Bus Driver Charged With Sex Offenses Against Juvenile
November 6, 2012
A former school bus driver has been arrested for alleged sex offenses against a juvenile.
Lee Calvin Pardue, 43, was charged with use of a computer to solicit a child and lewd/lascivious behavior. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $260,000. He will be transferred to the Santa Rosa County Jail.
Pardue was a school bus driver in Santa Rosa County during the 2011-2012 school year. The Department of Children and Family Services alleged that Pardue made flirtatious comments towards a minor on his bus, and later began to communicate with the minor through text messages and Facebook. The conversations became sexual in nature and nude photographs were exchanged, investigators said. Authorities said Pardue met with the minor on three separate occasions in which the minor was provided alcohol and sexually molested.
Anyone with any further information concerning possible illegal activity committed by Pardue is asked to contact the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 983-1100 or Santa Rosa Crime Stoppers at (850) 437-STOP (7867).
Man Taken Into Custody After Allegedly Trashing Mobile Home, Starting Fire
November 6, 2012
One person was taken into protective custody Monday night after allegedly trashing a mobile home on Pond Street and attempting to set it on fire.
The incident happened just after 7 p.m. in the 300 block of Pond Street, near Jefferson Avenue. Escambia Fire Rescue was called to the mobile home after the occupant allegedly set fire to a couch or chair inside the home; the small fire was out when firefighters arrived on scene.
The male inside the house had apparently thrown numerous household items out of windows and into the front yard of the mobile home.
The adult male was taken into protective custody by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office under the Baker Act and transported to a Pensacola health care facility. Florida’s Baker Act allows officers to take an individual into custody for an involuntary mental examination when it is believed they are a danger to themselves or others.
Names of individuals involved in Baker Act proceedings are not released.
Pictured above and inset: A man reportedly trashed this Century mobile home Monday night, tossing household items into the yard. Pictured below: The man, whose identity has not been released, was taken into custody as a Baker Act. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
ESCO To Present ‘CarFit’ Event For Senior Drivers
November 6, 2012
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Community Oriented Policing Unit will present Operation CarFit this weekend.
The event will be held Saturday in the back parking lot of Hillcrest Baptist Church on Nine Mile Road and Guidy Lane from 8:00 am until noon.
A unique program geared for senior citizens, CarFit was developed in collaboration with the American Society on Aging, AAA, AARP and the American Occupational Therapy Association. CarFit is the first program to offer older adults the opportunity to check how their personal cars “fit” them.
Trained professionals will lead drivers through a 12-point checklist with their vehicle, recommend car adjustments and adaptations and offer community specific resources and activities that could make their cars “fit” better or enhance their safety. An occupational therapist also will be on hand to provide information to older drivers on how to maintain and strengthen driving health.
The sessions take approximately 20 minutes per driver and vehicle. Advanced scheduling is encouraged. To schedule a CarFit session contact Rhonda Ray at the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9553.
Organizers said people over 65 are the fastest-growing population in the United States. By 2030, one in five drivers will be age 65 or older, which means there will be more than 30 million older drivers on our roads. Because of their fragility, seniors have the highest crash death rate of everyone except teenagers.
Crime Rate Increases In Escambia And Santa Rosa
November 5, 2012
Overall crime was up in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties during the first six months of 2012, according to a report just released by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
In Escambia County, the crime rate jumped 12.3 percent, with an increase in every major crime category except robberies. In Santa Rosa County, the crime rate was up 5.9 percent, with a increase in all categories except burglaries.
