Child Killed, Four People Injured In I-10 Wreck
June 8, 2012
A 10-year old Pensacola boy was killed and four other were injured in a single vehicle rollover accident Thursday morning on I-10.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Ladarius Drayton was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident between the Avalon Boulevard exit in Santa Rosa County and the Scenic Highway exit in Pensacola.
Niela V. Johnson, 28, was traveling on I-10 when she lost control about 11:25 a.m. while changing lanes. Her 1999 GMC 1500 SUV overturned multiple times across the westbound lanes of I-10. The SUV came to rest upright at the wood line next to the interstate.
Niela Johnson was seriously injured, as was front seat passenger Talacius O. Campbell, 27. Passenger Alyili Fields, 11, was seriously injured, while passenger Annasha Drayton was critically injured.
Charges are pending the outcome of the FHP’s investigation.
Pictured top: Debris is scattered across I-10 westbound following a fatal crash in Santa Rosa County. The SUV involved came to rest off the shoulder of the road. Pictured inset and below: At least one person was transported by LifeFlight to an area hospital following the crash. Photos by Rick Evans for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Earn Series Opening 5-2 Win Over Birmingham
June 8, 2012
The Blue Wahoos used a five-run sixth inning to roll to a 5-2 win over the Birmingham Barons in the first game of the five-game set from Regions Park in Birmingham on Thursday night.
With the Wahoos trailing 1-0, Joel Guzman hit a ground ball to third with the bases loaded, the ball was bobbled and the tying run scored without an out getting recorded on the play. With the bases still loaded, the next batter, David Vidal, was hit by a pitch to force in the go-ahead run. Yordanys Perez cleared the bases on the very next pitch with a double in the right-centerfield alley scoring all three runners and putting the Wahoos in front 5-1.
Tim Crabbe (3-2) pitched well for the Blue Wahoos by allowing just two hits over five-plus innings. He struck out six and was charged with two runs in earning his third win of the season. Donnie Joseph retired the final four Birmingham batters to earn his league-leading 13th save of the season. Simon Castro (5-3) was pegged with the loss. He was charged with all five Wahoos runs, only four were earned, over six innings.
The Wahoos have now won three of their last four and look for their second-straight win on Friday night. Lefty Tony Cingrani (0-0, 2.70) will oppose right-hander Cameron Bayne (5-4, 6.10). First pitch is set for 7:05 at Regions Park.
By Tommy Thrall
Pictured top: Tim Crabbe allowed just two hits over five-plus innings in the winning effort Thursday as the Blue Wahoos beat the Birmingham Barons. Photo by Chris Nelson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Two Business Owners Busted For Spice
June 8, 2012
The owners of two specialty “smoke shops” in Santa Rosa County have been arrested for selling illegal bath salts and spice.
Michael D. Johnson, owner of Stackhouse Records in Milton, was arrested on six separate warrants after undercover officers made numerous bath salt and spice purchases from his establishment this year.
Johnson was also charged with one count of possession of a controlled substance for a small amount of “spice” that was located in his establishment during a search warrant executed on April 3. Johnson was also charged with three counts of sale of amphetamine, eight counts of sale of a hallucinogen, one count of sale of a synthetic narcotic, and one count of possession of a controlled substance. He was booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail without bond.
Rachael Hartsell, owner of Showcase Smoke Shop in Milton was arrested on charges stemming from the execution of a search warrant at her business on April 3. Deputies said Hartsell was found to be in possession over 1,000 packages and 16 different brands of “spice”. She was also charged with selling spice to an undercover officer. She was released from jail on a $85,000 bond.
““We will continue to arrest those responsible for this type of activity. As with all illegal narcotics, they have no place in this county. We will continue to do our very best in shutting down any establishment that disregards the laws that are in place to keep our community safe and drug free,” Sheriff Wendell Hall said.
No Injuries In McDavid Rollover Accident
June 7, 2012
There were no injuries in a single vehicle rollover accident Thursday afternoon in McDavid.
The driver of a southbound car apparently lost control in a curve on Highway 29 near Cox Road just before 3 p.m., over-corrected, ran off onto the shoulder of the road and overturned. The vehicle came to rest upside down.
