Barrineau Park Man Convicted Of Animal Cruelty
May 17, 2013
A Barrineau Park man was convicted on animal cruelty charges Thursday and now faces up to 12 years in prison.
Roger Legrande Kervin, 67, was originally charged with 88 animal abuse related charges. He was convicted Thursday of two felony counts of animal cruelty and one misdemeanor count. Prior to his jury trial, he pleaded no contest to one count of confinement of animals without sufficient food, water or exercise, a misdemeanor.
He remains free on bond as he awaits his sentencing on June 17.
Kervin was arrested in February 2012, three days after the first of 90 animals were seized from his property on Lawson Lane near Barrineau Park. Many of the animals were euthanized.
Before his arrest, Kervin spoke out in his own defense, saying that he had done nothing wrong. Kervin said he kept his dogs in good shape for wild hog hunting, often using the wild pork to feed people at charity events. During his trial Thursday, Kervin continued to maintain that he kept dogs on his property for hunting wild hogs.
This was not the first time Kervin had faced animal abuse charges. According to court records, he was sentenced to probation in 1992 for using animals to bait or fight other animals.
Editor’s note: The following information, from the State Attorney’s Office arrest warrant affidavit, is graphic and may be disturbing to some readers. It details the original allegations against Kervin at the time of his arrest. Dozens of the charges against Kervin were dropped or dismissed prior to his trial.
Escambia County Animal Control seized 20 dogs on Tuesday, February 14, 2012. According to an affidavit, several of the dogs were emaciated while some displayed open sores and infections. Some of the dogs were aggressive and had puncture wounds and scarring. One of the dogs was in a seizure and was in need of immediate medical attention. Another suffered a ruptured anus.
The pen where the dogs were kept were filled with feces and mud that was several inches deep with limited to no shelter. The dogs had no potable water and no food. Several where tethered with “large” or “heavy” chains. Ten of the 20 dogs –both hounds, bulldogs and mixed breeds — that were seized Tuesday were euthanized.
The affidavit details the condition of each euthanized dog. In addition to being emaciated, one or more of the dogs suffered from conjunctivitis in both eyes, sores, infections, infected toenails and fly sores.
“Several of the dogs had puncture wounds and scarring consistent with fighting,” the arrest warrant states.
In addition to the seized dogs, Escambia County Animal Control found two dead goats, one dead hog and nine skeletal remains. Another 23 dogs on the premises were living in feces-covered pens with non-potable water, no food and limited to no shelter. There were 16 hogs kept in a pen withour escape from their slop which contained feces, urine, food and mud. The hogs also had no drinking water and no food. There was, according to the report, a dead hog in the same pen as the live hog. There were 16 goats, five of which were at large on Lawson Lane. Some were malnourished and their pen had no grazing material.
When the State Attorney’s Office, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and Escambia County Animal control returned on Wednesday, February 15, 2012, with a search warrant, 23 dogs, 16 goats, 16 hogs and two piglets were seized. Authorities also seized treadmills and unspecified medications. The animals were in poor living conditions, but authorities noted that conditions had improved from the previous day. Fresh sand and dirt and been placed in all of the pens and shelters to cover the feces and mud. At least one standing pen had been washed out with a hose to remove feces from the bottom.
Pictured above and below: Roger Kervin’s property on Lawson Lane at the time numerous animals were seized. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Crime Spree Ends With Arrest In Louisiana
May 17, 2013
A suspect has been named in an April 30 robbery of an individual in Atmore. After the incident a property owner reported was doing construction work at his rental property on Fourth Avenue when he was robbed of his wallet and phone at gunpoint.
Atmore Police said three individuals traveled together from Atlanta to Louisiana, committing a string of robberies a long the way — including the Atmore robbery. They were finally apprehended by the St. Tammany Parish (LA) Sheriff’s Office.
The victim in Atmore was presented a photo lineup and positively identified 28-year old Kristopher Cameron Jones of Slidell, LA. Atmore Police expect a robbery first degree warrant to be issued for Jones. There’s not word on when he might be extradited back to Alabama to face the charge.
