Men Accused Of Stealing, Selling Thousands Of Pounds Of Metals
July 21, 2011
Two men are accused of stealing thousands of pounds of items — including 3,200 pounds of steel — from two barns in Nokomis and then selling the goods to a recycling center in Alabama.
Theodius Johnson, 25, and Ricardo Gilpatric Fisher, 47, allegedly stole thousands of dollars worth of farm equipment from two barns on North Pineville Road near the Alabama state line.
The victim told deputies that he and his wife noticed a vehicle that did not belong at one of their barns and blocked in the vehicle. That’s when they spotted Johnson walking away from a nearby home; The man and wife “detained” Johnson, according an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office report.
The victim said that numerous items were missing from two barns — including fertilizer hoppers, a diesel tank, and numerous other tractor parts and farm equipment.
Johnson told deputies that he and Fischer, his cousin, had taken items from the two barns over a two week period and sold the items at a scrapyard between Flomaton and Brewton.
Fischer and Johnson both admitted to deputies, according to their report, that they had pawned the items on four different occasions at Advance Environmental Recycling in Flomaton. Fischer’s name appeared on three scale tickets from the business, while Johnson’s name appeared on one, the report states.
Johnson was arrested and charged with burglary of an unoccupied structure and grand theft. He was released from the Escambia County Jail on $10,000 bond.
Fischer was already in the Escambia County (Ala.) Detention Center in Brewton on a first degree theft charge when he was questioned by Florida authorities. He remained in the Brewton jail as of Tuesday afternoon; a warrant has been issued for his arrest in Florida once he is released.
Fun News: A Real ‘Loopy’ Story
July 21, 2011
A little good news to report today — Loopy the parrot is back home thanks to a few good folks, our online paper and Facebook.
Loopy was happily enjoying life on a screened back porch in the Bratt area, near Pine Barren Road and the Alabama/Florida line, late last week. But when the mailman decided to put a package on the porch to avoid it getting it wet in an impending storm, Loopy decided to take a road trip out the screen door.
Darlene Thompson and her daughter, Kate Sells, frantically searched for Loopy, a 7-year old double yellow-headed green Amazon parrot. Darlene walked through the woods calling Loopy to no avail. When they returned home, Darlene emailed NorthEscambia.com, placing a free “lost and found” ad on the website.
Fast forward to Tuesday night. That’s when Loopy made his way into the Moore family’s barn on Highway 168 — about a mile from where he fled the porch last week. The Moores immediately tossed a towel onto the wayward bird and captured him, snapped a few photos and contacted NorthEscambia.com on Facebook with information about their find. They also called Darlene and made arrangements for Loopy’s little vacation to come to an end and returned him home safe and sound.
“Your classifieds really work,” Darlene told us. She also said that the family is looking into banding Loopy with their phone number, or, since he talks, teaching him his phone number in case of another flyaway.
And, Darlene said, she’s glad to know that there are good people in the world like the Moores.
“They were such nice people. They wouldn’t even take the reward we offered,” she said.
As for Loopy, he had no comment on this story.
- To visit the NorthEscambia.com “Free Classifieds” page and place an ad, click here. To become a NorthEscambia.com Facebook fan, click here. To become a personal Facebook friend of William, our publisher, click here.
Pictured: Loopy the parrot shortly after his “capture” on Highway 168 near Bratt. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Care’s Hildreth Elected VP Of State Group
July 21, 2011
Mae Sanders Hildreth, director of activities at Century Care Center, has been elected vice president of the Florida Health Care Activity Coordinators Association (FHCA) District XII.
“It has always been my dream to work in activities in a nursing home,” Hildreth said, adding that her mom worked as a nurse until she was 81, with her latter years spent working in a nursing home. “I was raised in it.”
“I strive to do my best to add quality of life for our seniors,” she said.
Pictured above: Mae Hildreth, dressed for the occasion, makes non-alcoholic tropical drinks for residents at Century Care Center during a planned Jamaican Party. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Escambia Schools To Receive $363K From BP
July 21, 2011
The Escambia County School District will receive $363,282 for lost revenues in a settlement with BP.
The settlement is a reimbursement for one-half cent local option sales tax funds the district lost during a four month period as a result of the BP oil spill. The money will be used in a capital reserve fund for school construction projects.
The Escambia School Board voted unanimously to accept the settlement.
Century Applying For Grants To Help Homeowners, Business Planning
July 21, 2011
Century is applying for two grants — one to improve housing for low income residents and the other to develop an economic plan for the town.
In Century, about 24 percent of all residents are below the poverty level with a per capita income of $14,629, according to the town, and almost half of all homes are classified as substandard. The town is applying for a USDA Rural Development housing preservation grant to assist some of those very-low and low-income homeowners in repairing or rehabilitating their homes. The funds, if approved, will be in addition to a current Small Cities Community Development Block Grant Program.
The town also plans to create an economic development strategy plan if awarded a USDA Rural Business Opportunity Grant. The grant would be used to train and provide technical assistance for business development.
Deputy Charged After 5-Vehicle Wreck
July 21, 2011
An Escambia County Sheriff’s deputy was charged with careless driving after a wreck involving five vehicles Wednesday night.
The Florida Highway Patrol said Deputy Justin Duval, 25, was traveling west on Gulf Beach Highway in a marked Sheriff’s Office vehicle when he rear-ended a 1998 Buick driven by 32-year old Kendra Tanner of Pensacola. The force of the collision sent Tanner’s vehicle into three properly parked vehicles in a nearby parking lot.
Tanner was transported to West Florida Hospital with minor injuries. A 13-year old passenger in her vehicle was not injured.
Duval was charged with careless driving by the FHP, while Tanner was charged with driving with a suspended license.
Two Arrested In Drug Raid
July 21, 2011
Two people were arrested on drug charges after a search warrant was executed near Flomaton.
Jesse Simmons, age 26 of Century, and David Lane Mullally, age 34 of Flomaton, were both charged with unlawful possession of marijuana in the first degree.
Authorities reportedly found marijuana inside a residence in the 2200 block of Wolf Log Road when a search warrant was executed by member of the 21 Judicial Task Force. Authorities also located what they believed to be salvia in the raid; it was outlawed in Alabama in 2010.
Teachers Union Sues To Block Ballot ‘Religious Freedom’ Measure
July 21, 2011
Accusing the Republican-dominated Florida Legislature of trying to dismantle the separation of church and state, a coalition of public school advocates and religious leaders filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging a ballot measure that would allow the state to funnel money to religious institutions.
Public school advocates are fearful that the proposed constitutional amendment was designed to promote a big expansion of private school vouchers. The lawsuit, filed in circuit court in Tallahassee, is being driven primarily by the Florida Education Association, with help from public school groups such as the Florida School Boards Association.
“Those of us who work to make public schools a priority understand that this is designed to open up the state treasury to voucher schools,” said FEA president Andy Ford, who is also a plaintiff in the lawsuit.
Ford is joined by eight other plaintiffs, who include six rabbis and ministers, and two public school advocates. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Anti-Defamation League are also helping fight the amendment.
The proposed constitutional change, known as Amendment 7, would delete a line in the state constitution that prohibits the state from using taxpayer dollars to “aid in any church, sect or religious denomination.”
Amendment 7 would insert a line that says the government cannot deny an individual or group the “benefits of any program, funding or other support on the basis of religious identity or belief.”
The provision of Florida’s constitution prohibiting state money from going to churches or religious groups is a “Blaine amendment,” for James G. Blaine, a 19th Century congressman from Maine who lobbied unsuccessfully to get that restriction inserted into the U.S. Constitution. After it failed, most of the states put similar provisions in their own state constitutions.
The Legislature is not being honest about why it wants to repeal the Blaine Amendment, argues Ron Meyer, an attorney with Tallahassee firm Meyer, Brooks, Demma and Blohm who works with the FEA.
“The ballot summary enacted by the Legislature to be placed on the ballot for general election does not clearly and unambiguously describe the chief legal effect,” Meyer said.
Florida law requires that a ballot summary and title clearly describe its intent.
Meyer also took issue with the title of the amendment – religious freedom. He said the amendment purports to fall in line with the U.S. Constitution and “nothing could be further from the truth,” he said. Meyer said the amendment would make the Florida constitution more permissive than the federal constitution.
“The real purpose of this amendment is masked from voters,” said Kent Siladi, a minister with the Florida Conference of the United Church of Christ and a plaintiff in the lawsuit. “It is an attack on the separation of church and state. Our lawmakers should put questions before Florida voters that are clear and unambiguous.”
Backers of Amendment 7 say the intent is clear. “What we want to do is simply put our Florida constitution in the same posture as our U.S. constitution,” said Sen. Thad Altman, R-Viera, the sponsor of the amendment.
Altman said the motivation behind the constitutional amendment effort wasn’t related to vouchers.