Here are the latest numbers from the FDLE’s Semi-Annual Crime in Florida Report:
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
- Overall Crime: Increased from 7,679 to 8,620 (+12.3%)
- Murder: Increased from 3 to 9
- Forcible Rape: Increased from 83 t0 98
- Robbery: Decreased from 264 to 242
- Aggravated Assault: Increased from 665 to 894
- Burglary: Increased from 1,590 to 1,798
- Larceny: Increased from 4,752 to 5,222
- Motor Vehicle Theft: Increased from 322 to 357
- Percent Cleared: Increased from 25.2 to 26.8
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
- Overall Crime Increased from 256 to 271 (+5.9%)
- Murder: No change, 0 to 0
- Robbery: Increased from 0 to 2
- Aggravated Assault: Increased from 2 to 11
- Burglary: Decreased from 64 to 49
- Larceny: Increased from 187 to 202
- Motor Vehicle Theft: Increased from 3 to 7
- Percent Cleared: Dropped from 25.4 to 17.3
Firemen Praised As Heroes For Rescuing Child From Treetop
November 5, 2012
A local mom is singing the praises of first responders after they rescued her young child from the a tree top Sunday morning.
The Hughes family of Atmore was outside playing before getting ready for church when mom Ashley walked inside for just a moment to get the children something to drink. When she returned outside, Caden Hughes was near the top of the tree. Ashely called her husband at work at the Atmore Fire Department.
Firemen quickly responded, and Atmore Fire Chief Gerry McGhee climbed all the way up tree in order to rescue Caden.
“He didn’t want to waste time waiting on the ladder. It was a relief just knowing that Chief had him in his arms. It was a great team effort between all of the firemen,” Ashley Hughes said. “Praise the Lord for Angels on assignment and the quick response of the Atmore Fire Department. Thank you Chief McGhee for climbing the tree to keep my baby safe.”
Hughes also offered her thanks to her husband Chris and his fellow firemen Brandon Barber and Eugene Edwards.
As for Caden, he won’t be climbing the trees around the Hughes home again.
“I don’t think I will ever have to worry about Caden climbing another tree. My husband immediately got the chainsaw and cut down every branch within arms reach,” she said.
Pictured top: Atmore Fire Chief Gerry McGhee (in the red shirt) climbs a tree Sunday morning to rescue a young boy about 35-feet off the ground. Pictured inset: Young Caden Hughes can bee seen in this photo near the top of the visible tree trunk. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bratt Elementary Releases First Nine Weeks Honor Roll
November 5, 2012
Bratt Elementary School has released their honor roll for the first nine weeks.
All A’s
- Rabekah Abbott
- Raegan Abbott
- Anna Adams
- Erich Amerson
- Maggie Amerson
- Sarah Bailey
- John Bashore
- Zoe Bergfield
- Leah Berry
- Brody Black
- Olivia Boatwright
- Sarah Branch
- Luke Bridges
- Aiden Broadhead
- Keaton Brown
- Abbie Buford
- Paris Burt
- Conner Byrne
- Emilee Cabral
- Kadence Calvert
- Tyler Cloud
- Shelby Cotita
- Sophia Cotita
- Sheyenne Dillon
- Savannah Doremus
- Carsyn Dortch
- Kaden Dove
- Ryan Dove
- Mayson Edwards
- Scotty Elliott
- Alexis Evans
- Jason Fayard
- Zykuria Fountain
- Amanda Franklin
- Gabby Franklin
- Caitlyn Gibson
- David Gilley
- Amber Gilman
- J.P. Gilman
- Emma Gilmore
- Maggie Godwin
- Shelby Godwin
- Ava Gurganus
- Zane Gurganus
- Berklee Hall
- Bryce Hall
- Tucker Hall
- Ashlan Harigel
- Tatum Hasting
- Kara Hawkins
- Leah Hetrick
- Sarah Margaret Hetrick
- Hannah Hughes
- Jacob Hughes
- April Johnson
- Hunter Johnson
- Allyson Jones
- Anna King
- Gage Lambert
- Kennedy Long
- Braeden McGhee
- Bailie Merchant
- Jaquez Moorer
- Colby Morris
- Mary Paige Nassar
- Bailey Van Pelt
- Bentley Van Pelt
- Madison Peterson
- Libby Pugh
- Kinzie Rackard
- Kenna Redmond
- Teriana Redmond
- Shelby Rice
- Angel Schoonover
- McKenna Simmons
- Arquavian Smith
- Savannah Spence
- Alyssa Stabler
- Mia Starns
- Aubrey Stuckey
- Autumn Williams
- Clay Wilson
- Kendall Wise
- Ty Wise
- Connor Wolfe
All A’s and B’s
- Addison Albritton
- Elijah Amerson
- Sara Amerson
- Sophia Bailey
- Adyn Barrow
- Bryuana Bivins
- Riley Blackwell
- Kyle Blanton
- Malachi Bolen
- Tanner Boone
- Cassidy Boutwell
- LJ Bradley
- Allie Brantley
- Lexi Broadhead
- Juliana Bryan
- Macie Buford
- Kadence Burklund
- Anyis Cabral
- Kayla Campbell
- Cadynce Chason
- Landon Chavers
- Ashton Cloud
- Noah Condrey
- Jacob Conley
- Chloe Criswell
- Karlee Criswell
- Cassie Davis
- Franki Daw
- Waylon Dillon
- Irmani Dixon
- Colton Dockens
- Tyteanna Dubose
- JT Dunson
- Cody Edwards
- Jackson Edwards
- Gage Eicher
- Ahmad Elliott
- Jamyla Feagin
- Cameron Findley
- Jacob Findley
- Neionni Findley
- Daelyn Fine
- Breyedn Freeman
- Makayla Garrett
- Jakob Gibson
- Raleigh Gibson
- Gracie Godwin
- Shane Hardin
- Kohle Harigel
- Summer Harrell
- A.J. Hasty
- Joshlynn Helton
- Gabe Henderson
- Ji’keir Hudson
- Trent Knighten
- Anna Lee
- Sarah Long
- Houston Lowry
- Blake Macks
- Kaleigh Macks
- Tobias Madison
- Ansleigh Maholovich
- Reid McCall
- Megan McGhee
- Angel Merchant
- Michael Merchant
- Landon Mooney
- Cassie Mullins
- Abigail Nelson
- Travis Nelson
- Chris Nordman
- Jaylon North
- Audrey Odom
- Joseph Parker
- Taviana Parker
- Blaize Parrish
- Rebecca Peebles
- Adam Peterson
- Ethan Pickern
- Dennis Pittman
- Dallon Rackard
- Mary Grace Rice
- Dariontae Richardson
- Savannah Roley
- Paige Ross
- Bryson Sanders
- Nicholi Sanderson
- Kasen Sawyer
- Kaylee Sawyer
- Adrianne Shanks
- Carter Sigafoose
- Jarvis Skanes
- David Stokes
- Jaimee Taylor
- Cody Thomas
- So’Lae Trotter
- John Michael Ward
- Summer Waters
- Raycer Watson
- Kiara Wesley
- Tahna Wesley
- Addison White
- Cassidy White
- Ben Wilson
- Cash Wilson
- Lane Wilson
- Wyatt Windham
Job Fair In Pensacola: 1,900 Openings At Ingalls Shipbuilding
November 5, 2012
Workforce Escarosa will hold a job fair Thursday in Pensacola to assist Huntington Ingalls Industries with the current recruitment and hiring of over 1,900 positions for their Pascagoula, jobsite.
Position openings include; welders, pipefitters, shipfitters, hydraulic and sheetmetal mechanics, mobile crane operators and helpers. Positions range between $13.68 and $23.10 per hour.
Individuals with correlating experience and credentials may apply in-person on Thursday, November 8, from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Workforce Escarosa Pensacola One-Stop Center located at 3670 North L Street. Applicants should bring a resume, related credentials or certifications, and a valid driver’s license. Prior military should also bring a copy of their DD214. Representatives from Huntington Ingalls Industries will be on-site and may choose to conduct interviews with selected applicants during the hiring event.
Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) designs, builds and maintains nuclear and non-nuclear ships for the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard while also providing after-market services for military ships around the globe. HII employs over 38,000 individuals throughout the U.S. with primary business divisions in Virginia and Mississippi. Daily van pools from Pensacola to Pascagoula are available for those who do not wish to relocate.
