Escambia Bank Robbery Suspect Nabbed In Mississippi
September 29, 2011
An Escambia County bank robbery suspect is behind bars today in Mississippi.
David Paul Beaudoin, 48, no permanent address, was arrested around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in Pascagoula, MS, after a Jackson County Sheriff’s deputy spotted him driving a car westbound on Interstate 10. The car had been reported stolen in Michigan a few months ago.
The deputy began following the suspect, who accelerated in an attempt to escape. A pursuit followed until Beaudoin crashed the car off Highway 90 near Pascagoula and fled on foot. He was taken into custody a short time later by a Jackson County Sheriff’s Office K-9 officer.
Beaudoin is a suspect in the robbery of SunTrust Bank on North Davis Highway on September 23, according to Pensacola Police. The suspect walked up to a teller, handed her a note demanding cash and lifted his shirt to show a handgun in his pants. The teller complied and the suspect left the bank on foot in an eastbound direction.
Pensacola Police Detective Chad Willhite said Beaudoin is being held in the Jackson County Adult Detention Center under local charges and a hold has also been placed on him by the Daphne, AL, Police Department for a bank robbery that occurred there Tuesday.
Willhite, who praised the Jackson County Sheriff’s deputy for spotting and following the suspect, said Beaudoin is a suspect in a number of bank robberies that have occurred between Pensacola and Missouri. An undisclosed amount of money was found in the stolen vehicle when Beaudoin was taken into custody Tuesday.
Pictured top: The September 23 robbery of a Davis Highway bank. Pictured inset: Suspect David Pual Beaudoin was taken into custody in Jackson County, Miss. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Molino Park Students Learn Fire Safety
September 29, 2011
Molino Park Elementary School students learned all about fire safety this week. The crew of Engine 1819 from the Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue was at the school Tuesday and Wednesday as part of the Molino Park’s annual “Fire Safety Days”. Pictured above:
Man Gets 20 Years For Kidnapping, Assault In Pizza Buffet Parking Lot
September 29, 2011
Dionte Stallworth was sentenced Wednesday by Judge Frank Bell to 20 years in state prison. On August 17, 2011, Stallworth was found guilty by an Escambia County Jury of attempted armed kidnapping with a firearm and aggravated assault with a firearm.
On November 10, 2010, Stallworth contacted the victim, Marcus Anderson of High Stepping Shoes, to purchase athletic shoes from him. Stallworth and Anderson agreed to meet at the CiCi’s Pizza parking lot on Ninth Avenue. As Anderson was showing Stallworth the merchandise, Stallworth pulled a handgun, held it in Anderson’s side, and demanded him to get in the vehicle, according to State Attorney Bill Eddings.
A struggle ensued resulting in one shot being fired. During the investigation, fingerprints were taken from the trunk of the vehicle that were identified as belonging to Dionte Stallworth.
Stallworth faced a maximum of 30 years state prison with a minimum mandatory of 20 years for discharging the firearm in accordance with the 10-20-Life law.
Florida GOP Could Settle On January 31 Primary Date
September 29, 2011
State Republicans seemed headed for a showdown with the national party Wednesday, as legislative leaders rallied around Jan. 31 as the date for Florida’s GOP presidential preference primary — a date that would break the Republican National Committee’s calendar rules by more than a month.
The move would still have to be ratified by a state commission at a Friday meeting, but House Speaker Dean Cannon, a Winter Park Republican who named some of the panel’s members, told CNN the date was all but set.
“We are expecting to meet on Friday from 11 to 12, and I expect that they will pick January 31 as Florida’s primary date,” Cannon said.
That would put Florida back where it was before the commission was approved by the Legislature in an effort to defuse the looming showdown. Florida Republicans have vowed to make sure the state is the fifth state in the presidential selection process, after traditional early states Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.
A January primary it will almost certainly spark a stampede by those other states to get ahead of Florida and preserve their premiere status in the selection of the next GOP nominee.
Florida officials had been looking at holding the vote in February. But Katie Betta, a spokeswoman for Cannon, said that was before it became clear both Colorado and Missouri would hold primaries Feb. 7 — though it’s unclear whether either event will actually pledge delegates to the candidates, which could allow them to avoid penalties.
“The position of January 31 would still put Florida fifth in line,” Betta said.
A spokeswoman for Senate President Mike Haridopolos, a Merritt Island Republican who also appointed members to the primary committee, said he backed the idea as well.
“The Senate President firmly believes that Florida is the ultimate bellwether state and, as such, should play a pivotal role in the selection of the next Republican presidential nominee,” spokeswoman Lyndsey Cruley said. “President Haridopolos also believes that Florida holding its primary on January 31 accomplishes that goal, and he looks forward to the Presidential Preference Primary Committee’s final decision on Friday.”
Meanwhile, the RNC signaled it will not back down on its insistence that Florida should hold its primary no earlier than March 6. Only the early states are supposed to hold votes before then, and the national party says it will strip any state that goes early of half of its delegates to the 2012 convention, scheduled for next summer in Tampa.
