Escambia Man Gets Federal Prison On Armed Drug Trafficking Charges
April 23, 2015
An Escambia County man is headed to prison on federal armed drug trafficking charges.
Marheem R. Smith, 24, was sentenced to 8 ½ years in federal prison by Chief United States District Judge M. Casey Rodgers for possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
In October 2014, while attempting to arrest Smith on state charges of aggravated assault and firearm violations, law enforcement officers discovered a loaded Ruger .45 caliber pistol and bags of cocaine located inside a vehicle underneath where Smith was seated. Additionally, the officers found approximately $1,000 and a digital scale on Smith’s person. Inside an apartment linked to Smith, law enforcement seized more than 34 grams of cocaine and materials to convert powder cocaine into crack cocaine.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Pensacola Police Department, and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office as part of the ATF Gun Crime Response Team.
Barons Beat Wahoos
April 23, 2015
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos (3-8) made it interesting in the end, but fell to the Birmingham Barons (6-6) by a score of 3-2 in midday Southern League action.
The Wahoos were in a hole early, trailing 3-0 after five innings. A pair of runs in the eighth brought them to within a run, but Barons reliever Cody Winiarski earned his first save of the season with three consecutive strikeouts in the top half of the ninth.
Birmingham starter Myles Jaye (1-1) earned the win with six scoreless innings to open the game. Wahoos starter Daniel Wright (0-2) earned the loss, pitching 5.0 innings and allowing three runs (two earned) with five strikeouts. Wahoos reliever Layne Somsen came in relief of Wright to pitch three scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out four batters.
First baseman Marquez Smith led the way at the plate for the Wahoos, going 2-3 and scoring a run in his second consecutive multi-hit game. Catcher Chris Berset added the lone RBI of the day for the Wahoos with a single in the eighth. Right fielder Jason Coats led the way for Birmingham, going 2-4 with two doubles and an RBI.
The Barons struck first in the bottom half of the second with an RBI double from Coats. The Wahoos were able to avoid further damage after catching Coats in a rundown and a subsequent strikeout from Daniel Wright.
The Wahoos were able to put runners at the corners with one out in the top half of the third, but a pickoff, a walk and a fly out left two runners stranded.
The Barons were able to load the bases in the top of the fifth and capitalized with a two RBI single from third baseman Marcus Lemon. With the score at 3-0, the Barons loaded the bases once again with a Jacob May infield single. However, a strikeout and a groundout put the inning to an end.
The Wahoos got on the board in the eighth inning, as Berset was able to drive Smith home with a single to left center. After a Zach Vincej double put runners at second and third, a wild pitch from Barons reliever Onelki Garcia allowed Berset to score and make it 3-2.
The Wahoos are back in action tomorrow for the fourth game of the series in Birmingham at 7:05 pm.
Holman Prison Placed On Lockdown After Fatal Inmate Stabbing
April 22, 2015
Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore was placed on lockdown following a homicide Wednesday.
The Alabama Department of Corrections said inmate Lawrence Utley, 67, was fatally stabbed inside the facility by another inmate.
Robert Aaron Williams, 58, was detained as a suspect in the stabbing. Williams is serving a life sentence for a 2014 murder conviction in Mobile County.
Utley had served 30 years of a life sentence for a 1985 sodomy conviction in Mobile County.
One Injured In Highway 97 Rollover Accident
April 22, 2015
One person was injured in a single vehicle crash Wednesday morning in Walnut Hill.
The driver of a GMC pickup lost control on Highway 97 just south of South Highway 99 and overturned about 8:50 a.m.. The male driver was transported by ambulance to West Florida Hospital in Pensacola with injuries that were not considered life threatening. There were no other occupants in the vehicle.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and Atmore Ambulance responded to the crash. The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol; further details have not been released.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Four County Bridges In North Escambia Set For Replacement By State
April 22, 2015
The Florida Department of Transportation will replace four bridges on county roads in Escambia County. Contracts will be let in the near future after the Escambia County Commission signs off on the projects, and the commission agrees that the county will maintain the bridges following construction by the state. The bridges will be replaced at the state’s expense.
The bridges have reached a level of deterioration making them next on the FDOT’s 5-Year Work Plan.
The bridges are:
- Highway196 (Barrineau Park Road) Bridge over Jacks Branch (between Highway 95A and Dewey Rose Lane) was constructed in 1949 and has an average daily traffic county of 537 vehicles.
- North Highway 99 Bridge over Pine Barren Creek (located just north of Gobbler Road/Oak Grove Park) was constructed in 1955. It has an average daily traffic count of 1,234 vehicles.
- Sandy Hollow Road Bridge over Sandy Hollow Creek (traffic count and construction date not available).
- Highway 99A Bridge (Arthur Brown Road) over Boggy Creek (near Walnut Hill Baptist Church) was constructed in 1969 and has an average daily traffic county of 537.
A construction start date has not yet been announced for the bridge replacement projects.
Pictured top: A steel truss was installed to support the bridge over Pine Barren Creek on North Highway 99 in Bratt in early 2011. Otherwise, the 60-year old bridge is supported by wood pilings. Pictured below: The North Highway 99 bridge over Pine Barren Creek. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Motorcyclist Killed In Escambia Crash
April 22, 2015
A man was killed into a single motorcycle crash Tuesday night in Escambia County.
Timmothy D. Showalter, age 26 of Pace, lost control of his 2007 Yamaha motorcycle on Barrancas Avenue about 8:33 p.m., struck a curb and then hit a large sign post.
