Apply For Benefits, Fail A Drug Test And Get Investigated For Child Abuse?
June 16, 2011
People who apply for temporary assistance for needy families and fail the new required drug test may be subject to being investigated for child abuse, according to draft rules reported on Wednesday by the Tampa Tribune.
The draft rules, which could change, were published by the Department of Children and Families. They say that applicants who test positive for drugs must be referred to the Florida Abuse Hotline, which could start a child protective services investigation.
The requirement wasn’t spelled out in the law, passed this session, that requires drug testing for welfare applicants. The rulemaking to work out the details must be complete by July 1 when the new law takes effect
Two Escambia Men Sentenced To Life In Prison
June 16, 2011
Two Escambia County men recently released from prison are headed back behind bars after being convicted Wednesday in unrelated cases.
Terrance Lavell Coleman
Terrance Lavell Coleman, 23, entered a plea of guilty Wednesday before Judge Jan Shackelford on charges of aggravated sexual battery and aggravated battery committed upon a 52 year old woman on June 13, 2010. Immediately following his plea, Shackelford sentenced Coleman to life in prison and 30 years state prison concurrent, as a prison releasee reoffender.
Coleman had recently been released from state prison on June 1, 2010, after serving a sentence for a conviction of aggravated battery upon a woman in 2008 when he committed these crimes. He is also currently serving a life sentence he received after his conviction for aggravated sexual battery on another woman which he committed in July 2010. Coleman still faces pending charges for attempted sexual battery on another woman stemming from an attack at Pensacola Village on July 12, 2010. That case remains set for trial before Shackelford in August.
Raynell Donaldson, Jr.
Also Wednesday, Judge Paul Rasmussen sentenced Raynell Donaldson, Jr., to life in prison for robbery with a deadly weapon and 30 years consecutive for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
On April 27, 2011, Donaldson was convicted by an Escambia County jury of robbery with a deadly weapon and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Donaldson approached a female victim and asked her how much money she had on her. When the victim showed Donaldson that she had only $2 on her, he became enraged and stabbed the victim 20 times before fleeing with the change, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
Donaldson was previously released from prison in 2008 for a robbery and felony murder charge.
Photos: Summer Reading At Molino Park Elementary
June 16, 2011
The Molino Park Elementary School library was open Wednesday for students to enjoy reading and a little fun.
About 30 students enjoyed guest readers, blueberry pancakes, arts and crafts, and more.
For a photo gallery from the event, click here.
The library will be open again June 29, July 13, July 27 and August 10 for Molino Park students. The library will be open from 9 a.m. until noon. On June 29, students are encouraged to dress in red, white and blue for the Fourth, and August 10 will bring a back to school summer surprise.
There will be guest readers each day, along with activities related to the stories that are read. Parents and students can check out books, and students can take Accelerated Reader tests.
For more information, contact the school at (850) 587-5265.
Parents are required to stay with their children, and books that are checked out are due back August 10.
Pictured: Students enjoy summer reading — and blueberry pancakes — Wednesday morning at the Molino Park Elementary School library. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Issues Burn Ban, Including Most Outdoor Burning, Fireworks
June 15, 2011
Escambia County (Fla.) issued a burn ban Wednesday afternoon, effective immediately, due to the extreme drought and heightened risk of wildfires.
The ban issued by Escambia County Fire Chief Daniel Spillman prohibits all open outdoor burning, including trash and debris burning, campfires, bonfires and all other similar fires. Fireworks are also included in the ban.
The Town of Century and the City of Pensacola are included in the burn ban, according to Sonya Daniel, public information officer for Escambia County.
The only exemptions to the ban are state permitted burns, authorized fireworks displays, fireworks sales authorized by state law and outdoor cooking cooking in barbeque grills, smoker and other outdoor stoves at private residences.
Depending on the circumstances, violations could be enforceable by civil citations or criminal penalties if warranted, Daniel said.
The burn ban remains in effect until terminated by public notice.
Click here to read the burn ban in its entirety.
Pictured top: Escambia County, Florida, officials issued a burn ban Wednesday, hoping to avoid wildfires like this early June fire north of Flomaton, Alabama. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Boil Water Notice Lifted For Becks Lake Road, Stone Boulevard
June 15, 2011
Effective immediately, the precautionary boil water notice issued for ECUA customers residing on all of Becks Lake Road and all of Stone Boulevard in Cantonment has been lifted and is no longer in effect.
