Deputies: Beulah Shooting Was Domestic Violence
November 21, 2014
A shooting death Friday afternoon in Beulah was an act of domestic violence, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded to the 7500 block of Mobile Highway, near Beulah Elementary School, to find one person deceased from an apparent gunshot wound. A “person of interest” was taken into custody at the scene.
Authorities have not released any names in the incident, and they have not revealed the relationship between the victim and the person of interest.
Beulah Elementary School was under a brief lockdown for a short time period, and Mobile Highway was closed temporarily as a result of the shooting.
Pictured: A fatal shooting occurred on Mobile Highway Friday afternoon. Photo courtesy WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Man Charged With Kidnapping, Armed Robbery, Battery Of Woman
November 21, 2014
An Escambia County man who kidnapped and sexually battered a woman Thursday has been arrested. Kyheem Scott, 26, was charged with kidnapping, sexual battery and armed robbery.
The incident occurred between 3 and 4 a.m. in a vacant lot on North C Street. The 44-year-old woman told Detective Shannan Briarton she was walking home from her mother’s house when the suspect approached her and offered to walk with her.
The woman declined, but as she walked away, the suspect followed. In an attempt to avoid him, the woman walked onto several streets but Scott ran toward her and told her he had a gun, which she believed he placed on her neck. She then was forced into the vacant lot where he ordered her to remove items from her pockets and to perform oral sex on him.
The man then fled the area and the woman called police. Scott was identified during the investigation, and had the victim’s cell phone in his possession when arrested Thursday afternoon.
Molino Park Receives $25,000 Tech Grant; Students Reach For The Stars (With Gallery)
November 21, 2014
Molino Park Elementary School celebrated the receipt of a $25,000 technology grant Thursday night that is allowing students to reach for the stars.
The grant from the Monsanto Fund’s America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education program was used to purchase iPads to advance technology in implementing core standards in reading, science and math for third and fourth grade students.
Earlier this year, Molino Park turned to NorthEscambia.com to encourage local farmers to nominate and support the school’s efforts to win the grant.
“I appreciate the farmers showing their support in taking their time to nominate us as this solidifies the community spirit at Molino Park that continuously carries us,” said Principal Alice Woodward. “Farmers are the heartbeat off our community, and their actions have allowed us to continue to flourish in our endeavor to educate students.”
Molino Park also held a stargazing event Thursday night, with students creating space related crafts indoors, and heading outdoors for hands-on activities. They were able to use an iPad app to see a virtual sky map as they panned from horizon to horizon, and telescopes were set up behind the school for a closer looks at stars and planets.
Pictured top: Molino Park Elementary School was presented a symbolic $25,000 check Thursday night from the Monsanto Fund to purchase iPads. Pictured inset: The actual funds were previously received from the grant, and the iPads are already in use. Pictured below: A time lapse photo showing a group in near total darkness star gazing behind Molino Park Elementary Thursday night. Pictured below: A student uses an iPad with a star mapping application to map the night sky. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
ECUA Sells Main Street Property For $5.2 Million, Elects Officers
November 21, 2014
The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority approved the sale of the former Main Street sewage treatment plant property at their Thursday yearly organizational meeting. The 19-acre site is being purchased by Quint and Rishy Studer for $5.2 million.
The property has been vacant since 2011 when the sewer plant — known as “Old Stinky” — was demolished in 2011 after it was replaced by the Central Water Reclamation Facility in Cantonment. The plant was first constructed in 1937 and underwent several expansions.
Studer’s offer was less ECUA’s asking price for the property at $8.9 million, and about $2 million less than was offered to a Texas-based developer in a deal that went nowhere in 2013. Studer will reportedly work to add athletic fields, concession areas, restrooms and parking to the property.
Also at Thurday’s meeting, the ECUA board elected officers and made appointments for the upcoming year.
District 2 representative Lois Benson was elected as chairman and District 5 member Larry Walker was elected vice-chair. Elvin McCorvey of District 3 was elected chairman of the Citizens’ Advisory Committee, and Vicki Campbell of District 1 was elected vice-chairman. Deborah Benn, Charles Green, Chuck Kimball, Hurey Smith, Tim Common, Kelley Thompson, and Louise Ritz were unanimously re-appointed to serve as members of the Citizens’ Advisory Committee.
Trial Postponed For Molino Murder Suspect
November 21, 2014
Trial has been delayed for on Molino murder suspect, while another suspect awaits sentencing next month.