He was pronounced deceased on the scene by Escambia County EMS.
Three Molino Park Students Win Florida DEP Earth Day Poster Contest
April 22, 2015
The Molino Park Elementary School students were the winners of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Northwest District Earth Day Poster Contest. In celebration of Earth Day, the department invited fourth and fifth grade students from Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties to creatively illustrate the importance of protecting Florida’s beautiful natural environment: air, water, land and ecosystems.
Winners were:
Escambia County
- First Place: Carolyn Wilbanks – Molino Park Elementary
- Second Place: Cody Chavers – Molino Park Elementary
- Third Place: Sarah Sconiers – Molino Park Elementary
Santa Rosa County
- First Place: Gwyneth Jackson – Gulf Breeze Elementary
- Second Place: Sean Johnson – Pea Ridge Elementary
- Third Place: Lindsey Castor – Bagdad Elementary
Pictured top: DEP Escambia County Earth Day poster contest winners, all from Molino Park Elementary, are (L-R) Carolyn Wilbanks, first; Cody Chavers, second; and Sara Sconiers, third. Their posters are below. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
First place Escambia County poster by Carlolyn Wilbanks (above).
Second place Escambia County poster by Cody Chavers (above).
Third place Escambia County poster by Sara Sconiers (above).
Firefighters Respond To Kingsfield Road Factory
April 22, 2015
Multiple fire stations responded to smoke inside a Kingsfield Road factory early Tuesday evening. There was no immediate word of the source of the smoke or any damages at Plastic Coated Papers. There were no injuries reported. NorthEscambia.com reader submitted photos by Jacob Hutson and Shawna Price, click to enlarge.
Abundant Life Assembly Church Receives Century Community Pride Award
April 22, 2015
The latest Century Community Pride Award was recently presented to Abundant Life Assembly of God Church. The award was presented by the Century Area Chamber of Commerce. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bear, Gator Feeding Won’t Go To Dogs
April 22, 2015
Florida lawmakers are taking aim at people caught repeatedly feeding bears and alligators, as the state prepares to allow its first black bear hunt in two decades.
But House members Tuesday rejected a proposal that would have prohibited the use of dogs for the bear hunts, a practice known as “bear hounding.” Though lawmakers declined to approve the idea, wildlife officials are expected to bar the use of canines in the hunts.
The House on Tuesday advanced a measure (HB 7021) that would increase penalties for people charged a fourth time with feeding bears and alligator not in captivity.
The charge would be a third-degree felony and carry a fine of up to $5,000 and the chance of spending up to five years in jail.
Currently, a fourth offense of illegally feeding wildlife within a 10-year period is a first-degree misdemeanor, which carries a minimum fine of $750, the chance for up to a year in jail and a three-year suspension of any recreational license.
A final vote on the House bill is expected Wednesday. The Senate is expected Thursday to review a similar proposal (SB 680).
The legislative proposal is backed by the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as a means to address dangerous interactions between humans and wildlife.
The commission is expected in June to give formal approval for a black bear hunt, which could start Oct. 24 and last up to a week.
In advancing the feeding-ban proposal, the House rejected, in a voice vote, an amendment that would have prohibited the use of radio-collared dogs to pursue bears on the hunts.
“This doesn’t prevent bear hunting. What it does is sets some limitations on the use of dogs,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Coral Springs, said of his proposed amendment. Fish and Wildlife is “not going to pass that final rule until June. And since I’ve heard this chamber on many other subjects not wanting to let bureaucrats make law, and they want legislators to make law, that’s why I brought this amendment.”
The Fish and Wildlife proposal prohibits the use of dogs to hunt bear, but allows leashed canines to trail shot bears.
Rep. Katie Edwards, D-Plantation, said sportsmen in states where bear hunting is legal typically don’t use dogs.
“They’re up in tree stands, and that’s the way they’re able to hunt bear,” Edwards said.
The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is backing bear hunts because of a growing number of bear and human conflicts across the state. The one-bear-per-hunter hunt would be held in four regions — the eastern Panhandle, Northeast Florida, east-central Florida and South Florida — where there are an estimated 2,500 black bears.
Black bears were placed on Florida’s threatened list in 1974, when there were between 300 and 500 in the state. At the time, hunting black bear was limited to three counties. In 1994, the hunting season was closed statewide.
The legislative measure would seek to make sure more people know they are violating state laws on illegal feeding. In doing so, it would lessen the fines for people caught the first time illegally slipping food to bears and gators, along with foxes, raccoons, sandhill cranes, pelicans, and bald eagles.
Currently, the state imposes a second-degree misdemeanor charge on first-time offenders, which carries a penalty of up to $500 and up to 60 days in jail. However, wildlife officials are now “generally hesitant to issue a criminal citation to a first time offender,” according to a House staff analysis.
Under the proposal, first-time offenders would receive non-criminal tickets, carrying a $100 fine.
The belief from the Fish and Wildlife agency is that by removing the stricter penalty for first-time offenders, there will be less chance those people will repeat as they learn the rules.
“Once issued a civil penalty, first-time offenders should better understand the serious nature of violating the feeding rules,” the analysis said. “Therefore, these individuals will be less likely to incur criminal violations for future violations.”
A second-degree misdemeanor charge would kick in for people caught a second time. Those caught feeding bears and gators a third time would receive a first-degree misdemeanor, while additional violations involving foxes, raccoons, sandhill cranes, pelicans, and bald eagles would remain a second-degree offense.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida