District Attorney Employee Gets Prison For Forgery, Ethics Violation
May 10, 2012
A former worthless check coordinator for the Escambia County (Ala.) District Attorney’s office has been sentenced for felony ethics and second degree forgery convictions. Monica Lynn Watson pleaded guilty on April 16, just before her trial was set to begin.
For each of the two counts, Watson was sentenced concurrently to six years. Her sentence was split to serve 24 months which will follow a six-month probationary period. She was also ordered to perform 300 hours of community service and to pay a fine of $1,500 along with the costs of court. A review hearing is scheduled for November 13.
Watson pleaded guilty to the intentional misuse of her public position for unlawful personal gain through the mishandling of funds in the worthless check unit and to second-degree forgery of a motion that purported to be signed by the District Attorney for the dismissal of a case against a defendant.
“This case involves extensive documentation from the Examiners of Public Accounts of misuse of funds totaling $10,259,” said Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange. “It is important that this defendant is being held to account and punished for her crimes for betraying the public trust and abusing government funds.”
Charges against Watson arose from information in an audit of the Escambia County (Ala.) District Attorney’s Office conducted in 2008 by the Examiners of Public Accounts, covering the period of September 1, 2006, to May 31, 2008. Discrepancies in funds of the Worthless Check Unit (WCU) led to further inquiries, which uncovered money orders that had been received by the District Attorney’s Office but not receipted in the WCU.
It was discovered that two money orders had been deposited into Watson’s credit union account. Furthermore, there was no record in WCU records for certain people who had paid cash to and had handwritten receipts from Watson, but the receipts were logged in under someone else’s name. The Examiners’ audit also cites Watson for filing motions to dismiss cases saying that those defendants had paid all money they owed when they had not, and that the motions were stamped with the District Attorney’s name. According to the audit, $10,259 was stolen from the WCU, which Watson initially refused but later repaid.
Watson faced a potential penalty of two to 20 years imprisonment for the ethics violation, which is a class B felony, and one to 10 years for second-degree forgery, a class C felony.
Elections, Highway Officials Flag Possible Ineligible Voters
May 10, 2012
State elections officials are working with the agency that licenses drivers to identify voters illegally on the rolls because they aren’t citizens, and has already flagged 2,600 people who are registered but may be ineligible, Secretary of State Ken Detzner said Wednesday.
Detzner said the Department of State, which includes the Division of Elections, started working more than a year ago with the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles on the project. New rules now require anyone getting a new driver license or renewing their license or state ID card to submit documentation proving their status as legal residents of the country.
With that requirement and other elements of the DHSMV system, elections officials can compare databases to find voters that may not be citizens.
A statement released by Detzner’s office said the names of more than 2,600 voters who may not be citizens have been identified through the new process and sent to county elections supervisors for further review. If found to be ineligible, they would then be removed from voter rolls.
“Our partnership with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles will be instrumental in our efforts to ensure the accuracy of Florida’s voter rolls, not only this year but in the years to follow,” Detzner said. “Florida voters need to know only eligible citizens can cast a ballot and we’re doing everything in our power to ensure that is the case.”
The prospect of large numbers of ineligible voters has driven the move to make it harder to register to vote and to cast a ballot – which is a key point of contention between those who say the government’s main role in elections is to prevent fraud to ensure their legitimacy, and those who say the government should primarily be concerned with making sure those who are eligible can easily sign up and vote. Voters who cast illegal ballots can be charged with felony fraud.
People who are flagged as possibly ineligible would be notified and have 30 days to show that they are legally allowed to vote, said Chris Cate, Department of State spokesman. “And if they can’t prove that they are a U.S. citizen, they will be removed from the rolls.”
Cate said it’s not clear yet how accurate the first batch of names is, because possibly ineligible voters’ names have only recently been sent to county supervisors, and individuals haven’t had a chance to challenge their inclusion in the list.
“We certainly want to err on the side of the voter, and not remove anybody who is eligible,” said Cate. “So we want to make sure everyone has the opportunity to prove that they are indeed a citizen and prove that they can vote.”
But voting rights advocates are skeptical, and the head of the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union said the state was trying to drum up fear of fraud to bolster its defense of a new voting law that makes it harder to register voters and puts some new requirements in place for those who want to change an address during certain times. The changes were made by lawmakers who said they were needed to reduce fraud. The law is now being challenged in federal court.
“Of course we should be able to have confidence in the integrity of the voter rolls, and anyone not eligible should be removed and not permitted to vote,” said Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida. “But the people of Florida are smart enough to see this for what it is: a PR offensive to bolster the State’s legal posture in federal court in Tallahassee and Washington.”
Simon said the new law is a “radical voter suppression measure” that is based on fraud that “did not exist.”
Many of the possible ineligible voters are in Miami-Dade County. Local media there reported this week that the supervisor of elections in that county had been sent about 2,000 names for checking.
State officials say they’re doing a secondary check after getting a match and before sending the information to local officials, trying to cross-reference the person with information from other state and federal databases, including immigration databases, that may solidify the information.
Cate said the first search turned up 1,200 matches and the second 1,400, and that he expected there would be more as the program continues. Most are people who are flagged by HSMV as being in the United States for a short time – which means they likely haven’t become citizens.
By The News Service of Florida
Charges Filed In Fatal DUI Crash
May 10, 2012
A Pace man has been charged for the death of a 19-year old killed in a single vehicle traffic accident April 25 southeast of Jay.
Calan Floyd Lewis, 23, was arrested Wednesday and charged with DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide. He was being held in the Santa Rosa County Jail without bond.
Jasmine Celest Wuesthoff of Pace was pronounced dead at the scene of the 2:04 a.m. crash near the intersection of Sandy Landing Road and Mineral Springs Road, about a mile from the Sandy Landing Boat Ramp on the Escambia River.
She was a passenger in a 1997 Chevrolet Blazer driven by Lewis. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Lewis was eastbound on Sandy Landing Road, when he lost control. The Blazer began to spin and ran off onto the north shoulder of the roadway where it hit several trees and shrubs. The vehicle then came to rest upside down on top of the trees and shrubs.
Neither the driver or passenger were wearing a seat belt.
Stolen Historic Century High Class Ring Found In Yard Sale Items
May 10, 2012
Members of the Alger-Sullivan Historical Society in Century received a bit of surprise recently when a class ring stolen from their museum years ago was unexpectedly returned.
The gold Century High School Class of 1995 ring belonged to Dick Erwin, principal during the final year at Century High School. It has been displayed in one of the historical society’s museums before it was stolen.
Jerry Fischer of the Alger-Sullivan Historical Society said the ring was discovered by an area pastor in some items he purchased at a yard sale and then returned historical society for display.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Drop 3 In A Row
May 10, 2012
A trio of wild pitches from Blue Wahoos pitchers in the bottom of the seventh led to four runs as the Mississippi Braves took their third straight from Pensacola with a 5-3 win. For Mississippi, the victory secured a win in the five-game series.
The Blue Wahoos broke a 1-1 tie in the top of the seventh when Ryan LaMarre singled home Cody Puckett and Yordanys Perez to give Pensacola a 3-1 advantage.
Wahoos starter Daniel Corcino cruised through the first six innings allowing just one earned run. The right-hander exited after issuing a leadoff walk which started the four-run answer to the Wahoos top of the inning rally. Clayton Tanner (0-2) came in and faced two batters in relief of Corcino. He walked one and gave up a hit to another and threw a wild pitch which led to a run. Drew Hayes came in following Tanner and uncorked a pair of wild pitches. The first scored Adam Milligan from third, and the second scored two runners. Barrett Kleinknecht scored from third base and Andrelton Simmons scored from second giving the Braves a 5-3 lead. All four seventh inning runs the Braves scored, came home on wild pitches.
Tanner ended up taking the loss, while Cory Rasmus (1-0) got credit for the win out of the Braves bullpen. Mark Lamm (4) worked a perfect ninth to earn the save. David Hale started for the Braves and was charged will all three Blue Wahoos runs after working 6.1 innings. He gave up six hits, he walked three and he fanned three batters.
LaMarre was the bright spot for the Blue Wahoos offensively. He went 3-for-3 with a run scored and two RBI. He was the only Pensacola hitter with a multi-hit game.
The two teams wrap up the series on Thursday. The Blue Wahoos will send right-hander Tim Crabbe (1-2, 5.72) to the mound against Braves righty Gary Moran (0-1, 4.30). First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m. from Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss.
By Tommy Thrall
Half Of Man’s Ear Bitten Off In Fight Over Woman
May 9, 2012
An Atmore man is charged with biting off half another man’s ear during a fight over a woman in Bratt.
Brian Craig Sims, age 41 of Marshall Avenue, was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and criminal mischief for the incident on McElhaney Road.
The victim told Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies that Sims knocked on the door of his fifth-wheel travel trailer. When he opened the door, Sims then attacked the victim — hitting him in the head with a two-inch thick stick, trying to choke him and biting off half of the victim’s left ear while he was in a headlock, according to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrest report.
A female in the trailer with the victim said she had previously dated Sims for 2.5 years and that he was very jealous.
After deputies interviewed the victim during treatment at Atmore Community Hospital, they were able to find the other half of his ear at his residence on McElhaney Road, according to the arrest report. Deputies said they contacted the hospital and they advised that they would be unable to reattach the ear.
Sims was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $16,000 bond.
Jay Lady Royals Fall In State Championship Game
May 9, 2012
The Jay Lady Royals may have finished second Tuesday in the Class 1A State Championship game in Clermont, Florida, but they were still big winners in the eyes of the little Santa Rosa County town.
The Lady Royals finished their season at a respectable 21-4. It was the first ever appearance in a softball state championship game for Jay. And Tuesday’s 12-9 loss to Lafayette set a couple of records. The 21 total runs were the most ever scored in a FHSAA state final softball game. And Jay’s nine runs were the most ever scored by a second place team.
Only one Pensacola area team has ever brought home a state softball championship — that was Pace with the 5A crown in 2007. Jay joins just one other Escambia or Santa Rosa team to ever finish as a class runner-up — Tate (5A) in 2001.
Lafayette 12 — Jay 9
Lafayette jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first, but Jay answered to tie it at 3-3 by the end of the inning. Camille Driver and Michaela Stewart had RBI singles, while Syndney Lowery had a bases loaded walk. The inning ended for the Royals with the bases loaded.
The Hornets took a 5-3 lead in the third, as Jay was three up and three down.
The fourth ended with Lafayette with a 8-4 lead. The Lady Royals scored with a sacrifice fly from Samantha Steadham.
The fifth added a lot of excitement to the state championship game as it evened up 9-9. Jay had consecutive RBI singles from Becca Calloway and Camille Driver, and Tessa Hendricks was on an infield grounder. Olivia Wright had a two-run single for the tie.
But the Hornets stung again in with three runs, 12-9.
Pictured top: The Jay Lady Royals. Pictured inset: Tearful senior captains Tessa Hendricks and Becca Calloway tearfully accept their runner up trophy. Pictured below: A group of Jay fans made the long road trip to Clermont Tuesday to cheer on the Lady Royals. Submitted photos by Tori Reid for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
20 Arrested, 17 More Wanted For Escambia Copper Thefts
May 9, 2012
The Escambia County Sheriff’s office has arrested 20 suspects in a copper theft ring, and deputies are still searching for 17 additional suspects.
Most of the arrests were related to copper thefts and burglaries in the West Pensacola area, according to Deputy Matt Baxter, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. None of the arrests or outstanding warrants are related to copper thefts in the North Escambia area, including incidents last year where copper was stripped from air conditioning units at the Davisville and Byrneville community centers.
For mugshots and charges of those arrested and those wanted on outstanding warrants as of Tuesday afternoon, click here.
North Escambia Residents Sentenced In $1 Million Prisoner Tax Refund Scam
May 9, 2012
Two Cantonment residents were among four people sentenced Tuesday morning in federal court for their involvement in a fraudulent prisoner income tax refund scheme.
The sentencings of Mary Hobbs Blair, age 62 of Cantonment, Carter Hassman, age 49 currently in the Santa Rosa County Jail, Nikki Kight are 44 of Cantonment, and Michael “Elton” Blair of Gulf Breeze were announced by Pamela C. Marsh, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
For his plea of guilty as to count one of the indictment, which charged all defendants with conspiracy to defraud the government with respect to false claims, Hassman was sentenced to the statutory maximum of 10 years in prison by Senior United States District Judge Lacey Collier. Judge Collier also ordered Hassman to pay restitution to the government in the amount of $962,853.
For his plea of guilty as to Count One of the indictment, which charged all defendants with conspiracy to defraud the government with respect to false claims, Hassman was sentenced to the statutory maximum of 10 years in prison by Senior United States District Judge Lacey Collier. Judge Collier also ordered Hassman to pay restitution to the government in the amount of $962,853.
In recognition of her substantial assistance to the government, Mary Hobbs Blair was sentenced to serve 52 months in prison and pay restitution to the government in the amount of $962,853. Mary Blair pleaded guilty to all 37 counts of the indictment on February 22, 2012.
For their guilty pleas to count one of the indictment, Kight and Elton Blair were each placed on probation for 60 months by the court. Judge Collier ordered Elton Blair to pay $85,691 and Kight to pay $55,231 in restitution to the government.
The federal indictment alleges that beginning around January 2007, the five individuals and others filed fraudulent tax returns using the names and social security numbers of inmates housed in the Florida Department of Corrections, along with those of other individuals who were not incarcerated.
As part of the scheme, Mary Blair, Rabeau, Kight and Elton Blair’s home addresses were listed on the tax returns, so IRS refund checks would be mailed to them. According to federal investigators.
As part of the scheme, false and nonexistent businesses were listed as the purported employers, listing fraudulent wages and withholding amounts for time periods in which the inmates were incarcerated. It is alleged that during the course of the scheme the defendants and others filed and filed 223 false and fraudulent federal income tax returns, which falsely claimed approximately $954,795 in fraudulent tax refunds. The refunds were then deposited into Mary Blair’s bank accounts.
A fifth defendant, Thomas Rabeau of Brandon, FL, will be sentenced May 25.
Yep – That Was A Banana Car
May 9, 2012
Bet you looked twice. Yep. That was a big banana car slipping along in Flomaton and splitting down Highway 29 through North Escambia on Tuesday. The official name of the vehicle is (are you ready for this?) – Big Banana Car.
It’s operated by two brothers that thought the idea of a car that looked like a banana was appealing. Actually they first considered a peanut, but later felt shorted by a bag of 59 cent peanuts that only contained 218 peanuts when their previous bag contained 223. Seriously, it drove them nuts.
“I wrote a stern letter to the company asking them to account for this deplorable discrepancy but never heard anything back,” said Steve Braithwaite, driver and builder. “I no longer wanted to build a big peanut car.”
Then a few days later, he picked up a banana at a convenience store and he was ripe with ideas. He’d always loved all things yellow and had fallen in love with yellow hot rods after the movie “American Graffiti”.
“As I viewed it from all sides I started to see that it would be a perfect shape for a car. I pictured where the wheels would go and where the occupants would sit. Where the engine and bumpers would fit,” Braithwaite said.
“Why not build an enormous banana car and drive it around the world?”
The Big Banana Car will peel out of the Pensacola area today, headed toward a night stop in New Orleans. By May 12, they will slide into New Orleans for the 25th Annual Art Car Parade.
Reader submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
