Cantonment Veterinarian Arrested After DEA Investigation
July 10, 2014
A Cantonment veterinarian has been arrested on drug charges following an investigation by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and the DEA.
Michael Bishop Windley, age 67 of Highway 196 Molino, was arrested on state drug charges of four counts of possession, delivery, and manufacture of a controlled substance and four counts of fraud in obtaining prescriptions. Windley is a veterinarian at the Companion Animal Clinic at 470 South Highway 29 (the former Winn Dixie shopping center), according to Special Agent in Charge Mark. R Trouville of the DEA’s Miami Field Division.
According to the arrest warrant, the DEA received a call in August 2013 from a Winn Dixie pharmacist regarding the suspicious prescribing activities of Windley. During the investigation, DEA learned that Windley was fraudulently obtaining methadone by writing prescriptions in the name of his ex-wife’s dog and filling the prescriptions at various pharmacies in the Cantonment and Pensacola areas and then providing the drugs to his ex-daughter in law.
According to the DEA, Windley filled 30 prescriptions (for a total of 5,400 tablets) for methadone between December 11, 2012 and February 7, 2014. Two of the prescriptions for methadone were filled at two different pharmacies on the same date.
According to the DEA, Windley presented multiple controlled substance prescriptions for 180 methadone tablets each for a dog named Banner under the owner’s name Barbara Ard of the 4600 block of Highway 196 in Molino. Ard, according to the DEA, is Windley’s ex-wife.
During a DEA inspection of the Companion Animal Clinic, Windley first told an investigator that he had researched several medical journals and attended a conference where methadone was used as a pain medication with no side effects in animals. Windley, according to an arrest affidavit, also said he had six dogs, five of which were deceased, that were prescribed methadone. He was unable to produce the medical files of the dogs, telling investigators that the files had been destroyed. The veterinarian then said he wrote the prescriptions for all the dogs under one dog’s name, filled them at area pharmacies and then dispensed it out to the animals’ owners — a wrongful practice, according to the DEA.
Later, Windley voluntarily surrendered his DEA license, the report states, and admitted the pills were for his daughter in law.
The daughter-in-law, a Gulf Breeze resident, told investigators that she would clean Windley’s home and take care of his pets. He would leave a bottle of methadone on a table at his home. She told investigators that she was taking up to 20 methadone pills per day, and investigators witnessed her make a call to her primary physicians to make an appointment to receive help.
Windley was released from the Escambia County Jail on $50,000 bond.
Tax Collector Offices Collecting Food Drive Donations For Manna
July 10, 2014
A food drive is currently underway at Escambia County Tax Collector offices, including Molino, downtown and Marcus Pointe.
The employees of Janet Holley, Escambia County Tax Collector, are supporting Manna Food Pantries by sponsoring a food drive to help them restock their pantry from the April flood. Their goal is to collect 2,000 pounds of food to help Manna meet the needs of the hungry in our area.
Nonperishable food items can be dropped off at any of the three convenient tax collector locations Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. through August 6. Manna Food Pantries welcomes any food donations, but their most needed items are peanut butter, canned fruit, canned tuna and chicken, and canned dinners.
Escambia Count Tax Collector offices are located at:
- Molino – 6440 Hwy. 95-A North, Ste. A
- Marcus Pointe – 6451 North “W” Street
- Downtown – 213 Palafox Place
Credit Cards Stolen During Flomaton Funeral Used In Molino, Cantonment
July 10, 2014
Authorities are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man that stole credit and debit cards during a Flomaton funeral and then used the cards in Molino and Cantonment.
According to the Flomaton Police Department, the suspect burglarized an automobile sometime between 3:00 and 3:20 p.m. last Sunday during a funeral at the Little Escambia Baptist Church on Highway 113. The suspect took a purse out of the vehicle before fleeing into Florida.
The suspect then attempted to use the victim’s credit and debit cards in Flomaton, and at businesses along Highway 29 in Molino and Cantonment. Flomaton Police Chief Bryan Davis declined to identify the businesses, citing an ongoing investigation.
Flomaton Police have obtained surveillance footage of the suspect entering two different businesses. He was described as a black male about six feet tall, wearing khaki pants, an untucked red polo-style shirt, black sunglasses, a gold colored watch on his left wrist and a red hat with the letter “P” on it, possibly a Philadelphia Phillies baseball hat. No description of his vehicle is available.
Anyone with information on the crimes is asked to call the Flomaton Police Department at (251) 296-5811.
