Murder Suspect Named After Woman Shot, Killed In Escambia
September 5, 2012
A suspect has been named in the shooting death of a woman Tuesday night in Escambia County.
The shooting happened about 7:25 p.m. in the 5900 block of Wales Avenue, off Mobile Highway. Deputies found the victim, 47-year old Sandra K. Walker, deceased at the scene.
The shooting was believed to be domestic violence related.
A warrant for premeditated murder has been issued for Fred William Walker, Jr. for the murder. He was last seen in a silver or gray Toyota Tundra four-door truck with a possible unknown Alabama tag.
Walker is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Anyone with information about his whereabouts should contact Crime Stoppers at a (850) 433-STOP or the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620.
Escambia Human West Nile Cases Now Up To Five
September 5, 2012
A total of five cases of the West Nile virus have been confirmed as of Tuesday in Escambia County, a “Mosquito Borne Illness Advisory” continues for the entire county.
The risk of additional persons becoming infected with West Nile Virus from mosquito bites remains very high, according to the Escambia County Health Department. The health department has not said where in the county the infected person reside.
“The abnormally high number of confirmed cases reaffirms the increased risk of contracting West Nile Virus for everyone in Escambia County,” said Dr. John Lanza, director of the Escambia County Health Department. Since most people who contract the disease have mild or no symptoms, there are most likely numerous undiagnosed cases throughout the area. All Escambia County, Florida residents and visitors should take precautions to limit their exposure to mosquitoes.”
Mosquitoes infected with West Nile Virus can bite and infect humans. Symptoms of infection can range from mild to severe, including development of diseases such as meningitis or encephalitis. Being outdoors, especially during dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active, further increases the risk of infection. People with weakened immune systems and individuals over 50 may be at higher risk of the most severe form of the infection.
Group Claims High School Prayers Illegal; Students Take A Stand
September 5, 2012
The Escambia County (Ala.) School District has banned prayers at events like football games, but that did not stop a group of Flomaton High students from taking a stand on the football field last Friday.
The students stood hand-in-hand along the sidelines before the game in prayer. No faculty or staff took part in the student led, student initiated prayer.
Prayers led over the public address system at Flomaton High School football games was common prior to this year, as was the recital of the Lord’s Prayer by both players and coaches following Hurricane football games.
But that all came to an end prior to Flomaton’s Friday night season opener against Monroeville after the school district received a letter from the Freedom from Religion Foundation that claimed such prayers were illegal.
“A local complainant has reported to us that Flomaton High School has a local pastor, often a Baptist minister, pray before each home football game. This practice is unconstitutional,” FFRF attorney Andrew L. Seidel wrote in a letter to Escambia County (Ala.) School Superintendent Randall Little and Flomaton High Principal Scott Hammond. “It is illegal for a public school to organize, sponsor, and lead prayers at public school events. The Supreme Court has continually struck down formal and teacher or school-led prayer in public schools.”
The Freedom from Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit group with about 19,000 members with the purpose to “protect the constitutional principal of separation between state and church”.
“We ask that Escambia County Public Schools commence an immediate investigation into the complaint alleged, and take immediate action to stop any and all prayers occurring before all Escambia County Public Schools athletic events, including those at Flomaton High School,” Seidel wrote.
The school district responded to the letter by enforcing a ban against facility and students from participating in or leading prayer at school sponsored events.
Get Green Thumb Certified With Master Gardener Training
September 5, 2012
Certifications are available for your hard-earned green thumb – Escambia County Extension is accepting applications through Friday, September 7 for a Master Gardener training class.
Class sessions begin Wednesday, September 26 and continue every Wednesday through November 14, with one Friday class on October 26. Classes resume on Wednesday, January 2 and run continuously through February 6. Normal class hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The cost for the program is $125 and includes all book and class materials.
Those with a passion for gardening and are interested in serving as a volunteer to assist with community horticulture education programs and activities, are encouraged to apply for training as a Master Gardener. Trainees will complete approximately 60 hours of horticulture training and donate 75 hours of service as an Extension volunteer. Volunteers gain service hours through numerous projects including school and community gardens, community outreach demonstrations, and adult and youth horticulture programs.
