Local Man Gets 15 Years In Prison On Drug Charges
November 20, 2012
A Century man will spend the next 15 years in prison for selling drugs to an undercover officer.
Willie Davis Owens, Jr., age 31 of Bonwell Lane, was convicted by a Santa Rosa County jury of two counts of trafficking in hydrocodone. Following the verdict, Owens was sentenced by Circuit Judge David Rimmer to a 15 year minimum mandatory prison sentence and a $100,000.00 fine.
Prosecutors said owens sold hydrocodone to a confidential informant and an undercover narcotics officer on June 4, 2009. He was arrested by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office on August 8, 2012.
Both Lottery Store Murder Suspects Now In Florida Jail
November 20, 2012
Both suspects in the November 6 murder of a Davisville lottery store owner are now behind bars in Florida.
Malcolm Troy McGhee, Jr., 24, was transferred from the Escambia County (Ala.) Detention Center in Brewton to the Escambia County Jail in Pensacola on Monday afternoon. McGhee had previousl refused to waive extradition to Florida following his November 7 arrested in Escambia County, Alabama.
The second suspect in the murder, Brent Dewayne Lambeth, age 20 of Atmore, was arrested the afternoon of November 7 by a U.S. Marshals Task Force at or near a trailer in a wooded area on Sandy Hollow Road near Walnut Hill. He is being held in the Escambia County (Fla.) Jail without bond. Lambeth has been declared indigent by the court and will be appointed a public defender. He is due to appear in court November 29 for an arraignment hearing before Judge Ross Goodman, according to court records.
Both men are facing charges of murder and robbery with a firearm.
The longtime owner of the State Line O’ Yes Lotto on Highway 97 in Davisville, 74-year old Thomas “Tommy” Kroll was shot and killed during an exchange of gunfire during a robbery about 1:30 p.m. on November 6.
Investigators said they received information from confidential sources that led to the arrests. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said Kroll’s business was specifically targeted by Lambeth and McGhee because of previous purchases of “Spice” and that the duo “intended on robbing the store of more Spice that day”.
For a photo gallery from the murder scene, click here.
Pictured top: The owner of the State Line O’ Yes Lotto on Highway 97 was killed during an exchange of gunfire on November 6. Pictured below: Suspect Brent Dewayne Lambeth, was taken into custody at or near this mobile home on Sandy Hollow Road in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
ECUA Makes Trash Pickup, Office Hour Changes For Thanksgiving
November 20, 2012
Emerald Coast Utilities Authority residential sanitation customers will experience schedule changes to their garbage, recycling and yard trash collection during this Thanksgiving week. The residential collections scheduled for Thursday, November 22 will be made on Friday, November 23. Collections scheduled on Friday, November 23, will be made on Saturday, November 24.
Commercial customers will experience schedule changes to their dumpster service collections during the week. Collections scheduled on Thursday, November 22, will be made on
Wednesday, November 21. Collections scheduled on Friday, November 23 will remain on their regular schedule.
ECUA business offices will be closed on Thursday, November 22 and Friday, November 23 in observance of the Thanksgiving Day holiday. ECUA offices will resume regular business hours on Monday, November 26
For additional information call ECUA Customer Service at 476-0480, or visit www.ecua.fl.gov.
Local Volleyball Players Named To All-Star Team
November 20, 2012
The 2012 Subway High School Volleyball game will be played tonight, featuring several local players. The game will take place at UWF beginning at 6 p.m.
WEST GIRLS VOLLEYBALL ALL-STARS
Head Coach: Giulio Simonelli, Catholic
Ashley Griffits – PCA
Kara Heintzelman – West Florida
Kaitlin Johnson – West Florida
Alexis Lugo – Escambia
Brianne Kuhnhausen – Escambia
Kimlyn Bethea – Escambia
Misty Doran – Northview
Shelley Mothershed – Northview
Erin Smithies – Washington
Brooke White – Tate
Jordan Barnette – Tate
Heather Thomason – Tate
Julian Laird – Catholic
Courtney Deason – Catholic
Hana Flurry – Catholic
Aleecia Ybarra – Pine Forest
Lamia Miller – Pine Forest
Sara Goolsby – East Hill
Maia Nguyen – Pensacola
EAST GIRLS VOLLEYBALL ALL-STARS
Head Coach: Nicole Adarme, Choctaw
Haley Meeks – Laurel Hill
Haleigh Hollinhead – Crestview
Olivia Wright – Jay
Krisena Gall – Milton
Kayla Carr – Niceville
Kimy Sarra – Niceville
Katie Wickery – Baker
Sarah Elizabeth Harrell – Pace
Taylor Campbell – Choctaw
Ashley Quackenbush – Choctaw
Allison Freer – Navarre
Kelly Barrett – Navarre
Caitlin Chapman – Gulf Breeze
Ally Hurd – Gulf Breeze
Brittney Forsythe – Central
Rachel Dehlinger – FWB
Jennifer Bazlyak – FWB
Rachel Mosley – Rocky Bayou
Former Flomaton High Coach Passes Away
November 20, 2012
A former Flomaton High School coach passed away on Saturday.
