Brooks Promoted, Sessions Named New Atmore Police Chief
October 15, 2025
The Atmore Police Department has a new chief after the former chief was promoted to a new position.
The now former chief Chuck Brooks was appointed as Atmore’s director of public safety, and Major Ken Sessions was promoted to police chief.
Brooks has over three decades of professional law enforcement experience, including 10 years as police chief. Sessions has worked 12 years with the department and is experienced in narcotics investigations, administration, and organizational performance.
The changes were unanimously approved Monday by the Atmore City Council. Atmore has been without a director of public safety since Glenn Carlee retired in early 2016.
Pictured: Atmore City Magistrate Kaurean Reynolds swears in new Atmore Police Chief Ken Sessions (top) and Director of Public Safety Chuck Brooks (below). Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Vannoy’s Tires Acquired By Sun Auto Tire & Service
October 15, 2025
Sun Auto Tire & Service has acquired all seven Vannoy’s Tires in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
Founded in 1985 by brothers Gordon and Charley Vannoy, the company has provided tire and automotive repair service in the area for over 40 years. Sun Auto Tire & Service is a national network of neighborhood tire and service shops is one of the country’s largest independent tire retailers with a network of more than 525 locations.
“From day one we tried to make every visitor a customer for life,” said Jeff Vannoy. “We are excited to see how the Sun Auto Network accelerates growth and opportunity for our employees and how the Sun Auto Network provides additional value for our customers. Knowing that our guests will continue to be treated like family makes the decision to sell to Sun Auto the best choice for all of us.”
“The Sun Auto Network is continuing to grow with purpose nationwide while concentrating on regions where we can build on an established foundation,” said Chris Ripani, Chief Operating Officer of Sun Auto Tire & Service. “With the addition of Vannoy’s Tires in Pensacola, we’re able to improve efficiency, create new opportunities for our teammates, and ensure guests benefit from both the strength of a national company and the care of a trusted local business.”
Pictured: The Vannoy’s Tires location on East Nine Mile Road. File photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
MILO The Mobile ID And Licensing Office Will Be In Century On Thursday
October 15, 2025
The Escambia County Tax Collector’s Mobile Identification and Licensing Office (MILO) will be in Century on Thursday, October 16, from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. at the Billy G. Ward Courthouse.
MILO, a fully functional tax collector office on wheels, has the following upcoming schedule:
- October 16 – Billy G Ward Courthouse (Century)
- November 20 – Billy G Ward Courthouse (Century)
- December 18 – Walnut Hill Community Center
MILO offers a convenient way for residents to access essential tax collector services, including:
- Driver License Services: Renewals, replacements, out-of-state license conversions/reciprocations, and address/name changes.
- Identification Cards: First-time issuance and renewals.
- Vehicle Services: Registration renewals and replacements, title transfers, and parking placards.
- Tax Payments: Property tax payments.
- Business Tax Receipts: Applications and renewals.
- Certified Driver Transcripts
Written and driving tests are not available at the MILO unit.
This initiative aims to bring services to areas of Escambia County that may have limited access to traditional tax collector offices, particularly during disaster recovery or for residents in assisted living facilities, community centers, and correctional facilities.
Florida drivers may renew their vehicle registrations for a period of one or two years and may renew up to three months in advance of the registration expiration. Vehicle registrations expire at midnight on the first owner’s birth date unless the owner is a business.
Pictured: The Escambia County Tax Collector’s MILO at the Billy G. Ward Courthouse in Century. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Tate Lady Aggies Fall To Gulf Breeze In District Tourney
October 15, 2025
In the 6A District 1 Quarterfinals Tuesday night, the top-ranked Gulf Breeze Dolphins defeated the Tate Aggies 3-1, ending the season for the Lady Aggies.
Gulf Breeze defeated Tate 25-13, 21-25, 25-19, and 25-17. The loss ended the season for the Lady Aggies.
Tate made the quarterfinals with a 3-0 weep of Crestview on Monday, 25-23, 25-22, 25-23.
Gulf Breeze will face Niceville on Thursday for the district championship.
FHP: Log Truck Ran Red Light Before Crashing Into Cantonment Building
October 14, 2025
A tractor trailer hauling logs ran a red light before crashing into a building in Cantonment Tuesday morning, the Florida Highway Patrol said in a report released Tuesday afternoon.
The truck hit the Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway office at 106 South Highway 29 (which is across the railroad tracks that cross Highway 29, next door to the World Gym). The semi came to rest inside the building.
FHP said a northbound car (pictured below), driven by a 36-year-old Pensacola man, had a green left turn arrow when an unknown sedan ran the red light, heading southbound, in front of the car. As the car’s driver continued to turn, the southbound tractor-trailer ran a steady red traffic signal, according to troopers. The truck driver, a 30-year-old Marianna man, veered but clipped the car that was turning through the intersection, ripping the vehicle’s bumper cover off. The car’s driver said he was “lucky to be alive.”
