Names Released: 1 Dead, 2 Critically Injured After Atmore Police Pursuit
March 7, 2011
One person was killed and two others were critically injured in a single vehicle rollover crash in Atmore Sunday night during an Atmore Police pursuit.
According to a written statement from the Atmore Police Department, an officer was on patrol traveling southbound on South Presley street about 9:37 p.m. as he observed the vehicle traveling north at a high rate of speed. The vehicle ran a stop sign at East Horner Street as the officer turned his vehicle around and activated his emergency lights. The vehicle continued to speed up, running another stop sign at South Presley and Church streets and then running a red light at East Nashville Avenue (Highway 31).
The driver of the older model Ford Crown Victoria with “Pixie Dust” lettered on the side crossed over East Nashville Avenue headed north on Presley Street, losing control as they crossed over CSX railroad tracks at a high rate of speed.
The vehicle overturned, coming to rest upright in a ditch about 250 feet north of the railroad tracks. All three of occupants in the vehicle were ejected.
Adam D. Patterson, 34, of Atmore was pronounced dead at the scene. William Lee Patrick, 23, of Mobile was transported by LifeFlight helicopter to the USA Medical Center in Mobile, and Carlton T. Hunt, 49, of New York was airlifted in a second LifeFlight helicopter to Baptist Hospital in Pensacola.
A written press release from the Atmore Police Department did not specify how close their officer was pursuing the vehicle. Atmore Police also did not identify which man was driving the vehicle.
The incident remains under investigation.
Pictured above and below: One person was killed and two others were critically injured in this single vehicle accident Sunday night in Atmore. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
No Arrest In Century Double Shooting
March 7, 2011
Just over a week after two people were shot during a private party at a Century community center, the gunman remains at large.
As of late Monday, there have been no arrests in the double shooting at the town’s Habitat Building, a community center located on East Pond Street. The building was rented at the time of the shooting to a Century woman for the purpose of a “Teen Party” for $100, plus an additional $100 deposit.
The rental agreement did not require the woman to have any sort of security present for the party. For several months, the town has discussed the need to require security at parties and other functions at their community centers following other reports of violence and potential alcohol use. The council considered a stricter policy — with security required — at their Monday night meeting. Read more…
During the February 26 incident, two people were shot when gunfire erupted at an early morning party attended by about 100 people. Ieshia Mitchell, 20, of Century, was hit in the left knee and later airlifted to a Pensacola hospital, and 19-year old Register Yelder of Atmore was shot in the leg. A third person, Stacy O’Neal Johnson, 18, of Atmore, was injured when he was hit in the head with a bottle during the incident.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said a suspect had been identified in the shooting, but there have been no arrests. The suspect, once arrested, will face a felony charge for firing a weapon into a crowd.
For more about the rental contract and the shooting, click here for an earlier story.
Pictured top: The Century Habitat Building on East Pond Street. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
More Info, Surveillance Photo: Woman Injured In Walmart Parking Lot Mugging
March 7, 2011
More information has been released a weekend purse snatching an Escambia County Walmart.
Investigators with the Sheriff’s Office major crimes unit are asking for the public’s help in locating a vehicle used in the robbery Saturday afternoon.
On Saturday, at around 4:04 p.m., the victim was approached by a white female who tried to take her purse. The female suspect was described as being five-foot-four or five-foot-five with curly reddish blonde hair. She was said to be wearing a dark jacket or coat.
The victim held onto her purse and struggled with the female suspect as the suspect got into a red Dodge Neon (pictured) driven by a white male.
The victim continued to hold on to her purse as the male suspect drove away, dragging her several feet through the parking lot. She suffered injuries to her head and face and was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital by ambulance.
Anyone with information about the robbery is encouraged to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Evers Bill Would Prevent Local Governments From Regulating Guns
March 7, 2011
Florida Sen. Greg Evers has introduced a bill that would restrict any local government control over guns.
Evers, who represents the North Escambia area, had introduced a bill this session that would allow people over 21 with a concealed weapons permit to openly carry guns on college campus. Evers recently told a group of students at the University of West Florida that the open carry law would make colleges safer, with gun owners able to use their weapons to protect themselves and others. Another bill would prevent doctors from asking a patient if he or she owns a gun.
Evers’ latest bill would allow only the state and federal government to regulate guns, superseding any local gun control laws.
Ernest Ward Middle School Names Students Of The Month
March 7, 2011
Ernest Ward Middle School Students of the Month for February have been named. They are Abigail Gudell, Annie Bobo and Thomas Moore.