The April 30 robbery in Atmore prompted a manhunt that essentially shut down an area around Horner Street for several hours.
Gulf Power To Seek Rate Hike
May 17, 2013
Little more than a year after receiving approval to increase base electric rates, Gulf Power Company has given notice that it will may file another rate-hike proposal this summer.
In a letter sent to the Florida Public Service Commission, the Pensacola-based utility pointed, in part, to upgrades of its transmission system and lagging revenues.
“In addition to the increase in the cost of providing electric service …Gulf’s base rate revenues have not grown as expected,” the letter said. “The economic recovery from the severe nationwide economic recession is slower than previously predicted. Significant uncertainty still surrounds the pace of economic recovery in northwest Florida and in the nation as a whole. As a result of the slower than expected economic recovery in our region, sales in each customer segment have failed to meet forecasted growth.”
Gulf said it may file a detailed rate proposal in July, which would start a months-long process that would include a hearing before the Public Service Commission.
The letter, signed by Gulf Power President and CEO Stan Connally, said Gulf Power estimates that an increase in annual revenues of about $75 million to $80 million “is necessary to produce sufficient revenues to allow us to continue to provide the electric service our customers require.”
The PSC in March 2012 approved a $64.1 million rate increase for Gulf Power, the first base-rate hike for the utility in a decade.
by The News Service of Florida
Once Again, Jay Docs Give Up Controlled Substance Licenses
May 17, 2013
Two Jay doctors that were the target of a federal drug raid nearly two years ago have once again surrendered their licenses to prescribe narcotics.
Dr. C. David Smith and his son, Dr. Michael Smith of the Jay Medical Center, applied to reinstate their Drug Enforcement Agency licenses on April 22; the federal licenses were issued the following day and mailed, David Smith said on May 1.
They reportedly voluntarily surrendered their licenses again this week because there has been no clear word that any investigation against them has been completed.
On the morning of July 28, 2011, the FBI, DEA, the Attorney General’s Office, the Florida Department of Health and Florida Department of Law Enforcement spent hours inside the Jay Medical Clinic as Florida Highway Patrol troopers stood guard outside the complex. Federal and state agents could be seen inside the building, looking through patient files and other records. The removed many items including patient records and computer hard drives. Both doctors were forced to surrender their DEA licenses to write prescriptions for narcotics. The Jay Medical Center was able to reopen the following day.
“We never really heard anything back from the authorities,” Smith said May 1. “We are approaching the two year mark, and figured that no news was good news, and it was time to move forward.”
No charges have been filed against either man. None of the federal or state agencies involved in the 2011 raid have every commented on the investigation. The other two physicians in the practice, Dr. Marian B. Stewart and Dr. Jeffery S. Kelley were never targets of the investigation and never lost their licenses to issue all prescriptions, including narcotics.
David Smith has been a licensed physician in Florida since 1980, while Michael Smith has held his physician’s license since 2003. Neither man has any public complaints on file with the Florida Department of Health. Dr. David Smith was awarded a Florida Rural Health Association lifetime achievement award.
Pictured top: The Jay Medical Center was the target of a federal and state raid on July 28, 2011. Pictured bottom inset: Agents search records inside the facility. Pictured below: A state trooper stands guard outside the facility during the 2011 raid. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia’s Crime Up, Highest Overall Rate In Florida
May 17, 2013
Overall crime was up 5.6 percent in Escambia County during 2012 according to new data released Thursday by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, while the state’s indexed crime rate declined about 6.5 percent during the same period.
Escambia County’s overall crime rate — 5,656.2 crimes per 100,000 residents — was the highest in the state in 2012, followed by Miami-Dade at 5,129.3 indexed crimes per 100,000 residents.
During the year, the overall crime index was up 5.6 percent. Murders increased 38 percent, from 16 to 22, forcible rapes decreased very slightly from 169 to 162, robberies fell 11 percent, aggravated assaults jumped 23 percent, burglaries were up 23 percent, larcenies were almost unchanged going from 9,908 to 9,920, and motor vehicle thefts were down about 7 percent.
