Man Gets Life Without Parole For Child Abuse
October 2, 2014
An Escambia County man has been sentenced to life in prison for the sexual battery of a child.
Vance Auris McMillan, 31, was found guilty Wednesday of sexual battery on a child less than 12 years of age following a jury trial in Santa Rosa County. Circuit Judge John F. Simon immediately sentenced McMillan to life in prison without parole.
In May 2013, McMillan sexually molested the eight-year old girl at a home in Milton. The child disclosed the abuse to her mother who immediately reported it to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.
ECSO: Century Man Threatens To Kill His Mom Over Her Cooking
October 2, 2014
A 19-year Century resident allegedly threatened to kill his mother with a knife because he was upset over the lunch she prepared.
Austin Lane Mosley, 19, was charged with felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon following the incident in the 200 block of Hudson Hill Road.
His mother told Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies that she and Mosely got into an argument over the food she had made for lunch, and he grabbed the food and threw it on the floor. As she grabbed her cell phone, Mosley tried to grab the phone and began to swing several punches that missed the 41-year old female, an arrest report states. Mosley then waved what appeared to be a black filet knife at his mother from outside a window, stating that he was going to “filet her open”, the report states.
A witness told deputies that he also heard Mosley threaten to kill his mother.
Mosley was booked into the Escambia County Jail without bond. He was released Wednesday night on a $100 bond after the bond amount was lowered by Judge Ross Goodman.
Local Option Sales Tax Meeting Monday At Ransom Middle
October 2, 2014
A Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) Town Hall meeting will take place Monday at Ransom Middle School, 1000 West Kingsfield Road, at 5:30 p.m.
Future LOST Town Hall meetings will be held as follows:
- Tuesday, October 7, 5:30 p.m. at Charity Chapel, 5820 Montgomery Ave
- Tuesday, October 14, 5:30 p.m. at Brownsville Community Center, 3100 West DeSoto Street
- Thursday, October 16, 5:30 p.m. at Perdido Bay Community Center, 13660 Innerarity Point Road
- Monday, October 20, 5:30 p.m. at Hillcrest Baptist Church, 800 Nine Mile Road
- Thursday, October 23, 5:30 p.m. at Jim Bailey Middle School, 4110 Bauer Road
- Tuesday, October 28, 6 p.m. at Pensacola Beach Community Church, 918 Panferio Drive
Monday Is Voter Registration Deadline; Florida Democrats Outnumber Republicans
October 2, 2014
With the November elections little more than a month away, Floridians face a Monday deadline to register to vote.
Meanwhile, Florida Republicans and Democrats are trying to mobilize supporters, particularly because of the hard-fought race for governor.
As of the August 26 primary elections, Florida had about 11.8 million registered voters, with Democrats holding a registration edge of about 450,000 over Republicans. As of September 30, Republican voters outnumbered Democrats in Escambia County by about 15,000 voters.
There were 87,424 Republicans registered in Escambia County, 72,183 Democrats and 35,092 claiming no party affiliation, according to the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections.
Northview Names Homecoming Court; Plans Parade, Lunch, Pep Rally
October 2, 2014
It’s homecoming week at Northview High School, culminating Friday with a parade, the naming of class maids and homecoming queen, and football against the Jay Royals.
The parade will line up on the campus of Bratt Elementary School beginning at noon. The parade will begin at Bratt Elementary at 1 p.m. and end with a pep rally in the Tommy Weaver Memorial Stadium at Northview High. (The general public should not enter the Bratt Elementary campus.)
A homecoming meal will available Friday from 10 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. from the football concession stand to support the Tommy Weaver Scholarship Fund. The $7 meal will include a BBQ pork sandwich, chips, dessert and drink.
Friday night homecoming festivities will begin at 6:00 Friday, with game kickoff set for 7 p.m.
A silent auction will be held during the game near the home concession stand for three NHS JV All American Cheerleader who are raising the money to attend the Walt Disney World Thanksgiving Day Parade. Items include a hotel getaway.
Pictured top: Northview’s 2014 Homecoming Court (front, L_R) junior Bethany Reynolds, junior Jadlyn Agerton, freshman Bailee Hinote, freshman Jerni Crabtree, freshman Hanna Mascaro, senior Kamryn Brock, sophomore Morgan Myrick, (back, L-R) sophomore Peighton Dortch, sophomore Mallory Gibson, junior Brianna Taylor, senior Morgan Ward, senior Kendal Cobb, senior Jessica McCullough and senior Teamber Moorer. Pictured below: Seniors Kamryn Brock, Kendal Cobb, Morgan Ward, Jessica McCullough and Teamber Moorer. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Apply Now For Cogongrass Treatment Cost-Share Program In Escambia County
October 2, 2014
The Florida Forest Service is now accepting applications in Escambia County for the Cogongrass Treatment Cost-Share Program.
