FHP Releases Details In Highway 29 Crash That Killed Teen Early Saturday Morning
November 22, 2025
Updated Saturday, Nov. 22 at 12:35 p.m.
A teen was killed in a two-vehicle crash early Saturday morning on Highway 29 in Cantonment, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The crash was reported around 12:37 a.m. on Highway 29 near the Valero convenience store, across from International Paper.
FHP said a 17-year-old male driver was exiting the Valero parking lot, attempting to make a left turn onto Highway 29. A red Dodge being driven by a 26-year-old male was northbound and struck the driver’s side of the Toyota. Troopers said the 17-year-old was wearing a seat belt but was ejected and pronounced deceased at the scene.
“Any charges in this case are pending the completion of the traffic homicide investigation,” FHP said Saturday afternoon.
Editor’s note: A report issued Saturday morning by FHP stated the 17-year-old was unrestrained, but troopers updated that information and said Saturday afternoon that he was wearing a seat belt.
File photo.
Former Escambia Firefighter Assigned To Beulah Pleads Guilty Federal Child Porn Charges
November 22, 2025
A former firefighter assigned to the Beulah Fire Station has pleaded guilty to child pornography charges.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said 48-year-old Garey Anthony Buscaino had a decade long pattern of producing and possessing child porn.
Court documents reveal that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an online user in Northwest Florida possessed what appeared to be child pornography in a cloud account. Upon looking into the account and obtaining a search warrant for it, law enforcement determined that it not only contained child pornography from the internet but also what appeared to be hidden camera produced pornographic videos of unsuspecting minor females.
Based upon the content of the cloud account, and further investigation, FDLE linked the account to Buscaino and obtained a search warrant for his local residence and the Beulah firehouse. Located within, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task force seized dozens of electronic devices from the defendant.
Prosecutors said those devices contained hidden camera produced porn videos of five minor females in various states of undressing in bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as thousands of graphic images and videos of sexual child abuse from the internet. Some of these images and videos captured victims as young as toddlers being sexually abused, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“Protecting our children from exploitation and the predations of sick individuals like this offender remains one of my office’s highest priorities, and I deeply appreciate the outstanding investigative work of our state and federal law enforcement partners who helped bring him to justice,” John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida said. “My office will continue to relentlessly pursue offenders who victimize our children and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”
When he is sentenced in January, Buscaino faces up to 30 years in federal prison for each minor victim for production of child pornography and 20 years for possession of child pornography involving minors under the age of 12.
Ernest Ward Middle School Names Students, Employee Of The Month
November 22, 2025
Ernest Ward Middle School named their employee and student of the month for October. Pictured (L-R) with Principal Tyvanna Boulanger are students Miguel Espinoza, eighth grade; Dillan Stuart, seventh grade; Addisyn Steege, sixth grade; and Robin McCall, PE coach. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
FDLE To Announce Arrests In ‘Major Drug Trafficking Operation’ In Escambia County
November 22, 2025
Monday, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will hold a press conference in Pensacola with law enforcement partners to announce recent arrests in a drug trafficking operation in the Escambia County area.
FDLE said it will “announce multiple arrests and seizures in major drug trafficking operation”.
FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass is scheduled to conduct the press conference, which is not open to the public.
Last Wednesday, FDLE made the somewhat unusual move of making a public announcement that law enforcement conducting multiple search warrants in Escambia County.
NorthEscambia.com will have updates on Monday.
File photo.
Peyton Womack Signs With Montevallo Softball
November 22, 2025
Northview High School senior Peyton Womack signed her national letter of intent Friday afternoon to continue her softball career at the University of Montevallo in Montevallo, Alabama.
Womack previously attended Tate High School, where she earned a spot on the varsity Lady Aggies as a freshman. She spent most of her travel ball career with Showstoppers Fastpitch of Pensacola. She intends to try out for the 2026 Northview Lady Chiefs team.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Pace, WFHS, And W.S. Neal All Fall: High School Playoff Scoreboard
November 22, 2025
Here are Thursday playoff scores and Friday night matchups from around the North Escambia area.
FLORIDA
Region 1-6A
Mandarin (Jacksonville) 42, Pace 35
Region 1-3A
Raines (Jacksonville) 54, West Florida 0
Region 1-2A
Pensacola Catholic 34, South Walton 7
FIT 4A-7A Regional Final
Tate 21, Bartram Trail 19 (Thursday) [Read more, photos...]
FIT Rural Regional Final
Port St. Joe 37, Central 0
ALABAMA
AISA State Championship
Macon-East Montgomery Academy 34, Escambia Academy 14 (Thursday)
AHSAA 4A Third Round
Jackson 50, W.S. Neal 7
Pictured: The Tate Aggies beat Bartram Trail 21-19 Thursday night to advance in the Florida Invitational Tournament. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Former Deputy To Face Vehicular Homicide Charges For Double Fatal Perdido Key Crash
November 21, 2025
A former Escambia County Sheriff’s deputy has been charged with two counts of vehicular homicide for a double fatal crash that claimed the lives of two pedestrians in July.