Rick Scott Has Enacted Single Term High Of 12 Pro-Gun Laws
July 10, 2014
Gov. Rick Scott appears nearly bulletproof right now in the eyes of the National Rifle Association.
That assessment of Scott comes as the NRA notes that more pro-gun bills have been signed into law in the past four years than during any other recent single gubernatorial term. The organization sent a message to members applauding Scott for setting the record.
Since taking office in 2011, Scott has signed into law 12 gun-related measures backed by the NRA. That total is nine more than former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist approved while enjoying an equally Republican-dominated Legislature between 2007 and 2010. Crist is now running for the Democratic nomination to face Scott in the November elections.
The total number of Scott’s signings remains two fewer than those inked by former Gov. Jeb Bush, who also affixed his name to a one-year record six pro-gun and pro-hunting bills in 2006. A year earlier, Bush had signed the “stand your ground” law. However, Bush’s overall total of 14 new pro-guns laws came during eight years as the occupant of the Governor’s Mansion.
“Governor Scott supports the Second Amendment, and works every day to ensure Florida families are kept safe,” spokesman John Tupps said in an email. “Florida is at a 43-year crime low, and Governor Scott will review any legislation that the Legislature passes and sends to his desk.”
The bills signed by Scott have ranged from the highly contentious, such as the “docs vs. glocks” law in 2011 that has been on hold since being thrown out by a federal judge in 2012, to less controversial laws that reduced the fees for a new concealed carry weapon and allowed tax collectors’ offices handle concealed-weapon license applications.
“The bills that Gov. Scott has signed will make and have made an enormous difference,” said Marion Hammer, the powerful lobbyist for the NRA and Unified Sportsmen of Florida. “These laws will have major impact on law abiding gun owners.”
She wasn’t as praiseworthy of the more politically flexible Crist, who left office with an “A” rating by the NRA and campaigned in 2010 for the U.S. Senate claiming to have “never wavered in his support for the Second Amendment.”
Crist earned the “profound appreciation” of the NRA in May 2009 for vetoing the Legislature’s plan to sweep $6 million from the Concealed Weapons and Firearms Licensing Trust Fund to patch a hole in the state budget. Crist also won praise when signing legislation to allow concealed weapons permit-holders to keep their guns in their vehicles while at work, and by appointing NRA-supported judges Charles Canady and Ricky Polston to the state Supreme Court.
But Hammer alluded to Crist being less than supportive as “critically important bills” were discussed outside of committee meetings while he was still governor.
“When you’re trying to pass legislation, sometimes legislators will ask (the governor) what they’ll do, and if they’re non-committal, that’s always like a negative,” Hammer said when asked about Crist.
A spokesman for Crist said Wednesday that the former governor maintains his belief in the Second Amendment, but favors “sensible gun safety steps” to keep communities and children safe.
“For example, he believes we should get military-style assault weapons and high-capacity clips off the streets and institute tougher background checks to keep dangerous weapons out of the wrong hands,” Kevin Cate, a spokesman for Crist, responded in an email.
The increase in gun-friendly bills becoming law comes as more Floridians are registered gun owners.
As of May 31, there were 1.27 million concealed-weapon or firearm licenses issued in Florida, according to the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The state went over the 1 million mark in Dec. 2012, becoming the first state in the nation to surpass that figure.
And the Florida Department of Law Enforcement conducted 869,457 background checks on firearm purchases in 2013. The annual number of checks grew from 406,370 in 2007, when Crist took office, to 606,655 in 2011, Scott’s first year in office. Each check includes an examination of an applicant’s criminal history and mental-health database reviews.
Coconut Creek Democrat Rep. Jim Waldman, a gun owner who has not received glowing scores from the NRA, said the proliferation of pro-gun bills is more about catering to the Republican Party’s “ultra-right” base than sound policy.
“The only way a lot of Republicans get elected is, they need to beef up their bona fides, and one way to do that is to support gun legislation,” Waldman said.
Scott signed five gun-rights bills into law this year, after signing three each in 2011 and 2012. He signed one in 2013.
This year’s offerings would prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage or increasing rates based on customers owning guns or ammunition. Also, they would allow people to threaten to use force, including showing guns, in self defense. Another new law would prevent schoolchildren from being disciplined for simulating guns while playing or for wearing clothes that depict firearms.
“There were not a lot of contentious bills, they were not all that controversial, there were just some contentious people,” Hammer said.
