Molino Park 5th Grade Awards
June 19, 2012
Award days were recently held at Molino Park Elementary School.
The following awards were presented to fifth grade students at Molino Park:
For Pre-K to first grade awards, click here for a previous story.
For second to fourth grade awards, click here for a previous story.
Sons of the American Revolution for Citizenship
- Braden Garrett
- Deanna Gulsby
- TarynJanes
- Keegun Johnson
- Meredith Morgan
- Austin Smith
Cox Hero Award
- Crystalyn Daly
Student of the Year
- Savannah Hart
Shining Star
- Dalton Brown
Highest AR Points
- Hannah McGahan
Ann Vidak Award for highest GPA
- Jenna Hassebrock
Michael Pierce Award
- Sierra Slay
Most Improved Math
- Deanna Gulsby
Most Improved Overall
- Raven Childers
Perfect Attendance
- Cade Allen
- Joseph Kidd
- Tori Herrington
- Morgan Lathan
- Chase O’Connor
- Ryan Sconiers
- July Solchenberger
- Travis Sutton
- Nicholas Venable
Straight A Honor Roll
- Jenna Hassebrock
- Meredith Morgan
- KyrhaShisk
- Austin Smith
A/B Honor Roll
- Cade Allen
- Kennedy Bellard
- Dalton Brown
- Nikoal Creamer
- Hannah Ellis
- Kendall Enfinger
- Kaylin Glenn
- TarynJanes
- Keegun Johnson
- Morgan Lathan
- Aubree Love
- Hannah McGahan
- Chase O’Connor
- Chelsey Skidmore
- July Solchenberger
- Spencer St. Cyr
- Christian Taylor
- Hayley Walker
Good Citizenship
- Kennedy Bellard
- Marissa Skye Bullington
- Nickoal Creamer
- Crystalyn Daly
- Carson Daniels
- Hannah Ellis
- Faith Evans
- Emma Fennell
- Braden Garrett
- Kaylin Glenn
- Savannah Hart
- Jenna Hassebrock
- Tori Herrington
- TarynJanes
- Shelby Kizer
- Morgan Lathan
- Aubree Love
- ElyssaMcQuaid
- Meredith Morgan
- Chase O’Connor
- Kayla Phillips
- Claire Roberson
- Brandon Santos
- KyrhaShisk
- Chelsey Skidmore
- Austin Smith
- Courtney Smith
- Julie Stanton
- Spencer St. Cyr
- Christian Taylor
- Hayley Walker
Cantonment, Molino Fall In 6U World Series
June 19, 2012
The Cantonment 6U All Stars fell Monday night 21-4 to PARA (Pace) at the Tee Ball World Series at Gospel Projects in Milton. With a 3-2 record in tournament play, the Cantonment 6U All Stars came away third overall in the tournament.
Also Monday night, Crestview defeated the Molino 6U All Stars 39-28 in the consolation bracket.
Pictured above and below: The Cantonment 6U All Stars Monday night in Milton. The team is coached by (L-R, top) Travis Peacock, Luke Hassell, Harry Green Jr., and head coach Robert Bodiford. Photos by Katie Mayo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Suspect Named In Shooting Of Two On Davis Highway
June 19, 2012
Two people are hospitalized in serious condition after being shot while sitting in a vehicle on Davis Highway Monday afternoon.
The incident happened about 4 p.m. in the 220 block of North Davis Highway, according to Pensacola Police Department Capt. David Alexander. After a male and female were shot, the injured female drove the pair to a local hospital for treatment.
Vernon Stewart Polk has been named by Pensacola Police as a suspect in the shootings. He is 6-foot, 2-inches tall, about 155 pounds and has black hair and brown eyes. He is wanted for attempted murder, aggravated battery and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Police said he should be considered armed and dangerous.
Anyone that knows where to find Polk is asked to call the Pensacola Police Department at (850) 435-1900.
Man Shot Monday Evening In Escambia County
June 19, 2012
A man was shot just after 6:30 Monday night at the Oakwood Terrace Apartments on Truman Avenue.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said the 37-year old man was shot while he was on the apartment complex’s basketball court. He was transported to a local hospital in critical condition. Further details surrounding the shooting have not been released.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP (7867) or the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620.
Residents Invited To Brickyard Road Improvement Public Meeting
June 19, 2012
The Florida Department of Transportation will hold a public information meeting Thursday regarding proposed improvements to Brickyard Road over an unnamed branch.
