Escambia Man Sentenced For Aggravated Assault With Firearm
June 17, 2015
Gajuan Keangelo Turner was sentenced by Circuit Judge Terry Terrell to 20 years in state prison for aggravated assault with a firearm that was discharged and 33 months state prison for two counts of shooting into a building, according to State Attorney Bill Eddins.
The sentence for aggravated assault with a firearm that was discharged during the offense, was imposed under Florida’s 10-20-Life Statute, which means the Turner will serve the entire 20 years day for day with no parole. Turner had previously pled no contest to the offenses on April 21.
The charges stemmed from a shooting that occurred on March 31, 2014, at Oakwood Terrace Apartments, formerly known as Truman Arms Apartments. Turner and two other men confronted a male resident that they believed had a romantic involvement with the girlfriend of one of the other men who was with Turner. Turner and one of the men were armed with concealed handguns.
When one of the shooters grabbed for his gun, the victim turned and ran to an upstairs apartment. Turner and the other shooter fired multiple shots at the male victim as he ran upstairs to his apartment. The bullets struck the windows of the downstairs and upstairs apartments and entered the apartments, where there were other adult victims and children present. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office found 9mm and .380 shell casings at the scene. Their investigation led to the arrest of the defendant and the other two men.
One of the other men involved, Quamain Williams, who was unarmed during the offenses, was previously found guilty by an Escambia County Jury of principal to aggravated assault and two counts of principal to shooting into a building. Circuit Judge Terry Terrell sentenced him to five years in state prison for aiding and abetting the other men who actually did the shooting.
New Administrators Named For Several Escambia Schools
June 17, 2015
A dozen new school administrators were appointed Tuesday evening by the Escambia County School Board, including new principals for West Florida and Pine Forest high schools and new assistant principals for Bratt and Molino Park elementary schools.
Appointments included:
- Jessica Canales from literacy coach Escambia High to high school assistant principal at Pensacola High
- Laura Carroll from instructional coach district itinerants elementary school assistant principal at Bratt Elementary
- Nathan Espy from teacher at Washington High to assistant high school principal at Washington High
- S. Quinn Evans from curriculum coordinator at Molino Park Elementary to Elementary School assistant principal at Molino Park Elementary
- Angela Harris from teacher in charge at Brentwood Elementary to assistant principal at Warrington Elementary
- Crystal Marr from consulting teacher at START Professional Learning to middle school assistant principal at Bailey Middle
- Melanie McElhaney from teacher at Washington High to high school assistant principal at Escambia High
- Shenna Payne from high school assistant principal at West Florida High at high school principal at West Florida High
- Janet Penrose from middle school assistant principal at Bellview Middle to middle school principal at Bailey Middle
- Dr. Kimberly Thomas from TSA Instructional Training START Professional Learning to elementary assistant principal at Suter Elementary
- Jeremy Tompkins from high school assistant principal at Washington High to Court Liaison – Superintendent – General
- Laura Touchstone from high school assistant principal at Pensacola High to high school principal at Pine Forest High
Pictured top: Quinn Evans was named the new assistant principal at Molino Park Elementary Tuesday evening by the Escambia County School Board. Pictured below: Shenna Payne was named the new principal at West Florida High School. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Budget Clock Set For 5:37 P.M. Friday Vote
June 17, 2015
After months of sparring and a nearly three-week special session, lawmakers will be able to vote early Friday evening on a $78.7 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The budget was sent to lawmakers and other state officials at 5:37 p.m. Tuesday, starting a 72-hour review period before the House and Senate can vote on it.
Negotiators finished working out details of the 438-page spending plan late Monday night, but it still needed to be compiled Tuesday.
A vote Friday would come one day before the scheduled end of a special session that started June 1. The budget then will go to Gov. Rick Scott, who can use his line-item veto power to delete spending proposals.
The state fiscal year starts July 1.
by The News Service of Florida
Scott Signs Tax Cuts On Cell Phone Bills, TV, Gun Clubs, School Supplies
June 17, 2015
Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday signed into law a wide-ranging tax cut package that will reduce costs on cell-phone bills, satellite and cable TV bills, gun club memberships, college textbooks and luxury boat repairs.
The signing came a day after the measure (HB 33A) was overwhelmingly approved by the House and Senate.
For many Floridians, the biggest checkbook item may be a reduction in the communications-services tax on cell-phone and satellite and cable-TV bills. The savings are projected at $20 a year for people paying $100 a month for the services.
