FBI, IRS Search Santa Rosa Commissioner’s House, Business
December 1, 2011
Federal agents searched the home and business of Santa Rosa County Commissioner Bob Cole on Wednesday.
Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service agents reportedly removed boxes and paperwork and laptop computers from Bob Cole’s Automotive Professionals on Long Street in Pensacola, located between North 9th Avenue and Langley Avenue.
FBI and IRS agents also searched buildings on property with Cole’s home on Riverstone Road in East Milton.
Questions about the purpose of the visit were referred to the U.S. Attorney’s office, which declined to comment because the nature of the agents’ business was not public record.
Man Charged With Credit Card Fraud, Stealing Water Tank
December 1, 2011
A Flomaton man is facing felony charges after allegedly using his sister-in-law’s debit card without permission and for stealing large watering tank from a field off Highway 168.
Joshua Brian Ellis, 27, was charged with fraudulent use of a credit card and petit theft for using his sister-in-law’s debit card. He allegedly withdrew $294 on two different occasions at Pen Air Federal Credit Union and used the card for a $40 purchase at Century Foods.
Surveillance video from Pen Air showed Ellis using the ATM card, according to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office report, leading to the charges. He was not charged with debit card use at Century Foods because no surveillance video was available.
In an unrelated incident, Ellis was charged with felony grand theft for stealing a large stainless steel water tank valued at $400 from a field at Highway 168 and Shaw Road and selling it to Advance Environmental Recycling in Flomaton, according to a Sheriff’s Office report.
Ellis was being held in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $12,500.
One Enters Plea In ‘Anything For A Buck’ Undercover Operation
December 1, 2011
An Escambia County man pleaded guilty Wednesday afternoon to 24 federal charges stemming from the recent “Anything for a Buck” undercover operation.
Jacobi F. Foster, age 28 of Pensacola, entered the plea on charges that he possessed over 30 firearms, including multiple assault rifles, and sold them to undercover law enforcement. He also pleaded guilty to distributing cocaine to undercover agents four times while selling the firearms.
Because of his felony criminal history, Foster faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Casey Rodgers in February 2012.
Foster was one of 75 Escambia and Santa Rosa county residents arrested during the joint federal and state operation. Undercover agents and investigators purchased 270 firearms, including handguns, rifles, assault rifles and sawed-off shotguns, and more than 2,600 rounds of ammunition. In over 100 individual drug deals, they also obtained illegal drugs, including cocaine, marijuana, heroin, hydrocodone, xanax, and oxycodone.
Hurricane Season Ends (With Video)
December 1, 2011
The Atlantic hurricane season officially ended at midnight Wednesday. That does not mean that a tropical system is out of the question; there has been a tropical storm recorded every month except February.
The 2011 season was the third most active in recorded history, with 19 named storms — including seven hurricanes. Hurricane Irene caused more than $10 million in damage from the Caribbean to the Bahamas to the northeastern U.S. Along the Gulf Coast, our only taste of tropical weather this season was rain from Tropical Storm Lee.
The following video from NOAA shows the entire 2001 Atlantic hurricane season in just 4.5 minutes.
Woman Sentenced For 8.5 Mile Wrong Way Drunken Police Chase
November 30, 2011
A 61-year Cantonment woman has been convicted on charges that she led deputies on a drunken chase through North Escambia with a breath alcohol level two and a half times the legal limit.
Elizabeth Ann Dawson of Lakeview Avenue was convicted of driving under the influence and felony fleeing and eluding police. She was sentenced to a total of 30 days in jail and 24 months probation for the July incident. She was also ordered to perform 50 hours of community service and attend substance abuse counseling. Her driver’s license was revoked for 12 months, and ignition interlock was ordered for her car, and she was ordered to pay a $3,079 fine and $1,500 in court costs.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office first received emergency calls about Dawson headed north in the southbound lane of Highway 29 near Quintette Road about 11 p.m. on July 15. Multiple calls were received as she continued north through Molino.
An Escambia County Sheriff’s Office sergeant gave chase as he observed Dawson continuing to drive in the wrong lane near Highway 29 and Highway 97. The deputy drove parallel to Dawson in the northbound lane as additional deputies caught up to the pursuit. Deputies from the Century area responded south on Highway 29 during the chase, attempting to stop southbound traffic to avoid a collision.
Dawson continued northbound in the southbound lane until the eight mile pursuit ended when she stopped just south of Bogia Road — over 13 miles away from Quintette Road where 911 callers first reported her in the wrong lane.
