State Attorney’s Office Charges Molino Man With Animal Abuse
April 6, 2012
A Molino man has been charged by the State Attorney’s Office in connection with 65 animals that were found starving in Molino last December.
James Russell Williams, age 61 of Bet Raines Road, was charged with animal abuse, two counts of unlawful confinement of animals and two counts of unlawful disposal of dead animals. Early Friday, he remained in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $2,500.
On December 9, Escambia County Animal Control officres seized 18 donkeys, six miniature horses, four goats, 12 peacocks and 25 pigs in poor condition from a property near Molino.
Williams had been hired by the property owner as caretaker for the animals, according to Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille. The owner was in the hospital at the time of the seizure. The property owner later passed away.
Pictured top: Hay is delivered to starving donkeys December 9, 2011, near Molino. Pictured left: An Escambia County Animal Control Officers feeds a donkey an apple. Pictured below: Another county animal control officer documents conditions. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
One Injured In Molino Wreck
April 6, 2012
One person was injured in a Thursday night wreck in Molino.
The accident happened about 7:10 p.m. near the intersection of Molino Road and Highway 95A. The driver of a pickup truck reportedly clipped another vehicle, lost control and overturned on the shoulder of Highway 95A. The pickup truck driver was transported by ambulance to a Pensacola hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Further details on the accident have not been released by the Florida Highway Patrol.
The Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the crash.
Pictured: The driver of this pickup was transported to a Pensacola hospital following this crash at Molino Road and Highway 95A Thursday night. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Alabama Attorney Arrested On Drug Charges
April 6, 2012
Authorities in Escambia County, Ala., have arrested an attorney on drug charges.
Thursday afternoon, the Brewton Police Department charged attorney Sara “Sally” Oswald Stoddard with unlawful possession of a controlled substance and attempt to commit a controlled substance crime.
According to Lt. Bryan Davis, Stoddard, age 65, was arrested at her Brewton law office following the conclusion of a Brewton Police Department investigation. She was transported to the Escambia County (Ala.) Detention Center.
According to court records, Stoddard was arrested on controlled substance charges in Evergreen, Ala., in 2003. Those charges were later dismissed.
Stoddard later filed suit against then-Conecuh County Sheriff Tracy Hawsey and a deputy sheriff for $500,000 in punitive damages and $4,000,000 in compensatory damages. That case case was later dismissed.
Blue Wahoos Win Opener
April 6, 2012
Pensacola third baseman Henry Rodriguez drove in all three runs and blasted the first home run in team history as Pensacola defeated the Montgomery Biscuits in their inaugural season opener in front of a capacity crowd of 5,038 on Thursday night at Pensacola’s Maritime Park.
Shortstop Didi Gregorius drew a two-out walk in the eighth with the score tied to set the stage for Rodriguez, who mashed a two-run shot to left-center to break the draw. After returning to the dugout, Rodriguez obliged the Blue Wahoos faithful with a curtain call.
Pensacola reliever Justin Freeman (1.2 IP, 1 SO) earned the very-first victory in the club’s history after firing 1.2 scoreless innings in support of Villarreal, while Donnie Joseph (0.2 IP, 2 SO) notched his first save of the year by fanning both hitters he faced. Montgomery reliever Frank De Los Santos (2.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO) suffered the loss after giving up two earned runs on four hits in 2.2 innings.
Biscuits third baseman Cole Figueroa led both sides with three hits, while Blue Wahoos second baseman Brodie Greene was the lone Pensacola batter with a multi-hit game.
Montgomery and Pensacola will face off again tomorrow in the second of five-games during the opening homestand at Pensacola’s bayfront ballpark. Right-hander Curtis Partch is slated to get the nod for the Blue Wahoos, while he is scheduled to be opposed by Biscuits righty Alex Colome. First pitch is set for 7:05 pm.
By Andrew Green/Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Pictured top: The Blue Angels perform a flyover during the Pensacola Blue Wahoos opener Thursday evening. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Russell for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
No Injuries In Fire Truck Wreck
April 6, 2012
There were no injuries Thursday afternoon in a fire truck wreck near Nokomis, Alabama
A Nokomis (Ala.) Volunteer Fire Department tanker truck came to rest in a ditch on Johnson Road while the driver was responding to a reported brush fire. Tires on the passenger side of the tanker truck were a few feet into the air, while the driver’s side of the vehicle came to rest on a ditch embankment which prevented the truck from rolling over.
The accident is under investigation by Alabama State Troopers. Further details have not been released.
Johnson Road is in Escambia County, Alabama, near the Baldwin County line — just a short distance northwest of the extreme northwestern corner of Florida.
Pictured: A Nokomis (Ala.) Volunteer Fire Department tanker truck in a ditch Thursday afternoon near the Escambia/Baldwin county line. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate Beats Pine Forest
April 6, 2012
The Tate Aggies added two more to the win column Thursday night.
