Forestry Service: No Weekend Burning
April 14, 2012
Officials with Florida Forest Service’s Blackwater Forestry Center are preparing for what could be a busy weekend, and they are advising residents to a avoid outdoor burning.
Several weather factors contribute to fire potential – wind, humidity and fuel moisture being the key elements. Portions of our area will see high winds (15-20 mph) and moderate humidity (less than 50%) at some point over the next three days. Combine those factors with a lack of rainfall over the past week and there is a potential for increased fire activity both in terms of number of fire and intensity of fires that we might see, according to a Forestry Service news release.
In response, the Forest Service is ensuring proper staffing of strategic locations throughout Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties, restricting burn authorizations and will coordinate with key cooperating agencies throughout the weekend.
Residents are urged not to burn yard waste during periods of high winds and should follow local burn laws and restrictions
Deputy Runs Stop Sign, Hits Vehicle
April 14, 2012
Charges are pending after an Escambia County deputy ran a stop sign and ran into another vehicle Friday in Ensley.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Deputy Michael Carter was responding to a call in his marked patrol car when he ran a stop sign at the intersection of Ashland Avenue and Detroit Boulevard, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Carter’s patrol vehicle collided with a 2012 Mazda driven by 25-year old Andre Cook of Pensacola.
According to the FHP, Carter was distracted, checking his in-vehicle computer for call information and did not see the stop sign. His patrol car came to rest on its side in a drainage ditch.
There were no serious injuries reported by FHP.
Northview Baseball: Senior Night Versus W.S. Neal
April 14, 2012
The Northview Chiefs lost a close one to W.S. Neal Friday night in Bratt, 4-3.
It was Senior Night for the Chiefs, as they recognized senior players Zach Barrow, Tanner Brooks, Brian Ross, Jamie Gafford and Tyler Hester.
The Northview Chiefs will host Flomaton on Monday, with the junior varsity playing at 4:00 and the varsity at 6:00.
For a photo gallery from Friday night’s game, click here.
Pictured top: Northview seniors (L-R) Zach Barrow, Tanner Brooks, Brian Ross, Jamie Gafford and Tyler Hester. Pictured inset: Action as Northview hosted W.S. Neal Friday night. NorthEscambia.com photos by Taylor Rigby, click to enlarge.
Sports: Tate, Northview Baseball; Northview, EA, Jay Softball
April 14, 2012
Here is a look at a prep baseball and softball action in the area Friday:
Milton 10 — Tate 5
Milton pounded out 14 hits including two home runs to beat the Tate Aggies Friday night, 10-5. With the loss, Tate fell to 19-3 overall. The next game for the Aggies is Thursday at West Florida.
Tate 6 — Milton 1 (JV)
Tate 3 — Milton 2 (Freshmen)
W.S. Neal 4 — Northview 3
For details of W.S. Neal at Northview and photos, click here.
SOFTBALL
Northview 6 — Escambia Academy 5
The Northview Chiefs traveled to Canoe Friday afternoon and beat the Escambia Academy Cougars 6-5. It was the final regular season game for the Lady Chiefs; the district tournament begins next week at Baker High School. The Lady Chiefs will face Chipley at 4 p.m. Monday.
Jay 8 — W.S. Neal 2
The Lady Royals recognized Becca Calloway and Tessa Hendricks Friday for Senior Night before defeating W.S. Neal 8-2. Jay finished at first place in district action, earning a bye in the district tourney until 4 p.m. Tuesday when they will play the winner of Monday’s Northview vs Chipley game.
Pensacola Blue Wahoos Lose To Mobile 6-5
April 14, 2012
The BayBears beat the Pensacola Blue Wahoos 6-5 on Friday night in Mobile. It was the second walk-off win of the series for Mobile.
Both teams took advantage of errors to score key runs in the ninth inning. The BayBears committed two in the top of the inning to give the Blue Wahoos a chance to tie it, while the Blue Wahoos committed an error with two outs that allowed the winning run to score in the bottom of the frame.
Didi Gregorius delivered a two-run single in the top of the ninth to tie the game after the BayBears committed two errors with two outs to keep the inning alive. The winning run came on an error at third base on a ball hit by Alfredo Marte which scored Matt Davidson from second.
