5-Month Old Left Alone In Hot Car; Flomaton Woman Arrested
July 22, 2011
A Flomaton woman was arrested Thursday after a 5-month old baby was left unattended about 20 minutes in a hot car in Pensacola.
The baby was treated and released from a local hospital before being taken into custody by the Florida Department of Children and Family Services before being turned over to its grandparents.
Jessica Burnham, age 20 of Vanhoosen Road, has been charged with child neglect without great harm — a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison and/or up to a $5,000 fine.
Pensacola Police Department Officer Jud Fillingim said Burnham went to LabCorp on North Ninth Avenue to have some blood work done. Initially, she took the baby inside, but returned to the car with the baby after being told it could not go into the blood drawing area.
Burnham told LabCorp employees she had someone in the car and would take the baby to them while her blood was drawn. A witness told police she saw Burnham place the baby in a car seat, enter the vehicle and drive it to a partially shaded area of the parking lot.
Fillingim said Burnham told officers she turned on the air conditioning while she went back inside LabCorp. The female witness said approximately 20 minutes passed, no one was with the baby in the vehicle, and she was worried about the baby’s safety so she notified a LabCorp employee.
The employee and witness went to the car, found the doors unlocked, the windows up and the car’s air conditioner blowing hot air.
Fillingim said the women took the baby, who was sweating profusely and hot to the touch, inside and called for an ambulance. The female baby was taken to a local hospital for observation.
$2,345 – Total Cost To Replace Community Center A/C Unit Stripped Of Copper
July 22, 2011
The final tally is in on the cost to replace an air conditioning unit stripped of copper at the Byrneville Community Center.
Escambia County’s material and labor cost to replace the unit was $2,345.43, according to Brandi Ziglar, a spokesperson for the county.
The theft at the county-owned facility was reported July 11. Someone destroyed one of three air conditioning units, stripping out the copper coils. Officials said the thief cut the power to the air handling unit before stripping the copper. The air handling units are located behind a privacy fence, just feet from the community center’s playground.
Meanwhile, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is continuing their investigation into the theft.
Anyone with information about the crime should contact the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Pictured above and below: Crime scene investigators with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office retrieve fingerprints from air conditioning units at the Byrneville Community Center the morning of July 11. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
School Sales Tax Holidays Returning In Florida And Alabama
July 22, 2011
Back to school sales tax holidays are coming up in both Florida and Alabama next month.
In Florida, the sales tax holiday will be August 12-14 with no state or local sales tax on clothing, footwear and some accessories selling for $75 or less or certain school supplies for $15 or less. Click here for a list of exempt items in Florida. (To download and print a school supply list for an Escambia County school, click here.)
While it’s a sales tax cut for the careful shopper, retailers say it’s actually a big tax collection increase for the state. Many consumers actually increase their purchases of non-covered items during that period, which often coincides with sales.
Alabama’s sales tax holiday will be August 5-7. However, in Escambia County, AL, Atmore and Brewton will not be participating. In Atmore and Brewton, shoppers will save the state’s four percent tax, but still pay the county and city tax rate. Flomaton will participate, with back to school purchases in Flomaton exempt from the state and city tax, but not the one percent county tax. Click here for a list of exempt items in Alabama.
Northview To Host August 26 Preseason Fall Classic Game
July 22, 2011
Ready for some football? It’s only just over a month away for Chiefs fans. A preseason Fall Classic has been added to the Northview High School football schedule, and a couple of special football dates have also been marked for the season.
The Northview Chiefs will host a Fall Classic in Bratt on August 26 against Bay High School at 7 p.m., two weeks before the regular season begins with two games on the road for the Chiefs.
The school has also announced that October 21 will be Senior Night against Freeport, and November 4 will be homecoming against Baker.
The following is the 2011 varsity football schedule for the Northview Chiefs. All games are at 7 p.m.
Sept 2 — OPEN
Sept 9 — at Marianna
Sept 16 — at Chipley
Sept 23 — at South Walton
Sept 30 — Gulf Breeze
Oct 7 — at Jay
Oct 14 — OPEN
Oct 21 — Freeport
Oct 28 — at Vernon
Nov 4 — Baker
Nov 10 — at West Florida
Pictured: Jay’s Allen Perry is tackled by Northview’s Corry Baggett the Chiefs defeated the Royals last fall. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Santa Rosa Names Farm Family Of The Year
July 22, 2011
The Edwards family of Jay has been named the Santa Rosa County Farm Family of the Year.