Once stopped and out of her vehicle, Dawson was unable to stand without bracing herself, and keep telling deputies with slurred speech that she was sorry, according to the arrest report.
Dawson failed a field sobriety test and had a breath alcohol level of .199 and .192, the report states. The legal limit in Florida is .08.
Dawson was also ticketed for driving on the wrong side of the road.
500 Words: Judge Orders Drug Offender To Write Essay
November 30, 2011
A Cantonment man was ordered Tuesday by an Escambia County Judge to write a 500 word essay as part of his punishment for failing to comply with his drug court sentence.
Brandon Matthew Ritchey, 25, was first arrested on charges of marijuana possession and smuggling contraband into a detention facility. He was referred into the county’s drug court program with a long list of conditions, including time in a 12-step program, and ordered to find a job at least 20 hours per week.
Ritchey was back in court Tuesday for non-compliance. Judge Terrell remanded him into custody and ordered him to write a 500 word essay on “personal responsibility and accountability”.
CVS Pharmacies Will No Longer Fill Pain Prescriptions From Some Doctors
November 30, 2011
The pharmacy chain CVS said Tuesday it has notified some Florida doctors that it will stop filling prescriptions they write for certain controlled substances such as the painkiller oxycodone.
The company did not detail its reasons or how many doctors are affected. But it pointed to trying to stop prescription-drug abuse, an issue that has made Florida a magnet in recent years for users and traffickers.
“While we regret any inconvenience this may cause for our customers, we treat the dispensing of controlled substances with the utmost care and seriousness,” company spokesman Mike DeAngelis said in an email. “CVS/pharmacy is unwavering in its compliance and measures to prevent drug abuse and keep controlled substances out of the wrong hands.”
Paul Sloan, president of the Florida Society of Pain Management Providers, described the move as “blacklisting physicians.”
“This is just another hysteria driven response to a problem that is based on false data provided by Florida medical examiners and law enforcement,” Sloan said.
In the North Escambia area, CVS operates stores in Century, Cantonment and Pensacola.
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.
Winning Fantasy 5 Ticket Sold In Molino
November 30, 2011
A winning ticket in Tuesday night’s Florida Lottery Fantasy 5 drawing was sold in Molino.
The Quick Pick ticket, with numbers 5-8-9-23-28, was sold at the Molino First Stop, 6530 Highway 95A. The ticket was one of four winning tickets in the drawing.
Each of the four winning tickets are worth $51,429.93 each. There were also 375 tickets with four correct numbers worth $88 each, and 11,126 with three of five numbers worth $8 each.
The other winning tickets were sold in Port Orange, Plantation and Pembroke Pines.
Flomaton Cheerleader Performs In Disney Parade
November 30, 2011
Ronna Tullis from Flomaton High School was one of more than 500 student cheerleaders and dancers from across the country to perform in the Thanksgiving Day Parade last week at Walt Disney World in Orlando.
The individuals invited to perform in the parade were part of a select group of cheerleaders chosen as cheerleading and dance All Americans during Universal Cheerleaders Association and Universal Dance Association summer camps across the country.
Pictured top: Ronna Tullis from Flomaton High School performed in the Thanksgiving Day Parade last week at Walt Disney World in Orlando. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
What’s That Mystery Molino Crop With The Yellow Flowers?
November 30, 2011
We received a lot of emails over the past few weeks asking about the unique yellow-flowering crop planted at Highway 29 and Highway 97 behind the Tom Thumb in Molino.
NorthEscambia.com turned to Libbie Johnson of Escambia County Extension and to the farmer, Eric Koehn of Walnut Hill, to find out that the plant is called Sunn Hemp (that’s Crotalaria juncea L for the scientific types).
For a photo gallery, click here.
It is a semi-tropical plant that is grown as a cover crop in the southeast. It’s a legume, growing in a variety of locations and returning nitrogen to the soil. It can also be used as a biomass to produce biofuels.
“Because it grows so fast, it is really good for people looking to get something on their soil to prevent erosion or to build organic matter into their soils,” Johnson said. “It is touted as being resistant to root knot nematodes- a real problem for our local row crop producers, so it would be good to use in a rotation. It takes about 8-12 weeks of growth for you to get the full benefit of the crop, so it’s best if it’s planted after corn or maybe a vegetable crop. It wouldn’t have time to get going if planted after cotton or peanuts.”
Koehn said he planted the Sunn Hemp as cover crop to prevent erosion after he harvested corn from the field. There were no plans to harvest the crop.
Pictured: Recent photos showing Sunn Hemp growing at Highway 29 and Highway 97 in Molino. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
