Two Injured In Hwy 29 Crash
November 8, 2013
Two people were injured in two vehicle collision Thursday night in Cantonment.
The crash happened in the northbound lanes of Highway 29 near Faith Chapel North Funeral Home about 6:25 p.m. One of the injured, a 61-year old female, was transported to a local hospital in critical condition. The condition of a second victim transported to the hospital was not available.
Northbound Highway 29 was closed about 30 minutes by the accident.
The accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. Further details have not yet been released.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Mail Delivery Vehicle, Pickup Collide In Cantonment
November 7, 2013
Three people were injured in a wreck involving a mail delivery vehicle and a pickup truck this afternoon near the Cantonment Post Office.
The mail delivery vehicle overturned on the side of the roadway, while the pickup came to rest in a Highway 29 turn lane. None of the injuries were believed to be serious in the 12:15 p.m. crash.
Further details have not yet been released by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Reader submitted photos by Felicia Molchanoff and Kimberly Blackwell for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Hit And Run: Driver Heads Home After Hitting House
November 7, 2013
A Walnut Hill man allegedly hit a house, fled the scene of the accident and drove a couple of miles to his own home Wednesday night.
The driver of a Nissan was eastbound on Arthur Brown Road just west of the Walnut Hill Baptist Church when he left the roadway, plowed through some brush and into the front yard of a home. Witnesses said he then backed into the unoccupied home, causing little damage, before driving around behind the home and then fleeing the scene again eastbound on Arthur Brown Road.
Evidence and vehicle parts left behind led authorities to the man’s residence just over two miles away on Highway 97. Vehicle parts were visible in the front yard of his residence, and his heavily damaged vehicle was located behind his home.
The man was transported by Atmore Ambulance to Atmore Community Hospital with injuries that were not believed to be serious.
Charges are pending the outcome of a Florida Highway Patrol investigation. The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the incident.
Pictured above: First responders render aid to a Walnut Hill man at his Highway 97 residence Wednesday night, about two miles from where he allegedly struck a house on Arthur Brown Road. Parts from the alleged hit and run vehicle are seen in the photo foreground. Pictured inset: The vehicle tore a path through some brush on Arthur Brown Road. Pictured below: The man allegedly backed into this unoccupied home on Arthur Brown Road. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Pensacola Chamber Awarded $200K Cyber Warfare Grant
November 7, 2013
Governor Rick Scott announced Wednesday that the Greater Pensacola Chamber has been awarded a $200,000 grant from the Florida Defense Support Task Force. The funding will establish a center of excellence for information dominance to stimulate science and technology research and cyber warfare training.
We’re investing $200,000 in the Pensacola region to support the growth of science and technology in the region. The Greater Pensacola Chamber is putting these funds to great use by providing the community with more opportunity to excel and expand their knowledge in the military and defense sector,” Gov. Rick Scott said.
“The bases in Northwest Florida are vital to America’s national security, and we’re committed to supporting the families and communities who serve our country. We want to protect jobs and opportunities for Florida families, and the investment of another $200,000 from the Florida Defense Support Task Force grant funding to support research and development operations, create a center of excellence, and support our warriors will help in that goal,” Sen. Greg Evers said.
Representative Clay Ingram said, “I congratulate Pensacola’s military and defense industry. This award is huge for our area. The knowledge that our military men and women will gain because of these resources will make Pensacola a better place to live.”
“We’ve been working hard to support our military and defense in Pensacola and these funds will greatly help this community. I’m excited about Pensacola’s bright landscape and what’s to come for this area’s military sector,” added Rep. Mike Hill.
“The Center of Excellence is the culmination of our on-going relationship and collaboration with our federal partners at Corry Station,” said Craig Dalton, vice president of Armed Services, Greater Pensacola Chamber. “We are extremely grateful to the State of Florida for supporting this endeavor to collectively develop a cyber-forensics lab that promotes science and technology research in Pensacola.”
The grants are vital to military and defense programs and local economies, according to Secretary of Commerce and President & CEO of Enterprise Florida Gray Swoope. He said jobs are created and the state’s workforce is strengthened.
Statewide, the Task Force awarded more than $2 million in grant initiatives to local community organizations supporting Florida military installations. These grants will be utilized to protect, preserve and enhance Florida’s military missions and installations while maintaining Florida’s reputation as the most military friendly state in the nation.
Additionally, these grants will strengthen Florida’s military bases ahead of any potential U.S. Department of Defense realignment or closure actions. This will protect the more than $73 billion in economic impact and the nearly 760,000 jobs the defense industry infuses into Florida.
