Century Man Charged After Gun Fired In Nightclub
March 15, 2012
A Century man is facing charges after he allegedly accidentally fired his gun in a crowded Pensacola nightclub.
Christopher Torrey, 19, was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and culpable negligence in connection with the incident at the Platinum Club on North Palafox Street.
According to the Pensacola Police Department, Torrey had the gun in his shorts pocket because he had heard there would be some kind of trouble at the club. He told deputies that he heard a gunshot and realized he was bleeding from his hand. Officers said it appeared he had fired the gun by accident from the pocket of his shorts, with the gun slide injuring his hand. Torrey said it was possible that he fired the gun, but he did not admit to pulling the trigger.
A 26-year old female inside the club was apparently struck on the left knee by the bullet as it ricocheted from the floor. She was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital for treatment.
Pensacola Police reported recovering the gun from Torrey’s shorts and the bullet from the floor of the club.
NAS Pensacola To Be Closed Next Week For Exercise
March 15, 2012
Naval Air Station Pensacola (NASP, Corry Station and Saufley Field) will participate in Exercise Solid Curtain-Citadel Shield 2012; an anti-terrorism/force protection exercise that will be conducted on all continental United States naval installations March 19 – 24.
This annual exercise, coordinated by U.S. Fleet Forces Command is designed to enhance training and readiness of Naval Security Force personnel to respond to threats to installations and units throughout the nation. All security processes will be implemented during the exercise to evaluate preparedness.
Military personnel, civilian employees, retirees, family members and visitors should factor in additional time for getting through gates to conduct business on NAS Pensacola. Vehicle drivers and passengers should carry proper identification with them at all times.
Local communities may also experience traffic delays on roadways leading to or in proximity to the base. Area residents may also notice increased military activity associated with the exercise. Elevation of force protection conditions and increased security measures can be anticipated for the duration of the exercise.
Naval Air Station Pensacola will close all access and activities aboard the base at 11 a.m., March 22 and remain closed through 11 a.m., March 24. Only mission essential personnel will be allowed on the base.
The National Museum of Naval Aviation will be closed all day, Friday and Saturday, March 23 and 24. Fort Barrancas, the Advanced Redoubt, and Barrancas National Cemetery will be closed Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 22 though 24.
Solid Curtain-Citadel Shield is a regularly scheduled exercise and is not being held in response to any specific threat.
Leaders: Efforts To Crack Down On Pill Mills Is Working
March 15, 2012
Efforts to crack down on Florida’s pill mills have already shown results, Gov. Rick Scott and other state officials said Wednesday.
When Scott took office in January 2011, seven Floridians a day were dying of prescription-drug overdoses, and people from other states came here to make their buys.
Now, according to the 2011 Interim Drugs Identified in Deceased Persons Report, the number of prescription-drug deaths has fallen nearly eight percent compared to the same period in 2010.
And since their creation a year ago, Florida’s Drug Enforcement Strike Force Teams have made 2,150 arrests and seized nearly half a million pills, 391 weapons and $4.7 million, said Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Gerald Bailey.
“We’ve gone from being known as the ‘Oxy Express’ to being a role model for our sister states,” Bailey said.
As a result of law enforcement efforts and a new state law, which went into effect on July 1, oxycodone purchases by Florida doctors have dropped 97 percent from 2010 to 2011, officials said.
In 2010, Florida was home to 90 of the nation’s top 100 Oxycodone-buying doctors and 53 of its top 100 Oxycodone-buying pharmacies. But over the last year, the number of such doctors has been reduced by 85 percent, to 13, and the number of pharmacies has dropped 64 percent, to 19; the number of pain clinics has dropped from 800 to 508 statewide.
What’s more, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reported in January that 21 doctors in Georgia and 11 in Tennessee are now among the nation’s top 100.
Bailey, Scott, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Interim Surgeon General Steven Harris and other officials touted the success of the state’s efforts Wednesday. Bondi, who worked with her counterpart in Kentucky, Attorney General Jack Conway, recalled a trip there to meet with Conway and anti-drug advocates.
“I had to hug a mother who lost her daughter two years ago to prescription drugs, and those drugs were bought here in Florida,” Bondi said. “So hopefully, that’s going to stop.”
The new law restricts doctors from prescribing the type of opiate drugs that are often abused, leading to overdoses and deaths, said Harris, interim head of the state Department of Health.
Among those arrested by the strike forces were 34 doctors, and DOH is reviewing the emergency suspension order used when licensed medical practitioners pose a threat to the public safety.
