School Bus Driver Charged After Rear-Ending Pickup Truck
May 15, 2013
An Escambia County school bus driver was charged after rear-ending a pickup truck this afternoon on 9½ Mile Road.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 28-year old Mika R. Perritt, age 28 of Atlanta, was stopped for traffic in a 2000 Chevrolet C1500 on 9½ Mile Road near Raymar Street. The school bus driver, Letha D. Mauldin, age 57 of Cantonment, failed to stop before hitting the pickup about 2:05 p.m.
Damage to both vehicles was minimal.
There were 49 children on the bus at the time of the crash. There were no injuries.
Mauldin, the bus driver, was charged with careless driving, the FHP said.
Speedy Finish: Sheriff’s Office Recovers Molino Teen’s Kart Racing Gear
May 15, 2013
A championship kart racing Molino teen, and his sister, are headed for the starting line this weekend thanks to the speedy work of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Tuesday afternoon, Investigator David Preston returned about $16,000 worth of stolen kart racing gear back to the Parker family. Jarrett Parker, 18, is a star of sorts in the world of kart racing, winning state titles and racing his way to the top in several national events.
But the brakes were put on his racing career after the burglary at the family workshop on Gibson road on May 4. A 2012 Elite Triton kart, five motors, cases of MAXXIS tires, tools and other items were taken from the workshop, while other items not related to kart racing like lawn equipment were left behind.
After a story about the thefts appeared on NorthEscambia.com on May 6, the Sheriff’s Office and family began to receive tips that led to the recovery of the racing equipment.
“I’m glad to have this stuff back where I can race again,” Jarrett Parker said Tuesday afternoon as the family picked up the tires, engines and more at the Molino Sheriff’s Substation. Almost every piece of stolen equipment was recovered undamaged, other than the suspects had attempted to change the appearance of several engines by painting them.
Preston said arrests are forthcoming in the case, but declined to provide further details about the suspects.
Jarrett said he plans to race this weekend in State Line, Mississippi. And sister Lakelynn Parker is getting into the action too in her first major kart race.
“I won’t beat him,” Lakelynn said, smiling. “But that’s because I’m in a different class.”
Some of the stolen items, including three motors, belonged to Jarrett’s 10-year old teammate Chambers McGilberry of Selma, Ala. Jarrett Parker has been serving as a mentor for McGilberry for several months.
“The Lord has blessed us,” mom Tammra Parker said. offering her thanks to everyone that helped spread the word about the burglary, leading to the recovery. “We are truly grateful.”
Pictured top: Molino teen Jarrett Parker with about $16,000 worth of stolen kart racing gear returned Tuesday by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Pictured top inset: The suspects attempted to change the appearance of motors by painting them. Pictured bottom inset: Parker thanks Escambia County Sheriff’s Investigator David Preston. Pictured inset: Jarrett Parker and his father Cott discuss the case with Preston Tuesday afternoon in Molino. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Two Indicted In Molino Related Murder
May 15, 2013
Two people were indicted Tuesday by a grand jury in connection with a Molino-related murder.
An Escambia County Grand Jury indicted Zachary Greer and Debra Burge for first degree murder in the death of Harvey Ray Smith.
The body of Harvey Ray Smith, age 43 of Pace, was found stuffed into a trunk behind a Motel 6 on Davis Highway the morning on May4. Smith had been reported missing in Santa Rosa County. Family members located his vehicle at the motel and then discovered the body.
Reports state Burge and Greer conspired to rob Smith. Burge allegedly lured Smith, her acquaintance, to her home in the 3900 block of Highway 97 in Molino. She told deputies she went inside while Smith and Greer remained outside. When she later exited the home, she found Smith on the ground bleeding. She told Sheriff’s investigators that Greer told her he killed Smith and put his body in the trunk of the car that was later driven to the Motel 6 on Davis Highway in Pensacola.
Arraignment for both defendants is scheduled for Thursday, May 30, 2013.
Fund Raiser Benefits Cheerleaders; Families In The Philippines
May 15, 2013
Northview High School cheerleaders are selling Threads of Hope Bracelets. The Threads of Hope bracelets are handmade by working women and families in the Philippines. Of each $2 bracelet sold, $1 goes to the Northview cheerleaders and $1 goes back to the Filipino women and their families. The bracelets are available in the Northview office or from any NHS cheerleader. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Chiefs Honor Track Standouts
May 15, 2013
The Northview Chiefs held their annual track banquet Tuesday night at the school.