Alan Edwards, his wife Michele, and daughters Shelby, 12, Madison 9, and Brianna, 5, received the honor during the 45th Annual Santa Rosa County Farm Tour Thursday.
Over 200 people took part in the farm tour with visits to Emerald Coast Growers, WFREC Jay Research Farm, the Edwards Farm, Hendrick & Sons Ranch in Allentown and Holland Farms.
For a photo gallery, click here.
The Edwards family was honored for their contributions to agriculture. Alan Edwards, a fifth-generation farmer, has about 750 acres near Jay, where he farms cotton, soybeans, peanuts, wheat and hay in addition to raising cattle. He has served on the board of directors of the Santa Rosa County Farm Bureau for 23 years and has served as vice president for the last six years. He also serves on numerous state and national boards, including the USDA Cotton Board, the Florida Peanut Producers Association, Florida Farm Bureau Cotton Advisory Board and the West Florida Research and Education Center Advisory Committee.
Michele also works away from the family farm; she is a staff assistant at the Century Correctional Institution.
Pictured above: The Santa Rosa County Farm Family of the Year (L-R) Madison, Michele, Brianna, Alan and Shelby Edwards. Pictured below: Participants on the annual Santa Rosa County Farm Tour Thursday. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Fire Destroys Storage Shed
July 22, 2011
Fire destroyed a storage shed in the Cottage Hill community late Thursday night.
The fire was reported just before midnight. The first firefighters on scene reported that the 10 x 12 foot shed on Eastman Lane was fully involved. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
There were no injuries reported.
The Cantonment, Molino, McDavid, Beulah and Ensley stations of Escambia Fire Rescue were dispatched to the blaze.
Donnie Stallworth Found Guilty Of Billings Murders
July 21, 2011
Donnie Stallworth was found guilty Thursday afternoon of two counts of first degree murder for the 2009 deaths of Byrd and Melanie Billings.
It was the third trial for the former Air Force staff sergeant and Brewton native. His first trial ended when the judge declared a mistrial after a jury could not decide his fate during nine hours of deliberations. His second trial came to an end in late April when the jury announced they were deadlocked after two days of deliberations.
Stallworth was accused of being in the home at time of the murders, armed with a gun. The accusations came from two co-defendants, 16-year old Rakeem Florence and 21-year old Fredrick Thorton. Both pleaded not contest to a lessor second degree murder charge in exchange for their testimony.
This time, the case was prosecuted by both Assistant State Attorney John Molchan and State Attorney Bill Eddins.
Molino Couple In Court In Alleged Cancer Scam Case
July 21, 2011
The Molino couple accused of faking her cancer diagnosis to scam people out of thousands of dollars were back in court Wednesday morning.
Both Chris and Sonja Luker appeared before Judge Joel Boles for a docket hearing before their scheduled trial date of August 1. But Boles granted a postponement request by Sonja Luker’s attorney, and the state requested that Chris Luker’s trial date also be delayed to coincide. Both Lukers will be back in court for a docket hearing on September 14, and their jury trial was reset for September 29.
Felony grand theft charges were dropped against the couple back in May, but they both still face felony fraud charges in the alleged scheme.
According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, numerous fundraisers were held between May 2004 and October 2010 that raised over $19,000. Evidence shows that about $14,000 was used in 2009 to avoid foreclosure on their home in the 4700 block of Pine Circle Drive and about $4,000 in cash was used by Chris Luker to purchase a 1997 Harley motorcycle.
The Sheriff’s Office investigation found that Chris and Sonja Luker personally received money from friends, family, church members and co-workers under a “scheme” that Sonja Luker was being treated for cancer. Investigators believe both Chris and Sonja Luker are guilty of fraud in the scheme; witnesses said the couple was observed together at fundraisers talking about her cancer treatments.
They have each pleaded not guilty to the charge against them.
Pictured above: Sonja and Chris Luker (in black shirts) are seen in a 2009 NorthEscambia.com photo from a motorcycle ride fundraiser that benefited her alleged fight against cancer. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
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.