For more information, contact Beth Bolles at (850) 475-5230 or email bbolles@uwf.edu with any questions about the program or application process.
For more information, please visit http://escambia.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/master-gardeners.shtml.
Volleyball: Northview Wins First District Contest With Laurel Hill
September 5, 2012
The Northview Lady Chiefs defeated Laurel Hill Tuesday to win their first district match.
Misty Doran had seven kills, while Morgan Payne recorded five kills for Northview. Lilly Townsend and Shelly Mothershed added six assists each for the Lady Chiefs.
Northview lost their first game at Laurel Hill 25-23 but rebounded with wins of 25-16, 25-22, 25-19.
In junior varsity action, Northview defeated Laurel Hill 25-11, 25-18.
The Lady Chiefs will host Central High School on Thursday, with the JV taking the court at 4:30 and the varsity playing at 5:30 p.m.
Pictured: The varsity Northview Chiefs. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
First Lady: Issues Aren’t Political, They’re Personal For Barack Obama
September 5, 2012
First lady Michelle Obama was the headline speaker at the opening day of the Democratic National Convention Tuesday in Charlotte, NC, making a forceful pitch to give her husband more time to complete the job they had elected him to do four years ago.
“In the end, for Barack, these issues aren’t political — they’re personal,” Michelle Obama said. “Barack knows the American Dream because he’s lived it, and he wants everyone, everyone in this country to have the same opportunity.”
In a speech that alternately stilled and electrified delegates, the first lady said President Barack Obama was continuing to push forward with his agenda for change despite setbacks in his first term.
“And he reminds me that we are playing a long game here — and that change is hard, and change is slow, and it never happens all at once,” Michelle Obama said. She also said that her fears that the White House might change Barack Obama had proven unfounded. “Well, today, after so many struggles and triumphs and moments that have tested my husband in ways I never could have imagined, I have seen firsthand that being president doesn’t change who you are,” she said. “No, it reveals who you are.”
Her speech presented a behind-the-scenes look at life in the White House and at the early lives of the Obamas.
“Barack knows the American Dream because he’s lived it…and he wants everyone in this country to have that same opportunity, no matter who we are, or where we’re from, or what we look like, or who we love,” she said. “And he believes that when you’ve worked hard, and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity…you do not slam it shut behind you…you reach back, and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed.”
Former president Bill Clinton will formally place Barack Obama’s name up for nomination on Wednesday night. Barack Obama will accept his nomination Thursday night during a nationally-televised speech. The speech was planned for the city’s 74,000-seat outdoor football stadium, but the threat of severe weather has moved the event back inside the Time Warner Cable Arena, the site of the rest of the week’s activities.
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.
GOP Platform Includes ‘Stand Your Ground’ Laws
September 5, 2012
Controversial “stand your ground” laws that have come into the spotlight since the shooting of Trayvon Martin have found their way into the Republican Party’s national platform.
Nestled in the massive document, which outlines in minute detail the national party’s agenda for the next four years, is a provision that expands earlier support for Second Amendment rights to specifically include self-defense outside the home.
“We support the fundamental right to self-defense wherever a law-abiding citizen has a legal right to be…” the plank reads.
Marion Hammer, executive director of United Sportsmen of Florida and past president of the National Rifle Association, said the language more clearly articulates the party’s long-standing support of gun owners’ right to protect themselves without fear that their self-defensive actions would come back to haunt them.
“It does what it is intended to do,” Hammer said of Florida’s 2005 version of the law, which has since passed in a couple other jurisdictions. “It protects law-abiding people who are defending themselves and their families in a lawful manner from the criminal element.”
Recently enacted stand your ground laws are logical extensions of the “Castle Doctrine,” Hammer said, which provides some immunity for residents to defend themselves in their homes against an intruder.
Florida’s law was changed in 2005 to remove a duty to first try to avoid killing an attacker and expanding the protections beyond their homes and into public spaces.