The amount of time it takes for a suspension to occur has been reduced from an average of more than five months to 30 days or less in half the cases, Harris said.
Florida law enforcement officers, meanwhile, are breathing sighs of relief as the allure of the state’s pill mills abates – and with it, a powerful magnet for related crimes.
Compared to last year, said Winter Park Police Chief Brett Railey, the number of drug offenses in Central Florida has plummeted.
“Over 650 arrests have been made, numerous illicit pain management clinics have been closed, and dozens of unethical medical professionals have been stopped from doing business in our region.”
Railey said an important tool has been the availability of strike force funding, without which many of the cases would have gone unaddressed. The statewide strike force, under the coordination of FDLE, works with seven regional teams, each led by a police chief and sheriff.
But law enforcement officials warned that much work remains – and that criminals will find new ways to dispense their wares.
Sales are already migrating to online locations.
“We will not be able to restore our state’s good name overnight,” said Steve Casey, executive director of the Florida Sheriffs Association, “but we are making progress.”
By The News Service of Florida
Cops: Man Breaks Into Home As Ex Is Seeking Restraining Order
March 15, 2012
A Century man has been arrested for allegedly breaking into the home of his ex-girlfriend while she was at the courthouse getting a restraining order against him.
David Lynell Williams, 27, was arrested this week on outstanding warrants for unarmed burglary of a dwelling and criminal mischief. He remains in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $24,000.
According to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office report, Williams is accused of kicking in the door of his ex-girlfriend’s home on Deborah Drive in December. The ex-girlfriend was at the courthouse filing for a restraining order while her sister was watching their children.
Once inside the home, Williams went to the victim’s bedroom, then ran out the backdoor and fled in a vehicle.
Deputies had responded to the home earlier in the day after the girlfriend report Williams was beating on the victim’s front door. They were unable to locate him once they arrived on scene.
Escambia Man Sentenced As Sexual Predator
March 15, 2012
An Escambia County man has been sentenced as a sexual predator.
Clifford Wiggins was sentenced to a minimum mandatory of 25 years state prison plus 21 years state prison to run concurrently, all followed by a life term of probation with an electronic monitor.
Wiggins was also designated a sexual predator.
On March 13, 2012, Wiggins entered his plea before Judge Jan Shackelford to four counts of sexually related offenses. Between April 2008 and April 2009, on one or more occasions, Wiggins committed sexual battery upon a 15-year female family member, according to State Attorney Bill Eddins.
Northview Beats Baker
March 15, 2012
The Northview Chiefs took two from the Baker Gators on Wednesday.
Northview 5 — Baker 3 (JV)
The Northview junior varsity baseball team defeated the Baker Gators 5-3 Wednesday afternoon. The win improves the JV to 4-2-1 on the season. They will play next against Freeport on Tuesday, March 20, beginning at 4:00 in Bratt.
Northview 4 — Baker 2
The varsity team picked up a big district win against Baker Wednesday at Northview. They defeated the Gators 4-2. Baker scored one in the fourth and one in the 7th. The Chiefs scored all four runs in the 5th inning.
Leading hitters for Northview were: Tanner Brooks, 1 for 3, with 2 RBI. Hunter Rigby 1 for 3, with a run scored. Kevin Vaughan was 1 for 3, with an RBI. David Burkett was 1 for 3. Winston Riley, Brannon Freeman, and Destin Pizzolato all went 1 for 3, with each having a run scored.
Kevin Vaughan pitched 6 ⅓ strong innings for Northview to pick up the win. Hunter Rigby finished the win off, pitching the final ⅓ of an inning.
Northview will be back in action Thursday against Bonifay. The game is at Northview beginning at 6:00.
Unemployment Rate Drops, So Did The Number Of Jobs
March 14, 2012
Unemployment dropped or held steady across the area from December to January, according to numbers released Tuesday, but number of employed people actually went down nearly 4,000 in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
That’s the result of a smaller labor force, due to people no longer looking, or possibly because they’ve moved elsewhere.
Escambia County’s unemployment rate was down slightly from 9.7 percent in December to 9.4 percent in January. There were 561 fewer unemployed during the period, but the workforce decreased by about 2,700 jobs. One year ago, the unemployment rate in Escambia County was 10.9 percent.
Santa Rosa County’s unemployment rate held steady at 8.9 percent from December to January. There were 105 fewer unemployed during the period, but the workforce decreased by about 1,200 jobs. One year ago, the unemployment rate in Santa Rosa County was 9.4 percent.