Additional information and job descriptions are available on the Employ Florida Marketplace, www.employflorida.com, under job order 9720937.
Down To The Wire For Florida Women’s Vote
November 5, 2012
There’s a difference between how women and men decide who to vote for – but it’s not really clear just how big the difference is. Women favored Barack Obama by double digits earlier in the campaign, but Mitt Romney has erased that lead since shortly after the first presidential debate, in early October.
Now, in the dash to the finish line, the race has tightened in Florida yet again, and women may well tip the balance.
The key to winning the state is suburban women who voted for Obama in 2008 but went Republican in 2010, suggests political scientist Susan MacManus of the University of South Florida.
“That group is really the big question mark, and if they swing towards Romney, he will probably win Florida,” said MacManus. “And if they can be brought back in by the Obama campaign, then he may have a good shot at the state.”
Obama’s time in Florida has been cut short by Hurricane Sandy’s assault on the East Coast, but on Friday the president was represented by arguably his best surrogate – former President Bill Clinton, who barnstormed five cities statewide. Romney’s backers have also been heavily active in Florida in recent weeks – with polls showing him slightly ahead of Obama in the nation’s biggest swing state.
While the Obama campaign has tried to suggest that Republicans are out of touch with values many women care about, women who back Romney have said that Obama is out of step with broader American values.
“We know the difference between taking care of the poor and the needy the way we’ve been taught in the Bible and the consequences of socialist programs,” said Beatriz Macia, president of the Tallahassee Tea Party at a “Women for Romney” rally last month at the Capitol.
Women vote differently from men, said MacManus. They have less tolerance for negative campaigning, and they tend to be late deciders. But in Florida’s 2008 presidential election, women out-voted men by 597,000, the largest gap among battleground states – so the candidates have courted them.
Although both sides say the economy is the main thing for all voters this year – including women – they disagree on how much so-called “women’s issues” are at play. Many Democrats say issues like abortion and access to contraception are driving women to their side. Republicans say those concerns are dwarfed by the economy for most women.
Retiring state senator Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, said Democrats made a mistake by focusing more on abortion and contraception than pocketbook issues.
“I think the Democrats naturally do have a better position with women,” Dockery said. “But they have not stated that in the proper way in this campaign season, and that’s why you’ve seen the gap close.”
Congresswoman Kathy Castor, a Tampa Democrat, agrees that most women are focused on the economy, but pointed out that the first bill Obama signed as president was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which was about how the economy effects women, and which Romney’s running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, voted against.
While Republicans argue that women suffer more in the economic downturn than men – and that Obama should be held to account for that – Democrats argue that it’s because they still aren’t paid the same wages for the same work.
Castor also noted that the election season has seen some provocative comments on violence against women, reproductive issues and access to contraception. She pointed to her House colleague, GOP Senate candidate Todd Akin of Missouri, who said women don’t get pregnant from “legitimate rape.”
And Indiana Senate candidate Richard Mourdock, a tea party favorite, became the center of a national firestorm when he said it was “God’s will” if a woman gets pregnant from having been raped.
“The Republican Congress and now Mitt Romney’s Republican platform take a hard right turn and say when it comes to women’s health and reproductive choice, women don’t have a say – and they have to carry pregnancies to term even in the case of rape and incest,” Castor said.
“I have a lot of moderate Republican friends who think that is too extreme.”
Not Carlie Rogers, a Republican state committeewoman from Brevard.
“I’ve met people whose mothers were raped,” Rogers said. “And when you see them, you know that (to give birth) was the right decision for that mother. So I think you shouldn’t make an exception. It’s not the child’s fault.”
Former Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, who narrowly lost to Gov. Rick Scott in 2010, is campaigning for Democrats statewide. She said she’s “very upset” to hear women quoted as dismissing the idea that birth control should be a campaign issue.
“Well, that is not so,” said Sink. “Women have to be very, very concerned when you have candidates out there saying things like, ‘Oh, Planned Parenthood? We’ll just get rid of that.”
