Former Escambia Deputy, His Corrections Officer Wife Allegedly Steal From Elderly Couple
June 10, 2011
An Escambia County Sheriff’s Office detention deputy and a former deputy have both been arrested and charged with stealing thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from an elderly couple.
Sherry Marie Currie, 42, and Timothy Ralph Currie, 43, are both facing third degree felony grand theft charges. Sherry Currie is also facing a charge of larceny from $10,000 to $50,000.
The couple allegedly stole tools, a table, lawn chairs and more from an elderly couple that hired them to do smalls tasks around their residence.
Timothy Currie was a sheriff’s deputy from 2003 to 2010 before resigning for unspecified administrative issues. Sherry Currie worked as detention deputy from March 2010 until a week after the theft report was made.
Sherry Currie is free on $15,000 bond, while Timothy Currie is free from jail on a $2,500 bond.
DUI License Suspension Rules Will Change After Ruling
June 10, 2011
In a split ruling the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the state cannot suspend the drivers’ licenses of motorists who refuse blood alcohol tests if the refusal did not follow a lawful stop.
Rolling back a law passed by lawmakers in 2006, the 4-3 decision gives defendants more ammunition to get their licenses back by allowing them to argue whether they were lawfully pulled over in the first place, defense attorneys and agency officials agreed Thursday.
“The Legislature has authorized the administration of a breath test only if it is incident to a lawful arrest and based on probable cause to believe that the person driving was under the influence of alcoholic beverages,” the court said in its unsigned majority opinion.
Florida’s “implied consent” law requires motorists to take sobriety tests if the law enforcement officer has probable cause to believe they are impaired. If they refuse, their licenses are immediately suspended, an administrative duty given to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Motorists can challenge the suspension by taking their case to an agency hearing officer.
Following changes made in 2006, DHSMV hearing officers haven’t been required to consider the legality of the underlying stop during administrative hearings challenging a suspension. The hearing officer need only determine that the person refused to take a blood test.
On Thursday, the court ruled that an administrative suspension could only come following a valid arrest. The ruling will have no effect on criminal DUI proceedings.
Attorneys for two defendants whose cases were consolidated argued that without the ability to challenge the legality of the underlying arrests, law enforcement officers could confiscate the licenses of any driver for no reason and the suspect would have no recourse to appeal.
“This gives defendants a fighting chance,” said David Robbins, whose Jacksonville law firm represented one of the defendants.
The majority agreed, saying that under current law, motorists who felt they were unfairly targeted would have no recourse.
Justices Charles Canady, Ricky Polston and Jorge LaBarga dissented, arguing that lawmakers in 2006 specifically removed the arrest requirement from DHSMV review. Given such deliberate action, Canady said the court was bound to follow the Legislature’s lead. The majority in this case did not.
“A more direct abrogation of legislative intent is hard to imagine,” Canady wrote.
Ann Nucatola, DHSMV spokeswoman, said the agency will now have to decide whether the underlying arrest was valid.
Before the ruling, “whatever happened on the criminal side we had nothing to do with,” Nucatola said. “We did not have to verify that the stop was legal.”
By Michael Peltier
The News Service of Florida
Molino Park Recognizes Partners In Education
June 10, 2011
Molino Park Elementary School is recognizing their partners in education:
Molino Park Elementary would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere thanks and gratitude to our partners in education: Domino’s Pizza On Highway 29, Barrineau Parak Historical Society, Aldersgate United Methodist Church, and Highland Baptist Church.
The support they give us throughout the year is something we could not do without. As budgets are cut for our schools we will continue to depend on these wonderful partners and invite other businesses and organizations around the Molino area to support our children in our community by becoming a partner in education with Molino Park Elementary School.
Quinn Evans, Ed.S.
Curriculum Coordinator
Molino Park Elementary
Groups File Suit Against Deepwater Gulf Oil Rig
June 10, 2011
Federal officials overseeing a Shell Oil request to drill in deep water in the Gulf of Mexico are relying on false assumptions and accepting inadequate safety standards to prevent a repeat of the BP Deepwater Horizon spill, environmentalists charged Thursday in a complaint filed in federal court to stop it.
