FDLE: Overall Crime Up In Escambia, Santa Rosa
May 1, 2012
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement released their 2011 Annual Uniform Crime Report Monday, showing an increase in crime in both Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
In Escambia County, the overall crime index was up 3.7 percent. Murders, forcible rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults were all down. Burglaries, larceny and motor vehicle theft were up. The overall crime rate jumped 7.9 percent while the percent of crimes cleared dropped by 2.5 percent.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, which provides law enforcement in North Escambia, had a crime index increase of 1 percent, while the Pensacola Police Department reported an 13.2 percent increase in the crime rate. The overall crime rate increased 4.9 percent for the area served by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, while the crime rate jumped 18.5 percent in the Pensacola Police Department’s jurisdiction. The Escambia Sheriff’s Office cleared 20.6 percent of crimes, while the Pensacola PD cleared 38.3 percent of crimes.
In Santa Rosa County, the total crime index was up 16.5 percent. Murders, forcible rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults decreased. Burglaries, larceny and motor vehicle theft were up. The overall rate increased 9.9 percent, while the percent of crimes cleared fell by 1.9 percent.
Pictured top: Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies look for a suspect following the December 2011 robbery of a store manager in Century. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Smith Calls For Stand Your Ground Reform On Eve Of Scott Task Force
May 1, 2012
As a task force formed by Gov. Rick Scott to review the “stand your ground” law prepares for its first meeting on Tuesday, a rival panel convened by Democratic state Sen. Chris Smith found that the law needs significant revision.
“We took an adult look at ’stand your ground,’ and we had adult discussions – not political,” Smith said Monday. “And I think we’re giving good direction to the Legislature on what should be done.”
Some panelists called for an outright appeal of “stand your ground,” but Smith said there wasn’t enough support to make that recommendation.
The recommendations call for lawmakers to require a grand jury review of “stand your ground” cases and to let law enforcement officers detain those who claim the law as a defense while an investigation is conducted.
“That’s what we mean by ambiguity – and a little bit of the absurdity of this law,” Smith said. “If you’re standing there and someone’s dead, to have police have to wonder, ‘Can I detain this person?’ is a concern.”
Smith said he started his own task force on April 5 after tiring of waiting for Scott to act on the Feb. 26 shooting of unarmed black teen Trayvon Martin and the delay in arresting acknowledged shooter George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer.
Since then, special prosecutor Angela Corey has charged Zimmerman with second-degree murder, and Scott has named a panel chaired by Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, who voted for the 2005 “stand your ground” law while serving in the Legislature.
Meanwhile Smith, a Fort Lauderdale Democrat, convened an 18-member panel of lawyers, judges and law professors, and on Monday released their report.
He’s also pushing for a special session of the Legislature to review and amend the law.
“I think it’s still a public safety concern,” he said.
Smith said he will give the recommendations to Scott, Carroll, the members of the governor’s task force and Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island.
Critics of the Scott panel say it’s top-heavy with supporters of the National Rifle Association, which spearheaded the effort to make Florida the first state in the nation to adopt the “stand your ground” legislation.
Last week state Rep. Dwight Bullard, D-Miami, asked Scott to change the composition of his task force by removing at least one of the legislators who backed the law. That could be House sponsor Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, or Sen. David Simmons, R-Maitland, who co-sponsored the law.
Smith, Bullard, Sen. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa and other black lawmakers say they have tried to become members of the Scott panel, to no avail.
“We have tapped a diverse and qualified group to carefully review our laws and our policies,” Scott said on April 19, announcing his selections. None of his appointees are lawmakers who favor gun control.
Smith said he’d requested the opportunity to give the recommendations directly to the panel Tuesday, but was told no public comment would be part of the inaugural meeting.
His panel’s recommendations are broken down into unanimous, consensus and minority findings.
These findings of the Smith task force were unanimous:
-Cases should be presented to a grand jury to allow for a cross section of society to determine what a reasonable person would do in that case.-Educate the public and law enforcement.-Create a system to track self-defense claims in Florida.-Add language requiring an “imminent” danger provision throughout the statute.-Change the “Defense of Others” wording in the law’s title to “Defense of Property.”-Allow law enforcement to detain someone who uses the Stand Your Ground defense while they investigate.
