Florida Senate Panel: Do We Need A Caylee’s Law?
September 20, 2011
In the two months since Orlando resident Casey Anthony was acquitted of murdering her two-year-old daughter, an outraged public has prompted Florida lawmakers to file more than a half-dozen bills related to her case.
Most bills are called “Caylee’s Law” and are designed to stiffen penalties for parents not reporting a child missing within a certain time period. Casey Anthony allegedly did not report her child missing for a month.
The emotionally fraught issue, poised to be in the legislative spotlight, is being examined by a special Senate panel in advance of the session that starts in January. At its first meeting Monday, lawmakers studied whether existing laws already offer ways to punish parents for not reporting missing children.
“In my view, the committee is not here to second-guess the jury,” said Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, chair of the Select Committee on Protecting Florida’s Children. “They rendered what they believe was a fair and just verdict and….I believe their efforts should be respected.”
Negron said the committee’s duty was to figure out if the law was even needed.
Lawmakers are wary of repeating possible missteps made with the Jessica Lunsford Act, a law passed quickly in 2005 after the abduction and killing of nine-year-old Lunsford by a registered sex offender. That law prompted much stricter monitoring and registration of sex offenders.
Negron pointed out that an existing state law on child neglect that prohibits the “failure or omission” to care for a child’s physical and mental health could have been used against Casey Anthony but prosecutors elected not to.
Anthony was not charged with child neglect, Negron said, and said prosecutors probably did that for “valid reasons.”
“Before we start talking about new laws, I want to look at the laws we have,” Negron said.
Sen. Chris Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale, who sits on the special committee to examine policy changes on missing children, said after the verdict “we as legislators, like citizens, were very emotional.”
“Sometimes when we do those things and decide to legislate through emotions we have problems,” Smith said.
Lawmakers have filed at least eight bills related to the Casey Anthony case in Florida, and at least 25 other states have filed or are considering filing similar legislation. Most of the bills in Florida focus on making it a felony to not report a missing child quickly – the bills would require reporting anywhere between 12 and 48 hours after the child goes missing. The bills also make it a felony to not timely report a child’s death.
By Lilly Rockwell
The News Service of Florida
Portion Of Brickyard Road To Be Paved For $1.68 Million
September 20, 2011
Escambia County will soon award a project to pave a portion of Brickyard Road in Molino.
About 1.6 miles of Brickyard Road will be paved between Molino Road and Brickton Road. About 1.3 miles of the roadway is currently dirt, while the third of mile of the road closest to Molino Road is currently an open graded cold mix that will be resurfaced. The widened road will include 11-foot travel lanes plus a one-foot paved shoulder. The project also includes right of way and drainage work.
Low bidder on the project was Roads, Inc. of NWF at $1,674,183.75. The second lowest bidder was Gulf Atlantic Constructors, Inc. at $1,68,108.06.. The Escambia County Commission is expected to award the resurfacing contract to Roads, Inc. Of NWF at their October 6 meeting.
Once the project begins, it is expected to be substantially completed in 120 days.
Pictured above: Brickyard Road in Molino. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Molino Lady Astros Split Games With Alabama Southern
September 20, 2011
The Lady Astros high division softball team from Molino split a couple of games with Alabama Southern in Monroeville last weekend, losing the first game 5-4 and winning the second game 3-1.
“It wast quite an accomplishment for high school girls to compete against this high level of competitor,” said Coach Donnie Nicholson.
The Lady Astros are players from North Escambia area high schools. They will play against a couple of junior colleges this weekend in the Fall Jamboree at the University of West Florida.
Members of the Molino Lady Astros are Meagan Green, Heather Thompson — pitchers and infielders; Brook Waters, Emily Vaxquez — catchers and infielders; Ashley Richerson, Barrett Barns, Nicole Kenough, Cat Tucker — infielders; Dallas Dickerson , Nikki Cody, Grace Kilcrease and Savannah Allen — outfielders.
No Injuries As Fire Destroys Home On State Line Road (With Photo Gallery)
September 19, 2011
Fire completely destroyed a home on State Line Road in Flomaton Monday night.
The elderly male occupant of the home and was able to escape uninjured with his cat; his wife out of town at the time of the blaze.
The brick home at 1721 State Line Road, which runs along the border between Flomaton and Century, was fully involved when the first firefighters arrived on scene about 7:45 p.m. Flames were shooting 30 feet in the air as firefighters began their attack on the blaze. There was no immediate word on the cause of the fire.