“I can tell you, I sponsored the bill and it wasn’t about school vouchers,” Altman said. “It was about religious freedom.”
Supporters of the Blaine amendment repeal also say that when an earlier attempt to offer private school vouchers known as Opportunity Scholarships was thrown out by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2006, it was not because of the religious funding restriction in the constitution.
The court voided the school voucher program then because it violated a different part of the state constitution dealing with a promise to give Florida students a “uniform” free public education.
“To try to bring vouchers to the front and center of this is disingenuous,” said Rep. Scott Plakon, R-Longwood, the House sponsor of the Blaine amendment repeal. “It simply says that you can’t single out somebody based on religious identity or belief. The government should not be able to discriminate one group against another.”
But Meyer, the FEA attorney, said there is ample evidence the repeal of the Blaine amendment would be used to expand voucher programs. “This is certainly about vouchers because it offers the opportunity to expand the use of tax money to private religious schools,” Meyer said, but added that it had other consequences.
“Religious organizations would have a legal entitlement to coerce taxpayer money to be expended on programs such as rehab for drug use, which could be conditioned upon participation of a religious exercise,” Meyer said.
Noticeably absent from the lawsuit was anyone affiliated with the Catholic Church.
Michael Sheedy with the Florida Catholic Conference said recent lawsuits have threatened the state’s ability to work with religious groups to provide social services. Sheedy said his group supports private voucher programs, which would direct public funds towards some Catholic schools.
The Blaine amendment repeal does not roll back the separation of church and state, Sheedy said.
“People might invoke it without having a really good understanding of what separation of church and state is,” Sheedy said. He said separation does not mean the state cannot “collaborate” with religious-oriented groups.
“Without this, participation in any public program by religious organization is vulnerable,” Sheedy said.
By Lilly Rockwell
The News Service of Florida
Warrant Issued For Former Cantonment Resident For Infant’s Murder
July 20, 2011
A warrant has been issued for a former Cantonment resident who killed a young child and injured an adult last Friday by shooting into an apartment.
Dwayne “Money” Pinestraw, 19, is wanted on an open count of murder for the shooting death of Ty’Quarius Moultrie, 19 months old; aggravated battery for the shooting of Vincent Dennis, 23; and firing a weapon into an occupied building.
Pinestraw’s current address is not known, but in 2010 he resided on Lake Drive in Cantonment.
Chief Chip W. Simmons said the investigation has been the top priority among officers since Friday.
“Personnel have been working around-the-clock, and we have been able to identify the person responsible for the death of young Ty’Quarius Moultrie,” Simmons said. “Our investigation is continuing, and we hope to have other suspects in custody in the near future.”
Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward III had given his full support for officers to use whatever resources were necessary to investigate and identify the person responsible for the shooting.
Hayward also praised officers for their diligence and persistence on this investigation.
Lt. Doug Baldwin, a supervisor in the department’s Criminal Investigations Division, said Pinestraw should be considered armed and dangerous. He added that police know other suspects were involved and are continuing their investigation.
The shooting occurred just before 2 p.m. July 15 at Pensacola Village, 500 E. Fairfield Dr., shortly after several people were involved in a drug transaction near the apartment complex.
Multiple shots were fired into Apartment O-2 and struck Moultrie, 19 months, and Dennis, 23. Their addresses are unavailable. Moultrie was taken to Sacred Heart Hospital where he died a short time later. Dennis also was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Baldwin said no additional information is being released on the shooting or drug investigations at this time.
Pinestraw is a black male, approximately 5 feet 6 and approximately 130 pounds. He is believed to be driving a white 2000 4-door Buick Century with a Louisiana license tag of TPX061.
Anyone having information on the Pinestraw’s location or the shooting is asked to contact Lt. Doug Baldwin at (850) 435-1908, Detective James Reese at (850) 435-1976, or the Desk Sergeant’s Office at (850) 435-1900.
Tropical Storm Cindy Forms; No Threat To Land
July 20, 2011
![[Image of 5-day forecast and coastal areas under a warning or a watch]](http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/storm_graphics/AT03/refresh/AL0311W5_NL+gif/203612W5_NL_sm.gif)
Tropical Storm Cindy formed in the open central Atlantic Ocean Wednesday afternoon, and forecasters say it poses no threat to the United States or any other land.
Cindy is expected to strengthen slightly until the cold waters of the Atlantic cause it to weaken. The latest details on Tropical Storm Cindy are in the graphic above.