Wreck Victim Found Three Hours After Crash
December 29, 2010
A traffic accident victim was found hiding in the woods about three hours after a crash early this morning.
The single vehicle accident occurred around midnight on Pine Barren Road near Lambert Bridge Road. Authorities became aware of the wreck after a resident on Pine Barren Road reported a strange person on their porch to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies then discovered the van, which had flipped over, not far away. They also located a second occupant of the vehicle along Pine Barren Road. Neither man was seriously injured in the crash.
Both men told deputies that there had been a third person in the van that had fled into a wooded area. A complete search by the McDavid Station of Escambia Fire Rescue did not locate the alleged third person, and the search was called off about 1:30 a.m.
A Florida Highway Patrol trooper working the crash could hear someone calling for help in the woods about 2:30 a.m. The McDavid Station of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the crash site a second time. Firefighters found the man across a deep ditch in the wooded area about 2:45 a.m. He was reportedly suffering from hypothermia after falling into a creek.
Further details were not available Wednesday morning. The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Man Arrested For Bringing Gun Into Escambia Courthouse
December 29, 2010
A 53-year old Cantonment man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly bringing a gun to the Escambia County courthouse.
Employees of Securitas Security were conducting a security check at the M.C. Blanchard Judicial Building Tuesday when they allegedly found Perry Gray Jr., of Cantonment, in possession of a handgun.
Deputies working the courthouse security detail were notified and immediately responded and took Gray into custody.
Deputies said Gray does not have a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
“Even if Gray had a concealed carry permit, it is illegal to carry a firearm into any courthouse,” said Sheriff’s spokesman Chris Welborn.
Gray was not scheduled to appear in court and was there for other legal business.
Gray was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and booked into the Escambia County Jail. He was released on $1,000 bond.
Wanted Man Hits Deputy’s Cruiser
December 29, 2010
Charges are pending against a Pensacola man after a Tuesday night wreck with an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputy.
The Florida Highway Patrol said Raymond Qualls, 44, was traveling east on Lillian Highway approachong 50th Avenue when he attempted to turn across the path of a marked Escambia County Sheriff’s Office cruiser driven by Brandon Barnhill, 36.
Qualls and Barnhill both suffered minor injuries in the crash.
Charges are pending against Qualls, who had a suspended driver’s license and pending warrants for his arrest, according to the FHP.
Child Sex Predator Busted In Escambia; Video Shows Him Freed By Georgia Cops
December 29, 2010
A wanted Illinois sexual predator that was caught on video celebrating as Georgia police let him walk away a free man is now behind bars in Escambia County.
Stephen Patrick McClure, 40, was arrested by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department at Kenmore Road and Highway 29 on warrants out of Madison County, Illinois, on failure to appear and aggravated criminal sexual abuse warrants. McClure was convicted of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a 10 year old in Granite City, Illinois.
McClure remains in the Escambia County Jail without bond awaiting extradition back to Illinois.
McClure was among a group of carnival workers in van stopped by Decatur County (GA) Sheriff’s deputies in May. According to the online news website BainbridgeGa.com, deputies discovered that McClure was wanted out of Illinois, but Illinois authorities refused to extradite him from Georgia.
McClure was caught on video (see below) celebrating as Georgia authorities were forced to unhandcuff him and allow him to walk away a free man.
According to the Illinois sexual offender database, McClure was 35 at the time he sexually abused a 10 year old child.
Pictured top: McClure is released by Georgia authorities in May after Illinois officials refused to extradite him. The images in a still frame from the video below from BainbridgeGa.com.
Atmore Quarterback, Two Others Facing Felony Charges
December 29, 2010
Three people — including the quarterback for the Escambia County High School Blue Devils — have been arrested and charged with two felony counts each of shooting into an occupied building and one count of reckless endangerment.
ECHS quarterback Rico Cordall Stallworth, 18; Deauntae Kaevon Woods, 19, of Defuniak Springs and an unnamed minor were all charged following the December 22 incident on Laurel Street in Atmore.
The three were allegedly involved in an incident in which a BB gun was fired into a Laurel Street shed occupied by a man. The three reportedly continued to fire at the man as he gave chase.
The suspects were located by Atmore Police on Pine Street where they were arrested. The trio had reportedly also fired the BB gun into a Pine Street residence.
According to Atmore Police, Stallworth, Woods and the juvenile are also suspects in additional incidents in which BB guns were fired into vehicles in the area. They have not yet been charged in the additional shootings.
2010’s Best Photos: July, August
December 29, 2010
All this week, we are looking back at some of our favorite and most interesting photos of 2010. Today, we are featuring photos from July and August.
(For January and February, click here.)
(For March and April, click here.)
(For May and June, click here.)
Lightning strikes as thunderstorm rolls toward Molino on an August Sunday afternoon.
A Florida Highway Patrol Trooper looks at a wrecked motorcycle n Bratt as LifeFlight lifts off with the driver.