Zachary Greer, 24, was due in court this week, but his next court appearance was continued at the prosecution’s request to late December. He is charged with first degree murder in the 2013 death of Harvey Ray Smith.
His co-defendant, 24-year old Debra Burge, has pleaded no contest in September to a lesser charge of second degree murder charge in the death of Harvey Ray Smith. She will be sentenced in December.
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 May4, 2013. Smith had been reported missing in Santa Rosa County. Family members located his vehicle at the motel and then discovered the body.
Reports state Burge and Greer conspired to rob Smith. Burge allegedly lured Smith, her acquaintance, to her home in the 3900 block of Highway 97 in Molino. 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. She told Sheriff’s investigators that Greer told her he stabbed Smith and put his body in the trunk of the car that was later driven to the Motel 6 on Davis Highway in Pensacola.
Escambia Man Indicted For Insurance Fraud Scheme
November 21, 2014
An Escambia County man has been indicted on federal charges for an insurance fraud scheme. Kevin D. Webster, 44, was indicted for 11 felony counts of wire fraud.
The indictment alleges that Webster, an insurance agent licensed in Florida and other states, defrauded high profile clients and their financial advisors by falsely representing to them via
email that he had secured umbrella insurance policies for them when, in fact, he had not. According to the indictment, between 2008 and 2011, Webster accepted approximately $140,000 meant for umbrella insurance policy premiums for policies that Webster never secured or even attempted to secure.
Webster pled not guilty, and his trial is scheduled for Monday, January 12, 2015, before Senior United States District Judge Roger Vinson. The charges result from an investigation by the Florida Department of Financial Services and the FBI.
Escambia Heath Department Encourages Flu Vaccine For Residents
November 21, 2014
The Florida Department of Health in Escambia County is encouraging residents to get vaccinated against the flu.
Seasonal flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat and lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness and can sometimes lead to death. The flu season usually begins in early October and lasts until May, peaking in January and February in Escambia County.
Pregnant women are especially encouraged to get vaccinated. Pregnancy’s effect on the immune system can cause a more severe infection leading to poor outcomes for both mother and baby. Others who should get vaccinated include caregivers of infants younger than 6 months, infants and children older than 6 months, and adults 65 and older. It is also important for those with chronic health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, and heart or lung disease to get vaccinated.
Flu vaccine may be given as a shot or a nasal spray. The flu shot is approved for use in people 6 months of age and older, including people with chronic medical conditions and pregnant women. The nasal spray is approved for use in people 2 through 49 years of age who do not have underlying medical conditions and are not pregnant. Flu vaccines are available at many physicians’ offices, clinics, and local pharmacies. The vaccine takes approximately two weeks to become fully effective.
Symptoms of the flu may include cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue, and fever. Some people may also experience diarrhea and vomiting. Health officials advise individuals who are at risk of complications from influenza to contact their physician immediately if flu symptoms appear. Individuals should see a physician early, as antiviral medications may be effective in reducing the severity of symptoms or the length of the illness.
Individuals can protect themselves and their families from the flu by practicing preventive behaviors. While the best way to prevent the flu is by getting vaccinated every year, frequent hand washing is another important key to prevention. Other healthy behaviors such as avoiding close contact with those who are sick, getting plenty of sleep, being physically active, and eating nutritious food can also help to prevent getting the flu.
Individuals can spread the flu to others before they even know they are sick. The most effective ways to avoid spreading the flu are by covering coughs and sneezes with the elbow rather than the hand and by staying home when sick.
State Asks Court To Continue Gay Marriage Ban
November 21, 2014
Attorney General Pam Bondi this week asked a federal appeals court to at least temporarily keep in place Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage, pointing in part to another court’s decision that upheld similar bans in four states.
Bondi’s request to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals came about three months after U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle ruled in two combined cases that Florida’s ban was unconstitutional.
Hinkle, however, placed a stay on his ruling to allow time for an appeal. That stay is scheduled to expire January 5. Bondi asked the appeals court this week to keep the stay in place until appeals are complete.
“This court should extend the stay because, on balance, it is in the public’s best interest to wait for an appellate decision before implementing an order of this significance,” Bondi argued in a document filed this week. Several appeals courts have struck down bans on same-sex marriage, and the U.S. Supreme Court has declined to take up appeals of those rulings.