Unemployment in Florida dropped to 9.6 percent in January, down from 9.9 percent in December and more than a full percentage point lower than it was a year ago, the Department of Economic Opportunity announced Tuesday. That rate is the lowest since March 2009, DEO said.
While the drop marks a noted improvement in Florida, the state’s unemployment rate remains among the highest, and is still more than a full percentage point above the national unemployment rate of 8.3 percent.
And on another down note, while the jobless rate dropped from December to January, the number of employed people in the state actually went down by more than 38,000, from 7.33 million to 7.29 million, a 0.5 percent drop, after a year of mostly seeing job growth. Like the local area, the drop in employed persons is due to the fact that people are no longer looking for work or have moved.
Nokomis Man Pleads Guilty To 2001 Murder
March 14, 2012
A Nokomis, Ala., man has plead guilty to the 2001 murder of 25-year old Woodrow “Token” Allen.
Bruce Edward Day was sentenced this week to a 20 year split sentence. He will serve three years in state prison to be followed by seven years on probation.
In October 2009, Escambia County, Ala., authorities obtained a murder warrant for Day in connection with the death of Allen.
Day was reportedly working for a contractor at the Gulf Power Crist Plant in Pensacola. Day was summoned to an office at the plant where U.S. Marshals were waiting to serve the warrant, but Day fled somewhere on the complex that includes 40 buildings on 750 acres.
The University of West Florida campus was later locked down after a man that fit Day’s description was spotted. Authorities also located a pickup truck at UWF that was believed to belong to Day.
A massive manhunt followed, involving U.S. Marshals, Escambia County deputies, helicopters from Escambia and Walton counties, several tracking dog units including one from Century Correctional Institution, and other law enforcement agencies. Authorities from Escambia County, Ala. were also on the scene.
The followed day, Day’s father called Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff Grover Smith and told the sheriff that he wanted to talk to him “now” at his Atmore residence. When the sheriff arrived, Day surrendered without incident.
Day, now 44, was arrested previously on attempted murder charged in January 2002 for shooting three times into a vehicle on James Road in Nokomis on October 28, 2001. The vehicle was occupied at the time by Allen, 25, and his juvenile niece.
Allen’s mother reported him missing on December 17, 2001, claiming that she has last seen her son on December 13, 2001.
Allen was last seen walking away from the residence of his friend, Donald David Clemmons on Nathan Road in Nokomis. When Day was arrested by Escambia County (Ala.) deputies in January 2002, he was in a vehicle on Highway 31 in Nokomis with Clemmons, according to reports. Methamphetamines and drug paraphernalia were found in the vehicle with the two men, deputies said.
Day was charged with shooting into an occupied vehicle, two counts of attempted murder, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Authorities said Allen was scheduled to testify against Day over the shooting. Day was found not guilty on the attempted murder charges, and he was sentenced to a year in jail for reckless endangerment.
Repeat Robber Gets Life For Tom Thumb Holdup
March 14, 2012
An Escambia County man was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday for the armed robbery of a Tom Thumb.
Andrew Fountain III was sentenced to life in prison today by Circuit Court Judge Rasmussen. Fountain was convicted last month by an Escambia County Jury of two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon.
The robbery that Fountain was sentenced for today occurred just four months after Fountain’s last release from prison for another robbery charge.
On September 11, 2010, Fountain entered the Tom Thumb gas station at the intersection of Blue Angel Parkway and Mobile Highway, produced a butcher knife, and demanded
money. After taking money from two clerks working at the gas station, Fountain ran out of the store and fled in silver car.
A passerby saw the commotion and followed Fountain down Blue Angel Parkway. Fountain then stopped in the Springfield Meadows subdivision and exited the car to remove the clothing he wore to commit the robbery. At that time he was seen and identified by the citizen who had followed him. Fountain was also identified by one of the clerks who was robbed.
Century’s Mayor ‘Rethinking Rural’ This Week
March 14, 2012
Century Mayor Freddie McCall is scheduled to attend the “Rethinking Rural” Rural Economic Development and Tourism Summit the next three days near Tallahassee.
The summit will focus on several issues facing rural areas, including changes in the way the state of Florida is focusing on these issues and partnerships with such entities as education and the military, according to organizers. Agenda items will include a legislative update, self-sustainability by economic development organizations, tourism and funding sources.
The cost for the mayor to attend the summit will be $95 plus two nights in a hotel.
Pictured: Century Mayor Freddie McCall at a recent Century Town Council meeting. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.