The project involves replacing an existing bridge on Brickyard Road, repaving the approaches, new guardrail, minor drainage improvements, sodding and placement of new pavement markings. The project is approximately 700 feet in length with construction scheduled to begin in the summer of 2014. During construction, the roadway will be closed and traffic diverted. Additional right-of-way will be required for the bridge and roadway improvements.
The public meeting will be held Thursday from 5:30 until 6:30 p.m. at Highland Baptist Church at 6240 Highway 95A in Molino.
Representatives from FDOT will be available to explain the proposed improvements and answer questions.
Pictured: This graphic, provided by the project engineering firm, shows the location of a planned project on Brickyard Road, click to enlarge.
Wanted Suspect Arrested After Lengthy Standoff With Santa Rosa SWAT
June 19, 2012
A wanted suspect was arrested after a lengthy standoff with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team.
About 9:30 Sunday night, deputies responded to Stanley Circle in reference to a welfare check. They found that 35-year old Benjamin Shehane was inside the residence, yelling and breaking glass. Shehane had outstanding warrants for his arrest for simple assault, burglary with assault or battery and for cutting off his court ordered ankle monitor.
“Shehane replied to deputies that he was armed, and ‘if you want me, come in and get me’,” according to Sgt. Scott Haines, spokesperson for the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office. “Shehane was ordered out of the trailer by deputies, and he responded, ‘You will have to kill me’.”
About 25 deputies and the SWAT team surrounded the trailer as Shehane barricaded himself inside.
After negotiations failed, “large amounts” of teargas were deployed inside the residence beginning at about 12:22 a.m. Monday . Shehane eventually surrendered about 2 a.m. Monday. He was booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail without bond.
Juvenile Justice: A Move Away From Detention For Some
June 19, 2012
Florida law enforcement and criminal justice officials say the use of civil citations for troubled youth, rather than a lock-up, is slashing costs, and giving kids a better chance of a turn-around, and they want the practice to become more widespread.
But civil citations also represent a new way of doing business that threatens contracts for more traditional providers – mainly those who run detention facilities.
A civil citation is offered in lieu of an arrest only kids who commit misdemeanors. They get one chance to avoid a criminal record that can affect their future educational, professional or military lives – what amounts to a lifelong punishment for an offense such as trespassing or fighting at school.
“We don’t want [youth] to go deeper into the criminal justice system, because it’s detrimental to them and it’s very expensive,” said Steve Casey, executive director of the Florida Sheriffs Association.
Roughly 40 programs statewide offer civil citations, which seek to target the roots of their delinquency through family counseling and substance abuse and mental health treatment.
Miami-Dade public defender Carlos Martinez, who has worked with civil citations for seven years, calls them “one of the most important innovations we’ve had in juvenile justice in the last decade” in his jurisdiction.
“It’s a critical issue in Florida,” he said, where – unlike most other states – if young people are arrested, they get fingerprinted – and their prints are forever on file at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“Children as young as five or six have been arrested, said Martinez, “and that information follows them for life, even if the case is dismissed in Florida, even if this person doesn’t have any future problems.”
What’s more, said David Utter, policy director at the Southern Poverty Law Center, often juveniles are arrested and then the charges evaporate, leaving them with criminal records. In 2010, he said, 11,300 young Floridians were arrested at school only to have their cases dismissed or diverted.
In Florida, criminal records are public records, so a youthful arrest – even if ultimately dismissed – can affect getting an apartment, not to mention a job.
“Future employers will look at it,” agreed Nancy Daniels, public defender for the Second Judicial Circuit and president of the Florida Public Defender Association.
According to a 2011 study by the Florida TaxWatch Center for Smart Justice, civil citation programs save taxpayers between $44 million and $139 million annually and reduce the number of youth in the juvenile justice system by 40 percent – 30,153 youngsters between 8 and 17. The study also showed reduced recidivism and the redirection of time and money to more pressing public safety concerns.
The state Department of Juvenile Justice is strongly behind civil citations, and its research shows that seven percent of youth who receive them go on to re-offend within a year, compared to nine percent of youth who re-offend after participating in prevention programs. Fully 99 percent of those who receive civil citations complete the programs, officials say.
“Eighty-six percent of the children are not violent,” said DJJ Secretary Wansley Walters, “and most are not even serious offenders.”
But while DJJ is working to get stakeholders on board, different jurisdictions have different approaches – teen courts, law enforcement agencies or private providers – to deal with juvenile delinquency.
“We have teen court because it’s so good,” said Scott Wilder, spokesman for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Wilder said the teen court program, which uses peer review to decide an offender’s punishment, also eliminates his or her arrest record. “That goes away for them.”