One person involved in the accident, 40-year old Brandon Link Austin, first told authorities that he was the passenger in the vehicle and not the driver. He was not injured in the crash. The Florida Highway Patrol’s investigation into the crash is continuing as they work to determine the driver of the vehicle.
Escambia County EMS, the McDavid Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the call.
Pictured: There were no injuries in this single vehicle crash Thursday afternoon in McDavid. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
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Cantonment Tax Office Closing Monday; Molino Office Opens July 2
June 7, 2012
The Escambia County Tax Collector’s Cantonment office will close next Monday, June 11, as it is moved permanently to a new location in Molino. A newly constructed 7,000 square foot building for the tax collector and property appraiser will open in Molino on Monday, July 2.
The Molino service center on Highway 95A will process motor vehicle and vessel registrations and titles, hunting and fishing licenses, property taxes, and business tax receipts. Limited driver license and ID card services will be available by appointment only. The new office will continue to offer drive thru service and a 24-hour drop box. Office hours will remain the same — Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
The Molino office is opening ahead of schedule, according to Tax Collector Janet Holley, as construction continues next door to covert the old Molino School into a 15,600 square foot library, community center and museum by November.
“We could not move during tax season,” Holley said, “so we are glad to be moving in now.” By October, the office is busy preparing tax bills.
The county currently leases the Cantonment service center location in the old Winn Dixie Shopping Center for about $60,000 per year. That money, Holley said, will likely be saved and returned by her office to the county’s coffers at the end of the fiscal year.
The current employees at the Cantonment location will be transferred to the tax collector’s Marcus Pointe office during the move, and then moved to Molino on July 2.
“The new Molino office really looks great; we are pleased,” Holley said.
The new Molino tax collector and property appraiser office will also house a polling station for early voting and elections.
Other Escambia County Tax Collector offices are located as follows:
Marcus Pointe
6451 North W Street
Pensacola, Florida 32505
Warrington
507 North Navy Boulevard
Pensacola, Florida 32507
Downtown
213 Palafox Place
Pensacola, Florida 32502
All offices are open 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Pictured: The new Escambia County tax collector and property appraiser office in Molino. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Sorry I Hit Your Car: No Money, No Driver’s License, No Insurance
June 7, 2012
When Flomaton resident Ashley Kirk finished her shopping at Century’s Food Giant, she was surprised to find that someone had hit the side of her 2000 Nissan Maxima and driven away. But she was even more surprised at the note left behind by someone that apparently had a load on their conscience.
“Apparently someone either backed out and hit me or just went down the side of my car with theirs. Not really sure, but when I read the note I couldn’t help but to bust out laughing,” Kirk said.
“Sorry I hit your car no money no driver lisense and no insurense but had to get of my cheste. Sorry agin,” the note riddled with spelling errors said.
“Well at least they were honest,” she said “Kind of felt sorry for them. My vehicle has been hit before and the person left, but never has this happened before. I got a good laugh out of it.”
Kirk does have full coverage insurance that will pay for her repairs.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Feds Dismiss County Claims About Poarch Creek Land, Casinos
June 7, 2012
A federal official has notified the Escambia County (Ala.) Commission that the land where the Wind Creek Casino sits is protected tribal land, shooting down the commission’s claims that a Supreme Court decision says the contrary.
In April, the commission said it wanted the Poarch Band of Creek Indians to start paying property and other other taxes on tribal lands in Atmore — including the Wind Creek Casino — because they don’t legally qualify to operate tax free. The commission fired off a letter to the U.S. Department of Interior claiming the lands should fall under local and state jurisdiction.
The county’s claims were denied in a two-paragraph letter from Donald Laverdure, acting assistant secretary of Indian affairs for the U.S. Department of the Interior.
“The Department of the Interior can confirm that the land referenced in your letter was acquired in trust by the United States in 1984 and proclaimed to be a reservation in 1985,” Laverdure’s letter states. “The (Poarch Band of Creek Indian’s) reservation, including the portion of the reservation that is situated within the geographical boundary of Escambia County, Alabama, is held in trust by the United States for the benefit of the band. As such, the band enjoys all rights and privileges associated with having its reservation held in trust by the United States under federal law.”