“The ‘Castle Doctrine’ allows law abiding people to protect themselves without being hassled by the criminal justice system,” Hammer said. “That is what the Castle Doctrine, or the stand your ground law, is all about.”
Though law in Florida for several years now, it wasn’t widely discussed until it gained new attention after the February fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford.
George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, faces second degree murder charges in Martin’s death, which has sparked national debate over racial profiling and ’stand your ground’ protections. Martin, who is black, was unarmed.
Zimmerman’s lawyers, have said they would likely use ’stand your ground’ as a defense, though it’s not certain. But they say Zimmerman feared for his life after a scuffle with Martin.
A Quinnipiac University poll taken in May showed registered voters in Florida by a 56-35 percent margin support the state’s “Stand Your Ground” law. The support is strongest among Republicans, who back the current law 78-15, though independent voters also support the law, by a 58-35 percent margin.
Democrats more often oppose it, by a 59-32 percent margin, the poll found.
By The News Service of Florida
Late Season On Farm Peanut Field Day Planned
September 5, 2012
A late season on-farm field day program is planned for Friday at Mickey Diamond Farms in Jay, sponsored by the Santa Rosa County Extension Service, on Friday, September 7.
The event schedule includes:
- 10:30 – 11:30 Meet in the field to discuss and evaluate plots.
- Peanut Fungicide Trial: Visually evaluate 14 different fungicide treatments in large side by side plots.
- Cotton Variety Trial: Visually evaluate 24 different varieties under the same management/production practices of this long-running trial.
- Speakers will include UF IFAS Extension faculty, agribusiness chemical representatives and seed representatives.
- 11:30 – 12:00 Convene at Mickey Diamond’s barn for an industry sponsored meal
For information or meal reservations, contact Janis Simmons at the Santa Rosa County Extension Office at janiskay@ufl.edu or (850) 675-6654
Driver Found Dead After Beulah Crash
September 4, 2012
The driver of a pickup truck was found dead Sunday afternoon after a wreck in Beulah.
The vehicle was discovered in a wooded area on Mobile Highway at Bridlewood Road about 4:15 p.m. Emergency personnel said the accident had happened sometime earlier in the day.
Henry Shirley Davis, age 76 of Robertsdale, was pronounced deceased at the scene of the crash.
The Beulah Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the crash.
Flomaton Man Convicted Of Davisville Burglary (With Crime Video)
September 4, 2012
A Flomaton man has been convicted of the June burglary at a Davisville convenience store, but he won’t be headed to jail for the crime.
Curtis Charles Black, 29, was charged with burglary, petit theft and criminal mischief property damage. He was sentenced to three years probation for burglary, and time served for petit theft and criminal mischief property damage. He will also be required to write a letter of apology for the crime.
The entire June 7 burglary at the Korner Kwik Stop (BP) on Highway 97 in Davisville was caught on video, and it was that video posted on NorthEscambia.com that first led deputies to Black as their suspect only a few hours after the crime.
An anonymous tipster saw the video and told deputies that they recognized Black from the video — and the Facebook page where a photo of the getaway vehicle was posted. Later, fingerprints recovered at the scene also fingered Black as the suspect.
The video shows Black busting out the window of the store about 9:20 p.m., just after the store closed at 9 p.m.
- To watch the survellience video, click here.
- For a photo gallery showing the burglary and the investigation, click here.
The video shows Black arriving in a light colored extended cab pickup truck with an emblem over the front windshield. He parks in front of the store and spends several minutes in the truck. Black then exits and takes a hammer to break out the window. He also tried unsuccessfully to break out the door glass. He then jumps through the broken window, rummages around behind the counter and tosses cigarettes and rolls of coins outside. Black also tries unsuccessfully to push buttons in order to open the cash register…all while leaving fingerprints behind.
While inside the store, he is seen using what appears to be towel in his hand in attempt not to leave fingerprints, but he often forgets to cover his hands.
At one point, a towel slips off his head showing most of his face on the video.
An Escambia County Sheriff’s Office crime scene technician recovered blood samples from broken glass and removed multiple fingerprints from the scene.
NorthEscambia.com and courtesy photos, click to enlarge.