Among the awards presented were:
- Boys Coaches Award – Aaron Rausch
- Girls Coaches Award – Ashley Joiner
- Boys Hurdles MVP – Tristin Creamer
- Girls Hurdles MVP – Tierra Floyd
- Girls Throws MVP – Annie Bobo
- Boys Throws MVP – Stetson Nash
- Girls Jumps MVP – Tierra Floyd
- Boys Jumps MVP – Jaran Myles
- Boys Long Distance MVP – Joshua Borelli
- Girls Long Distance MVP – Jazzlyn Franklin
- Boys Middle Distance MVP – Ramsey Gafford
- Girls Middle Distance MVP – Zacarra Davis
- Boys Sprint MVP – Neiko Robinson
- Girls Spint MVP – Angelique Brown
Team members that earned their letters and those that placed at the district competition were also recognized.
Pictured above and below: TNorthview High School track team members at the annual banquet Tuesday night. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Ransom Places in Battle Of The Books
May 15, 2013
The Second Annual Battle of the Books was held recently at Booker T. Washington High School. Winners included a team from Ransom Middle School in Cantonment.
The complete winners list was as follows:
3rd Grade
First Place – West Pensacola Elementary
Second Place – Bellview Elementary
Third Place – Hellen Caro Elementary
4th Grade
First Place – Blue Angels Elementary
Second Place – Warrington Elementary
Third Place – Holm Elementary
5th Grade
First Place – Hellen Caro Elementary
Second Place – Oakcrest Elementary
Third Place – McArthur Elementary
Middle School
First Place – Brown Barge Middle “C”
Second Place – Workman Middle “B”
Third Place – Ransom Middle “B”
Northview Chiefs To Play Two Spring Games Saturday (With Practice Photo Gallery)
May 15, 2013
The Florida 1A state champion Northview Chiefs will take on a couple of Alabama teams in spring football games this Saturday in East Brewton.
The Chiefs will take on Andalusia High School at 1:oo before playing Hillcrest-Evergreen at 2:40. Both games will be played at W.S. Neal High School.
For photos from the Northview Chiefs Tuesday afternoon practice, click here.
The complete schedule for the five-team jamboree is as follows:
· 1:00 Northview vs. Andalusia
· 1:50 W.S. Neal vs Andalusia
· 2:40 Northview vs. Hillcrest
· 3:30 p.m. Linden vs. W.S. Neal
· 4:20 p.m Hillcrest vs. Linden
Admission is $5. W.S. Neal is located at 801 Andrew Jackson Street [map].
Pictured top: Northview Head Coach Sid Wheatley goes over the playbook with his Chiefs during a Tuesday afternoon practice. Pictured inset: Wheatley watches a play. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Appeals Judges Look At Prison Health Privatization
May 15, 2013
A three-judge panel questioned Tuesday why it should wade into a battle over the possible privatization of prison health-care services, with the budget at issue in the change set to expire in several weeks.
The 1st District Court of Appeal judges listened to arguments on a ruling in December that prevented the Department of Corrections from contracting out the health services in all but the bottom third of the state. The contract for that part of the state was included in the fine print of the budget for the spending year that ends June 30.
But privatizing medical care for inmates in the other three regions of the state was not specifically included, so Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper said the agency couldn’t go forward with contracts in those areas.
The appeals-court judges gave few indications in their questions about which way the decision might go. With the budget set to run out in about a month and a half, though, some of the judges questioned whether the issue was moot.
Timothy Osterhaus, who represented the state during the arguments, said the state still had time to move forward if the judges act quickly.
“If we can get an opinion from this court in the next week or so, I think we’ll be off and running,” Osterhaus said.
“But if it takes three weeks?” responded Chief Judge Robert Benton.
Osterhaus said the state hoped that the court would be able to decide the case more quickly than that. He also said the court shouldn’t consider the case to be moot because future lawsuits against privatization actions by agencies could bring up the same issues.
Along those lines, Judge Scott Makar pressed an attorney for the unions suing to overturn the contracts about whether the court should decide the case, which also involves how far the Legislative Budget Commission can go in amending budgets. The attorney, Thomas Brooks, was arguing that the case was moot.
“Point is, I might agree with you on that,” Makar said. “But my question is, why shouldn’t we nonetheless resolve an issue so as to provide guidance” to lawmakers, other state officials and companies.
The Legislative Budget Commission is a body of lawmakers that can revise the budget when lawmakers aren’t in session to account for unexpected events or agency requests to move money around. Cooper’s decision was seen as something of a precedent-setter in how far that panel can go.