Donald “Don” Thornton, 65, was a 1965 graduate of Sulligent High School and a 1969 graduate of Livingston University. He coached and taught at Kennedy High School, Carrollton High School, and Millry High School. For the next 18 years, he moved into the insurance business, but his passion for coaching continued, leading him back to the field in 1992 at T.W. Martin High School.
He then moved to Flomaton High School in 1994 and taught and coached there until his retirement in 2007 when he moved to his hometown of Vernon, Ala.
Thornton became a volunteer coach for the Lamar County High School Bulldogs from 2008 to the present season. He also served on the Vernon City Council.
Funeral services were scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday.
For the complete obituary, click here.
Featured Recipe: Those Cheesy Thanksgiving Potatoes
November 20, 2012
Our Thanksgiving week recipe series continues today with a dish simply named “Those Potatoes”. It’s a great last-minute dish to put together in time to take to grandma’s house for the big dinner. And even an inexperienced cook can pull this one off in impressive fashion.
Man Convicted Of Child Molestation
November 20, 2012
A Milton man has been convicted of molesting a child in Escambia County.
Ryan Scott Debord was found guilty of an Escambia County jury of sexual battery while in a position of custodial or familial authority and lewd or lascivious molestation upon a child over 12 but less than 16 by an offender over 18 year of age.
Between July 2011 and February 2012, Ryan Scott Debord molested a 13 year-old female child, according to evidence presented in court.
Judge Jan Shackelford scheduled Ryan Scott Debord to be sentenced on December 18. Debord faces punishment of up to 30 years state prison for the sexual battery charge and 15 years on the lewd or lascivious charge and designation as a sexual offender.
Century Honors Town’s Newest Citizen
November 20, 2012
The Town of Century presented a proclamation Monday night to resident César González, who recently became a U.S. citizen and almost immediately registered to vote. González is a native of Colombia, South America, and has been in the United States for nine years. He and his wife, Century Town Clerk Leslie Gonzalez, moved to Century in 2010. His path to citizenship took seven years. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia Approves Gas Tax Hike For ECAT
November 19, 2012
The Escambia County Commission approved a four-cent gas take hike this afternoon in order to fund the ECAT bus system.
The increased gas tax is expected to net the county about $4 million when it takes effect no earlier than January 2014. It currently costs the county about $3.2 million to fund the Escambia County Area Transit System, plus about $3.7 million from grants from the state and federal governments.
The tax increase passed on a 4-1 vote, with Commission Kevin White casting the vote against.
Escambia County currently collects 10-cents in tax per gallon — a direct seven-cent levy plus a three-cent levy collected by the state and returned to the county.
Commissioners previously recognized that they were purposefully considering the gas tax increase just hours before two new commissioners — Steven Barry in District 5 and Lumon May in District 3 — are sworn into office on November 20.
Search Warrant Leads To Arrest On Drug, Weapons Charges
November 19, 2012
A Cantonment man was arrested on felony charges after a search warrant revealed drugs and firearms in his bedroom.
Reginald DeNeal McHenry, age 32 of Quintette Road, was charged with three counts of possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $40,500 bond.
When the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Narcotic’s Unit executed a search warrant at McHenry’s Cantonment residence, they reported finding a plastic baggie containing powdered cocaine, items with cocaine residue, items with marijuana residue, a Smith & Wesson revolver in a flower-patterned bag, a .22 caliber revolver and a loaded Beretta .22 caliber semi-automatic handgun.
According to an arrest report, McHenry admitted to knowing about the crack cocaine in his room and that “he does not sell crack very often”. He said the firearms were already in the residence when he inherited the house, and he had not had a chance to dispose of them.
McHenry is due back in court in early December.