Consensus findings included eliminating the presumption of reasonable fear and clarifying the role of provocation in the law’s application.
By The News Service of Florida
Elderly Man Struck By Utility Trailer In Bratt
May 1, 2012
An elderly man was injured when he was struck by a utility trailer Monday afternoon near Bratt.
The 76-year old man’s wife reportedly backed the trailer into him while the couple was working to remove limbs from an area deep into a wooded area. First responders said the accident occurred in the woods about a half mile behind their residence on Ribgy Road near Still Road.
The man’s injuries were not considered life threatening; he was transported by ambulance to Atmore Community Hospital.
The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and Atmore Ambulance also responded to the call.
Pictured top: An ambulance leaves a wooded area were an elderly man was struck by a utility trailer Monday afternoon near Bratt. Pictured below: the utility trailer the reportedly struck the man. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia Man Wanted For Hit-and-run Fatality
May 1, 2012
The Florida Highway Patrol is actively looking for an Escambia County man wanted in an April 20 traffic death.
According to the FHP, 28-year old Ryan A. Welch was traveling south on W Street approaching La Rua Street when he struck bicyclist Robert L. Bell, Jr, 32. Welch then fled the scene. Bell died at Sacred Heart Hospital on April 27 as a result of the crash.
Warrants have been issued for Welch charging him with leaving the scene of a crash with death and culpable negligence by vehicle. He is actively avoiding apprehension, according to the FHP.
Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Ryan A. Welch is asked to call their local law enforcement agency Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Family Appeals To Community To Donate Platelets For Robert Stewart
May 1, 2012
The family of a Bratt man is appealing to the North Escambia community to donate the blood platelets he needs at a critical stage in his battle against cancer.
Robert Stewart, the former chief of the Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department, is in the ICU at Baptist Hospital in Pensacola. According to his daughter, Kelly Stewart Kennedy, Robert is in need of A-positive platelets.
Potential platelet donors are asked to call Northwest Florida Blood Services at (850) 473-3853 to schedule an appointment time. According to Betty Roberts, spokesperson for Northwest Florida Blood Services, an appointment is necessary to make a platelet donation because the process takes about an hour and 45 minutes.
Donors should mention that their donations are for Robert Stewart. If the platelets are unneeded by Robert or are of the wrong blood type, they will still be used to help in the community, Roberts said. Platelets, with a shelf life of just five days, are often used for cancer patients and premature babies.
Donors must be 18 or older (16 or 17 with parental permission), at least 110 pounds and generally in good health.
Pictured top: Robert Stewart teaches fire safety to students at Bratt Elementary School in October, 2011. Pictured inset: Robert Stewart speaks at a 2009 Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department event. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Small Plane Crash Lands In Chumuckla, No Injuries
April 30, 2012
No injuries were reported when a small plane crash landed near Chumuckla in northern Santa Rosa County Monday afternoon.
The plane crash landed in a pasture just north of a private landing strip near Chumuckla about 3:25 p.m. and then caught fire. There were no injuries.
The single engine plane had just made a takeoff from the landing strip near 10 Mile and Skyhawk roads, according to witnesses
Multiple fire departments including Allentown, Pace and NAS Whiting Field responded to the fire, which did not threaten any structures.
Pictured: A small plane burns after crash landing in Chumuckla Monday afternoon. Photo courtesy WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
No Injuries In Molino Crash
April 30, 2012
There were no injuries in a two vehicle crash Monday morning in Molino.
The accident happened at the intersection of Highway 95A and Phillips Road, across from Highland Baptist Church. The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. Further details have not been released.
The Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded to the crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Drought Continues, Federal Disaster Loans Available
April 30, 2012
Spring is off to a dry start as farmers plant their crops, and time is running out to apply for federal economic injury disaster loans available in Florida as a result last year’s drought.