“We’re going to continue working with Florida and other states until the deadline on October 1st to ensure they remain within the Party rules,” spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski said. “Any state that violates the rules will lose 50 percent of its delegates.”
The move also brought down a bipartisan chorus of criticism, with New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley saying the move was “appalling” and would open up voters to holiday harassment.
“Now, New Hampshire voters will undoubtedly be hounded by Republican presidential wannabes as they try to spend time with their families this winter,” Buckley said.
By Brandon Larrabee
The News Service of Florida
Lightning Causes Minor Damage To Mobile Home, Shed
September 29, 2011
Lightning damaged a Molino home and shed Wednesday afternoon.
The lightning strike about 4:10 p.m. caused minor damage in a mobile home on Blackberry Lane at Highway 99, reportedly blowing out several electrical outlets. The strike also sparked a minor fire in an adjacent shed. There were no injuries reported.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Judge Won’t Lower Rendell’s Bond
September 28, 2011
Judge Nickolas Geeker refused Wednesday afternoon to lower bond for a former Northview High School student accused in the August fatal shooting her adoptive sister.
Elena Janelle Rendell, 17, will remain in the Escambia Jail with bond set at $300,000 for the shooting death of 14-year old Christina Marie Sneary, a former Molino resident. She is charged as an adult with manslaughter by a firearm.
The two girls had recently moved with their mother from Sunset View Lane in Molino to the 7600 block of Kipling Street in the Ferry Pass community.
Rendell told deputies that she began to argue with Sneary over a cell phone. During the argument, Rendell ran into her parent’s bedroom and retrieved her father’s 9 mm handgun from the top of a television shelf that stood about 12-feet high. Rendell then pointed the handgun at her 14-year old sister and fired a single gunshot into the right side of Sneary’s neck. Sneary died a short time later at Sacred Heart Hospital.
For more details about the shooting, click here for an earlier story.
Hundreds Of Students Gather To Pray At The Pole
September 28, 2011
Hundreds of students gathered to pray at their schools in across the area Wednesday morning during the annual See You at the Pole event.
Students gathered as school began to pray in the non-denominational event. See You at the Pole is a student-initiated, student organized, and student-led event. Students prayed for their school, friends, teachers, government and the nation.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Do you have See You at the Pole photos from a North Escambia area school? Email them to news@northescambia.com or upload them to your Facebook and message us.
Pictured: Students gather for See You at the Pole at Northview High (top), Ernest Ward Middle (below) and West Florida High School (inset) this morning. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Atmore Woman Injured In Early Morning Hwy 97 Crash (With Photo Gallery)
September 28, 2011
An Atmore woman was injured in a single vehicle crash early Wednesday morning on Highway 97 in Walnut Hill.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 27-year old Katherine S. Lee was northbound on Highway 97 south of North Highway 99 when she lost control about 1:45 a.m., ran off the road and struck a concrete culvert with her 2001 Ford Mustang.
Firefighters were forced to use the Jaws of Life to free Lee from her vehicle. Lee was airlifted by LifeFlight to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola.
Lee was listed in fair condition Wednesday afternoon at Sacred Heart. She was charged with careless driving by the FHP.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and Atmore Ambulance also responded to the accident.
For a photo gallery from the scene, click here.
Pictured: An Atmore woman was seriously injured in this single vehicle accident early Wednesday morning on Highway 97 in Walnut Hil. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Ernest Ward Beats The Baker Gators (With Photo Gallery)
September 28, 2011
The Ernest Ward ’s Eagles defeated the Baker School Gators Tuesday evening in middle school football action in Walnut Hill.
The Eagles held a 16-0 lead at the half, expanding their lead to 24-0 with 6:29 to go in the third with a touchdown run from Warren Suggs and a successful two point conversion from Jacob Dunsford.
The Gators scored with 2:30 to go in the game for the 24-8 final.
Ernest Ward (2-2) will travel for a 6 p.m. game on Tuesday, October 4 at Excel, Alabama.
For a photo gallery from the game, click here.
Pictured: Ernest Ward Middle beat Baker Tuesday night in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Two Injured In Cantonment Crash (With Photo Gallery)
September 28, 2011
One person was trapped in a two vehicle accident Tuesday afternoon in front of the Cantonment fire station, disrupting rush hour traffic for about an hour.
Firefighters were forced to use the Jaws of Life to extricate one person from their vehicle in the accident on Highway 29 near Woodland Street about 5:30 p.m.. That person and one other were transported to a Pensacola hospital by ambulance. Their conditions were not known.
The Cantonment, Molino,, Ensley and Beulah stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the crash along with Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Further details have not been released by the Florida Highway Patrol.
For a photo gallery from the scene, click here.
Pictured above: First responders use the Jaws of Life to free a person trapped in a Tuesday afternoon crash on Highway 29 in Cantonment. Pictured below: Two people were injured in the two vehicle wreck. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
