Molino Firefighters Battle Debris Pile Fire
October 22, 2015
The Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to a reported brush fire Wednesday night on Highway 95 in Molino. Firefighters arrived to find a debris pile burning behind the old Lee Boats building just south of Highland Baptist Church. Reader submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
House Fire Claims Life Of Escambia County Woman
October 21, 2015
An Escambia County woman was killed in a house fire this morning.
The fire in the 5800 block of Bilek Drive, off West Michagan Avenue claimed the life of 66-year old Barbara A. Smith.
The fire was reported shortly before 8 a.m. by a neighbor who reported seeing smoke coming from the residence. Escambia County Fire Rescue was able to quickly extinguish the fire, which was confined primarily to one bedroom in the house. The State Fire Marshal has been called in to investigate.
Wanted Century Man Arrested For Attempted Murder For Bar Shooting
October 21, 2015
A Century man is now behind bars for an October 11 shooting at a Century bar.
Kendrick Jamar Washington, 27, is being held in the Escambia County Jail on charges of attempted murder and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. His bond was set at $750,000.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and Escambia County EMS were called to Odom’s Bar on North Century Boulevard at the Alabama state line about 11:50 p.m. on October 11.
According to witnesses, Washington shot David Darnell McCall following an argument over Washington’s girlfriend. McCall was transported first by private vehicle to D.W. McMillan Hospital in Brewton and later to Baptist Hospital in Pensacola where he was treated for a gunshot wound to his head.
Investigators quickly developed Washington as a suspect and a search had been underway for him.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Man Charged With Assault Outside Nightclub
October 21, 2015
A Walnut Hill man is facing multiple felony charges after an alleged assaulting two people — including a security guard — with a Crown Royal bottle outside a Pensacola nightclub.
Thomas Zachariah Mason, 26, was charged with two counts of aggravated battery using a deadly weapon, disorderly intoxication and possession of cocaine. He was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $36,000 bond.
The altercation occurred in a Seville Quarter parking lot, with a Seville Quarter security guard and another individual telling Pensacola Police that Mason struck them in the head with a liquor bottle.
When police officers searched Mason, they reported finding two small plastics bag containing a white powdery substance that tested positive for cocaine.
Pine Forest Road, Nokomis Road To Close Next Week
October 21, 2015
Pine Forest Road and Nokomis Road are scheduled to be closed at their railroad crossings next week.
Nokomis Road in Davisville is set to be closed Monday, October 26 at 7 a.m. through Tuesday, October 27 at 4 p.m. Drivers may detour on Meadows Lane.
Pine Forest Road in Walnut Hill is set to be closed Wednesday, October 28 at 7 a.m. through Thursday, October 29 at 4 p.m.. Drivers may detour on Rockaway Creek and Pelt Roads.
Crews will be working to replace the railroad crossings on both roadways.
Mold Discovered In Century Town Hall
October 21, 2015
Mold was discovered in the Century Town Hall, but quick remediation steps were taken to ensure the health of the public and employees.
The mold was discovered in a utility closet directly adjacent to the main entrance that was housing a leaky water heater. Servpro, a professional cleaning company, was hired to remove the mold and the area was sealed off for repairs.
According to Mayor Freddie McCall, the mold was contained to the closet, and the air quality in the building testing safe.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Driver Uninjured In Highway 97 Accident
October 21, 2015
A driver was uninjured after striking a pole or some other object along Highway 97 in Walnut Hill early Wednesday morning.
The adult male was pulled over along Highway 97 just south of North Highway 99, where the accident was reported by OnStar at about 1 a.m. The driver told first responders that he had struck an unknown pole somewhere nearby, but authorities were not immediately able to determine the location of the pole.
The man’s vehicle did have damage to the driver’s side, was missing the driver’s side rearview mirror, and the side curtain airbags had deployed.
The accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and Atmore Ambulance also responded.
Evers: ‘There Is A Need’ – Three Gun Measures On The Move In Senate
October 21, 2015
People with concealed-weapons licenses would be able to openly display handguns in Florida and would be able to carry firearms on state college and university campuses, under measures approved by separate Senate committees Tuesday.
One of the committees also supported a measure that might make it easier for people to claim they have stood their ground in self-defense when shooting others.
The three proposals, which still have additional committees to clear in both the House and Senate, are advancing because “there is a need,” said Sen. Greg Evers, a Baker Republican whose campus-carry proposal (SB 68) was backed 5-3 along party lines by the Senate Higher Education Committee.
“The reason you’ve got those three or four guns bills is because of issues that’s happened over the past several years,” Evers said after the meetings. “There’s a glitch for each one of those bills that really needs to be passed in order to give folks the ability to exercise their 2nd Amendment (right) and not be prosecuted for being a licensed-carry holder.”