For more information, contact ECUA Customer Service at (850) 476-0480.
Escambia Crash Claims One Life
June 15, 2011
A Pensacola man died a in three vehicle traffic crash Wednesday afternoon.
The Florida Highway Patrol said Robert T. Lee, 46,, was killed in the crash about 1 p.m. on Gulf Beach Highway near Tifton Avenue when he crossed the center line in his 1974 Volkswagen, striking two other vehicles.
The driver of a 2003 Ford pick, Corroll J. Moore, 64, of Pensacola received minor injuries. A passenger that vehicle, 12-year old Autumn C. Moore, was not injured. The driver of a 2009 Honda van, Traci D. High, 31, of Pensacola was airlifted by LifeFlight to Sacred Heart Hospital in serious condition. A passenger in her van, 4-year old Maximilan P. High, received minor injuries and was transported to Sacred Heart by ambulance.
Pollard McCall School Library Destroyed By Fire (With Photo Gallery)
June 15, 2011
Fire destroyed the media center at Pollard McCall School east of Flomaton this morning.
The fire was reported about 8:40 a.m. and was contained to the media center. The media center, including books and computers, was totally destroyed. The roof of the building collapsed into the library, while a classroom located in the same building suffered major smoke and water damage.
For a photo gallery from the scene, click here.
The final cause of the cause of the blaze has not yet been determined, but authorities tell NorthEscambia.com that it was likely electrical. Local volunteer fire departments responded to the school earlier in the week for a report of a smell of smoke in the media center’s attic. Firefighters were unable to find anything at that time.
Adjacent structures, including the main school building, were not damaged.
There were about 30 students and 15 employees at the school while the fire started. Very few were in the library, and all were evacuated without incident. There were no injuries reported.
The media center was constructed in 1998.
Firefighters responded to the blaze from across the area, including Flomaton, Friendship, McCall, Lambeth, Jay, Century, McDavid and Molino.
For a photo gallery from the scene, click here.
Pictured above and inset: These exclusive photos from inside the Pollard McCall School Media Center shows extensive damage as firefighters work to extinguish remaining hot spots. Picture below: The fire was contained to the media center building. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Chad Jeter Guilty Of Robbing Atmore Bank
June 15, 2011
An Atmore bank robbery suspect has pleaded guilty to all charges against him in federal court.
Chad Floyd Jeter entered the plea and was found guilty on charges of bank robbery with a weapon and use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime in violence in connection with the May 19, 2009, armed robbery of the First National Bank & Trust in downtown Atmore. Tuesday, Chief United States District Judge William H. Steele set Jeter’s sentencing for September 13.
In May 2010, a government psychiatric evaluation determined Jeter was paranoid schizophrenic and not competent to stand trial. He was admitted to the Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina for treatment and evaluation, with the examination determining that he was once again competent to stand trial.
An independent psychiatric exam was then arranged by Jeter’s attorney in February. In April, Steele ruled that Jeter was competent to stand trail.
Jeter allegedly robbed the Atmore bank using a .22 caliber rifle, taking about $6,289. He was arrested a few days after the robbery after a manhunt in Levy County, Florida, following an attack on a Levy County officer with a “ninja throwing star”. Levy County authorities dropped an attempted murder of police officer charge against Jeter after a psychological evaluation there found him to be incompetent to stand trial.
Jeter reportedly drove up to the downtown Atmore bank in a white pickup with a camper shell and entered the bank dressed in a dark colored trench coat and the rifle. He ordered bank employees to fill a U.S. Army backpack with cash, while he stood with the rifle pointed at the floor. He reportedly threatened a teller with the rifle during the crime.
Within a few hours of the robbery, investigators identified Jeter as their suspect. Officials searched his trailer on Highway 31 near Canoe. Inside, they found troubling evidence that Jeter might be planning to attack a military base. He said in letters and notes that he was being watched by helicopters that circled his home. Police found maps with the locations of several military bases circled, including Pensacola NAS, Eglin Air Force Base, Whiting Field and Alabama’s Ft. Rucker. The notes indicated that he planned to kill military personnel and police. Military bases were alerted to the possible threat.