The log truck continued to travel to the left while skidding, traveled off the roadway, over a ditch and through an unpaved parking area between the roadway and the railroad tracks. The truck then traveled across the tracks and collided with the building. The truck came to a final stop with the front portion stuck in the building’s break room and the loaded trailer across the railroad tracks.
For a photo gallery, click here.
The building was unoccupied at the time of the 7:30 a.m. crash. The log truck driver was able to get out of the truck on his own and was transported with serious injuries by Escambia County EMS to a local hospital.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge. NorthEscambai.com graphic (at bottom), click to enlarge.
Cantonment Man Found Passed Out In His Vehicle Sentenced On Drug Charges
October 14, 2025
A Cantonment man has been sentenced, on drug charges.
Henry Allen Miller, 51, was convicted of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was sentenced to 270 days in the county jail on a drug possession charge and was immediately remanded into custody. He was also sentenced to one day of time served on the drug paraphernalia charge, and his driver’s license was suspended for six months.
On July 18, 2025, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 1100 block of Adobe Trail to investigate a suspicious vehicle complaint. They found Miller passed out in the driver’s seat of the vehicle at the dead end of the road with foil and a straw in his lap. He told deputies that he had just finished smoking fentanyl.
A substance on the foil, straw and a bag tested positive for opioids.
Tate Showband Of the South Earns Straight Superiors For 54th Consecutive Year
October 14, 2025
The Tate High School Showband of the South earned straight superior ratings in the Florida Bandmasters Association District 1 Marching MPA on Saturday. This marked the 54th consecutive year that the showband has earned straight superiors.
The Showband spent five months preparing for the competition.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Distracted Driver Crashes Pickup Through Gas Company Building
October 14, 2025
Two people were seriously injured when a pickup truck plowed all the way through a Blossman Gas building on Michigan Avenue Monday afternoon.
Inside the building, a 59-year-old Cantonment woman was seriously injured, and a 61-year-old woman from Pensacola was critically injured.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the driver of the pickup truck, a 39-year-old Elberta, Alabama, man, was seriously injured in the crash. Troopers said he was distracted by his phone, and looked up to realize he was running off the roadway. The pickup suffered a blowout to the right front wheel when it hit a curb, and the driver failed to maintain control of the vehicle. The pickup traveled across the curb and curb stops of a dentist’s office at the intersection of Michigan Avenue and Montgomery Avenue. The truck traveled across the dentist’s office parking lot, across Montgomery Avenue and collided with the Blossman Gas building.
Troopers said the pickup traveled all the way through and a third of the way out the back side of the building, finally stopping when it hit a pallet of concrete blocks.
There was no gas leak or other Hazmat issues from the crash.
Images courtesy WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Man Arrested On Drug Charges After Trespassing Report
October 14, 2025
An Century was arrested following a drug investigation that began with a trespassing complaint in Bratt.
Dustin Shelby Smith, 35, was taken into custody after a deputy responded to a call regarding a person refusing to leave a residence on Perdue where he had been staying for about a week. The subject had left the residence on foot prior to the deputy’s arrival.
While on the scene of the initial complaint, the deputy was alerted by dispatch that Smith had an active felony warrant out of Escambia County, Alabama. The deputy located Smith near the intersection of Breastworks Road and Purdue Road and, after confirming the out-of-state warrant, placed him in custody.
A subsequent search o Smith revealed a small baggie containing a white, crystal-like substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine, along with seven ephedrine tablets, according to an arrest report. A search of his backpack uncovered two glass smoking pipes with residue, a glass jar with residue, four lithium batteries, a bottle of lye cleaner, a bottle of lighter fluid, and a soft drink bottle containing an unknown brown substance, the report continues.
Deputies noted in their report that the collected items—the ephedrine, lye cleaner, lighter fluid, and lithium batteries—are components commonly used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. Smith denied manufactoruring the drug.
Smith was transported to the Escambia County Jail and booked on charges of possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) and possession of drug paraphernalia. His bond was set at $4,500, but he remained jail awaiting extradition to Alabama.
He was not charged in connection with the reported trespassing incident.
Tate Aggies Sweep District Quarterfinal Match Over Crestview (With Gallery)
October 14, 2025
The No. 4 ranked Tate Aggies secured a decisive victory Tuesday night, sweeping the No. 5 Crestview Bulldogs 3-0 in the 6A District 1 quarterfinals at Tate.
The Aggies took control immediately, narrowly clinching the first set 25-23. Building momentum, Tate’s defense tightened in the subsequent sets, winning 25-22 and 25-23 to complete the clean sweep and end Crestview’s season.
For a photo gallery, click here.
The Aggies (20-5, 4-2) will travel to No. 1 ranked Gulf Breeze (22-3, 8-0) at 6 p.m. in Tuesday’s semifinals. No. 2 Niceville will also hot No. 6 Navarre ahead of Thursday’s final.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