But Bondi pointed to a decision this month by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld bans in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. She said appeals of that decision have been filed in the Supreme Court.
Grand Jury Finds Insufficient Evidence Of Any Criminal Wrongdoing In Jail Explosion
November 21, 2014
An Escambia County Grand Jury has found that there was insufficient evidence to establish an criminal charges in connection with the April 2014 explosion at the Escambia County Jail.
According to the grand jury’s findings, gas clothes dryers are seen on video pulling away from a wall in the flooded basement of the jail. At about the same time, natural gas records show a substantial spike in the amount of natural gas flowing into the Central Booking and Detention Center. The spike continued through the day and night of April 30.
During this time, both jail staff and inmates reported the smell of natural gas to jails supervisors and maintenance employees. A maintenance employee located what he thought was a leak at a propane tank farm located north of the facility. He cut off a valve which he believed stopped the leak. But reading taken from the tanks show the same level of propane before and after the flood; the grand jury found that the propane tanks were in no way responsible for the odor of gas within the jail.
At 11:15 p.m. on April 3, a spark from an unknown source ignited the natural gas causing an explosion.
Two inmates were killed and hundreds of staff and inmates were injured in the blast.
The grand jury recommended that:
- The Central Booking and Detention Center and the main jail be returned to the supervision of the sheriff for the most efficient operation of the facilities. The corrections facilities are currently under the control of the Escambia County Commission.
- No future jail be built on the current site of the Central Booking and Detention Center.
- Improvements be made in safety procedures. Employees believed they were limited in making emergency reports only to their immediate supervisors. It was recommended that a safety officer be appointed or designated on each shift.
- The basement area of the Central Booking and Detention Center should have never been rebuilt following a 2012 flood. “We recommend that Escambia County make a full disclosure as to how this decision was made,” the grand jury’s report states.
- Escambia County concentrate on storm water control measures, first on county owned facilities, then on Escambia County as a whole.
- Pensacola Energy should review and locate any cut-off valves so that they are located outside flood prone areas. In addition, main gas lines should be marked to allow immediate access in case of an emergency.
The grand jury report concluded by commending the corrections officers and staff of the Central Booking and Detention Center for the outstanding job they did during the flood and subsequent explosion.
West All-Stars Beat The East In All-Star Volleyball
November 21, 2014
The West All-Stars defeated the East in the Subway High School All-Star Volleyball game Thursday night at the University of West Florida Field House.
Under the leadership of Heach Coach Erika Burkett of Tate High School, the West took the series in seven games 25-16, 23-25, 23-25, 23-25, 25-16, 25-17 and 15-9.
The West All-Star included the top seniors from Escambia County, while the East was comprised of the top senior players from Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties.
Team members were (with North Escambia area players in bold):
WEST
Head Coach: Erika Burkett, Tate
Assistant Coach: Kelly Comerford, Washington
- Sina Faulk — Catholic
- Emily Emmons — Catholic
- Tru Viray — Escambia
- Emily Enriquez — Escambia
- Kyndall Hall — Northview
- Elisabeth Larson — PCA
- Yenny Wu — Pensacola
- Anna Legassey — Pine Forest
- Olivia Veith — Pine Forest
- Regine Simmons — Tate
- Jordan White — Tate
- Carissa Carroll — Tate
- Mallory Lurate — Washington
- Morgan Pearson — Washington
- Lauren Childers — Washington
- Sydney Barrow — Washington
- Melisa Izonritei — West Florida
- Isabelle Strohl — West Florida
EAST
Head Coach: Waynn Sellers, Gulf Breeze
Assistant Coach: Amy Walls, Navarre
- Hartley Moate — Baker
- Brittney Amey — Central
- Maya Smith — FWB
- Emily Radcliffe — Gulf Breeze
- Kathrin Hess — Gulf Breeze
- Kassie Oldham — Gulf Breeze
- Emily Russell — Jay
- Bridget Zessin — Laurel Hill
- Monica Foster — Navarre
- Sheila Faris — Navarre
- Abbey McLelland — Navarre
- Sami Mims — Niceville
- Michaela Dunn — Pace
- Emili McClure — Pace
- Laini Vermillion — Pace
- Caroline Mayne — Pace
Pictured top: Tate Aggie players Regine Simmons, Carissa Carroll and Jordan White, and Coach Erika Burkett of Tate High School on the West All-Star volleyball team. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.