Man Found In Cotton Field One Hour After Bratt Wreck
November 5, 2011
Authorities found a man in cotton field about an hour after a traffic crash in Bratt Friday night.
The single vehicle accident was reported about 7:10 p..m on McElhaney Road when the driver of a 1993 Chevrolet pickup truck was traveling too fast for an approaching curve and crashed into several trees, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The vehicle stopped just short of a house.
After the impact, the driver fled the crash scene on foot prior to the arrival of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and the Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue.
About 8:30 p.m., Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies found 32-year old Paul Allen Thomas, Jr. of McDavid asleep in a cotton field, about 100 yards from the crash site. Thomas told authorities that he was a passenger in the pickup and that he did not know what happened or who was driving, according to a FHP report.
Thomas was transported to by ambulance to Atmore Community Hospital with minor injuries. No charges were filed in the crash.
Pictured: The driver of this vehicle fled the scene after wrecking on McElhaney Road in Bratt. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Tate Ends Season With Close Loss To Washington (With Photo Gallery)
November 5, 2011
Tate finished out their 2011 season on a losing note, but not without giving it their all against the Washington Wildcats Friday night. In the end, the Wildcats beat the Aggies 40-32 in Pensacola.
Tate’s first score of the night came on a 29-yard field goal from Hagen Mancuson with 4:55 in the first quarter. Steven Fortner added a touchdown on 9-yard run in the second, followed by a good kick by Mancuso.
The third saw Tate score twice — Tanner Robinson on a 5-yard pass from Jalen Cunningham and Calieb Norris on a 66-yard pass from David Moorhead.
Tate also scored in the fourth quarter with a 45-yard TD run from Lavantai Samuel.
The Aggies finished the season at 0-10.
For a photo gallery from the game, click here.
Pictured: The Washington Wildcats defeated the Tate Aggies Friday night 40-32. MorthEscambia.com photos by Gary Carnley, click to enlarge.
Flomaton Gets Big Playoff Win Over Billingsley
November 5, 2011
Flomaton’s Ryheem Dixon had five touchdowns Friday night as No. 6 Flomaton easily beat Billingsley 53-16 in round one of the Alabama 2A playoffs.
Dixon had a 24-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Bonds, a 6-yard touchdown run, a 36-yard touchdown pass to Neiko Robinson, a 70-yard touchdown pass to Robinson and returned a kickoff 85 yards for a TD.
Dustin Postlewait added a 2-yard touchdown run and a 64-yard interception run return by Robinson.
Flomaton (10-1) will visit Goshen in the second round of playoffs at 7:00 next Friday night.
Submitted photos by Kenny Shivers for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Combine Sparks Soybean Field Fire
November 5, 2011
Firefighters from Walnut Hill and Century responded to a brush fire in Bratt late Friday afternoon that was sparked by a combine. The fire on Bratt Road just east of Vaughn Road scorched only a small area in a soybean field. Their were no injuries reported. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Man Killed By Train
November 4, 2011
A man died Thursday night after being struck by a train in Escambia County.
Pensacola Police Department Lt. Steve Ordonia said a preliminary investigation indicates a northbound train struck the man at a time that has not yet been determined. Police were notified after an employee on a southbound train noticed the body on the tracks and called 911 around 7:45 p.m Thursday.
Ordonia said it is not known why the man may have been on the tracks. The identity of the white male have not yet been released.
The incident occurred on the railroad tracks that run parallel to Scenic Highway just south of Langley Avenue. Police are working with CSX employees on the investigation.
Child Sex Abuse Suspect’s Mom, Victim’s Mom Both Learn Fate For Beating
November 4, 2011
The mother of a young child sex abuse victim and the mother of the suspect have both learned their fate in Escambia County Circuit Court for beating the 17-year old suspect with an extension cord.
Juliette H. Dubose, 42, and Kassedra Dubose, 38, both pleaded no contest to charges of cruelty toward a child. Both women have entered into a pretrial diversion program under which charges will be dropped if they successfully complete the one year program.
Juliette Dubose was accused of “whipping” Michael Alexander Dubose with an extension cord after learning that he allegedly had sexual relations with her 6-year son over a one year period at two different units at Century Woods Apartments.
After the beating, Juliette Dubose instructed the mother of Michael Dubose, Kassedra Dubose, to also beat him with the extension cord, according to an arrest report.
The 17-year old son suffered numerous cuts and bruises all over his body, according to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office report. Michael Dubose is currently awaiting a January trial as an adult on two felony counts of sexual battery on victim under 12.
Incumbent Bill Slayton Prefiles For School Board
November 4, 2011
Thursday, incumbent Bill Slayton became the first candidate to pre-file for the Escambia County School Board, District 5 for the 2012 general election.
Slayton, a resident of Cantonment, was first elected to the school board in 2008, following an unsuccessful bid for school superintendent in 2004.
Caylee’s Death Prompts Senate Bill
November 4, 2011
In response to the tragic death of two-year-old Caylee Anthony, a special Florida Senate committee has proposed legislation to boost penalties for those who purposely mislead police about a missing child who later turns up seriously harmed or dead.