“Invasive cogongrass spreads quickly and aggressively and can cause long-term problems if left untreated,” said State Forester Jim Karels. “In addition to reducing the productivity and value of forests and rangelands, it can greatly increase the risk and severity of wildfire.”
Cogongrass is an invasive, non-native grass, which occurs in Florida and several other southeastern states. Cogongrass infestations negatively affect tree regeneration, growth and survival, as well as wildlife habitat, native plant diversity, forage quality and property values. They also increase the risk of wildfires and alter fire behavior.
The Cogongrass Treatment Cost-Share Program is offered for non-industrial private lands in all Florida counties. It provides reimbursement of 50 percent of the cost to treat Cogongrass infestations for two consecutive years.
Applicants who wish to conduct treatments in 2014 may apply through October 3. Applicants who wish to conduct treatments in 2015 may apply from October 6 through February 27, 2015.
To learn more about this program and obtain an application form, contact the Escambia County Forester in Molino at (850) 587-5123 or visit www.FloridaForestService.com. All qualifying applications will be evaluated and ranked for approval. This program is supported through a grant from the U.S. Forest Service.
Pictured: Invasive cogongrass in bloom. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Another 215,000 Citizens Policies Approved For Private Market
October 2, 2014
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation announced Wednesday that up to 215,488 customers of Citizens Property Insurance Corp. could be shifted in December to nine private carriers.
But don’t count on that many policies being moved into the private market. The number of Citizens policies approved for “takeout” can top the number of actual policies removed because private companies cherry-pick the least-risky policies and often go after many of the same customers. Policyholders targeted for takeout also have the option to remain covered by Citizens.
The process has resulted in 124,995 policies being removed this year, as of August 30.
The newly targeted accounts for December are comprised of 211,080 personal-residential policies and 4,408 commercial-residential policies. The December takeout round brings to 1,109,644 the total number of policies approved this year for private carriers to pick up, which is more than the overall number of policies covered by Citizens.
The state-backed insurer, which two years ago had 1.47 million policies, was down to 930,852 as of September 19.
Attempted Child Abduction Under Investigation
October 1, 2014
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a possible attempted child abduction.
On Monday afternoon, a seven-year old boy was walking to his home in the 2000 block of North S Street when he was approached by a tall, thin white male wearing all white clothing and driving a black, tw0-door car.
The boy said the man approached him and tried to persuade him to get into his car. The suspect told the boy he was from Texas.
The boy ran away to a relative’s home and deputies were contact, according to information released Wednesday afternoon by the Sheriff’s Office.
Anyone with information on the man’s identity is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Authorites Searching For Escaped State Inmate In Escambia County
October 1, 2014
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is searching for an inmate that escaped from the state-operated Pensacola Community Release Center, which houses work release inmates.
The inmate, 35-year old Jonathan P. Porter, was last seen running southbound on North “L” Street. Authorities said he may have been picked up by a female driving a 2012 white Nissan Versa four-door with California plates.
Porter is bald and blue eyed, between 6-feet and 6-feet, 2 inches tall, and weighs about 200 pounds. He was last seen at 8:29 a.m. wearing a white shirt and khaki pants. He has tear drop tattoos under both of his eyes, the name “Lisa” on his neck, “S-O-U-L” on this left fingers, “L-O-S-T” on his right fingers, along with numerous other tattoos.
According to Department of Corrections records, Porter was serving a 15-year sentence for a 2001 conviction for conspiracy to commit robbery with a gun or deadly weapon.
Deputies said Porter should not be approached. Anyone with information as to his whereabouts is asked to contact the ECSO immediately at (850) 36-9620 or dial 911.
One Injured When Car Hits ECAT Bus In Cantonment
October 1, 2014
One person was injured in a collision involving an Escambia County Area Transit bus and a car Tuesday night in Cantonment.
The driver of a car apparently rear-ended the bus at the railroad tracks on Highway 29 just south of Muscogee Road just before 8 p.m. The driver of the bus was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital by Escambia County EMS with injuries that were not considered serious.
There were reportedly no passengers on the bus; it was returning to Pensacola after making a final evening stop in Century.
The Cantonment Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the crash. The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. Further details, including the names of those involved, has not yet been released.
NorthEscambia.com photo by Kristi Price, click to enlarge.