Three Injured In Nokomis Wreck; Cab Tore Off Pickup Frame
May 5, 2014
Three people were injured in a single vehicle accident in Nokomis Monday afternoon that tore the cab of a pickup truck off its frame.
The accident happened about 1:30 p.m. on Nokomis Road near Jakes Road, about three miles west of Highway 97. The driver of a Chevrolet Silverado Z71 pickup truck apparently ran off the roadway, over-corrected and then overturned several times.
Three people were transported by ambulance to Atmore Community Hospital with injuries that were not considered serious.
The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol; further details have not been released. The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded to the crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Win Third In A Road, Takes Series Over Jackson
May 5, 2014
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos won the rubber match against the Jackson Generals on Sunday. The Wahoos (13-17) exploded offensively to win their third game in a row over the Generals (14-16). Brodie Greene led the game off with a home run in the top of the first inning and the Wahoos never looked back.
RHP Mikey O’Brien made his first start of the season for the Wahoos. O’Brien had his longest outing of the year; he went 5.0 innings and gave up just one run. The right-hander struck out four batters and surrendered three hits. LHP Fabian Williamson was fantastic in relief of O’Brien, pitching 3.0 innings and giving up just one hit.
Greene went 3-for-6 with three RBI, including his first home run of the year. Bryan Anderson once again was a key component to the Pensacola offense. He went 3-for-4 with three RBI and hit his second triple of the season. Juan Silverio bounced back after a tough start to the series; he went 2-for-5 with an RBI. The Wahoos scored at least five runs so use the promo code WAHOOS and receive 50% off your entire order Monday at PapaJohns.com
Jackson’s Tyler Olson made his first ever Double-A start and the Wahoos hit him hard. Olson made it only 4.0 innings, giving up 10 hits and 6 R/ER. Moises Hernandez came on relief and steadied the ship for the Generals; he went 3.0 innings and gave up 1 R/0 ER. Jackson’s third baseman Ramon Moria had the only RBI on the evening for the Generals, a solo shot off of O’Brien.
The Wahoos will return to Pensacola Bayfront Stadium Monday to take on the Chattanooga Lookouts for a five-game home stand. RHP Daniel Corcino (2-3, 4.26) will head to the bump for the Wahoos in the first game of the series. The Lookouts have yet to determine their starting pitcher for Monday.
by Joey Truncale
Three Face Sentences In Brutal July 2013 Cantonment Beating
May 5, 2014
Three defendants have now either been convicted or entered pleas in connection with a severe beating over the Fourth of July 2013 weekend in Cantonment.
Jordan Scott Garrett, now 18, was convicted of felony aggravated battery Tuesday by an Escambia County jury. He will remain free on bond until a late June sentencing by Judge Gary Bergosh. Clark was a 17-year old juvenile at the time of the incident, but was charged as an adult.
Zachary Nathan Clark, now 20, pleaded no contest to felony aggravated battery. He remains free on bond as he awaits sentencing in late June.
Kaleb Orion Willcutt, now 16, was 15 at the time of the beating and tried as an adult. He was adjudged delinquent and sentenced to the Department of Juvenile Justice High Risk Program.
When Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the home in the 700 block of Jacks Branch Road in July 2013 they found 19-year old Glenn Widish in the bathroom of the home, barely conscious, not able to talk and having difficulty breathing. Deputies reported his “face was swollen beyond recognition”.
Witnesses told deputies that the four teens were at the home, and Widish has been drinking shots of alcohol. Garrett became angry with Widish over a song that was playing and punched him three times in the face, witnesses told deputies. After Garrett punched Widish again, they ended up on the ground where Clark grabbed Widish and held him. Garrett also held Widish’s feet and they told Willcutt to hit him, an arrest report states.
Willcutt hit Widish three times, while Clark and Garrett began kicking and punching him in the head, face, back and stomach, the report states.
“I hope you die on this property,” a witness told deputies Willcutt said.
Widish was transported by ambulance to Sacred Heart Hospital as a “trauma alert”. Deputies were originally unable to speak to him because he remained unconscious at a Sacred Heart Hospital. He suffered a fractured eye orbital, a fractured nose and was unable to maintain on open airway after the beating, according to the arrest report.
Photo Gallery: Shrek The Musical
May 5, 2014
Northview High School presented two performances of Shrek the Musical over the weekend. The musical was based on the Oscar winning DreamWorks film that started it all, bringing the hilarious story of everyone’s favorite ogre to life on stage.