“Giving Floridians back more of the money they earn in tax cuts is the best thing we can do to keep Florida’s economy growing,” Scott said in a prepared statement.
The package, which also includes a 10-day tax “holiday” in August for back-to-school shoppers, is projected by state economists to cut revenue by $372.4 million in the fiscal year that begins July 1.
The savings are expected to reach $428.9 million, as the package includes two years of tax credits for housing opportunities for people with special needs and will allow businesses within soon-to-be eliminated enterprise zones to continue receiving available tax breaks if they have already entered into contracts.
House Minority Leader Mark Pafford, a West Palm Beach Democrat who was the lone opponent of the measure in the House, said the money would do more if spent for education, health care or other needs.
“That was a vote that I really felt was bad timing,” Pafford said after the House vote Monday. “We’re in special session because we have major budget issues.”
Only two Democrats in the Senate joined Pafford in opposing the tax-cut package.
Cuts to taxes and fees, with a focus on reducing the communications-services tax, were one of Scott’s priorities for the regular legislative session.
Scott, who campaigned in 2014 on reducing taxes by $1 billion over the next two years, had asked lawmakers to reduce taxes and fees this spring by $673 million, with a request for the communication-services tax to go down by 3.6 percentage points. Under that proposal, the savings on a $100-a-month cable TV bill was projected at $40 a year.
The proposed cuts were included as part of an ad campaign run in the spring by “Let’s Get to Work,” a political committee backing Scott.
“Now, working with your legislators, we plan to cut taxes by half a billion dollars. We believe you can spend your money better than government can,” Scott said in the 30-second statewide ad titled “On the Move.”
However, the House, before abruptly ending its regular session, was unable to get the Senate to approve a $690 million tax-cut proposal that included the larger cut to cell-phone and cable-TV bills.
With lawmakers having to look for money to meet increased health care costs, the overall tax cuts were reduced during the special legislative session, which started June 1 and is expected to end Friday.
Through the changes, the permanent reduction in the communications-services tax was set at 1.73 percentage points.
The package provides tax exemptions on certain agricultural uses, large boat repairs, gun-club memberships, school extracurricular fundraisers, aviation fuel for certain flight-training academies, and on motor vehicles purchased overseas by internationally deployed service members from Florida.
There are tax credits for businesses involved in Brownfields cleanup and a one-year extension of the Community Contribution Tax Credit Program, setting aside $19 million for projects that offer housing opportunities for special-needs individuals and low-income households.
The measure also will eliminate sales taxes on college textbooks for a year and establish a 10-day sales-tax holiday starting Aug. 7 on clothing under $100, school supplies that cost $15 or less and the first $750 of personal computers purchased for non-commercial use.
by Jim Turmer, The News Service of Florida
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Softball State Champion Tate Lady Aggies Honored By School Board
June 17, 2015
The 2015 Class 7A state softball champion Tate Lady Aggies were honored Tuesday evening by the Escambia County School Board. To read the entire proclamation, click the proclamation image below to enlarge. Courtesy images for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Scott Signs Human Trafficking Law, Vetoes Three Bills
June 17, 2015
Gov. Rick Scott vetoed three bills Tuesday, while signing 17 others into law.
Among the new laws is part of a continuing effort to crack down on human trafficking (HB 369). Starting next year, human-trafficking awareness signs will have to be posted in hospital emergency rooms, strip clubs and other adult entertainment establishments and massage businesses not owned by health-care professionals. The Department of Transportation will also have to put up the signs at rest areas, turnpike service plazas, weigh stations, rail stations, airports and welcome centers.
Among the measures vetoed by Scott was a proposal (HB 105) that dealt with the taxing authority of municipal service taxing units to help fund pensions for firefighters. In his veto letter, Scott contended the proposal would create “a costly precedent where unincorporated areas of the county could be allowed to levy new taxes that the law does not currently authorize.” Rep. John Tobia, R-Melbourne Beach, was the only lawmaker who voted against the bill.
Another vetoed bill (HB 435) offered a number of changes to the state’s Administrative Procedures Act, including a new way to challenge state agency rules. Scott expressed concern in a veto letter that the changes could hinder an agency’s ability to make and enforce rules. Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, and Sen. Dwight Bullard, D-Miami, were the only lawmakers who opposed the measure during this spring’s regular session.
The third vetoed bill (HB 997) was unanimously approved by the House and Senate and would have created a public-records exemption. However, as Scott noted in his veto letter, the proposal was tied to a separate measure (HB 995) involving the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. That bill died in a Senate committee.