The two teams battled in a seesaw match all game after the BayBears took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third. The Blue Wahoos came back with two more runs in the top of the fourth inning to take a brief lead. The first run crossed home on a wild pitch before P.J. Phillips singled home Joel Guzman to put the Blue Wahoos in front.
Each team would score a single run in each of the following three half innings resulting in a 3-3 tie until Wladimir Sutil provided a pinch-hit two-run single in the bottom of the eighth inning giving the BayBears a 5-3 advantage.
Neither starter recorded a decision. Patrick Corbin work seven innings for the BayBears and was charged with three runs, two earned. He walked three and fanned six. Tim Crabbe was finished after four for the Blue Wahoos. He allowed a pair of runs, both earned, on two hits, four walks and six strikeouts. Justin Freeman allowed the winning run in the ninth inning to take the loss. Evan Marshall blew the save in the ninth for the BayBears but picked up the win after giving up the two unearned runs in the ninth.
The two teams will wrap up the series on Saturday night in Mobile. Right hander J.C. Sulbaran will oppose BayBears lefty Tyler Skaggs. First pitch is set for 7:05 and Hank Aaron Stadium.
By Tommy Thrall
Pictured: The Blue Wahoo’s Cody Puckett. Photo by Chris Nelson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Motorcyclist Critically Injured In Byrneville Crash
April 13, 2012
A 24-year old male was critically injured in a motorcycle wreck this afternoon in Byrneville.
The accident happened about 2:10 p.m on West Highway 4 just east of Byrneville Road. The male apparently lost control while eastbound on Highway 4 and ran off onto the shoulder. The rider was thrown from the motorcycle, which traveled a considerable distance after leaving the roadway, leaving debris scattered over hundreds of feet of a ditch.
The motorcyclist, who was wearing a helmet, was reported to be found unconscious by a witness. He was airlifted as a “trauma alert” to a Pensacola hospital.
Further details have not been released; the accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Escambia County EMS, Escambia County Fire-Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the crash.
Pictured top: A motorcyclist was airlifted to a Pensacola hospital following a wreck in Byrneville Friday afternoon. Pictured below: The motorcycle broke apart in the crash. Pictured below: Debris was scattered over a long stretch of the roadway. The motorcycle can be seen behind and to the right of the ambulance in this photo. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Train Hits Log Truck In Brewton, No Serious Injuries
April 13, 2012
There were no serious injuries reported in a train versus 18-wheeler crash Friday morning in Brewton, Ala.
A freight train collided with a log truck just after 9 a.m., sending logs and debris from a railroad crossing signal across Highway 31 in the downtown area. At least other seven other vehicles were involved in the crash as they were struck by logs and debris.
The log truck, according to door markings, was operated by Johnson Logging of Brantley, Ala.
Do you have more photos? Email them to news@northescambia.com
Pictured: A Friday morning wreck involving a train and log truck in downtown Brewton, Ala. Reader submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
FBI Raids In Bluff Springs, Brewton – Bank Robbery Suspects Arrested
April 13, 2012
[EXCLUSIVE] Two suspects in a recent Brewton bank robbery — including a Century woman — were taken into custody Thursday night as FBI agents conducted simultaneous raids south of Century and near Brewton.
“We are executing a search warrant related to a recent bank robbery in Brewton,” James Stewart, a FBI supervisory senior resident agent, told NorthEscambia.com Thursday night as agents worked to complete an operation at a small travel trailer located in a campground on Bluff Springs Road.
Robin Ann Godwin, age 42, was taken into custody at the travel trailer. She was booked into the Escambia County (Fla.) Jail early Friday where she was held as a fugitive from justice on outstanding bank robbery related warrants from Alabama. Jail records listed her address as another campground at 1300 Liahona Trail.
A man, reported to be Godwin’s father, was also taken into custody Thursday night as FBI agents executed a similar search warrant near Brewton. The man’s name was not available early Friday morning.
Both were reportedly suspects in the February 17 early afternoon robbery of the Bank of Brewton in Brewton, Ala.
A single suspect (pictured left) walked into the bank through a public boardwalk entrance at the rear of the building and demanded cash and fled out the same door. Authorities said at the time that they were not sure exactly how the bandit left the area following the robbery, but a few days later they said the bandit may have headed to Florida.
