SWAT Stand-Off Ends With Arrest Of Escambia County Man
March 6, 2011
An Escambia County man was arrested by a SWAT team after barricading himself in his residence in an attempt to avoid arrest.
At around 9:57 a.m. Escambia County deputies attempted to make contact with 32-year-old Don Hawkins Longfellow at 407 Lenox Parkway. He refused to comply with the requests of the deputies and barricaded himself in his residence.
Longfellow was wanted by the Sheriff’s Office on charges of grand theft auto and petit theft. He also was also wanted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, battery and resisting arrest stemming from a Pensacola Police Department case.
“He was holding a female hostage and we had reason to believe that he was armed,” said Sheriff’s spokesman Deputy Chris Welborn. “Our SWAT team was activated and the situation was resolved shortly after they arrived.”
The Sheriff’s Office did not identify the female hostage due to an on-going investigation.
At around 11:30 a.m. members of the SWAT team had Longfellow in custody and he was transported to the county jail.
Residential Recycling: Over Half Of ECUA Customers Go Green
March 6, 2011
Two years after voluntary residential recycling was made available by the Emerald Coast Utility Authority, over half of their customers are taking part.
The ECUA recycling program debuted on January 5, 2009, as part of the regular residential sanitation program. Now just over two years later, 53 percent of ECUA’s 73,000 customers have chosen to use the program.
“The recycling service continues to evolve with tremendous success. Over 39,000 customers are currently participating in the program,” according to Randy Rudd, ECUA’s director of sanitation services. “We are currently collecting 170 tons of recyclable materials, per week, which is the average weekly tonnage for the year-to-date on all ECUA routes.”
During the week of January 4 through January 10 of this year the ECUA collected a two-year program record of 196 tons of recyclable materials. ECUA is currently delivering an average of about 50 new cans per week to customers who have requested to join the recycling program.
For a complete list of items accepted for recycling by ECUA, click here. For more information on taking part in the recycling program, contact ECUA customer service at (850) 476-0480 or visit www.ecua.org.
Grammy Award Winner Peforms At NHS FFA Blue Jacket Jamboree
March 6, 2011
Grammy Award winner Marty Raybon performed Saturday night during the Northview FFA Alumni Blue Jacket Jamboree in Bratt. He was joined by Northview’s own Ashton Gibbs and the Lookin’ Up Southern Gospel Quartet.
Proceeds from the concert benefited the Northview FFA Scholarship Fund which provides scholarship funds for graduating FFA students.
For a photo gallery from the event, click here.
The show was sponsored in part by NorthEscambia.com, Sheriff David Morgan, Escambia County Farm Bureau, Pensacola Interstate Fair, and Pioneer – A Dupont Company.
Marty Raybon is perhaps best known as the former lead singer of the country mega-group Shenandoah from 1985-1996. He led Shenandoah to 22 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including thirteen number one singles, such as: “The Church on Cumberland Road” (1989), “Sunday in the South” (1989), “Two Dozen Roses” (1989), “Next to You, Next to Me” (1990) and “Butterfly Kisses” (1997). At the top of the charts, Raybon became known for his bluegrass and gospel-influenced semi-traditional country sound.
Pictured above: Grammy Award winner Marty Raybon performs Saturday during the Northview FFA Alumni Blue Jacket Jamboree in Bratt. Pictured inset: Northview’s Ashton Gibbs performs. Pictured below: Lookin’ Up. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Grand Opening: Cantonment’s New Waterfront Rescue Bargain Center
March 6, 2011
The Waterfront Rescue Mission held a grand opening for its sixth bargain center Saturday in Cantonment.
The store, managed by Stephanie Fredrickson, is located at 732 North Highway 29 in the shopping center with Grocery Advantage. It offers a variety of items, including clothing, furniture, household appliances, electronics, lawn furniture, tools, collectibles, new mattresses and more. Donations are also accepted at the location.
The store is open Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. and is closed on Sundays.
The bargain centers provide funds for Waterfront Rescue shelters and drug and alcohol recovery programs.
Pictured: The new Waterfront Rescue Bargain Center in Cantonment held a grand opening celebration Saturday. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Featured Recipe: Homemade Egg Rolls
March 6, 2011
This weekend’s featured recipe from Janet Tharpe is a Homemade Egg Roll. Have fun and fill them with any of a variety of fillings to satisfy everyone in your house.
To print today’s “Just a Pinch” recipe column, you can click the image below to load a printable pdf with a recipe card.
Birth: Aubrey Elizabeth Flowers
March 6, 2011
Trent and Hannah (Gunter) Flowers are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Aubrey Elizabeth Flowers.