The Escambia County crime numbers include crimes in the jurisdictions of all law enforcement agencies in the county, including the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Pensacola Police Department, University of West Florida Police Department, Pensacola State College Police Department and the Florida Highway Patrol.
Of the 22 murders last year in Escambia County, 15 were in the county and seven were in the city of Pensacola. Totaled indexed crimes were up 5.9 percent in the county, 4.4 percent in the city. The crime rate per 1,000 residents was higher in the city at 6,737.5, up 4.2 percent. Escambia County had 5,351.9 crimes per 100,000 people in 2012, up 5.8 percent over 2011.
In 2012, the Pensacola Police Department cleared 40.1 percent of indexed crimes, while the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office cleared 26.3 percent.
Want to know more? Click the graphic below to enlarge and view Escambia County’s crime data as released Thursday by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Northview’s Kahlil Grice Signs With Minnesota College
May 17, 2013
From team manager to a state championship to a college scholarship, hard work and dedication have paid off for senior Northview Chief Kahlil Grice.
Grice, just a few days before graduation, has signed a scholarship to play for Mesabi Range Community and Technical College in Virginia, Minnesota — just south of Canadian border.
Grice started as a team manager his freshmen year and spent the next three years playing for the Chiefs.
Pictured top: Kahlil Grice signs a football scholarship Thursday afternoon with Mesabi Range Community and Technical College in Virginia, Minnesota. Pictured inset: Grice was joined by his mother, Felicia Grice (seated) and sisters (L-R) Alisha and Keyth Grice. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Amazon Effort To Build Warehouse In Florida Crumbles
May 17, 2013
A plan by Internet retailing giant Amazon.com to build at least one warehouse in Florida has been scrapped, with the company unable to reach an agreement on when it would have to start collecting state sales taxes, an official in Gov. Rick Scott’s office said Thursday.
Scott administration officials declined to offer many details of the scuttled proposal, including where the facility would have been and how many jobs it might have meant had a deal been worked out.
“Amazon officials discussed building a facility in the state by the end of 2015 if the Department of Revenue could reach agreement on their sales tax collections,” Scott spokeswoman Melissa Sellers said. “We were not able to reach an agreement in those discussions.”
Currently, Amazon doesn’t collect Florida sales taxes from state residents who make purchases through the site, but it would likely have to do so if it were to have a physical presence in the state, such as a warehouse.
In January 2012, officials in the governor’s office said in published reports that they were “aware” of a desire by Amazon to put warehouses in the state, creating as many as 3,000 jobs, in exchange for a two-year exemption from collecting state sales taxes.
In a statement issued Thursday, Sellers implied that if the Internet company were to locate in Florida and begin collecting taxes, that would amount to a tax increase on Florida residents who use the popular shopping portal. And she said the company could still decide to build here, anyway.
“Gov. Scott does not want to raise taxes in Florida, and we are confident Amazon will invest in our state because of our low-tax, pro-business jobs climate,” Sellers said.
Brick-and-mortar retailers in Florida had initially opposed the Amazon proposal. They’ve long complained that Internet retailers get an unfair advantage.
Officials from Seattle-based Amazon didn’t respond to a request for comment Thursday from the News Service of Florida.
Under Scott’s direction, state economic development officials have pushed hard for a number of companies to open facilities in the state in exchange for tax breaks and other incentives.
Most recently, state and local officials in southwest Florida lured car rental company Hertz to move its headquarters from New Jersey to Estero. The state has touted what could be a more than $80 million incentive package for Hertz as a good deal because it will create 700 jobs, although many of those will be filled with the company’s current employees who would move from other states.
by David Royse, The News Service of Florida
Contract Awarded Again To Remove Derelict Vessels, Log Jam From Escambia River
May 17, 2013
Thursday night, Escambia County awarded a contract to remove derelict vessels and clear a log jam from a section of the Escambia River near McDavid.
In February, Escambia County awarded a $68,498 contract to Florida Forest Recyclers, LLC to remove the vessels and associated debris — including thousands of logs — from the Escambia River about one river mile north of the Cotton Lake boat ramp. The agreement was not executed as written at that time.
