Burge Sentenced To 15 Years For Molino Murder
January 27, 2015
Debra Burge was sentenced Monday to 15 years for her role in the 2013 murder of Harvey Ray Smith in Molino.
The body of Smith, age 43 of Pace, was found stuffed into a trunk behind a Motel 6 on Davis Highway on the morning of May 4, 2013. after he was stabbed to death at Burge’s home in the 3900 block of Highway 97 in Molino. Smith had been reported missing in Santa Rosa County. Family members located his vehicle at the motel and then discovered the body.
Burge and Zachary Greer conspired to rob Smith. Burge allegedly lured Smith, her acquaintance, to her home. She told deputies she went inside while Smith and Greer remained outside. When she later exited the home, she found Smith on the ground of the Molino home bleeding.
Greer was sentenced to life in prison last Friday on a charge of first degree murder. Burge pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of second degree murder.
Pictured top: Debra Burge learned her fate in Escambia County Circuit Court Monday. Photo courtesy Ray Turner, WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Flash Mob: Students Read Like Crazy At Molino Park (With Gallery, Video)
January 27, 2015
It’s Literacy Week at elementary schools across Escambia County, and students at Molino Park Elementary kicked off the week first thing Monday morning with a flash mob. Books in hand, students took part the song “Read Like Crazy” (a parody of the song “Call Me Maybe”). The students worked on the song and choreography for the past couple of weeks.
Photos by Lana Clayton, Kristi Price and others for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Man Indicted For January Murder
January 27, 2015
An Escambia County man was indicted Monday for a murder earlier this month.
An Escambia County grand jury indicted Nicholas Allen Nehring, 23, for first degree murder in the death of 26-year old Joseph Edward Ross.
On January 11, 2015, Ross was found behind the Corner Store, a business located at 3818 North Ninth Avenue, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Ross was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Several firearms, including what was believed to be the murder weapon, were recovered as Nehring was taken into custody at his home. Pensacola Police said the shooting was believed to be drug related.
Nehring is scheduled to be arraigned on February 5, 2015.
Public Safety Boss: Additional Training Won’t Be Required Of Volunteer Firefighters
January 27, 2015
Concerns that Escambia County volunteer firefighters will be required to have a higher level of training to remain in service, and that the requirement could leave some fire stations with no volunteers, simply are not true, Escambia County Public Safety Director Mike Weaver said Monday afternoon.
Escambia County volunteer firefighters are currently required to have “Firefighter I” certification, while in some instances paid, or employee, firefighters in Florida are required to have nearly 200 additional hours of training to be “Firefighter II” certified. Most Escambia County volunteer fire stations have few, if any, volunteers that are Firefighter II certified.
Volunteer firefighters in Escambia County receive a stipend for their service, ranging from $300 to $550 per month, and the IRS recently determined that they are employees and that taxes should be withheld from their checks. That “employee status” has lead many volunteers to believe that a Firefighter II certification would be required.
“In my opinion there is nothing to be concerned with. Regardless of the term ‘employee’ from the IRS, Florida statutes state that a volunteer firefighter being paid a nominal fee as defined by the FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) only needs a Firefighter I. Our stipend program meets the definition of nominal fee,” Weaver said.
County leaders, including the county attorney, are continuing to work to make sure that volunteer firefighters are able to continue as usual as much as possible following the IRS audit, under direction from the Escambia County Commission. In the meantime, about a few volunteers that work in regular paid position with Escambia County in fire or EMS services remain unable to volunteer due to concerns about potential tax and overtime issues.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
GOP Senator Offers Florida Medical Marijuana Plan
January 27, 2015
Less than three months after Florida voters narrowly rejected a plan to legalize medical marijuana, a Republican senator Monday filed a bill that would allow patients to get pot if they suffer from diseases such as cancer, AIDS, epilepsy or multiple sclerosis.