CSX Closing Cotton Lake Crossing Beginning Thursday
June 17, 2015
CSX will be conducting work on the railroad crossing at Cotton Lake beginning the morning of Thursday, June 18. The crossing is expected to reopen Friday afternoon. Access to the Cotton Lake landing and campground will be unavailable during this time.
“Maintaining railroad infrastructure is critical to minimizing service disruptions and preventing accidents and injuries. CSX spends more than $1 billion annually on improving and maintaining track, bridges, signals and other equipment to keep freight moving safely and reliably. CSX appreciates the patience of community residents as we complete this work as safely and efficiently as possible,” according to an Escambia County press release.
All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or re-scheduled in the event of inclement weather. Motorists are reminded to travel with care through the work zone and to watch for construction equipment and workers entering and exiting the roadway.
Man Charged With Attempted Murder, Armed Robbery
June 16, 2015
An Escambia County man has been arrested on multiple charges after he tried to rob a man who was standing in his front yard.
Ladell L. Wheeler, 23, was charged with attempted murder, armed robbery, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, altering/removing a serial number from a firearm, and resisting an officer.
The incident occurred around 11:30 p.m. Monday in the 400 block of East Bobe Street. Carlos Campbell, 41, told Officer Kevin Smith he was standing in his front yard talking on his cell phone when the suspect walked up to him and demanded money. After Campbell said he didn’t have any, he told police Wheeler, whom he doesn’t know, produced a firearm.
Campbell grabbed the suspect’s arm and the two men began struggling. Wheeler then fled the area, stopped and fired into the air. Campbell went into his house and went back outside a few minutes later. He told police that Wheeler, who was nearby, pointed the firearm at him and fired twice before once again running away.
Police arrested Wheeler in the area of Seventh Avenue and Yonge Street. Campbell was not injured in the incident.
Code Enforcement Changes Coming To Century
June 16, 2015
Escambia County Code Enforcement’s role in Century is about to expand, and, that, a former council member says, will pit neighbor against neighbor.
In early 2009, the Town of Century voted to enter into an agreement with Escambia County to bring code enforcement back to the town for the first time in several years. The agreement called for Escambia County to provide code enforcement for county and town ordinances within the town limits. It was agreed that enforcement would be “proactive”. Code officers were not to respond to citizen complaints within the town; rather, the officers were tasked with seeking out violators.
Monday night, Century Mayor Freddie McCall told the council that code enforcement’s “hands should be united”, allowing citizens to call in complaints, even anonymous complaints, to be checked by officers.
“It had become they (code enforcement) had to come and find it (violations) for themselves,” McCall said, asking the council to amend the interlocal agreement with Escambia County.
“If they don’t see it, we ought to let it go,” former council member Henry Hawkins said. Hawkins was a member of the council when the code enforcement agreement was finalized in 2009; however, he was absent from the council meeting in which a final vote was taken. “We don’t need to open a Pandora’s box….People will get mad at each other and call things in.”
“I personally don’t think they are very proactive,” council president Ann Brooks said. “I personally see a lot of things, if they would just look.”
“Can I remind this council that we got ourselves in a pickle with this before,” Hawkins said. “If I am mad at you, I am going to call in a complaint.”
Pictured top: After the owner of building at 9500 North Century Boulevard was cited by Escambia County Code Enforcement, he had the buildings demolished. Pictured inset: A dilapidated house that once stood in Century prior to the return of code enforcement. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
McCall’s request to allow citizen code complaints was approved by the council 3-1, with Sandra McMurray Jackson voting against. Council member Annie Savage, who arrived at the meeting about a half hour late and missed most discussion on the issue, abstained from voting.
Escambia County Code Enforcement current visits Century one day per week.
Molino Woman Charged With Dealing In Stolen Property
June 16, 2015
Allegedly pawning a stolen computer tablet landed a Molino woman in jail on two felony charges.
Cherie Renee Wallace, 38, was charged with fraud providing false owner information on a pawned item and dealing in stolen property. She remained jail early Tuesday with bond set at $6,500.
Wallace allegedly pawned a Samsung Tab 2 in an Otterbox case that had been reported stolen during a residential burglary. According to an arrest report, she was identified by pawn shop staff as the person who pawned the property, and positively identified by a fingerprint.
The owner was able to recover his tablet after paying a balance due of $50.