The Florida Defense Support Task Force was created in 2011 with the mission to make recommendations to preserve and protect military installations, support the state’s position in research and development related to military missions and contracting, and improve the state’s military-friendly environment for service members, military families, military retirees and businesses that bring military and base-related jobs to the state.
This program is administered by Enterprise Florida, Inc. on behalf of the Florida Defense Support Task Force.
Byrneville Elementary Releases First Nine Weeks Honor Roll
November 7, 2013
The following students were named to the first nine weeks honor roll at Byrneville Elementary School:
Mrs. Barberree, Kindergarten
All Satisfactory
Emily Adams
Savannah Barrow
Allie Bradley
Elizabeth Coleman
Luke Godwin
Sawyer Jackson
Katherine Johnson
Ryder Lee
Makenzie Levins
Mrs. Golson, Kindergarten
All Satisfactory
Mary-Clayton Dawson
John Glenn
Jaycee Harvell
Logan Jordan
Hanah Lambeth
D’Ericka Odom
Easten Odom
Andrew Plant
Brynlie Shaw
Layla Sims
Evelyn Smith
Christian Velazquez
Mrs. Dawson, First Grade
All A’s:
Raymie Brechin
A’s and B’s:
Madeleine Attalah
Layla Brown
Kerissa Dortch
Daisy Johnson
Hunter Johnson
Gage McCormick
Addisen Miller
Blake Shaw
Mallory Smith
Zi’don Smith
Nicholas Walston
Mrs. Thornton, First Grade
All A’s:
Madison Levins
Jayden White
Brian Yoder
A’s and B’s:
Ayden Attalah
Gavin Beasely
Maddie Mae Driskell
Tyler Gilmore
Jikeem Hall
Jaci Jackson
Kelan Jurey
Mia Kornegay
Evin Matlock
Allie Odom
Mrs. Gilmore, Second Grade
All A’s:
Riley Dawson
Tyson McBride
Tyler Riggs
A’s and B’s:
Jon Bolen
Kaylee Hamilton
Aydan Smith
Mrs. Marshman, Second Grade
All A’s:
Nolin Godwin
Madalyn Grimes
Meredith Johnston
A’s and B’s:
Caden Canaday
Alexa Castro
Tyler Davis
Takayla Lewis
Mrs. Dunsford, Third Grade
All A’s:
Emily Levins
Kaden Odom
Blake Yoder
A’s and B’s:
Leah Anderson
Hunter Barnes
Drake Allen Driskell
Dreama Wright
Mrs. Weaver, Third Grade
All A’s:
Aloysia Dortch
Bradley Hamilton
Kayla Johnson
A’s and B’s:
Briana Dunsford
Chase Hampton
Jessica Loftis
Tiana White
Mrs. Gilmore, Fourth Grade
All A’s:
Hunter Borelli
Torka Mills
A’s and B’s:
Cody Adams
Dusty Carnley
Tessa Flowers
Kaitlin Gafford
Jace Gifford
Harley Walker
David Ward
Mrs. Johnston, Fifth Grade
All A’s:
Maille Kilcrease
A’s and B’s:
Travon Brown
Logan Bryan
Brianna Colter
Heather Knowles
Justin Lambeth
Abigail Levins
Tyler Merchant
Jalexis Robinson
Ty Rolin
The Latest Buzz: Roadside Bees Garner Attention
November 7, 2013
A roadside bee hive in Walnut Hill is catching the attention of passing motorists. The exposed hive is located in an oak tree alongside North Highway 99 near Highway 97. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Update: The bees were removed by someone Thursday morning.
Tate Grad Hubbard Graduates From Basic Training
November 7, 2013
Air Force Airman 1st Class James A. Hubbard graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas.
The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.
Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.
Hubbard earned distinction as an honor graduate.
He is the son of Lesley Hubbard of Deedra Avenue, Pensacola.
The airman is a 2002 graduate of Tate High School, Cantonment. He received a master’s degree in 2010 from Stony Brook University, New York, N.Y.
Escambia Man Gets 30 Years For Baseball Bat Attack
November 7, 2013
An Escambia County man has been sentenced to 30 years in state prison for a 2012 baseball bat attack.
Terrance Delaney Davison was sentenced by Circuit Judge Linda Nobles to 30 years as a prison releasee re-offender. Davison was convicted by an Escambia County Jury for aggravated battery with great bodily harm and with a deadly weapon.
On January 15, 2012, deputies responded to 444 S. Navy Blvd and found Joel Lee Houtz unconscious on the front steps. The only other person on scene was his friend, Jonathan Holloway. Holloway advised that they were visiting a friend at that residence when the friend’s new boyfriend whom he knew only as “T” struck Houtz in the back of the head with a baseball bat while he was seated in the living room. He said after the initial blow Houtz fell to the floor and Davison delivered two more additional strikes with the bat.
