Arrest In Murder of Domino’s Pizza Driver
June 9, 2012
A suspect is in custody in the murder of a 19-year old pizza delivery driver outside an Escambia County Domino’s Pizza.
Gary Demeatric Harrison, age 44 of Pensacola, is accused of attacking Tyler John Hinkle, a 2010 West Florida High School graduate, outside the Domino’s Pizza at 27 North Navy Boulevard on September 24, 2011. Hinkle was able to walk into the restaurant to seek help from co-workers before he collapsed and died a short time later at Baptist Hospital.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office attempted to serve an arrest warrant on Harrison at his home Friday morning. While investigators were attempting to cuff Harrison, he was able to push away from them and flee on foot.
The manhunt lasted about an hour before Harrison was apprehended by K-9 Argo in a wooded area near 519 Paula Avenue. Harrison was transported to a local hospital where he was treated for minor injuries.
Harrison is being held without bond in the Escambia County Jail on the homicide warrant and an additional charge of resiting arrest.
Lawsuit Challenges Florida’s Voter Purge
June 9, 2012
Two naturalized citizens and a Hispanic advocacy group filed suit in federal court Friday to block elections officials from purging the state voting rolls of individuals suspected of being non-citizens.
Backed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida and the Lawyer’s Committee on Civil Rights Under Law, voters Murat Limage and Pamela Gomez and the Mi Familia Vota Education Fund said the purge violates the federal Voting Rights Act.
The state didn’t get the green light for the project from the U.S. Justice Department, which must preclear changes to voting laws and rules in five counties under the VRA because of a history of racial or language-based discrimination.
State officials have argued that approval is unnecessary; the Justice Department has already begun looking into the initiative.
“This is precisely why Congress has re-enacted, and why we continue to need, the Voting Rights Act — to prevent state officials from interfering with the constitutional rights of minorities,” ACLU Executive Director Howard Simon said in a statement announcing the suit. “We now look to the courts to stop the Scott administration from assaulting democracy by denying American citizens the right to vote.”
Gov. Rick Scott and Secretary of State Ken Detzner have defended the purge, which relies on a state database of driver’s license information to find likely non-citizens. Those names are then sent to the supervisors of elections, some of whom have contended the scrub is illegal, or at least faulty, and some of them have refused to carry it out.
Detzner’s office said it would review the lawsuit.
Supervisors of both parties have said some of those named on the list are actually U.S. citizens. State officials have countered that supervisors haven’t remove those people, so the check is working as intended.
“We are not aware of any eligible voters who have been removed from the voter rolls as a result of our efforts to ensure the integrity of Florida elections,” state Division of Elections spokesman Chris Cate said in an email.
But in continuing to push for the purge, the plaintiffs say, the state is making it more likely someone will be wrongly removed.
“Defendant is proceeding to implement the new voter purge procedures notwithstanding: 1) widely-reported information showing that the targeting procedure is highly inaccurate; 2) strong opposition from numerous Florida county Supervisors of Elections; and 3) formal notice by the United States Department of Justice that Defendant’s implementation of the procedures appear to violate Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act,” the lawsuit says.
While Gomez hasn’t actually received a letter notifying her that she could be removed from the rolls, she says she is concerned that the purge could target her because she got a driver’s license before becoming a citizen. Limage did receive a letter.
“When I received the letter saying that they had information that I may not be a citizen, I was concerned that someone was taking away my citizenship,” he said in the ACLU news release. “I’m an American which means I can vote and that’s all I want to do.”
By The News Service of Florida
Video: Watch BP Burglary
June 8, 2012
Surveillance video from burglary at Davisville BP about 9:20 p.m. on June 7, 2012.
Caught On Video: Davisville BP Burglarized
June 8, 2012
A burglary Thursday night at a Davisville convenience store is under investigation.
When the clerk at the Korner Kwik Stop (BP) on Highway 97 in Davisville reported for work about 4:30 Friday morning, she found that someone had broken out a window of the store. The store’s surveillance video shows a white male busting out the window about 9:20 p.m. Thursday, just after the store closed at 9 p.m.
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For a photo gallery showing the burglary and the investigation, click here.
The man arrives in a white extended cab pickup truck with an emblem or phrase over the front windshield. He parks in front of the store and spends several minutes in the truck. He exits and takes 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. He also tries unsuccessfully to push buttons in order to open the cash register.
While inside the store, he is seen using what appears to be towel in his hand in attempt not to leave fingerprints, but he can be seen on the video touching several items without the towel.
He was wearing a light colored t-shirt, long shorts that may have been swim shorts, flip-flops and has a striped towel over his head. At one point, the towel slips off his head showing most of this face on the video.
He appeared to flee the scene in the white pickup southbound on Highway 97.
The burglary is under investigation by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. A crime scene technician processing the scene was observed taking blood samples from the broken glass and apparently removing multiple fingerprints from the scene Friday morning.
Anyone with information about the burglary is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP (7867) or the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620.
NorthEscambia.com will post the surveillance video later today showing the burglar in action.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
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Lottery Winner Claims Prize; $81K Ticket Sold In North Escambia
June 8, 2012
The man that won over $80,000 with the correct numbers on a Fantasy 5 ticket sold in Davisville has claimed his prize.