Betty Castor, the first woman to serve in the Florida Cabinet (and the mother of Kathy Castor), said she thinks women are losing ground on issues they fought for decades ago.
“I think we’re going backwards,” she said. “It is a big fight. And of course, choice has always been a divisive issue – and it’s still a divisive issue. But I never thought that the issue of contraception would become front and center.”
MacManus said Obama’s ability to make up the gender gap depends on his campaign’s get-out-the-vote efforts.
“Much has been touted of their organizational superiority, the hundred-plus offices to less than 50 for Romney,” she said. “But late deciders in Florida tend to be young people and women. And consequently, Obama has still got a shot at the women’s vote.”
By Margie Menzel, The News Service of Florida
Vote 2012: A Look At The Florida Constitutional Amendments
November 4, 2012
Here is a synopsis of the proposed constitutional amendments on Tuesday’s ballot in Florida. The amendments must receive at least 60 percent of the vote to pass.
There is no Amendment 7.
AMENDMENT 1, HEALTH CARE SERVICES
THE AMENDMENT: This amendment is aimed at prohibiting the government from directly or indirectly compelling employers to buy or provide health care coverage for their employees. It also makes clear in the constitution that people may pay health care providers directly for care – and don’t have to have insurance, and can’t be forced to pay a penalty or tax for paying out of pocket for health care.
CONTEXT: Opponents say the proposal would have no effect at nullifying its intended target, the federal health care individual mandate, because of the supremacy of federal law over state law. Backers say it would prevent future attempts to put similar health care requirements on residents.
AMENDMENT 2: HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION FOR VETERANS
THE AMENDMENT: The proposal would provide an additional homestead exemption to wounded veterans who were not residents of the state when they entered military service. The proposal would exempt from taxation a property’s value between $50,000 and $75,000.
CONTEXT: Florida law already provides an additional homestead exemption to military personnel disabled while in combat. The amendment simply expands the exemption to disabled veterans who may have been residents of other states when the disability occurred but who now reside in Florida.
AMENDMENT 3: REVENUE LIMITATION
THE AMENDMENT: Proposed Amendment 3 would replace the existing state revenue cap, which is based on personal income growth in Florida with a new one based on inflation and population changes. If the state were to collect more in taxes than the formula allows, it would have to be put into a reserve fund, and not spent, and at some point would have to be used for reducing local property taxes for schools or returned to taxpayers. The cap could be raised only with a super majority vote in the Legislature.
CONTEXT: The state has never actually hit the current cap.
AMENDMENT 4: PROPERTY TAX RESTRICTIONS
THE AMENDMENT: The proposal would reduce the cap on tax assessment increases from 10 percent to 5 percent a year on commercial property. The plan also would provide an additional, temporary property tax break for first-time homebuyers and prevents tax assessments from going up when the market value of the property goes down.
CONTEXT: Backers say the amendment will continue efforts to rein in the increase in property taxes by expanding protections now afforded to homeowners. Opponents, including the Florida Association of Counties, say the measure will further hamstring cash-strapped local governments, which rely on property tax revenue for the bulk of their funding.
AMENDMENT 5: RULES FOR STATE COURTS
THE AMENDMENT: Proposed Amendment 5 would require Senate confirmation for state Supreme Court justices appointed by the governor make it easier for lawmakers to influence court procedural rules, allowing them to change them with a simple majority vote, rather than a super majority. The proposal also would give lawmakers more access to confidential files involving judges accused of misconduct.
CONTEXT: Many lawyers and judges who oppose the amendment say lawmakers are trying to assert more control over a judiciary that many Republican legislators think has surpassed its own authority too often.
AMENDMENT 6: ABORTION RIGHTS AND FUNDING
THE AMENDMENT: The proposal exempts abortion-related matters from protection under Florida’s Constitutional privacy clause, saying that the state constitution can provide only as much protection as the U.S. Constitution when it comes to abortion. The proposal also prohibits the use of state taxpayer funds to pay for abortions or insurance that covers abortions except in the case of rape, incest and when the health of the mother is in danger.