Less than a year after oil stopped flowing from the worst spill in U.S. history, a coalition of environmental groups including Sierra Club, the Florida Wildlife Federation and the Gulf Restoration Network filed suit in the U.S. 11th District Court of Appeals in Atlanta to stop federal officials from giving the company permission to drill in deep water about 70 miles off the Louisiana coast.
The group, represented by Earthjustice, says the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, is relying on data that underestimates the risk of another deepwater spill while the company lacks the proper emergency equipment to handle an accident if it were to occur.
Shell officials have estimated the chance of spill at less than 1 in 10,000, a figure that federal officials used in approving the company’s request to drill a series of wells in 7,200 feet of water.
Shell has asked permission to drill eight deepwater wells in the region, three of which had already been approved.
The plaintiffs contend the risk data come from mostly shallow wells, which are far less risky to operate. Their own analysis of deepwater rigs points to a 1 in 43 chance of a spill. They also say that safety protocols and machinery needed to respond to a deepwater blowout won’t be in place until 2012.
“No reasonable person would agree to a 2.5 percent chance of having their house catch on fire,” Earthjustice Attorney David Guest told the News Service Thursday.
Shell’s plans were approved in May, the second such deepwater plans to be approved following the BP spill. Federal officials have approved a total of seven new wells since Oct. 2010. Another 38 revised new well plans have also been approved.
“This exploration plan was reviewed under the heightened standards we are now using to conduct site-specific environmental assessments,” BOEMRE Director Michael R. Bromwich said of the Shell approval in May. “The standards are higher than they used to be, and further support our goal of ensuring that deepwater exploration is done more safely and with greater protections for the environment than ever before.”
By Michael Peltier
The News Service Of Florida
Bond Revoked For Twins In Dog Fighting Case; One Going To Prison
June 10, 2011
Bond has been revoked for twin brothers accused of dog fighting, and one is headed to prison.
Terrance and Terrell McNeil, 29, are both awaiting trial on dog fighting charges in Autauga counties. Terrance McNeil pleaded guilty to dog fighting in Atmore back in January. His community control sentence has also been revoked; he has been sentenced to two years in prison followed by probation.
An Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop earlier this year and found Terrance McNeil in possession of a dog allegedly trained to fight, along with various dog fighting paraphernalia.
Pictured above and below: A dog allegedly trained to fight was found in the vehicle of Terrance McNeil by an Alabama sheriff’s deputy. Pictured inset: Twin bothers Terrance (bott0m) and Terrell McNeil. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Santa Rosa Says ‘Dump The Pump’ Ride Public Transit Free
June 10, 2011
Santa Rosa County is offering residents and visitors alike the chance to “Dump the Pump” and ride for free on the Santa Rosa Transit System all next week.
June 16 is National Dump the Pump Day, but Santa Rosa County opted to make it a week-long event to encourage people to ride public transportation instead of driving to help them save money.
Santa Rosa Transit is a pilot public transportation program mainly along U.S. Hwy. 90, from the Santa Rosa Industrial Park to a connection to the Escambia County Area Transit system at Nine Mile Road and University Parkway. The bus service along the approximately 23 mile route is primarily designed to help residents with transportation needs to and from work, but also helps provide access to medical services, shopping and government offices throughout the day. The fare for a one-way trip is normally $1.
Late Night Fight Ends With Stabbing, Other Injuries
June 9, 2011
A late night fight at an Escambia County apartment complex ended with a 19-year-old stabbed and several other people injured.
About 11:09 p.m. Wednesday, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the Tom Thumb at 5695 Pensacola Blvd for a reported stabbing. They found Leroy Lamar Samuel, 19, of Pensacola, lying on the ground with a stab wound to the back.
Deputies were told by a 15-year-old involved in the altercation that 18-year-old Kelcia Newell, of Pensacola, was attacked earlier in the day at Oakwood Terrace, 700 Truman Ave, and hit in the head with a bat.
The juvenile told deputies that he along with Samuel and 20-year-old Travious Quewon Newell, of Pensacola, went to Oakwood Terrace to find the suspects in the earlier altercation. According to him, they were attacked and Samuel was stabbed in the back and beaten with baseball bats.