The production starred Cory Hester as Shrek, Anna Donald as Fiona, Kendrick Walker as Donkey, Kent Smith as Farquaad and host of other Northview students.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
NorthEscambia.com Publisher Named One Of Area’s Most Influential People
May 5, 2014
The Pensacola Independent News has released their 2014 IN Power List — their ranking of the most the most powerful and influential people in the Pensacola area.
Only two people that work primarily in the North Escambia area were named to the list — NorthEscambia.com publisher William Reynolds of Walnut Hill at number 65 and Escambia County Commissioner Steven Barry of Cantonment at number 38.
Topping this year’s list was attorney Mike Papantonio.
- For the Independent News story about the IN Power List, click here.
- For the complete list, click here.
West Florida Softball Headed To State Semi’s (With Photo Gallery)
May 5, 2014
The West Florida Lady Jaguars made school history Sunday, earning the teams first ever trip to a state softball tournament. The Lady Jags earned the state berth with a tight 2-1 Region 1-4A championship win over West Nassau.
Korina Rosario pitched the win for the West Florida in seven, with two walks, one run and three strikeouts.
Rosario was 2-3 with walk; Kristin Gunter was 2-4 with a double and RBI; Ali Cutaio went 1-3 with a double; Jibrasha Moore was 1-3 with a sacrifice bunt; Breana Roger went 1-3; Emily Loring was 1-3 with the winning RBI.
The West Florida Lady Jaguars will play the Gulliver Preparatory Raiders in the 4A semifinals on Wednesday. The game begins at 10:35 a.m. Eastern at Historic Dodgertown in Vero Beach. Admission is $9 per person, and parking is $8. The winner advances to a Thursday morning state championship game against either P.K. Yonge or Mulberry.
Pictured top: The West Florida High School Lady Jaguars won the Region 1-4A championship Sunday near Jacksonville. Pictured: the Lady Jags celebrate. NorthEscambia.com photos by Gary Carnley, click to enlarge.
One Dead, One Injured In Escambia Shooting
May 5, 2014
A Saturday night double shooting left one person dead in Escambia County.
The shooting occurred around 10 p.m. in the Pleasant Grove community on Silver Creek Drive. The woman reportedly shot her husband before turning the gun on herself. She was later pronounced deceased at an area hospital, while the man’s injuries were not considered life threatening.
The names of the victims and further details have not been released.
Funeral Services Held For Jail Explosion Victim
May 5, 2014
One of the two victims of last week’s explosion at the Escambia County Jail was laid to rest Monday afternoon. Robert Earl Simmons, age 54 of McDavid, died in the blast that injured 184 others.
Simmons was a native of Century and lifetime resident of the area, having worked in the construction injury.
He was arrested on multiple felony animal cruelty charges on January 14. He was being held without bond due to an alleged probation violation in a 2012 grand theft and trespassing case. He was due in court for probation violation hearing on May 2 — just two days later after the explosion – to determine his possible bond eligibility.
He is survived by his mother, a son, a daughter, a stepdaughter and numerous other relatives. Graveside services for Robert Earl Simmons were held Tuesday afternoon at Ray’s Chapel Baptist Church in Bogia.
Santa Rosa Completes Flood Damage Assessment
May 5, 2014
Santa Rosa County has completed flood damage assessments needed in order to seek a federal disaster declaration.
Preliminary assessments show the county has met state and federal damage thresholds for individual assistance for residents and businesses, so the assessment process by state, FEMA and local teams has ended. The following numbers were submitted to the state for use in the federal declaration process:
Residences – 782 total
- Affected – 355
- Minor – 180
- Major – 212
- Destroyed – 1
- Inaccessible – 34
Businesses
- Minor – 16
- Major – 32
Inaccessible – 3
Agricultural damage includes:
- Farm Structures – 5 affected at $50,000 loss
- Land Damages – 10,000 acres affected with a $750,000 loss.
Crop Damage
- Total acres of farmland affected: 55,000 acres.
- Wheat – 1,153 acres planted and affected with 35% yield loss.
- Oats – 70 acres planted and affected with 35% loss.
- Corn – 700 acres planted and affected with 10% loss.
- Grass (Hay) – 1,500 acres planted and affected with 40% loss.
- Vegetables – 350 acres affected with 10% loss
- Yield losses on cotton and peanuts are anticipated due to delayed planting up to 3 to 4 weeks. Fields will have to dry out and many will have to be reworked to repair soil erosion damage before planting can occur.