Tate 3 — Pine Forest 0
Tate 10 — Pine Forest 1 (JV)
The Tate Aggies moved to 16-2, 9-1 in the district with a 3-0 victory over Pine Forest Thursday night.
Cody Palmer threw another complete game shutout allowing only five hits while striking out three. Backed up by a flawless defense, he improved his record to 7-0 on the season.
The Aggies are back in action Friday night, traveling to Pace in their final regular season meeting. Game time is 7:00.
In junior varsity action, Tate beat Pine Forest 10-1. Friday’s junior varsity game has been canceled.
Motorcyclist Seriously Injured, Charged With Causing Wreck
April 6, 2012
A motorcyclist was seriously injured in a Thursday afternoon wreck on Nine Mile Road, and he was charged with causing the crash.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 48-year old Timothy Lee Wright was in a turn lane into Walgreens at Nine Mile and Pine Forest Roads. The turn lane came to an end, but Wright did not turn and continued into the path of a 1995 GMC pickup driven by 18-year old Tyler-Mikel Shawn Workman.
Wright was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in serious condition. He was charged with improper passing on the right, according to the FHP.
Workman was not injured.
Pictured: The driver of this motorcycle was charged by the FHP following this crash at Nine Mile and Pine Forest roads Thursday afternoon. Submitted photo by Jesse Johnson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Natural Gas Still Leaking Somewhere Under Hwy 29
April 5, 2012
Over a year after the problem was first publicly revealed as a potential “major public safety issue”, natural gas continues to leak under Highway 29 in Century.
The leak has not gotten any worse, according to Mayor Freddie McCall, as the town continues to jump through hurdles to get a project designed and secure USDA Rural Development loan funding for the project.
McCall said there are ongoing routine checks on the leak to ensure that the problem does not worsen.
About 6,515 feet of 4-inch steel natural gas line was buried beneath the southbound lanes of Highway 29 when the road was widened. Now, 45 years since the almost 1.25 mile long pipe was put into the ground, the town believes the steel is corroding and leaking somewhere between West Highway 4 and McCurdy Street.
The town’s engineer, Dale Long, said this week that funding for the project could come by the end of April, and that it will likely be late this year before actual construction will begin to replace the pipe.
A new 4-inch pipe will be placed on the west side of Highway 29, while a new 2-inch pipe will be installed on the east side of the highway, eliminating the need to install pipes under the road to service natural gas customers.
The pipe will be installed where existing easements exist or can be obtained at no cost, otherwise, it will be installed under existing sidewalks.
Pictured: Traffic flows on Highway 29 in Century Wednesday afternoon. Decades-old natural gas line buried under the southbound lanes of the highway is leaking. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Century Man Charged With Felony Animal Abuse
April 5, 2012
A Century man has been charged with allegedly abusing and starving two horses.
Kendrick Jamar Washington, age 23 of Jefferson Avenue, was booked into the Escambia County Jail on two felony counts of animal cruelty.
According to an arrest report, Washington placed two horses into a lot on Ramar Street in Century surrounded by a makeshift barbed wire fence. Barbed wire was hanging inside the pen, causing a serious injury to the front leg of one horse.
On January 24, animal control officers found that one horse was tied to a post; the second was found on its side in mud and dirt, unable to get up. Neither horse had access to food or shelter, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office report. Both of the animals were obviously underweight.
Both horses were transported to the Northwest Florida Animal Clinic in Pace for treatment.
Washington was arrested Tuesday night on an outstanding warrant related to the incident. He was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $50,000 bond.
Board Seeks Tax Increase To Save County Libraries
April 5, 2012
The West Florida Public Library Board voted unanimously Wednesday to request the Escambia County Commission directly levy a property tax increase to keep public libraries open in the county — including Century and the under-construction Molino Library.
The county may pull its $3.7 million contribution to the library system under a plan proposed by County Administrator Randy Oliver due to a projected $9.5 million budget shortfall.
With a vote of three of five commissioners, the commission can levy the .35 mils tax increase — about $35 on a $100,000 home. But if commissioners do not approve the tax increase, the issue could go to the voters as a referendum on the August ballot.
“The board will go after finding at least three commissioners to vote for the levy,” Bette Hooton, library board president, said following Wednesday’s meeting. “If that’s absolutely a no-go, we will go after the referendum.
“We are not going to go down without trying to save the Molino, Century and Southwest branch libraries,” she said.
The Escambia County Commission will consider the issue at its Committee of the Whole meeting at 9 a.m. on August 12. Wooton and Friends of the Library members are working to gather supporters to attend the meeting.
A yearly user fee of $50 imposed on every Escambia County resident that uses the library has also been suggested as a possible funding source to keep libraries open.
Pictured top: Construction is underway to convert the old Molino School into a library and community center. Pictured inset: The Century Branch Library. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.