The contract awarded Thursday night for the same amount to the same contractor was revised to waive the bond requirements at the request of Interim County Administrator George Touart. The agreement provides for a one-time payment upon final completion and inspection of the project. The standard practice of the County is to require payment and performance bonds for projects in excess of $100,000.
One of the required permits for the project has a start date of June 1, according to Escambia County Commissioner Steven Barry.
“I spoke to the contractor….and they assured me they would be removing logs on June 1,” Barry said. “I am very excited for the freshwater sportsmen of District 5 and Escambia County who have been waiting years for this project to begin.”
The bid from Florida Forest Recyclers was over a half million dollars lower than bids received from two Alabama companies. A $527,000 bid was received from Crowder Gulf Joint Ventures of Theodore, while DRC Emergency Services, LLC bid $792,622.14.
Pictured top: A logjam stretches bank to bank, blocking the Escambia River near McDavid (courtesy photo). Pictured below: An abandoned boat along the Escambia River. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Lookouts Beat The Wahoos In 10; Wahoos Honor Molino’s Fryman
May 17, 2013
The Chattanooga Lookouts escaped massive trouble in the ninth and went on to blow out the Pensacola Blue Wahoos in 10 innings, 8-2, on Thursday night at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium in a game that started by honoring a Molino man.
The Blue Wahoos honored two of Major League baseball’s greats to Pensacola’s Bayfront Stadium Thursday night. Tate High School grad Travis Fryman, former third baseman and shortstop for the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians, threw out the first pitch along with Ken “Squeaky” Parker, a member of the Cincinnati Reds’ organization and legendary major league scout.
In the third straight extra-inning affair between the two squads, Chattanooga erupted for six runs in the top of the 10th inning. With two on and two out, Blake Smith laced a three-run homer just over the left field wall off of Drew Hayes to give the Lookouts a 5-2 advantage. Two batters later, Griff Erickson tripled home C.J. Retherford to end Hayes’ outing. Shaun Ellis then gave up a first-pitch, two-run homer to Chris Jacobs to cap the six-run onslaught.
Hayes picked up the loss to fall to 1-1 by giving up five runs on three hits in .2 innings. Greg Infante picked up his first win of the season for Chattanooga by holding the Wahoos scoreless in the last two innings.
The Wahoos had a great chance to win the game in regulation. Pensacola loaded the bases with one out in the ninth for Brodie Greene who sent a fly ball out to medium-depth right field where Yasiel Puig made the catch for the second out. Tucker Barnhart tagged from third and tried to score the winning run, but Puig fired a bullet to home that nabbed Barnhart and forced extra innings.
Pensacola jumped out to an early 1-0 lead thanks to a first-inning homer from Ryan LaMarre. It was LaMarre’s third homer of the series and fourth of the season.
The game then seesawed in the middle innings with Chattanooga tying the game on a Puig RBI double in the sixth inning. The Wahoos countered in the last of the six when Barnhart tripled to right-center, scoring Travis Mattair to regain the lead at 2-1. Not to be denied, the Lookouts came right back in the top of the 7th and knotted the game at two on a two-out RBI triple from Rafael Ynoa.
Despite the loss, the Wahoos won the series three games to two over the Lookouts and now continue the season-long 10-game homestand with the first of five against the Mobile BayBears on Friday night. Chad Rogers (2-2, 2.43) will get the ball for Pensacola against Mobile’s Andrew Chafin (1-1, 1.50)
story by Kevin Burke
Pictured: Molino’s Travis Fryan (white Wahoos jersey) tossed the first pitch for Thursday night’s Wahoo game along with Ken “Squeaky” Parker. Photos by Gary McCraken for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Names Released Of Suspected Drowning Victims
May 16, 2013
The names have been released of an adult and a child were found apparently drowned Wednesday on the Sherman Cove beach aboard NAS Pensacola.
The victims have been identified as 32-year old Kimberly Tran and 8-year old Katherine Tran, both of Conyers, GA. Thursday morning, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said their investigation shows no early indications of foul play in the deaths.
Further details have not been released as the investigation by the ECSO, NCIS and the State Attorney’s Office continues.