Following sometimes emotional testimony at earlier meetings, the chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Protecting Florida’s Children proposed boosting the penalty for lying to law enforcement officers from a misdemeanor to a third degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.
The proposal, sponsored by Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, would provide the enhanced penalties in cases in which the child was 16 years old or younger. The proposal, to be filed shortly, is the latest in a series of bills offered following the July acquittal of Caylee’s mother, Casey Anthony, 22 at the time of Caylee’s death.
Though lawmakers cannot prevent a child from being abused, Negron said they can assure that there are consequences for such behavior.
“We’re making a clear statement that every parent has an obligation to cooperate with law enforcement when their child goes missing,” he said.
Other bills are circulating, including a measure, HB 37, by Rep. Jose Diaz, R-Miami, that would require caregivers to notify police within 48 hours of a child’s disappearance.
By The News Service of Florida
State To Appeal Welfare Recipient Drug Testing Court Order
November 4, 2011
The state filed a brief on Thursday with a federal court saying it will appeal a decision temporarily setting aside a controversial law requiring drug tests for welfare recipients in the latest phase of several legal battles over Gov. Rick Scott and the GOP-dominated Legislature’s policies.
“This policy is intended to help Florida families and is an effective way to ensure that welfare dollars are used for the benefit of children and to help Floridians get back to work and off public assistance,” Scott said in a statement after the filing. “I have no doubt that the law is constitutional, and that it is supported by the great weight of judicial authority.”
But the move outraged opponents of the law, who said the injunction granted by the U.S. District Court Judge Mary Scriven clearly showed that the law crossed the U.S. Constitution’s ban on unreasonable searches. Rep. Cynthia Stafford, who has filed a bill to overturn the policy, said the tests were “mean-spirited, wasteful and unconstitutional” in a statement lambasting the decision to appeal the case.
“What Governor Scott continues to forget is that being poor is not a crime, and the state should not attempt to treat poor Floridians as though they are criminal suspects,” said Stafford, D-Miami.
But supporters of the law, including a think tank that Scriven singled out for what she regarded as flawed research buttressing the state’s claims, hailed the decision.
“Our tax dollars should not be used to fund illegal drug addiction that traps children in unsafe homes,” said Tarren Bragdon, a Scott ally and president and CEO of the Foundation for Government Accountability.
The decision in the case of Luis Lebron, a 35-year-old Orlando resident who applied for benefits in July but refused to take a drug test, fueled what has become an increasingly testy relationship between Scott and the Legislature on one side and state and federal courts on the other.
Since Scott took office in January, lawsuits have also been filed challenging his decisions or laws he signed dealing with high-speed rail, rulemaking by executive branch agencies, prison privatization, pension reform and a proposed constitutional amendment allowing state funds to flow to religious social services, as well as a policy requiring state workers to be tested for drugs.
Courts have ruled against Scott on the privatization plan and the rulemaking case. Scott suspended the drug tests for state employees in the face of that lawsuit, and a state judge hearing the case on the pension overhaul also sounded skeptical of the state’s arguments at a hearing last month. The governor won a suit challenging his ability to essentially cancel a high-speed rail project.
In recent days, Scott has sounded exasperated with the continued legal wrangling over the policies.
“I thought there were three branches of government,” the governor complained to reporters Wednesday. “I thought the legislative branch was supposed to pass the laws and the governor either sign them or not. I didn’t anticipate the judiciary would be making policy decisions, so it’s very disappointing.”
By Brandon Larrabee
The News Service of Florida
Twin Brothers Sentenced For Dog Fighting
November 4, 2011
Twin brothers facing dog fighting charges in Escambia County (Ala.) have been sentenced to prison on dog fighting convictions in Autauga County.
According to Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange, Terrell and Terrance McNeil, both age 29, were sentenced to 26 months in prison to be followed by three years probation. In addition, each brother was fined $1,000 and ordered to pay court costs.
The McNeil brothers were arrested on September 24, 2008, with 33 pit bulls at their residence in Prattville. Both were indicted and pleaded guilty to one count of felony dog fighting.
Terrance McNeil has a prior conviction for dog fighting in Escambia County, and each brother has dog fighting charges pending in Escambia County.
“This crime involves a deliberate cruelty and terrible abuse of animals that is deeply disturbing and that must not be tolerated,” said Attorney General Strange. “I am pleased that this case sends a message that in Alabama, the crime of dog fighting will be taken seriously and punished sternly.”
Terrance McNeil pleaded guilty to felony dog fighting charges that stemmed from a 2008 incident in Atmore. An anonymous tip led investigators with the Atmore Police Department and the Humane Society of Escambia County (Ala.) to North Sunset Drive where they found a makeshift dog fighting arena. According to investigators, they found several vehicles parked outside a trail that led into a thickly wooded area, ending at a “plywood pit” surrounded by floodlights powered by a portable generator. They also located an assortment of alleged dog fighting paraphernalia.
Pictured top: An alleged dog fighting arena discovered in a wooded area off North Sunset Drive in Atmore in June, 2008. Pictured below: One of the dogs allegedly involved in the incident. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