Aubrey was born on Thursday, January 6, 2011 at 10:52 p.m. at USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital in Mobile, Alabama. She weighed 2 pounds, 11 ounces, and measured 15 inches in length.
Aubrey’s grandparents are Eddie and Vicky Gunter of McDavid, Jimmy and Kim Flowers of Atmore.
Aubrey was welcomed home by her big sister, Alli.
Sherrill Named To Dean’s List
March 6, 2011
Kate Elizabeth Sherrill was recently named to the Dean’s List at Berry College for the fall semester.
Sherill is a junior majoring in vocal performance with a minor in theater. She is a member of the Berry Singers and the Berry Concert Choir. Sherill recently appeared in Berry’s production of Hecuba and was invited to participate in the Irene Ryan scholarship program for her role as Rhonda in Almost, Maine.
Sherrill is the daughter of Kent and Anne Sherrill of Walnut Hill and the granddaughter of Dean Graham and the late Sam Graham and the late Hunk and Senie Sherrill, all of Atmore.
No Known Injuries In Early Saturday Crash
March 5, 2011
There were no known injuries in a single vehicle crash on Wiggins Road near Bratt early Saturday morning.
The driver of a pickup truck slammed into a tree about 12:30 a.m. on the dirt road just north of Highway 168. Emergency responders were unable to determine who the driver of the vehicle was. It was first reported that the driver had walked to a home on Highway 168, but that person as well as other people at the scene claimed to not be the driver.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, Atmore Ambulance and the Florida Highway Patrol responded to the crash.
Pictured: An early Saturday morning crash on Wiggins Road in Bratt. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Three Facing Murder Charges For 2010 Hit And Run Death Of Billy Beck III
March 5, 2011
Three people stand accused of murder for the 2010 hit and run death of a 23-year old on Chemstrand Road.
Phillip Michael Chevalier, 20, of Cantonment; Rebecca Maryellen Austin, 20, of Pensacola; and Brandon Charles Bell, 17, of Pensacola are all accused of felony murder for the death of Billy G. Beck III. The Florida Highway Patrol said Chevalier was the driver of the 1998 GMC truck that struck Beck, while Austin and Bell were passengers.
Beck, 23, was walking on Chemstrand Road May 6, 2010 when he was struck by at least three vehicles. The driver of the first vehicle to strike Beck fled the scene. Beck’s family maintained that foul play may have been involved in the crash; however there were few leads or witnesses, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Chevalier, Austin and Bell were developed as suspects; Chevalier fled the area soon after the crash and could not be located, the FHP said. FHP investigators said Austin was also actively avoiding them and could not be located. Bell, according to the FHP, refused to be interviewed.
“The case went cold without other leads and witnesses,” according to a report by FHP Cpl. Brian Davis.
On February 27, Florida Highway Patrol investigators developed additional evidence that led to arrest warrants being issued for Chevalier for felony murder and leaving the scene of accident with death.
Felony murder warrants were also issued for Bell and Austin.
Bell was arrested Friday during a traffic stop by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. He was also charged with possession of cocaine and is being held in the Escambia County Jail. Austin was already in the Santa Rosa County Jail on an unrelated failure to appear charge.
The Florida Highway Patrol is asking for the public’s help in locating Chevalier, who remained at large as of early Saturday morning. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 436-STOP.
The drivers of the second and third vehicles to strike Beck were not charged.
Correction: This story was updated March 7, 2011. The male passenger in the vehicle was incorrectly identified by the Florida Highway Patrol in a written press release as Brandon Charles Page. His correct name is Brandon Charles Bell.
Pictured top: Victor and Austin Beck mourn the loss of their brother Billy G. Beck III during a memorial service last year on Pensacola Beach. Pictured inset: Suspect Rebecca Maryellen Austin is held in the Santa Rosa County Jail while suspect Phillip Michael Chevalier, seen in this April 2010 photo, remains at large.
Escambia Man Charged With Homicide
March 5, 2011
Sheriff’s investigators have made an arrest in the death of an Escambia County woman whose body was found in a shallow grave.
Friday, investigators with the Escambia Sheriff’s Homicide Unit arrested 30-year-old Robert Snipe Jr. , of Pensacola, and charged him with second degree murder. He is accused of killing his live-in girlfriend, Catherine Angelica Lindsey, 22.
Lindsey’s family reported her missing on February 18. Lindsey’s body was discovered in a shallow grave the afternoon of February 23 in a wooded area behind the Twin Oaks Villas Apartments in Warrington as investigators working the missing persons case searched a wooded area.
“This arrest was the result of the tireless efforts of our crime scene technicians and criminal investigators,” said Sheriff’s spokesperson Chris Welborn.