Michael Aaron Killam of McDavid is given a field sobriety test on a July Sunday morning along Highway 97 in Molino. Charges against Killam are still pending in the case.
A pickup truck crashed into a Highway 29 Tom Thumb, leaving the truck resting on the store’s case of propane tanks.
Summer band practice for the Northview Tribal Beat.
Coach Sid Wheatley looks on during the first day of practice for his Northview Chiefs in what would end as the best season in the history of the school.
An Escambia County Habitat for Humanity home was constructed in Nokomis was constructed by a host of volunteers.
Jimmy Buffet performs during a free concert in Gulf Shores to demonstrate support after the Gulf Oil Spill.
Four people died in, or as a result of their injuries from, a traffic crash at Highway 113 and Highway 31 in Flomaton.
LifeFlight lifts off from Highway 31 in Flomaton. One of the injured persons in the wreck passed away about two weeks later from her injuries.
There were no serious injuries in this crash on Highway 97 in Walnut Hill.
There were no
Mallory Ryan pitches for the Northwest Escambia All-Stars.
Scott Names Prisons Chief
December 29, 2010
Gov.-elect Rick Scott on Tuesday named an Indiana prisons official to head Florida’s system, potentially impacting facilitates like the Century Correctional Institution.
Scott named Indiana Corrections Commissioner Edwin Buss to head the Florida Department of Corrections, a high profile – and high pressure – pick because he’ll be expected to help figure out how to slash as much as $1 billion from the agency’s budget over the next seven years.
Scott’s choice to replace Walt McNeil as secretary of corrections, Buss, has dealt with prison overcrowding in Indiana, where the inmate population has grown but no new prisons have been built since 2002.
Buss has suggested that part of the problem there has been lawmakers toughening sentencing laws without thinking of the crowding consequences.
“The problem with our criminal justice system is it’s all anecdotal,” Buss said in an interview with the Corrections Reporter earlier this year. “You have some crime that is horrendous in a community and then, of course, the lawmakers come back and everything results in a new crime.
“Just in the last 10 years, there’s been 117 new crimes or enhancements. . . . We haven’t eliminated a crime. We haven’t looked at redundancy,” Buss continued. “This is significant. I think it’s huge.”
As head of Indiana Corrections, Buss oversees 7,500 employees and 26,000 inmates. Buss’ prior experience included stints supervising two state prisons, during which time he revamped the state’s death penalty procedure. Florida’s prison system, by comparison, holds four times as many inmates – over 102,000 in 146 facilities – with about 160,000 more monitored on probation or parole.
“Given the transformation and pro-taxpayer improvements over the last few years, it was inevitable that other states would come after top talent like Ed Buss,” Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels said in a statement. “He was actively pursued by several new governors. Congratulations to Gov.-elect Scott for winning the sweepstakes.”
Industry representatives say Buss is familiar with re-entry programs and dealing with tight budgets, experience that bodes well for the state, said George Camp, executive director of the Association of State Correctional Administrators.
“He is one of the bright lights in the corrections community,” Camp said. “He’s invested a lot of his time and energy on re-entry programs and reinvesting in community corrections to improve public safety.”
Buss will immediately be under the spotlight, coming to head the prisons agency at a time when Scott has targeted it for $1 billion in cuts over seven years.
By Michael Peltier
The News Service Florida
Golf Tourney To Benefit Wounded Deputy Cassady
December 29, 2010
The Escambia Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police is hosting a benefit golf tournament to raise money to support Deputy Jeremy Cassady, who was injured in the line of duty in October. The tournament will take place Sunday, January 9th at Scenic Hills Country Club in Pensacola with a shotgun start at 11:00 a.m.
Golfers who are interested in participating in the tournament can download a registration form by visiting www.golf4cassady.wordpress.com. Registration fees are $75 per player or $250 for a four person team. The field is limited to the first 144 registrants.
Throughout the day there will be complimentary drinks and snacks available to participants as well as a post tournament luncheon. Individuals who are not interested in playing in the tournament can still attend the buffet luncheon for $20. There will also be a silent auction featuring items donated from local businesses.
For more information concerning the Jeremy Cassady Benefit Golf Tournament, visit www.golf4cassady.wordpress.com or contact Tournament Chairperson Robert Vose at (850) 637-7929.
Deputy Jeremy Cassady was shot in the line of duty on October 29, 2010, while responding to a home invasion that resulted in a hostage situation in Pensacola. Deputy Cassady is a four-year veteran of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Year In Review North Escambia’s Biggest Stories Of 2010: July, August
December 29, 2010
NorthEscambia.com is looking back at 2010 with our “Year in Review” series. Each day this week, we will review the biggest stories of 2010. Today, we take a look at the biggest stories of July and August.
(For January and February, click here.)
(For March and April, click here.)
(For May and June, click here.)