The proposal (SB 528), filed by Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, includes a detailed regulatory structure that would place requirements on patients, doctors, growers and retail stores. Patients could only get “medical-grade” marijuana if their physicians sign off on the need.
“Many groups have been working on this initiative for quite some time, and my goal is to work openly with all of the interested parties on this issue so that we can pass responsible legislation that provides relief to those Floridians in need,” Brandes said in a prepared statement.
Medical marijuana has been a heavily debated topic in Florida for more than a year, primarily because of a proposed constitutional amendment that would have legalized the substance. That amendment received support from 57.6 percent of voters during the November election, slightly short of the 60 percent needed to pass ballot initiatives.
Backers of the constitutional amendment made clear they would continue trying to legalize medical pot, either through the Legislature or another ballot proposal in 2016. It is unclear, however, whether Brandes can gain the support of Republican legislative leaders and Gov. Rick Scott to get the bill approved during the annual session that starts March 3.
“Senate Bill 528 is a very good start and we believe one that would serve as a huge step forward for Florida’s suffering patients and their families,” the group United For Care, which has led efforts to pass a constitutional amendment, said in an email to supporters Monday. “This bill proves that the massive support we received in the last election — 58% of voters — plus our quick work to bring the petition back for 2016 is getting recognized by reasonable legislators like Senator Brandes.”
The November ballot proposal drew opposition from groups such as the Florida Sheriffs Association. A spokeswoman said Monday the sheriffs association could not comment because it was still reviewing Brandes’ bill.
Under the proposal, physicians could “certify” to the Florida Department of Health that patients qualify for medical marijuana and send an order for the drug to an electronic registry. Patients who suffer from cancer, HIV, AIDS, epilepsy, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease or Parkinson’s disease would qualify if they receive certification from their doctors.
Also, patients could qualify if they have conditions that lead them to chronically suffer from symptoms such as wasting syndrome, severe and persistent pain, severe and persistent nausea, persistent seizures or severe and persistent muscle spasms, according to the bill.
The proposal also provides a framework for the Department of Health to issue licenses to growers, processors and retail stores. It would require the department to issue cultivating and processing licenses by March 1, 2016, and retail licenses by July 1, 2016.
The bill, however, would take into account local communities that don’t want retail marijuana stores. It says the department could not “license any retail facilities in a county unless the board of county commissioners for that county determines by ordinance the number and location of any retail facilities that may be located within that county.”
The detailed regulation in the bill could help prevent a repeat of the uncertainty that has surrounded a far more limited medical-marijuana bill that lawmakers approved last year. That bill, signed by Scott, legalized strains of cannabis that purportedly do not get users high. Those strains are low in euphoria-inducing tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, and high in cannabadiol, or CBD.
Backers touted last year’s bill largely as a way to help children who suffer from a severe form of epilepsy. But efforts to carry out the measure have been slowed by legal and regulatory battles.
The Epilepsy Foundation of Florida on Monday issued a statement thanking Brandes, along with Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, and Rep. Katie Edwards, D-Plantation, who led efforts to pass last year’s bill.
“Our compassion is why we trust and defend the decisions doctors and patients make together to ease pain and suffering,” foundation Chief Executive Officer Karen Basha Egozi said. “As the largest organization in Florida supporting those living with epilepsy, we support anything that improves their lives.”
by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida
Public Tips Lead To Suspect’s Arrest For Attacking, Robbing Elderly Man
January 27, 2015
Thanks to tips from the public, John Lee Avery Hill, 29, is behind bars for attacking and robbing an elderly man.
Hill is charged with battery, burglary and robbery for the incident November 24 in the lobby of a hotel on Plantation Road when he allegedly asked an 81-year old man for money. After the man gave him $5, deputies say Hill followed him, jumped on him and tried to take his wallet. Hill was unsuccessful in taking the wallet, but did take an additional $2 from the victim before fleeing on foot.
Hill is being held in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $255,000.