Jeter’s burned-out camper shell was found in the woods after the McDavid Station of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to a brush fire on a secluded section of Pine Barren Road near Breastworks Road early on the morning after the robbery.
While on routine patrol at 4:15 Eastern time two days after the robbery, an Inglis (Fla.) Police Department officer, Tim Swigget, located a blue GMC pickup trucked parked backed into a wooded area near a Yankeetown, Florida, neighborhood. Inside the vehicle that was nearly 400 miles from Atmore, he found Jeter sleeping. After the officer determined that Jeter is wanted for the bank robbery, Jeter attacked the officer with a Ninja star.
A manhunt involving several agencies and the U.S. Coast Guard followed after Jeter fled the scene. Jeter was taken into custody in a swampy area and transported to the Levy County Jail.
Pictured top: Jeter after being taken into custody in Levy County, Florida. Pictured top inset: Chad Floyd Jeter’s booking photo taken mid-January at the Baldwin County Corrections Center. Pictured middle inset: Jeter’s truck at the First National Bank & Trust in Atmore. Pictured lower inset: Surveillance video of the bank robbery in progress. Pictured bottom: Jeter’s truck is searched after he was found in Levy County, Florida. NorthEscambia.com files photos, click to enlarge.
Man Gets 20 Years For DUI Death Of Cantonment Man
June 15, 2011
A Pace man will spend 20 years in prison for the DUI death of a Cantonment motorcyclist last year.
Ronnie Lamar Henley was sentenced Tuesday by Santa Rosa County Circuit Judge David Rimmer for DUI manslaughter, leaving the scene of a crash and marijuana possession. He was found guilty in a jury trial in May.
On April 5, 2010, Henley was driving on Highway 90 in Pace with a blood alcohol level of .24 — three times the legal limit — when he abruptly turned in front of a motorcycle driven by Matthew Christopher Harrison, 29, of Cantonment.
Henley struck and killed Harrison before fleeing the scene. Two witnesses, including an off-duty Santa Rosa County deputy, followed Henley until he was apprehended by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.
Sacred Heart Hospital Announces 5-Story, $57 Million Expansion
June 15, 2011
Sacred Heart Hospital announced plans Tuesday for a major expansion that will include a new five-story tower containing 112 private patient rooms. The tower will be constructed on top of the hospital’s existing Heart and Vascular Institute building.
The vertical expansion on Sacred Heart’s campus at Ninth Avenue and Bayou Boulevard will take place over a four-year period. Construction will begin in the spring of next year, with the first 68 beds becoming operational in 2014. Another 44 beds will be added in 2015-16.
“This expansion will bring more than 150 new healthcare jobs to our community and the additional private-room capacity we need in order to accommodate the demand for healthcare services in the decade ahead,” said Laura S. Kaiser, president and CEO of Sacred Heart Health System. “We have pressing needs right now for additional beds, especially for critically-ill patients and other adult patients with acute-care needs.”
An additional job-creation benefit for the local economy will be the project’s use of area construction contractors and design companies.
After months of study and planning, leaders at Sacred Heart and its parent healthcare system, Ascension Health, approved the $57 million expansion based on multiple factors:
- The aging of the “baby boom generation” will mean a large increase in the numbers of people reaching 65 and older who will need more healthcare services.
- The anticipated growth of Northwest Florida’s population in all demographic groups.
- The need for more beds for critically ill patients – a need driven in part by the hospital’s status as a regional Trauma Center and a regional Stroke Center. Of the 112 beds in the new tower, 40 will be for critically ill patients.
- While Sacred Heart has greatly expanded its outpatient facilities over the past 15 years and added a Women’s and Children’s Hospital in 1996, its main, five-story hospital for adult patients has not been expanded for almost 30 years.
In addition to the five-story addition, the expansion plan also calls for more parking spaces and replacement of key systems such as heating and air conditioning that support the hospital plant operations.
“The construction of the new tower and patient-care facilities is exciting news for our patients, our physicians and associates, and for the local economy,” Kaiser said. “The new facilities and the talent they will attract will improve healthcare and add to Pensacola’s status as the healthcare center for all of Northwest Florida.”