According to lottery officials, Freddie Smitherman of Clanton, Ala., claimed his share of the June 1 prize Thursday at the Florida Lottery Pensacola District Office.
Smitherman received the winnings in a one-time, lump-sum payment of $81,429.14. His top prize-winning ticket was sold at State Line Gift Shop, on Highway 97 at the Florida/Alabama state line.
Pictured: Freddie Smitherman of Clanton, Ala., poses with his wife Thursday after claiming his winnings at the Florida Lottery District Office in Pensacola. He purchases his winning ticket in the June 1 drawing in North Escambia. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Three Teens Arrested In Escambia Vehicle Burglary Spree
June 8, 2012
Three teens have been arrested in connection with a string of about 40 car burglaries this week in the area of Johnson Avenue and Burgess Road.
All three suspects were recently arrested on unrelated charges and were subsequently identified through fingerprints and interviews conducted by investigators, according to Sgt. Ted Roy, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The suspects, 16-year old Broderick D. Williams 16, 17-year old Kenneth C. Mason, and 15-year old Marquis D. Bryant, all of Pensacola, are facing multiple vehicle burglary charges and vehicle theft charges stemming from the burglary spree.
The investigation is ongoing and leads are being developed on other suspects, Roy said.
Cantonment Man Charged With Twice Threatening To Kill Deputies
June 8, 2012
A Cantonment man has been charged with twice threatening to kill an Escambia County Sheriff’s deputy.
Roney Gailyard, age 53 of Cedar Tree Lane, was charged with two counts of felony counts of corruption by threat against a public servant and a misdemeanor count of trespassing.
According to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrest report, Gailyard was “trespass warned” Wednesday morning and told to stay away from the Regions Bank on Nine Mile Road near Highway 29. After deputies checked his identification, his ID card was returned to him, and he was told to leave the property and stay away.
About two minutes later, Gailyard proceeded back onto the property and attempted to enter the bank, telling deputies that he forgot his identification. He was placed under arrest for trespassing.
On the way to the jail, Gailyard became very irate in the back of the patrol car and began screaming racial slurs and obscenities, according to the report. Gailyard then made an obscenity-laced threat to kill the deputies if they were to ever try to arrest him again. He then repeated the threat to the two deputies in the patrol car at least two more more times, the arrest report states.
Jim Allen Elementary Awards List
June 8, 2012
Jim Allen Elementary School has announced the following award winners from the 2011-2012 school year:
District Student of the Year
- Lauren Martin
Tropicana Speech Contest
- 3rd place- Aaron Allen
- 2nd place- Alex Williamson
- 1st place- Makenna Stafford- She competed in the District Speech contest and placed Honorable Mention.
Shining Star Award Winner
- Logan Nelson
Cox Inspirational Student Hero Award Winner
- Destiney Lindsey
Jim Allen Elementary School Award of Excellence
- Alex Williamson
Perfect Attendance Kindergarten through 5th grade
- Mykell Bryant
Sunshine Mathematics District Competition, 2nd place
- James Shufelt
- Dillon Conti
- Kenzi Wiley
- Elena Nicole Lucci
5th grade FCAT Mathematics Test Perfect Score
- Tristan Key
- Gregory Williamson
4th grade FCAT Mathematics Test Perfect Score
- Madison Couture
- Anthony Green
- Cameron Reece
3rd grade FCAT Reading Test Perfect Score
- Andrew Robinson
3rd grade FCAT Mathematics Test Perfect Score
- Randall Boyette
- Andrew Robinson
- Charlie Wine
President’s Award for Academic Excellence
2012 5th grade class
- Aaron Allen
- Jazmin Brown
- Jacob Bryant
- Gracie Cole
- Dillon Conti
- Cartier Cook
- Michelle Cook
- Amber DeCoux
- Kayla Doten
- Cody Glass
- Ethan Helms
- Christopher Johnson
- Jolie Johnson
- Jacob Joyner
- Tristan Key
- Nicole Lucci
- Levi McDonald
- Aiden Mills
- Logan Nelson
- A.J. Norman
- Janine Northington
- Hunter Riggan
- Jim Shufelt
- Makenna Stafford
- Cassidy Stevens
- Jack Teague
- Noah Tucker
- Alexandria Whaley
- Kenzi Wiley
- Aizlin Williams
- Alex Williamson
Man Indicted For 2009 Murder
June 8, 2012
An Escambia County man was indicted Thursday on murder charges.
An Escambia County grand jury returned the indictment charging Joseph Rhashawn McNeil with first degree premeditated murder or felony murder for the death of Derry Dickerson.
Dickerson was stabbed in his own home on Crescent Drive on October 9, 2009. Investigators said McNeil stabbed Dickerson several times and took beer and money from Dickerson. During the investigation and forensic tests, McNeil was developed as a suspect and subsequently charged, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
He was arrested late last month in Pollock, LA.
Century Correctional Brightens The Day At Century Care
June 8, 2012
Staff from Century Correctional Institution delivered sunflowers grown at the prison facility to the residents at Century Care Center.
“It was so kind of them to bring summertime to Century Care Center,” Century Care Center Activities Director Mae Hildreth said. “Sunflowers have always reminded me of a smiling face. They can cheer up the gloomiest of days, just by looking at them.”
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge