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor map shows the area in a moderate to severe drought — a drought that has persisted about a year. Most of Escambia County in Florida is in a moderate drought, while the northern area of Santa Rosa County is in a severe drought.
Last year, Escambia and Santa Rosa counties were declared federal disaster areas due to the combined effect of excessive drought and the summer’s high temperatures. Many farmers lost a large percentage of their crops to the dry soils.
Small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private non-profit organizations of all sizes have a May 21 deadline to apply for federal disaster loans related to the 2011 drought. While the federal disaster area was southern Alabama, the loans are also available in Florida counties including Escambia and Santa Rosa.
“These counties are eligible because they are contiguous to one or more primary counties in Alabama. The Small Business Administration recognizes that disasters do not usually stop at county or state lines. For that reason, counties adjacent to primary counties named in the declaration are included,” said Frank Skaggs, director of SBA’s Field Operations Center East in Atlanta.
“When the Secretary of Agriculture issues a disaster declaration to help farmers recover from damages and losses to crops, the Small Business Administration issues a declaration to eligible entities affected by the same disaster,” Skaggs added.
Under this declaration, the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program is available to eligible farm-related and nonfarm-related entities that suffered financial losses as a direct result of this disaster. With the exception of aquaculture enterprises, SBA cannot provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, but nurseries are eligible to apply for economic injury disaster loans for losses caused by drought conditions.
About the Disaster Loans
The loan amount can be up to $2 million with a 4 percent interest rate for eligible small businesses and 3 percent for non-profit organizations with terms up to 30 years. The SBA determines eligibility based on the size of the applicant, type of activity and its financial resources. Loan amounts and terms are set by the SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition. These working capital loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills that could have been paid had the disaster not occurred. The loans are not intended to replace lost sales or profits.
Disaster loan information and application forms may be obtained by calling the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing) or by sending an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Loan applications can be downloaded from the SBA’s website at www.sba.gov . Completed applications should be mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.
Pictured top: Many area farmers have turned to late afternoon and overnight irrigation on growing crops, like this corn field being irrigated at sunset in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Alabama Attorney General Takes Aim At Indian Gaming
April 30, 2012
Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange is asking the National Indian Gaming Commission to prohibit electronic bingo machines that are slot machine-like at Indian casinos in the state.
Indian casinos in the state, including Wind Creek in Atmore, are prohibited from offering Las-Vegas style Class III games because there is no agreement allowing them with the state. Bingo games, known as Class II gambling games, are allowed.
“In Alabama, the Poarch Band of Creek Indians operate Class II gambling that approximates the same kind of slot machine gambling that one might find in Las Vegas or Atlantic City,” Strange wrote in his letter to the Indian Gaming Commission.
“The Tribe’s ability to obscure the line between Class II and III makes it harder for my office to enforce Alabama law outside of Indian land. Alabama citizens are understandably confused when Indian tribes are allowed to call their Class III slot machines ‘bingo,’ but gambling promoters within the State’s jurisdiction cannot use the same gimmick,” Strange wrote.
According to Strange, proposed Class II gambling game rules “do nothing to give teeth to the important distinction” between what is a bingo game and what is a slot machine.
Historically, Strange has argued that the slot machine-like games offered by the Poarch Creek Indians are illegal under federal regulations.
The Alabama Attorney General is asking the National Indian Gaming Commission to “make clear that Native American Indian tribes located in Alabama cannot engage in gambling activities that are patently illegal under Alabama law”.
Kindergarten Registration Underway
April 30, 2012
Kindergarten registration for Escambia County students is underway.
Students who will be five years old on or before September 1, 2012, are eligible to register for the 2012-2013 school year. Registration will occur at the school which serves the student’s residence.
At the time of registration, parents/guardians should bring the following:
- Child’s birth certificate
- Child’s social security card
- Proof of residence (electric bill or rent receipt – telephone and cable bills are not accepted)
- Immunization record (Florida blue card provided by the health department or family physician)
- Physical form completed by family physician
To locate a child’s school, visit www.myescambiaschools.com and click on “Find Your School”.