Besides the opposition to “docs and glocks,” most of the gun related controversy in recent sessions has been through failed efforts by advocates seeking to repeal the 2005 “stand your ground” law, which says people can use deadly force and do not have a duty to retreat if they think it is necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm
The so-called “warning shot” law approved this year modified “stand your ground” by extending immunity to those who threaten to use force in self-defense.
In addition to “docs vs. glocks,” a law that restricts how doctors can talk to patients about guns, the 2011 laws signed by Scott included another one that continues to be challenged by cities and counties. That bill established $5,000 fines for county and city officials who enforce local firearms restrictions and empowered the governor to remove local officials from office if they continued to defy the state law.
In June, a judge sided with Palm Beach County against the provision that the governor could remove a county official from office for trying to enforce local gun control rules.
Not all of the gun laws have received universal praise from gun-rights advocates.
An NRA-backed measure Scott signed in 2013, crafted in the wake of 20 children and six adults being gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., was narrowly-focused on making it harder for the mentally ill to buy guns.
However, the issue put Scott in the crosshairs of two out-of-state groups.
The Colorado-based National Association for Gun Rights and the Virginia-based Gun Owners of America argued that the law — which blocks firearms purchases by some people who voluntarily admit themselves for mental-health treatment — would discourage people with mental illnesses from seeking treatment.
In a letter accompanying the bill signing, Scott noted that the measure was the product of mental-health and gun-rights advocates; he also highlighted his history of support for gun rights.
“During the 2012 GOP Convention, I was asked to issue a temporary executive order to override laws that allow people to carry concealed weapons, which I denied because it was unclear how disarming law-abiding citizens would better protect them from the damages and threats posed by those who would flout the law,” Scott wrote. “Additionally, I’ve signed legislation protecting the privacy of firearm owners and stopping local governments from overreaching in the regulation of firearms.”
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
NEP 7U All Stars Place Second In World Series
July 10, 2014
The NEP 7U All Star Team recently came in second place in the 8U division in the All Star World Series in Gulf Breeze. Team members are Brayden Beck, Kaydon Biggs, Grant Bray-Hastings, Brendan Carpenter, Daviaun Farrish, Nino Freeman, Trevor Land, Jackson Poindexter, Brady Smith, Tradley Thompson and Caden White. Coaches are Travis Thompson, Heath Kelly and Chad Briggs (not pictured). Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century’s Gonzalez Begins Second Term As City Clerk Association Director
July 10, 2014
Century Town Clerk Leslie Gonzalez recently began her second term as district director for the Northwest District of the Florida Association of City Clerks.
“I have enjoyed getting to know the clerks in the Northwest District. They are consistently the cream of the crop – community minded civil servants who put their heart into their job to make their municipalities shine,” Gonzalez said. “It has been an honor to represent the Town of Century at the state level, and I am delighted to be serving a second term on the board of directors of FACC.”
Gonzalez recently traveled to Panama City to present a resolution from FACC to Terri Lillard, who retired after serving at the City of Panama City for over 23 years.
The Northwest District of the Florida Association of City Clerks covers all municipalities from Escambia County to Jefferson County, just east of Tallahassee.
Escambia County Brothers Arrested For Santa Rosa Burglary Spree
July 10, 2014
Two brothers, both former North Escambia residents, have been charged in connection with a residential burglary spree in Santa Rosa County.
Shawn Demontre Cooler, age 19 of Pensacola, and Jeremiah Cooler, age 20 of Barth Road in Molino, are facing multiple burglary charges. Investigators in Santa Rosa County said the brothers kicked in doors and stole thousands of dollars in property, including guns, during broad daylight burglaries between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. during a three month period.
The burglaries, deputies said, targeted jewelry, high end electronics and money, while other items such as TV’s and game systems were left behind. Authorities said the Coolers would sometime ransack multiple homes in the same day, fleeing with their stolen bounty in pillowcases.
The Cooler brothers, according to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, are both documented gang members.
Shawn Cooler is being held in the Santa Rosa County Jail with bond set at $310,001. Jeremiah Cooler was being held Wednesday in the Escambia County Jail without bond awaiting transfer to Santa Rosa County.
Jeremiah Cooler was arrested in January in Escambia County when an Escambia County deputy in the area of Plantation Road recognized him as a suspect wanted for burglaries and attempted home invasions in Santa Rosa County. Cooler, according to an arrest report, had been involved in a police pursuit with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office the previous day, and the vehicle with a matching tag number from the pursuit was outside the motel where Cooler was spotted.