Evers also chairs the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, which voted Tuesday to support allowing Floridians with concealed-weapons licenses to openly carry firearms (SB 300) and to shift the burden of proof to the state in cases involving Florida’s “stand your ground” law (SB 344).
The “stand your ground” law says people can use deadly force and do not have a duty to retreat if they think it is necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm.
Each of the bills drew emotional testimony from people on both sides of the issues.
Florida State University student Shayna Lopez-Rivas told the Higher Education Committee of being sexually assaulted on campus two years ago and pointedly noted that “if I had a gun I wouldn’t have been raped.”
Lucia McBath, whose 17-year-old son Jordan Davis was shot to death while listening to music in a car at a Jacksonville gas station last year, implored the Criminal Justice Committee to reject what she called a “dangerous” expansion of the “stand your ground” measure that “would make it even harder to protect communities from gun violence.”
“Stand your ground laws create a culture of shoot first and ask questions later,” McBath said. “These laws embolden individuals to settle their conflicts by reaching for their firearms instead of using their words. And that is not what Florida needs. It needs common-sense gun laws.”
While the Florida Sheriffs Association hasn’t taken a position, Bradford County Sheriff Gordon Smith gave his support to the measure that would allow people to openly carry guns. That measure is sponsored by Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville.
“I believe in the right of a person to protect themselves and their family the way they best feel comfortable,” Smith said. “Some people don’t like guns. I’m OK with that. Get a can of wasp spray if it works for you.”
Others in law enforcement offered a differing view.
“Unfortunately, some people want to be police officers like George Zimmerman did,” said Javier Ortiz president of the Miami Fraternal Order of Police. “We don’t need George Zimmermans walking around with firearms exposed. There are a lot of law-abiding citizens out there, but unfortunately, there are some people that shouldn’t have firearms. You are tying the hands of law enforcement, and you are putting our communities at stake.”
Zimmerman was a neighborhood watch volunteer in Sanford when he shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in 2012. Zimmerman, later acquitted in Martin’s death, said he shot the teen in self-defense but did not ask for the “stand your ground” legal immunity.
Approval of the three bills came a day after the release of a University of South Florida-Nielsen Sunshine State Survey that indicated 48 percent of Floridians believe the state’s gun laws aren’t restrictive enough, with another 42 percent considering the existing rules “about right.”
Of the remaining people surveyed, 7 percent consider Florida “too restrictive” and the other 3 percent provided no opinion during the survey, which was conducted from July 30 to Aug. 16.
Numbers released earlier from the survey showed almost three-quarters of Floridians — 73 percent — oppose allowing students with concealed-weapons licenses to carry guns on campus.
Sen. Audrey Gibson, D-Jacksonville, said she wasn’t sure why lawmakers weren’t giving more credence to such polling.
“I don’t see the folks who come up or send me thousands of emails that are supportive of the gun legislation, they never address how we can reduce gun violence or how any of these bills reduce gun violence,” Jackson said. “None of them do.”
The measure that may shift the burden of proof to the state in cases involving the “stand your ground” law was filed after the Florida Supreme Court ruled that people who use the controversial defense have the burden of showing they should be shielded from prosecution. In such cases, pre-trial evidentiary hearings are held to determine whether defendants are immune from prosecution under the law. The measure instead would place the burden of proof on prosecutors in the evidentiary hearings and would apply retroactively to pending cases.
Bill sponsor Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, said he doesn’t see the proposal as expanding “stand your ground.”
“It’s simply incorrect to suggest that the bill would result in otherwise guilty individuals going free,” Bradley said. “If the state has sufficient evidence to successfully prosecute a defendant at a jury trial, the state will prevail in the immunity hearing before the judge and the judge will permit the case to go to trial.”
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Concert Raises $1,300 For Molino Park Elementary Music Program
October 21, 2015
A benefit piano concert Sunday night at Highland Baptist Church raised $1,300 for the the music program at Molino Park Elementary School.
The school partnered with the Gulf Coast Steinway Society to present a performance by Kadisha Onalbayeva along with a special performance from Molino Park students.
“We are very grateful to all those who came out to support the program, and are excited to use these donations to further the goal of bringing the music program into the 21st century and giving every student the tools necessary to express
themselves through music,” said Katherine Powell, Molino Park’s music teacher.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Panhandle Ag Team Represented At “North America’s Premier Farm Show”
October 21, 2015
Known as “North America’s Premier Farm Show”, the 38th Annual Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition is going on this week in Moultrie, GA. The annual event has more than 1200 exhibitors showcasing the latest in farming technology. The Expo’s unique site has a 100-acre exhibit area adjoining a 600-acre working research farm.
Pictured: Panhandle Ag Extension Team member Libbie Johnson of Escambia County talks to visitors to the UF/IFAS barn at the Sunbelt Ag Expo Tuesday about native Florida wildlife. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.