- Estimated percent of losses covered by insurance is 7.5%
Damage to county facilities overall were minor, with the exception of the Health Department and EOC:
- South Santa Rosa Health Department – 8 to 15 inches of water
- Emergency Operations Center– Water under raised floor, 750 gallons of water extract
- Milton Library – water intrusion
- Roof leaks at Chumuckla Community Center, Administration Building and Whittle Building
Pictured top: Flood damage on Villa Venyce in Santa Rosa County. Pictured below: Damage on Veneitan Way. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Flood Washes Away Bristol Park; Memories And Spirits Stay High
May 4, 2014
Bristol Park Road was nearly quiet, strangely peaceful late Thursday afternoon. The sound of a few generators, a little hammering and even a little laughter from neighbors gathered on a lawn.
Just a few hours before, the neighborhood had been the scene of a hellish nightmare for residents and rescuers as heavy rains sent people scurrying into their attics to avoid rising flood waters. At first, the normally peaceful creek behind their homes began to lap at thresholds before entering uninvited and to the surprise of most residents. Important items were saved, albeit very temporarily, by moving them to higher spots around the home — the couch, the top of the fridge. But the water became a raging river, rising and rising, consuming worldly possessions and leaving some residents to question their own mortality.
Dozens were rescued in boats by first responders and volunteers alike. Many times, rescuers were forced to cut their way into attics to rescue men, women and children.
Most were quiet, very methodical as they toted a lifetime of possessions to the curb. A bedroom dresser looked very normal, nearly off the showroom floor new, as it sat on the sidewalk. But it’s contents were held tightly inside by the wet swollen wood, the homeowner forced to use crowbar to pry open drawers. Couches, mattresses, bedroom suites, dining tables, refrigerators — all the usual household contents — were piled high up and down the road.
But it was some of the smallest items in the trash piles that quietly told the biggest stories. A “Christmas 2007″ ornament amongst the soaked Christmas decor that held happy stories of many a Christmas morning. Prom pictures from days, and hairstyles, gone by, next to a bagged cap and gown and a “Snowflake 1990″ Christmas bear. The things of memories decades ago destroyed.
The piles were endless on the curb at almost every house. Wet, drippy sheet rock and the entire contents of every home. One house was different….the household items were piled in the side yard, not by the road for pickup. Perhaps a little hope that everything could simply dry, be put back inside, and everything would be the same. Perhaps an optimist, perhaps a dreamer. Perhaps it was just a little too hard to say goodbye to everything.
Sewage bubbled and gurgled into the street from a manhole, the stench drifting along in the cooling late evening air. Night was settling in on a neighborhood united by great loss and sorrow, their dreams and memories washed away.
At a nearby Publix, a woman stood near the checkouts, her face telling a story worth volumes as she broke into tears. It’s going to be a long, tough recovery for the area.
By Saturday, the Bristol Park neighborhood was different. The shock was gone, reality had settled in for many. It was no longer the quiet, surreal feeling of shortly after the flood.
At a town hall meeting, residents expressed concerns about “looters” — outsiders seen as criminals going through the neighborhood loading up items like appliances from the trash piles and hauling them off. The “looters” were a real concern for many residents. Sure the items were out for a trash pickup, almost a proper burial, but something about the idea of taking away your lifetime of possessions as their own was just wrong. A deputy told residents that items on the roadway are considered “abandoned property” and that there was nothing the Sheriff’s Office could do to stop them.
ECUA board member Larry Walker told residents that ECUA would begin pickups of the trash and debris bright and early Sunday morning, continuing until the area was clean.
Bristol Park was a hustle and bustle of wall to wall activity Saturday. Churches, aid groups and well-meaning individuals flood packed the street between the mountains of household items and wet carpet and sheet rock. They passed out cleaning supplies, helped tote debris, provided food and even a shoulder to cry on.
Saturday was a return trip to the Bristol Park neighborhood for Brennan Moore and Tim Stewart of Tag’ Tail (TNT) Charters. Both captains used their boats to rescue trapped residents during the flood. Saturday, they were joined by friends and volunteers to cook and serve over 60 whole chickens, 40 Boston butts, 40 racks of ribs and 200 pounds of fish.
“”They don’t have power and they don’t have anywhere to go. They don’t have anywhere to cook. So, if we come out here and we cook and come here and do what we need to do and they’re fed for the day,” Moore said. “It just makes me feel like the Lord has put me in the place today where he wants me and this is where I need to be.”
Pictured top: Sewage bubbles onto Bristol Park Road Thursday afternoon. Pictured top inset: A rescue hole cut into an attic. Pictured inset: A soaked prom photo and Christmas bear placed out with the contents of a house for trash pickup. Pictured lower inset: Household contents piled outside homes. Pictured lower inset and below: A free meal provided by volunteers on Saturday. (Saturday photos credit Linda Craft.) NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