As the deputy detained another individual with an outstanding warrant, witnesses said Jeremiah Cooler ran from the motel, threw a backpack into a dumpster and entered a nearby Waffle House. Surveillance video confirmed Cooler was involved in the sequence of events.
Deputies transported Cooler from the Waffle House back to the motel. Inside the backpack from the dumpster, they found five guns — four of which were reported stolen from Santa Rosa County, numerous rounds of ammunition, an iPad and a Toshiba tablet.
Shawn Cooler has an extensive criminal history involving burglary, theft and narcotic use and is currently on state probation for previous burglary/theft conviction, according to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.
Santa Rosa Man Gets Life For Child Sex Offense
July 9, 2014
A Santa Rosa County man was sentenced to life in state prison Tuesday for child sex abuse.
Claude Russell Ratliff was found guilty of lewd or lascivious molestation by a Santa Rosa County jury earlier this year.
Ratliff, 56, had molested a nine-year old girl while she was visiting at his Milton home during August 2012. In March 2013 the child told her parents about the abuse and they took her to a Pensacola hospital, which contacted the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office. During an interview at the Gulf Coast Kids House, the girl told investigators that Ratliff had come into the room where she was sleeping and molested her from behind. A warrant was issued for Ratliff and he was arrested on May 6, 2013.
Escambia Budget Talks Begin: Sheriff Wants Extra $5 Million
July 9, 2014
Escambia County opened budget talks for the upcoming fiscal year, and the requests made today include an extra $5 million plus for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff David Morgan wants the extra money to put more deputies on the streets, increase salaries and benefits, and meet rising fuel costs.
New Escambia County Administrator Jack Brown’s proposed budget as presented to Escambia County Commissioners Tuesday includes an extra $1.07 million for the ECSO so Morgan’s employees can receive a 3 percent cost of living adjustment like other county employees.
Morgan wants a total budget increase of $5.24 million — which includes the $1.07 cost of living adjustment, $300,000 for fuel budget increases and about $4.9 million for 15 new deputies and for the Sheriff’s Office to begin providing holiday and overtime pay to employees like other county departments. Currently, Sheriff’s Office employees are required to bank overtime worked.
“For example, the ice storm,” ESCO Chief Deputy Eric Haines told commissioners, “all the people that worked that received overtime that worked at the county, fire, EMS. Our deputies had to work and man all those bridges all night, and they got nothing.”
“We’ll sit down, and we’ll do due diligence on both sides, and we’ll compare benefit packages and stuff,” Brown said. “I think the Board, and I know I am certainly committed to equity. And making sure make sure you are talking about oranges versus oranges not apples and tangerines.”
As for the 15 extra deputies, Haines said it would take about 60-70 new deputies to bring Escambia County up to the state per capita level. He said the ECSO will continue to ask for 15 new funded deputies per year until that level is reached.
“I think there is an appetite for making sure that we provide additional resources in some form or fashion,” Commissioner Lumon May said.
May stressed it was important to him to make sure Morgan had the resources needed to protect citizens on the streets.
“It’’s important to me to have deputies on the ground. It’s important to me to have narcotic units. Most of these crimes are quite frankly gang related or drug related,” May said. “We have to get aggressive and put our resources where you do get aggressive.”
Covenant Hospice Offers New Volunteer Training In Century And Pensacola
July 9, 2014
Covenant Hospice is seeking individuals who are interested in making a difference in the lives of patients and families facing end-of-life issues and in supporting the organization. Training sessions for volunteers are upcoming in both Century and Pensacola.
A volunteer workshop will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturday, July 26th, at the Century Chamber of Commerce at 7811 North Century Blvd. Workshops will also be held in the Pensacola area Monday, July 14 and Thursday, July 17 from noon to 4 p.m. on both days at the Pensacola branch office located at 2001 North Palafox Street. The workshops are free and open to the public. Food and drinks will be provided.
Patient and Family Support Volunteer Training will provide an overview of hospice care, including Covenant’s programs and services and the special roles that volunteers fill. This training prepares individuals to volunteer in a variety of ways. Volunteer choices include visiting and companionship for patients, supporting family members by offering emotional support and practical help, assisting with fundraising events, providing administrative support in a Covenant office, serving as an outreach ambassador and much more.
No special background or experience is required to volunteer for Covenant, just a desire to make a difference. Time commitment is flexible and based on volunteer availability. Retired and working professionals are also needed to share their expertise and experience with patients and families. To register or to learn more: call Barbara Fike for the Pensacola training at (850) 202-0924 and Sharon Oakes for the Century training at (850) 202-5948.