The fire was directly across State Line Road from Shady Lane in Century, just west of the Flomaton Funeral Home. Multiple fire departments from across the area responded to the blaze, including Flomaton, Friendship, Century, McDavid, Molino, Walnut Hill and Jay.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery, click here.
Pictured above and below: Fire completely destroyed this brick home on State Line Road Monday night. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Accused Sister Shooter Rendell Seeks Lower Bond
September 19, 2011
A bond hearing will be held next week for the former Northview High School student accused in the August fatal shooting her adoptive sister.
Elena Janelle Rendell, 17, was charged as an adult with manslaughter by a firearm and remains 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 will appear in court before Judge Nickolas Geeker on September 28 as her attorney seeks a lower bond amount.
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.
Senate Names Evers To Several Committees
September 19, 2011
New committee assignments were for the Florida Senate were announced Friday by Senate President Mike Haridopolos.
Rep. Greg Evers, who represents the North Escambia area, was named chairman of the Criminal Justice Committee and vice chairman of the Transportation Committee.
Evers was also named as a member of the following committees:
- Communications, Energy, and Public Utilities
- Rules Subcommittee on Ethics and Elections
- Reapportionment
- Budget Subcommittee on Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations
- Budget Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development Appropriations
- Select Committee on Protecting Florida’s Children
Free Hunter Safety Course Offered
September 19, 2011
Escambia County Extension Services and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are offering a free hunter safety course at the Langley Bell 4-H Center, 4810 West Nine Mile Road.
Classes will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on September 20th, 22nd, 27th, and 29th with the range portion held October 1st from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Both traditional classroom style and online training are available.
The traditional hunter safety course, which covers the knowledge, skills, and ability needed to be a safe hunter, is 12 hours of classroom instruction with a test and three hours on the range.
The online version allows students to learn a majority of the course via computer with the remainder of the course covered in a four-hour classroom session on September 20th, followed by a test, and three hours on the range on October 1st.
Anyone born on or after June 1, 1975, must complete a hunter safety course before purchasing a hunting license.
Participants must be 12 years of age or older. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Each person must be pre-registered.
Information and registration is available online at http://myfwc.com/hunting/safety-education or by calling the FWC’s regional office in Panama City at (850) 265-3676 or
by calling Libbie Johnson at Escambia County Extension Services, (850) 475-5230 or email libbiej@ufl.edu.
Prep Football: No Leaders In District 1-1A, 1-6A After Three Weeks
September 19, 2011
Three weeks down in the high school football season, and there are not yet any leaders in District 1-1A or District 1-6A because none of the teams have actually played a district matchup.
But that will change Friday night in 1-6A with district games between Tate and Escambia, Pine Forest and Pace and Milton and Pensacola. The other team in 1-6A, Washington, will sit out Friday night with a bye.
There are still no district matchups this Friday night in District 1-A. The Northview Chiefs and the Jay Royals will face off in Jay on October 2 in the first district game of the season for either team.
Pictured top: Action Friday night as Tate lost to West Florida. Pictured inset: The Northview Chiefs fell to Chipley on the road last Friday night. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Northview, Jay Place In Pace Cross Country Meet
September 19, 2011
Both Northview and Jay high schools placed in the annual Patriot Invitational Cross County meet held recently at Simms Middle School in Pace.
The meet, hosted by Pace High School, featured 160 runners from high schools in Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties. The Jay High Lady Royals placed sixth among 15 schools, while the Northview Lady Chiefs placed 13th. The Northview boys placed 14th.
Top runners for Northview and Jay were:
- Northview Boys Top 5: Issac McGahan, Joseph Baldwin, Dakota Craft, Jonathon Moretz and Jack Floyd
- Northview Girls Top 5: Georgia Goetter, Jazzlyn Franklin, Lakelyn Parker, Zacarra Davis and Julia Thorpe
- Jay Girls Top 5: Jessica Thornton, Jorja Agrait, Allison Blair, Ally Settle and Savannah Brow
Pictured top: The Northview Lady Chiefs at the recent Patriot Invitational Cross County meet in Pace. Pictured inset Jorja Agrait and Jessica Thornton run for the Jay Lady Royals. Pictured below: Members of the Northview Chiefs boys cross country team. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Molino Kids Celebrate With Back To School Blast
September 19, 2011
Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Molino held a “Back to School Blast” Sunday afternoon. Children from across the community enjoyed fun and games, and there was a family cookout for people of all ages. The church also collected reams of paper to benefit Molino Park Elementary School.
For more photos from the event, click here.
Do you have news from your church or community group? Email your photos and information to news@northescambia.com.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