But Brooks said the appeals court would not follow the principle of judicial restraint if it ruled on the question when there was not a need. Besides, he said, the main question is whether Cooper was right when he said the Legislature should have spelled out the privatization in all four regions if that’s what lawmakers wanted to do.
“This case, in my view, depends upon whether the judge was right or wrong on the legislative intent,” Brooks said. “If he was right on the intent, then the LBC doesn’t have any power to vary from what that intent is.”
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Mike Hill Easily Wins Republican Primary In House District 2
May 15, 2013
After billing himself as a “genuine conservative,” Pensacola insurance agent Mike Hill won a Republican primary Tuesday in the campaign to replace state Rep. Clay Ford, who died in March.
With all precincts counted in House District 2, Hill had 3,476 votes, or 42.1 percent of the total, according to the state Division of Elections website. His only close competitor was former Gulf Breeze Mayor Ed Gray, who captured 2,766 votes, or 33.5 percent. None of the other four Republicans in the race topped 10 percent.
Turnout was low in the race at 17 percent, with 8,250 votes cast.
Hill, who founded the Northwest Florida Tea Party, will face Pensacola Democrat Jeremy Lau, an aircraft mechanic, in the June 11 special general election. Ford, a Gulf Breeze Republican, died after a battle with cancer. House District 2 includes parts of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, and registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by about 10,000 voters.
DCA Hears Dispute Over County Juvenile Detention Costs
May 15, 2013
An appeals court Tuesday heard arguments in a long-running dispute over how the state and counties should divide juvenile detention costs.
The case concerns a 2004 law that requires counties to help pick up the tab for detaining underage offenders. Under the law, counties are supposed to pay for “pre-dispositional” detention – that is, costs associated with juveniles waiting for their cases to be resolved in court and those charged with probation violations.
But just what “predisposition” means as been in dispute, with counties challenging the law in 2010, arguing they’re footing too much of the bill. Tuesday’s arguments before the 1st District Court of Appeal revolved around the complicated formula by which the cost of a juvenile’s case is determined to be the responsibility of DJJ or the county in which the offense took place.
Appellate Judge Nikki Ann Clark, a former juvenile division judge, queried DJJ attorney John Milla on the meaning of the term “final disposition” as it applies to the cost-sharing formula, asking whether a final court order disposing of the case was what was meant by “final disposition.”
Milla said it was not that simple.
“For purposes of the statute, the disposition of probation is not a final court disposition,” said Milla. “If that’s the final court disposition, for purposes of determining fiscal responsibility for a detention stay, then this is off by millions – by tens of millions of dollars. As the department has interpreted it…there would be a discrepancy between the days and the money of, basically, couch change.”
The counties argue they currently pick up 75 percent of the costs, but should be paying less. DJJ has said in court filings that the Legislature actually intended for the counties to cover more – 89 percent of the costs.
“It is true that the department’s interpretation makes the counties responsible for the large majority of detention stays,” said a document filed in the case in January by department Secretary Wansley Walters. “But there can be no doubt that this is precisely what the Legislature had in mind, and the proof is found in the funding. The Legislature initially funded detention cost sharing so that the counties would be responsible for 89 percent of detention costs and the state would be responsible for 11 percent.”
Attorney Gregory Stewart, representing the counties, argued that they “are in fact subsidizing the state’s share…Days (of a juvenile’s detention) that were the responsibility of the state have now been shifted to the counties.”
Stewart said under DJJ’s new rule, if a juvenile is found not guilty but must remain in detention until picked up by a parent or guardian, those days are charged to the county.
As to the interpretation of “final disposition” as it applies to a juvenile’s case, Stewart argued “the entire history of the statute interpreted that provision as common sense tells you it should be interpreted.”
The counties’ position is that anything after a disposition hearing – similar to a sentencing hearing – is DJJ’s responsibility. At that point, either the juvenile is committed to a DJJ facility or a DCF-licensed facility and sent home pending placement, detained pending placement, or the juvenile is committed to probation.
DJJ spokeswoman Meghan Speakes Collins said the state “doesn’t become responsible for detention stays until a youth is committed to the custody of the Department, and the detention is only necessary because the Department does not yet have an available residential bed for the youth. Youth who are served in their local communities – who are not committed – remain the responsibility of the Counties for any other detention stays.”
Some counties have looked for other solutions to paying their juvenile detention costs. After the passing of a 2011 law, a county that opts to provide juvenile detention services is exempt from statutory requirements to contribute funding to the state for the operation of DJJ detention centers. Currently, Marion, Polk and Seminole Counties are operating their own detention centers.
By Margie Menzel, The News Service of Florida