The Florida Highway Patrol announced Friday morning that the agency has completed its investigation into the crash and issued vehicular homicide warrants for Greg Nesmith. He has not yet been arrested by FHP, but they said he is cooperating with their homicide division.
The crash happened around 3 a.m. on July 5 on Perdido Key as Nesmith was working a security detail as an off-duty deputy at the Flora-Bama. He struck two pedestrians in a crosswalk on Perdido Key Drive. The pedestrians, Nicole Moore and Jackson Cunningham, both 20 and from the Birmingham area, were killed.
Both families have filed civil lawsuits against Nesmith.
Nesmith, who has since resigned, had worked for the ECSO for more than 30 years.
Pickup Driver Crashes Into Three Sheriff’s Office Cruisers In Bratt
November 21, 2025
A driver crashed her pickup truck into three Escambia County Sheriff’s Office vehicles Thursday night in Bratt.
The crash occurred just before 9 p.m. in the 4600 block of West Highway 4, just west of the First Baptist Church of Bratt.
Three marked ECSO patrol vehicles were parked on the shoulder of the road facing west, towards oncoming traffic, when an eastbound female driver left the roadway and struck all three.
Her Chevrolet pickup truck sideswiped the first cruiser, knocking off the side mirror and passenger door handle, before crashing into the other two cruisers. The force of the collision knocked the front passenger tire off one of the cruisers and caused heavy damage.
We are told the ECSO cruisers did not have emergency lights activated at the time, but their headlights were on as the deputies were about to leave a residence after taking a man into custody.
The prisoner was in the first cruiser that was sideswiped at the time of the crash.
The three deputies, the prisoner and the driver of the pickup truck were not injured. The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating and has not released further details.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia County Woman Pleads Guilty To Preparing 20 False Tax Returns
November 21, 2025
An Escambia County woman has pleaded guilty federal charges for a fraudulent tax return scheme.
Khristine N. Harper, 42, pled guilty in federal court to 20 counts of aiding and assisting the preparation of false tax returns and one count of identity theft.
“I applaud the excellent investigative work by our federal law enforcement partners to identify and dismantle this offender’s sophisticated fraud scheme,” said United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida John P. Heekin. Defrauding the federal government victimizes every tax paying citizen, and my office will aggressively pursue criminal prosecutions of fraudsters to ensure they are held accountable to the full extent of the law for their crimes.”
Court documents reflect that between 2018 and 2024, Harper routinely prepared and filed fraudulent income tax returns for her clients by listing false amounts for various deductions, credits, and other items that were never provided to her by those clients. After Harper became aware in July 2023 that the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation was investigating her, she changed the name of her tax preparation business from Kings Tax Service to Echelon Tax. She also obtained a Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) in another person’s name without permission and filed her clients’ 2023 returns using that fraudulently obtained PTIN. For just the 20 specific returns listed in the indictment that were the basis of the counts to which Harper pled guilty, Harper caused over $103,000 in tax loss to the Internal Revenue Service.
Sentencing is currently set for December 17 at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before United States District Judge M. Casey Rodgers.
If convicted, she faces up to 65 years’ imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Mobile Dental Unit Providing Services In Century On Monday
November 21, 2025
The Community Health Northwest Florida (CHNWF) mobile dental unit will visit Century on Monday.
The first mobile dental day in Century is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Monday, November 24, at Community Health on Industrial Boulevard. Dates for additional visits will be announced at a later time.
“The dental department is excited to once again provide much-needed dental consults, exams and cleanings to the citizens of Century, utilizing our mobile dental unit,” said Dr. Gabriel Hernandez, DDS who also serves as chief dental officer. “We look forward to providing much-needed dental access to a population with limited options for dental care.”
Essentially a portable dentist office on wheels, the dental unit has the capability of providing multiple chairs for basic dental examinations and cleaning. It’ll be working outside of the CHNWF Century office at 6021 Industrial Boulevard, off Highway 4.
Arrangements will be made for anyone that needs more complicated dental work at one of the CHNWF offices.
To make an appointment with the mobile dental team for the Century visit, call (850) 912-8880, Ext. 13065. Patients will need to bring their insurance information and identification to the appointment.
“Our mobile dental unit benefits our community by making quality healthcare more affordable and accessible, which in turn improves patient outcomes,” said Chandra Smiley, CEO of CHNWF. “Providing access to dental care in Century is a perfect example of what a mobile unit can do to overcome healthcare barriers, especially among vulnerable populations and in rural communities without easy access to healthcare facilities.”
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.