Pictured: EWMS Students of the Month for February are Abigail Gudell, (left) Annie Bobo and Thomas Moore. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia County Soil And Water Conservation District Goes Online
March 7, 2011
Have you ever wondered what the Escambia County Soil and Water Conservation District is, and exactly what they do? Now you can find out with the click of a mouse.
The ESWCD has created a blog to keep citizens informed about their activities — escambiaswcd.blogspot.com. The site contains and will be updated with information about the District, board minutes and activities.
The ESWCD is “A Special District covering Escambia County, Florida established to provide for control and prevention of soil erosion and for furthering the conservation, development and utilization of soil and water resources, and the disposal of water, to preserve natural resources, control floods, assist in maintaining the navigability of rivers and harbors, preserve wildlife, protect the tax base and public lands, and protect and promote the health, safety and general welfare of the people”.
To visit the Escambia County Soil and Water Conservation District blog, click here.
Top Honors For Twirler
March 7, 2011
Colbi Kendall of Flomaton placed first in two categories this weekend in the Alabama State Baton Twirling Championship in Clanton.
Competing against girls from across the state, Kendall placed first in the 1 and 2 Baton categories in the 10-12 year old age category. Her instructor is Melissa Majors of the Santa Rosa and Escambia Twirlers.
Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
‘Patients’ Right To Know’ Issue Back In Florida
March 7, 2011
Six years after Florida voters approved the “Patients’ Right to Know” amendment, hospitals are still challenging its implementation. On Tuesday, that battle goes to the state Supreme Court.
The amendment gives patients — and, by extension, their lawyers — greater access to internal hospital records about foul-ups that might have caused injuries or deaths.
In the case to be argued before the court, patient Lynda See sued West Florida Hospital in Pensacola after allegedly suffering a severed bile duct and liver damage during 2003 surgeries. She asked for hospital incident reports related to her surgeries and sought credentialing information about the doctors involved.
In part, the hospital argues that “Amendment 7,” as it is often called because of its position on the 2004 ballot, violates the U.S. Constitution. They say it conflicts with a federal law that relies on internal medical-staff meetings – so-called “peer reviews” — to weed out incompetent doctors.
This dispute has been going on ever since the amendment’s passage by more than 80 percent of Florida voters. The Florida Supreme court has consistently ruled in favor of access to records.
In March 2008, the court threw out an after-the-fact legislative attempt to shut off some of that access. Recently, the court refused to hear an appeal filed by Shands teaching hospital.
“These issues affect the legal rights of all health-care providers and facilities in Florida, as well as the rights of all individuals who may claim entitlement to access records under Amendment 7,” Shands argued in trying to get the court to consider the appeal.
Bill Bell, general counsel for the Florida Hospital Association, said Amendment 7 is vague, which has caused questions about how it should work.
Lincoln Connolly, an attorney for former Shands patient Michael Baldwin, said he routinely has to fight with hospitals to get records under the amendment. He said hospitals are trying to avoid having to turn over the information.
“The health-care industry’s trying to get the courts to take a very restrictive view of what falls within Amendment 7,” said Connolly, whose client alleges he suffered injuries to his larynx and throat during a 2003 procedure at Shands.
A group backed by trial lawyers put the amendment on the 2004 ballot, after a fierce legislative fight in 2003 about restricting medical-malpractice lawsuits. Two other medical-malpractice amendments — one pushed by trial lawyers, one by doctors — also passed in 2004 but have had little effect.
The “right to know” amendment, however, has continued to generate controversy, as lawyers seek information that can be used to bolster malpractice cases.
A key question is the types of records hospitals must disclose. In the West Florida case, that has even led to a dispute about whether the hospital has to turn over blank application forms that are used when doctors seek medical-staff privileges.
West Florida also raises a bigger-picture argument about whether Amendment 7 violates the so-called Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. That clause generally says federal laws trump state laws when they are in conflict.
The hospital said in court briefs that confidentiality is an “indispensable component of effective and reliable peer review” — an internal process that hospitals use to investigate incidents and the performances of doctors.
West Florida contends that a loss of confidentiality under Amendment 7 undermines a federal health law. That law requires hospitals to report information to a national data bank, in an effort to prevent bad doctors from moving state to state.
But See’s attorneys dismiss such arguments, saying Congress made clear that it was not interfering with state laws about disclosing peer-review information. The 1st District Court of Appeal sided with See’s position in a 2009 ruling.
“In enacting the (law), Congress did not provide for confidentiality of peer-review records or communications,” the appeals court wrote.
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.