Newell and the juvenile also suffered injuries in the attack. Newell stated that he was hit by baseball bats and suffered a laceration to the lip. The juvenile was also hit by baseball bats and was cut with a box cutter. He suffered a small laceration to the stomach.
“Between the hours of 6:00 and 11:00 p.m. yesterday, we received a number of complaints concerning disturbances at Oakwood Terrace, “ said sheriff’s spokesman Deputy Chris Welborn. “There was a crowd of about 100 people gathered at the complex, but very few cooperated with us with helping to identify suspects.”
Samuel, Newell and the juvenile were all treated for non-life threatening injuries. Samuel was transported by ambulance to Baptist Hospital.
Pedestrian Struck And Killed On Hwy 29
June 9, 2011
A McDavid man died when he was struck by two semi-trucks hauling logs early this morning on Highway 29 in Bluff Springs.
Dustin Blake McFadden Smith, 21, was pronounced dead at the scene by Escambia County EMS.
The Florida Highway Patrol said Smith was standing in the outside southbound lane of Highway 29 just south of Byrneville Road at 2:35 a.m. when he was hit by a semi driven by Russell A. Joseph, 49, of Repton, Ala. Smith came to rest in the roadway, where he was struck again by another semi driven by Ashley Wayne Hawkins, 42, of Dozier, Ala. The FHP said Hawkins was unable to see Smith in the roadway due to poor lighting conditions.
Both trucks stopped a short distance beyond the accident site. One of the log truck drivers called 911 to and stated that they believed they had struck a pedestrian. First responders found Smith lying in the southbound lanes of Highway 29.
The Florida Highway Patrol said it appeared Smith may have been involved in a single vehicle crash prior to being struck by the log truck. Smith’s vehicle was located at the edge of a wooded area, well off the roadway. Smith’s car was not hit by either log truck.
Charges are pending the results of a traffic homicide investigation, according to the FHP.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS also responded to the crash.
Southbound Highway 29 remained closed until about 6 a.m.
Pictured above: A McDavid man was struck and killed by two log trucks on Highway 29 in Bluff Springs about 2:35 Thursday morning. Pictured inset: The victim’s car was at the edge of a wooded area, perhaps involved in an unrelated single vehicle crash prior to his death. Pictured below: The victim was first hit by the white log truck pictured, then by a second yellow log truck pictured at the bottom of the page . NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia County Takes Another Step Toward Molino Library
June 9, 2011
Escambia County has taken another step forward of the renovation of the old Molino School into a community center, museum and library.
The project’s original plans called for a library, complete with the usual shelves of books, children’s areas and computer terminals. But without funding to operate its daily operations and employee salaries, library plans were shelved. The county needed thousands more to complete building renovations for a library, including the addition of more structural supports under the building’s 72-year old floor to accommodate thousands of pounds of books.
AAfter $700,000 in local option sales tax (LOST) funds were reprioritized at the request of County Administrator Randy Oliver, an additional $1.8 million was funneled to the project to once again include a library.
Now, Escambia County has officially issued a change order to their contract with DAG Architects, Inc. to included the library in their plans. That brings the county’s total contract with DAG for architectural and engineering fees to $356,130. The fees include $113,135 to design a new building on the Highway 95A property to house offices for both the tax collector and property appraiser.
Pictured above: The old Molino School. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Man Charged With Lying, Falsifying Records In Jail Inmate Death
June 9, 2011
An Atmore man that formerly worked as a corrections officer in Baldwin County was arrested by the Atmore Police Department Wednesday afternoon on misdemeanor charges related to an inmate death.
Larry Darrell Bowens, 24, of Gray Street, was Baldwin County Detention Center in Bay Minette Wednesday afternoon on charges of falsifying a governmental record and obstructing justice. Bowens resigned as a Baldwin County corrections officer the day after 19-old Zachary Barber of Fairhope was found hanging in his cell.
Baldwin County officials believe Bowens lied to investigators and falsified paperwork in reference to the prisoner’s death. Bowens’ actions did not contribute to the death, officials said.
Bowens was released on $2,000 bond.