The FSA’s Casey said smaller counties with fewer resources aren’t able to do much in the way of youth diversion. “But DJJ can help, and they are helping,” he said.
Some say the stakeholders have a tendency to guard their turf, at least at first.
In Miami-Dade, said Martinez, there were “lots of challenges” when civil citations came in, “mainly because it was a brand new thing, mainly because it required law enforcement to give up some of the control over the prosecution of cases.
“You had to get everyone at the table discussing it – and actually, they had to see some successes – before pretty much all the police departments bought into civil citation,” he said.
“You’ve got to have buy-in from law enforcement,” agreed Daniels. Civil citations work “very well” in her circuit, she added, because “law enforcement was acclimated to it.”
Joe Clark, executive director of the Eckerd Family Foundation, said it takes at least a year for a new jurisdiction to figure out the civil citation system. However, he said, civil citations are working well in jurisdictions with mature programs.
“People are seeing it as a resource,” said Casey, “and more and more are availing themselves of it.”
By The News Service of Florida
Florida Democrats Outregistering GOP, Both Lagging Behind NPA’s
June 19, 2012
More Democrats than Republicans registered to vote in Florida in May, driven by women and Hispanics, according to state registration data released early by the Democratic Party.
Democrats said they registered 5,108 more voters in May than the Republican Party did, the fourth month in a row the party has led the GOP in new registrations.
The party released the favorable figures ahead of the state, which typically lags in its reporting of the data on its website.
The most recent official tally on the state’s elections website, from April, showed 4.5 million registered Democrats in the state and just under 4.1 million registered Republicans.
But when the May state data is released, the larger story is likely to continue to be that independents are outpacing both parties in recent registration.
The official April state registration report, the last available from the Division of Elections, shows Democrats registered just over 7,000 new voters that month compared to about 4,000 new Republicans.
But the number of no-party voters increased by nearly 15,000 in April, according to state figures, more than double the number of new Democrats. Another 500 or so new minor party voters registered. State figures in April showed 2.3 million Florida voters registered with no party and 342,000 with minor party affiliations.
The GOP regularly dismisses registration figures as meaningless because of the large amount of cross-over voting, particularly in north Florida where many Democrats often vote for Republican candidates.
Democrats, on the other hand, say national politics have pushed women and Hispanics toward the party and also say Republican Gov. Rick Scott’s generally low popularity numbers have helped registration efforts. Democrats say the state figures for May will show their party with a 12 percent registration advantage among Hispanics and a 14 percent advantage among women.
Registration closes July 16 for voters who want to vote in the Aug. 14 primary election. Voters can continue to register until Oct. 9 to be eligible to vote in the Nov. 6 general election.
By The News Service of Florida
Ensley SWAT Standoff Ends Peacefully, Suspect Arrested
June 18, 2012
A SWAT standoff in Ensley ended with an Escambia County man behind bars.
Morrington Decarlos Adams, 37, was charged with battery, aggravated battery and kidnapping false imprisonment following the incident on Calahan Place.
Deputies responded to the 7800 block of Calahan Plance where they found a female sitting outside on the sidewalk with a gash on the back of her head. She told deputies that she and Adams had a dispute inside the residence, and he struck her in the head with a glass bottle.
Deputies later attempted to make contact with Adams who would not come to the door. Information was received that Adams was possible armed with a firearm in the home, according to Sheriff’s Office spokesman Matt Baxter.. The SWAT team was activated and responded to the scene, along with negotiators. After Adams failed to respond to the numerous attempts by negotiators to have him step outside , the SWAT team deployed gas into the home. Moments later Adams exited and surrendered.
Adams is being held in the Escambia County Jail.
Pictured: A SWAT team standoff in Ensley Monday afternoon. Reader submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escapee Caught Quickly
June 18, 2012
A woman that attempted an escape did not enjoy freedom very long before she was back behind bars.
Lori Ann Carrell, 48, was apprehended shortly after authorities said she ran out of work release Friday. Deputies responded to the facility after workers were searching
Carrell and a package of pills fell to the floor from her waistband.
Carrell began to struggle with the workers as they were attempting to secure the pills and handcuff Carrell. After Carrell was handcuffed, she sat down whole other prisoners were being searched. That is when deputies said Carrell fled the facility.
Moments later, Carrell was located in the back parking lot of the nearby Town and Country Plaza and taken into custody without further incident.
Carrell was charged with escape, introduction of contraband into a detention facility, tampering with evidence and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. She remains in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $26,000.