Davison then threatened to kill Holloway and fled the scene. Houtz was in a coma for about 40 days and has suffered traumatic brain injury as a result. He has a very difficult time speaking and is unlikely to make a full recovery, prosecutors said.
Escambia Man Convicted Of Fatal Shooting
November 7, 2013
An Escambia County jury Wednesday night found a man guilty of a fatal shooting on Tiki Lane just over a year ago.
The jury convicted Robert Marvin Parker, Jr., 27, of second degree murder for the October 22, 2012, shooting death of 25-year Labar Cardalyo Brown. Parker walked up to Brown’s car in the 6800 block of Tiki Lane and shot him multple times. Law enforcement said at the time the murder was a drug related robbery.
Parker was arrested in December 2012 in Clayton County, GA.
Pictured: Reader submitted cellphone photos show the scene on Tiki Lane after Labar Cardalyo Brown was shot and killed on October 22, 2012. Pictured inset: Convicted murderer Robert Marvin Parker, Jr. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Lawmakers Set To Tighten Rules On Sex Predators
November 7, 2013
The Florida House is taking a hard look at the state’s civil-commitment process for sexual predators, with House committees working together on an overhaul — and it’s likely that any recent slack in the commitment process will be corrected next year.
“One of the things we are going to do is ratchet up some of the penalties on people who abuse children sexually, abuse seniors, abuse the developmentally disabled,” said House Criminal Justice Chairman Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach. “We’re also going to make sure that when people get out of jail, we don’t just release them back into the wild and hope for the best.”
The process took another step forward this week, as the House Healthy Families Subcommittee took up recommendations still being developed by Gaetz’s criminal-justice panel.
“We must address those here and craft those in this committee,” said House Healthy Families Chairwoman Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart. Her subcommittee oversees the state Department of Children and Families, which in turn oversees the Sexually Violent Predator Program.
Legislative hearings began in September. That came after the June rape and murder of Cherish Perrywinkle, an 8-year-old Jacksonville girl, allegedly by a sexual predator who had been released just weeks before on a prior offense.
Also, in August, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported that commitments under the state’s Jimmy Ryce Act had dried up. The act targets sexually violent predators who cannot stop themselves from further violence, and identifying them requires a DCF screening, a psychological evaluation and a trial. Once committed to the 720-bed Florida Civil Commitment Center in Arcadia, they must remain until a judge rules they are no longer dangers to society.
The Sun Sentinel found that 594 offenders had been released statewide, only to be convicted of new sex offenses — more than 460 child molestations, 121 rapes and 14 murders.
“Over a period of a year or two, there were no longer a significant number of people committed under this program,” Harrell said.
Now the Sexually Violent Predator Program has a new director, Kristin Kanner, a 21-year prosecutor and the former head of Broward County’s civil commitment unit for sexual predators. DCF Interim Secretary Esther Jacobo tapped Kanner after hearing her address lawmakers in September.
“It is very clear (Kanner) understands from top to bottom how this works,” Jacobo told lawmakers Tuesday. “She will be adding a focus in addition to the rest of the focus on treatment and identification, the public safety awareness piece and a really important partnership with law enforcement, which is very important for us to do this job correctly.”
Legislators have signaled they will give law-enforcement officers more tools to monitor sexual predators. They’re also considering adding state attorneys and corrections officials to the list of those who refer offenders for a civil-commitment evaluation.
DCF has already added convictions for attempted kidnapping or attempted murder with a sexual component as automatic grounds for referring people for evaluations.
Had that provision been in place, Cherish Perrywinkle might still be alive.
Donald Smith, 56, was released from jail in May and, according to prosecutors, kidnapped, raped and strangled Perrywinkle three weeks later. A registered sex offender, Smith had made repeated failed attempts to kidnap young girls — even posing as a DCF worker in one instance. But those crimes did not qualify him for civil commitment. Now they would.
Rep. Dane Eagle, R-Cape Coral, represented the House Criminal Justice panel at the meeting of Harrell’s subcommittee Tuesday. Harrell said she, Eagle and Rep. Matt Hudson, R-Naples, would shepherd a legislative response on the House side.
Clearly, lawmakers are in no mood for half-measures. Gaetz said crafting the legislation would be one of the most important things his committee does during the 2014 legislative session.
“There are some folks who commit some offenses who we should never let out of jail,” Gaetz said. “If you are predisposed to violently rape children, or senior citizens, or the developmentally disabled, you simply should not be allowed to walk the streets with the rest of us.”
by Margie Menzel, The News Service of Florida
Pictured top: Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz talks to the capitol press Wednesday. Photo by Tom Urban, NSF, for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.