Nearly a dozen FBI agents from field offices in Mobile and Pensacola spent a couple of hours searching the travel trailer in Bluff Springs Thursday night. Multiple containers of evidence were removed by agents and placed into the back of a SUV. Some of the federal agents were wearing shirts identifying them as members of a “FBI Evidence Response Team”. Working undercover, they would not allow their photographs to be taken.
Campground residents were inside neighboring travel trailers Thursday night as FBI agents finished executing the search warrant. Even a couple of hours after federal agents arrived at the campground, some of the neighbors could be seen periodically peeking out of their doors and windows at the travel trailer in “Lot 2″, with it’s patio crowded with lawn chairs and outdoor decorations. Pink flamingo lawn ornaments and potted plants surrounded the patio — nothing making it look out of place for the quiet area just a few feet from the Escambia River.
More details are expected to be released Friday and will be published here on NorthEscambia.com.
Pictured top and bottom: FBI agents executed a search warrant related to a Brewton bank robbery at this travel trailer on Bluff Springs Road south of Century Thursday night. FBI agents, who were just off camera, would not allow their photographs to be taken. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Names Released: Baby Dead, Adult And Toddler Injured In Fiery Crash
April 13, 2012
An infant was killed and two others were injured in a single vehicle crash Thursday afternoon in Atmore.
Three-month-old Alexis McGhee died in the single vehicle crash just after 1 p.m. Thursday on Highway 21 near the casino in Atmore. According to Alabama State Troopers, she was not restrained. She was ejected and pronounced dead on the scene.
Emmett Clyde Gross Jr., 24, of Atmore was driving north on Highway 21 near the casino in a 1985 Oldmobile Cutlass when he lost control. The vehicle left the roadway, hit an embankment, became airborne and landed on its roof in a field. The vehicle then burst in flames.
Gross, who was not wearing a seat belt, was also ejected from the vehicle. Another passenger, one-year-old Kelyn McGhee, was also injured. Gross and Kelyn McGhee were airlifted to the USA Medical Center in Mobile in two different LifeFlight helicopters in critical condition.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation by Alabama State Troopers.
The Poarch Fire Department, Atmore Fire Department, Atmore Ambulance, the Atmore Police Department, Poarch Police Department and the Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff’s Office also responded to the crash.
Pictured: A car burst into flames after a single vehicle accident that claimed one life in Atmore Thursday afternoon. Reader submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Appeals Court Overturns Local Juvenile Sentence; Says 80 Years Equals Life
April 13, 2012
A Florida appeals court Thursday tossed out an 80-year prison sentence for a Cantonment man convicted of committing two armed robberies in Cantonment as a juvenile, saying it violates a U.S Supreme Court ban on life sentences for juveniles in non-murder cases.
A three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal said the sentence for Antonio Demetrius Floyd, now 31, is the “functional equivalent of a life sentence without parole.”
Floyd was 17 in 1998 when he committed two counts of armed robbery in Cantonment. He was initially sentenced to life in prison, but after the U.S. Supreme Court decision he was re-sentenced to 40 years on each count, according to Thursday’s ruling. The appeals court said Floyd would be 97 years old if he served the full sentence and ordered that the trial court revise the sentence.
“In this case, common sense dictates that (Floyd’s) 80-year sentence, which … is longer than his life expectancy, is the functional equivalent of a life without parole sentence and will not provide him with a meaningful or realistic opportunity to obtain release,” the court ruled.
Floyd, who lived in North Chipper Road in Cantonment, stole a vehicle on November 24, 1998 and robbed an E-Z Serve convenience store at 2110 South Highway 95A and another at 10 Williams Ditch Road.
Within minutes of the early morning robberies, an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant spotted a maroon GEO Storm departing the area at a high rate of speed. The deputy lost sight of the vehicle, but it was located abandoned a short time later on Richardson Road. Numerous items taken during the robberies were found inside of the vehicle.
Floyd was tracked a residence in the 4500 block of Richardson Road where Floyd was found in the living room. Clothing was also found that matched the description from the robberies. More than $300 was taken during the robbery on Highway 95A, while less than $300 was taken from the robbery on Williams Ditch Road, according to a 1998 arrest report.
In their Thursday ruling, court also encouraged state lawmakers to address juvenile sentencing to comply with the 2010 Supreme Court decision, which found that life sentences for young offenders in non-murder cases violated the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Lawmakers during this year’s session considered two bills about the issue, but the House and Senate did not come to agreement