.
Mason and Boutwell had one hit each for Northview, while Bryant Mason and Luke Chavers had one RBI each. Bryson Morris had one RBI for Jay, while Nick Baxley went 2-3.
Northview (18-8, 3-0) will likely host a first round regional game. Jay (14-7, 2-2) will also likely have at at-large bid in the regional tournament, but possibly on the road.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Concrete Truck, SUV Collide On Highway 29 In Cantonment
April 18, 2026
At least one person was injured in a crash involving an SUV and a concrete truck on Thursday afternoon in Cantonment.
The crash happened around 2:15 p.m. on Highway 29 north of Ten Mile Road, near Dollar General.
Firefighters removed the doors from the vehicle to extricate the victim, who was transported by Escambia County EMS to a Pensacola hospital.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating and has not released details on how the crash occurred.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Pace At Tate Softball Game Called Due To Serious Player Injury
April 18, 2026
Friday night’s Pace at Tate varsity softball game was called due to the injury of a Pace Lady Patriot.
Junior Kylie Reed was running to second base when she collided with the Tate second baseman. She was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital by Escambia County EMS.
“Please keep our girl Kylie Reed in your thoughts and prayers,” Pace Softball posted on their social media Friday night. “She is in good spirits as of now, and is doing okay but in a lot of pain. We love you Kylie.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Pace High School Softball. Please keep their players, coaches, and family in your prayers,” Tate Softball posted. The Aggies’ second baseman was not injured.
For more photos from the beginning of the game, click here.
Before the game, the Tate Aggies honored retiring head coach Melinda Wyatt. We will have a complete story and photo gallery on Sunday morning on NorthEscambia.com.
Pace 3, Tate 0 (JV)
The JV Pace Patriots defeated the Tate Aggies 3-0 on Friday afternoon at Tate.
Middleton went five innings for Tate, giving up three unearned runs on six hits, striking out one and walking one.
For photos from the end of the game, click here. (JV photos are the end of the gallery.)
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