JULY
Qualifying ended for three seats on the Century Town Council, with Gary Riley reelected with no opposition. Council member Sharon Scott did not run again for her seat.
Retired Northview High School, and former Century, coach Lorenzo Jones was hired as a teacher at Escambia County Middle School in Atmore.
Former Century resident Buck Showalter was named the new manager of the Baltimore Orioles.
Jay Hospital employees and affiliated physicians recognized C. David Smith, M.D., for 30 years of dedicated service.
Community leader Jack Moran of Century passed away in late July. He was 68.
The end of July was hot — with heat indexes at or just above 110 degrees.
Florida House District 1 candidate Ricky Perritt was arrested on drug trafficking charges by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.
Accusations were flying between two local candidates over a video that shows one stealing his opponent’s campaign signs. Republican State Congressional District 1 candidate Greg Brown, Jr.and his wife Jennifer were videotaped as they removed campaign signs belonging to opponent Doug Broxson
Rhianna Marie Jones, 30, of California, and Jerry Hover Tinsley, 30, of North Carolina, admitted in federal court that they robbed banks in Flomaton, East Brewton and Florala during a March crime spree.
The Northwest Escambia 11-12 year old softball team ended their season in Fort Myers as the Florida Little League Section 1 Champions.
Tropical Storm Bonnie fizzled south of Pensacola, bringing just a few scattered showers to the Panhandle.
Scott Joseph Thompson was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Cheryl Cain, the Cantonment woman whose body was found in a Pensacola dumpster in March, 2009.
Construction workers, teachers, bankers, business owners, high school students, ordinary people — over 100 people from all walks of life volunteered their time and skills to make Jennifer Dorriety’s dream of home ownership a reality as an Escambia County Habitat for Humanity Home was dedicated in Nokomis.
For the first time since April, BP stopped the flow of oil in the Gulf of Mexico in mid-July.
An officer-involved shooting in Pensacola claimed the life of Clifton Salter of Cottage Hill.
Northview High School Assistant Principal Michael Sherrill was promoted to assistant principal at Pine Forest High School. Sherri Mims, who was a reading lab teacher at Ernest Ward Middle School, was promoted to assistant principal at Ferry Pass Middle School.
Tens of thousands of people — including many from the North Escambia area — packed the beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama, for a free Jimmy Buffett concert as thousands watched on national television.
In July, Century Town Council member Henry Hawkins has voted against spending $600 so that a $1.1 million grant drainage project could move forward — the second time he had voted against spending a few hundred dollars on the project.
Phillip Arnold, 65, was charged in the murder of Angela Brown, 44, and her unborn child on South Chipper Road.
AUGUST
A Flomaton traffic crash claimed the life of four people — two instantly and two in the following days that died from their injuries.
Royce Ward of Walnut Hill passed away at 78. Ward was a longtime member of the Walnut Hill Ruritan Club and served as the group’s president when the club organized the Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department in 1965.
Jay Mayor Kurvin Qualls won re-election by a single vote over challenger Ben Hudson. 72-71.
Sen. Greg Evers, R-Baker, defeated fellow Republican Mike Hill in the August Republican primary for Senate District 2. There was no Democratic candidate, but Evers would face write-in and Tea Party opponent in November.
Deborah Ray (pictured) was named the new assistant principal at Northview High School.
Former Escambia County Sheriff’s Office employee Cathy Lister, 58, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for stealing $1.3 million from the department.
Paul Edward Black, a former Century Correctional Institution sergeant, was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography.
The Escambia County School Board approved the daily used of drug dogs in the county’s public schools.
Leslie Gonzalez was hired as the new town clerk in Century.
The first day of school was a hot one at Northview High School after the air conditioning failed.
Molino’s new Dollar General store opened in August with over 12,000 square feet of general merchandise.
Donald Freeman, 49, was found dead next to Highway 29 in McDavid. Foul play was not suspected.
T.R. Miller High School Principal Donald Rotch was killed when his vehicle was hit head-on by a man fleeing Brewton Police in a high-speed chase.
Time Running out For Farm Help
December 29, 2010
Florida Farm Service Agency State Executive Director Tim Manning reminds producers that if they want a Market Assistance Loan (MAL) before the end of the year, they should contact the county office immediately.
FSA offices need time to process the loan and prepare the loan documents. MAL’s are marketing tools available to producers to allow for a more orderly marketing of commodities throughout the year.
MALs are available for the crops of wheat, corn, grain sorghum, barley, oats, upland cotton, extra-long staple cotton, long grain rice, medium grain rice, soybeans, other oilseeds (including sunflower seed, rapeseed, canola, safflower, flaxseed, mustard seed, crambe and sesame seed), dry peas, lentils, small chickpeas, large chickpeas, graded wool, non graded wool, mohair, honey and peanuts.
Additional information about MALs and LDPs are available at the county office or on line at www.fsa.usda.gov.