The Escambia (Ala.) Commission had claimed in its letter that a 2009 Supreme Court ruling that said essentially that under the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, the federal government had no right to create land trusts with tribes that were not recognized by 1934 — 50 years before the Poarch Creeks were recognized.
Laverdure’s letter did not directly respond to the claims about that 2009 Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar.
The Escambia County (Ala.) commissioner that represents the Atmore area, Brandon Smith, publicly expressed his opposition to the commission’s claims and letter to the Department of the Interior.
Jacksonville Edges The Pensacola Blue Wahoos 2-1 To Take Series
June 7, 2012
Jacksonville starting pitcher Matthew Neil shutout Pensacola over six shutout frames, while center fielder Donnie Webb totaled three hits and fell a double short of the cycle as the Suns topped the Blue Wahoos 2-1 on Wednesday night at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
The win gives Jacksonville a 3-2 series victory and improves their season’s record to 28-32, while Pensacola fell to 27-33 on the year. It was the third time in four series this season that the final game decided a series between the two teams.
The Suns got on the board with single scores in the third and fifth frames. Webb led off the third with a triple before scoring on a sacrifice fly to center, while Webb would increase the advantage to 2-0 with a solo homer to right in the fifth.
The Blue Wahoos cut the deficit in half in the eighth when CF Ryan LaMarre started the frame with a base knock and advanced to second and third on a Jacksonville fielding miscue, before he came home on RF Josh Fellhauer’s sacrifice fly to right.
Neil (6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 6 SO)earned his first victory at the Double-A level after being promoted to Jacksonville on May 18, tossing six shutout frames and yielding just five hits while fanning six. Suns relievers James Leverton (1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 SO) and Evan Reed (1.1 IP, 1 BB, 3 SO) followed Neil by combining to give up the lone unearned run on only one hit in the last three innings. Neil received his first hold of the year, while Reed notched his 12th save of the year to tie him for the Southern League lead.
Pensacola starter Daniel Corcino (5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO) suffered the loss to fall to 2-4 despite allowing just two earned runs on five hits in five innings of work. Chris Manno (2.0 IP, 1 BB, 3 SO) and Drew Hayes (2.0 IP, 1 H, 3 SO) were outstanding in support of Corcino, surrendering just one hit and a walk in the final four scoreless frames.
Webb (3-4, 2 R, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 RBI) and LaMarre (3-4, 1 R) each recorded three hits for their respective clubs, with each collecting half of their team’s six base knocks in the game. Blue Wahoos SS Didi Gregorius and 3B David Vidal each tallied a base knock in the contest to extend their hit streaks to nine and six respectively.
Pensacola will now travel to Birmingham to face the Barons, the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, with the first pitch of the series scheduled for Thursday night at 7:05 pm. RHP Tim Crabbe is expected to get the nod for the Fish, while Birmingham is slated to send RHP Simon Castro to the hill.
By Andrew Green
Pictured: OF Ryan LaMarre tallied three hits in the Fish’s 2-1 loss Wednesday night. Photo by Chris Nelson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bad Golfers, Bad Timing and Bad Economy Lead To Century Park Changes
June 7, 2012
There are three changes coming to all of Century’s parks — one caused by bad golfers, another caused by bad timing and a third due to the bad economy.
Mayor Freddie McCall said the parks will soon have “No Golfing” signs erected because bad golfers are breaking out lights. “People are knocking out the big globes when they don’t get a good chip shot,” he said.
Late night music is leading to a loud music and noise curfew in the town’s parks of 8 p.m. McCall said the town and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has received reports of loud music at parks late at night.
And the bad economy and rising electric rates has forced the town to up the cost for using field lights The town has charged everyone but non-profits $10 per hour to use lights at ball fields for numerous years. Now, the town had voted to up that rate to $15 per hour. That’s still cheaper than the neighboring town of Jay, McCall said, which is at $25 per hour.
Brickyard Road Bridge To Close
June 7, 2012
Beginning Friday, the bridge at the south end of Brickyard Road in the Molino area will be closed until further notice due to bridge construction.