Pictured below: A surveillance video frame grab provided by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office that was published in a previous NorthEscambia.com story.
Tate High Wrestling Team Brings Home Gator Brawl Medals
January 27, 2015
The Tate High School Wrestling Team recently traveled to Weewahitcka High School for the Annual Gator Brawl. The team placed third overall and brought home eight medals.
Medal winners were:
- Tanner Wood, 3rd place, 120 pound weight class
- Alex Porter, 1st place, 113 pound weight class
- Heath Hernden, 3rd place, 170 pound weight class
- Matthew Blalock, 4th place, 106 pound weight class
- Scott Houston, 4th place, 126 pound weight class
- Daniel Pigg, 4th place, 138 pound weight class
- Gavin McAnally, 4th place, 220 pound weight class
- Jacob Nelson, 3rd place, 160 pound weight class
Pictured: (bottom, L-R) Tanner Wood, Alex Porter, Matthew Blalock, Scott Houston, Jacob Nelson, (back, L-R) Coach Reggie Allen, Caleb Campbell, Nathan Gainey, Jacob Neales, Gavin McAnally, Heath Hernden, Daniel Pigg, Dale Smith and Assistant Coach Jeremy Nott. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, ckick to enlage.
Scott Visits Pensacola To Push STEM Education Funding In New Budget
January 27, 2015
Gov. Rick Scott visited the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition in Pensacola Monday to highlight proposed STEM education funding in his 2015-2016 “Keep Florida Working” budget.
Scott has announced $1 million in in proposed funding to partner with high-tech companies in Florida to create a paid summer residency program for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) teachers to bring new industry trends in STEM fields back to Florida’s K-12 classrooms. In addition to the summer residency program, Governor Scott’s 2015-2016 “Keep Florida Working” Budget also proposes $30 million for a new workforce training initiative focused on STEM occupations and $5 million to incentivize $10,000 STEM degrees at state colleges.
“We want Florida to be the global leader for jobs, and we must have a skilled workforce to reach that goal. By investing in science, technology, engineering and math education, we are ensuring our students are prepared for the jobs of the 21st century. Our teachers are essential to preparing our students and helping them realize better educational outcomes, and that is why it is so important that we invest in educating our teachers so they can bring innovative ideas to the classroom. We know that the workers and leaders of tomorrow are in our classrooms today and we will continue to make important investments to help our students succeed in the classroom and beyond,” Scott said.
There are 16 Florida companies that have already confirmed their participation in the STEM Residency Program, including the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition and Gulf Power Company.
Pictured: Gov. Rick Scott discusses STEM education funding Monday morning at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition in Pensacola. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
No Injuries In School Bus Wreck
January 26, 2015
There were no injuries in Monday morning accident involving a pickup and a school bus on Archer Road in Cantonment. The driver of a Ford F150 pickup apparently rear-ended an Escambia County School District bus on Archer Road between Highway 29 and Tate Road. There were no students on the bus at the time of the crash. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Price, click to enlarge.
Three Injured In Early Morning Molino Crash After Driver Falls Asleep
January 26, 2015
Three people were injured in an early Monday morning single vehicle crash in Molino.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 37-year old Cody Powell of Pensacola was northbound on Highway 29 north of Mathison Road about 12:50 a.m. when he fell asleep behind the wheel of his 1999 Lincoln Navigator. The SUV left the roadway, traveling along the the shoulder, hitting a mailbox, three traffic signs and eventually a tree, with the vehicle coming to rest in a wooded area near the Escambia County Health Department.
It took firefighters about 40 minutes to extricate two people that were trapped in the vehicle.
Powell and his passengers, 31-year old David Anthony Royce Crouthers of Molino and 29-year old John Kelly of Pensacola, were transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in serious condition.
Highway 29 northbound was shut down about an hour due to the crash. The Molino and Cantonment stations of Escambia Fire Rescue, Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the wreck.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