CONTEXT: Efforts by the state Legislature in recent years to place further restrictions on abortions have been overturned by the courts, which cite the Florida Constitution’s privacy clause. It was used, in particular, to nullify the state laws that required notice of parents before a minor gets an abortion, and consent of parents in the same situation. The constitution was subsequently changed to allow for parental notice – and those who oppose abortion rights say this would allow a new parental consent law. Supporters say the state should not provide protections beyond those afforded women under the U.S. Constitution, which contains no privacy clause. Critics say the proposal would affect more than abortion and strip away privacy clause protections for other issues surrounding women’s health and could be used as a precedent to whittle away other rights now protected under the state constitution’s privacy clause.
AMENDMENT 8: RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
THE AMENDMENT: If the amendment is approved, the government would be barred from denying funding to organizations or institutions based on “religious identity or belief.” The proposal also deletes the current constitutional ban on using state money “directly or indirectly in aid of any church, sect, or religious denomination, or in aid of any sectarian institution.”
CONTEXT: The amendment arises out of fears by backers of faith-based institutions, including prison ministries at the center of a court fight, that the current wording of the constitution could prevent state money from going to those groups. The issue is also embedded in the debate over school vouchers. While Florida’s main voucher program was rejected by the courts for other reasons, some backers of private religious schools fear students who attend them could be denied support because it could be deemed in aid of a sectarian institution.
AMENDMENT 9: TAX RELIEF FOR SURVIVING SPOUSES OF MILITARY/RESPONDERS
THE AMENDMENT: The proposal would provide additional property tax exemptions for the surviving spouse of a military veteran who died from service connected causes or while on active duty. The exemption, which could equal the entire assessed value, would also extend such benefits to surviving spouses of first responders such as firefighters, paramedics, corrections and law enforcement officer.
CONTEXT: The proposal – one of several aimed at recognizing the contributions made and risks taken by military personnel and first responders – had no public opposition. State economists said the proposal’s financial impact would be minimal, but it would reduce local tax collections.
AMENDMENT 10: RAISING TANGIBLE TAX EXEMPTION
THE AMENDMENT: Amendment 10, if approved, would increase the exemption on tangible personal property from $25,000 to $50,000.
CONTEXT: The proposal has the backing of small business groups, which say the tax is an unnecessary burden on small business owners. State economists say the proposal, if enacted would reduce local tax collections by at least $21 million a year beginning in2013.
AMENDMENT 11: ADDITIONAL HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION: LOW-INCOME SENIORS
THE AMENDMENT: The amendment would authorize the Legislature to allow counties and cities to grant an additional homestead tax exemption equal to the assessed value of homestead property if the property has a just value less than $250,000 to an owner who has kept a permanent residency at the property for at least 25 years, is at least 65 years-old and has a low household income, as defined by law.
CONTEXT: This measure would allow lawmakers to grant a new tax break to certain low-income seniors.
AMENDMENT 12: SUS BOARD OF GOVERNOR’S STUDENT MEMBER
THE AMENDMENT: The proposal would change the way the student member of the State University System’s Board of Governors is chosen. The new student member would be the chairperson of the Council of Student Body Presidents and not the president of the Florida Student Association. The proposal also requires that all universities be part of the council of student body presidents.
CONTEXT: Backers say the current system discriminates against state universities that are not part of the Florida Student Association.
Written by The News Service of Florida
Escambia Voter Turnout Already Near 40%, Over 42,000 Vote Early
November 4, 2012
Almost 40 percent of Escambia County voters have already cast their ballots in advance of election day.
Saturday was the final day of early voting with a record setting 6,745 ballots cast for a total of 42,832 during an eight day period. With early votes and absentee ballots received to date, Escambia County is already at almost 40 percent voter turnout.
The busiest early voting site was the Tryon Library with 15,748 votes cast, followed by Cantonment with 8,574.