Final Century Town Council Meeting For Two Members
December 7, 2010
Monday night was the final meeting for two Century Town Council members. Sharon Scott did not seek re-election and will be replaced in January by Sandra McMurray Jackson. Henry Hawkins was defeated in a November runoff election by Jacke Johnston.
Hawkins did not attend Monday night’s meeting, but Scott took the opportunity to offer thanks for the opportunity to serve.
“I want to thank everybody for the encouraging words,” Scott said, as she shared a story about her son who is in the military that is quick to tell everyone that he meets that he is from Century, Florida. “It’s Century pride,” she said. “We are not from Pensacola; we are from Century, Florida.”
Scott said that her time on the council was not without disagreements.
“But I go to sleep at night, so I must have done something right…even Jesus Christ could not please everybody.”
Pictured top: Century Councilwoman Sharon Scott attended her final Century Town Council meeting Monday night. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Northview Student Airlifted To Pensacola Hospital After Head Injury
December 7, 2010
A Northview High School student suffered a head injury in the school parking lot late Monday afternoon.
Ninth grader Taylor Brook fell and hit her head just before 5 p.m. The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue was dispatched to the school after the student fell off the trunk of a car.
First responders were given conflicting information as to whether or not the car was moving at the time of the accident.
Brook was transported by Atmore Ambulance to Atmore Community Hospital and later transferred to Pensacola by Lifeflight. Tuesday morning, she remained at Sacred Heart Hospital in good condition.
Baby Kidnapping Suspect Busted
December 7, 2010
The man accused of kidnapping a baby and stealing a car last week has been arrested.
A Crime Stoppers tip led to the arrest Brandon Ryan Switzer, 32, of Pensacola, Monday afternoon.
About 3:50 p.m., officers with the U.S. Marshalls Task Force –which includes Escambia County Deputies, the Sheriff’s Gang Unit and a Sheriff’s K9 deputy — found Switzer at a residence in the 2300 block of West Jordan Street.
Switzer was booked into the Escambia County Jail without bond.
Around 7:41 Wednesday morning, December 1, deputies responded to a reported kidnapping in the 300 block of Wiggins Lane in Pensacola, and a manhunt for Switzer followed.
Deputies were told by Switzer’s former girlfriend, Stacey Lee Markle, 24, of Pensacola, that she and Switzer were engaged in an argument. When Markle attempted to leave, Switzer allegedly grabbed her by the neck and pulled her away from their vehicle. Switzer then grabbed a five month old baby from Markle’s arms, throwing the infant into the back seat of a Saturn car.
When Markle attempted to get into the vehicle she says she was grabbed and thrown to the ground by Switzer. Switzer then drove off in the red Saturn with the five month old still in the backseat, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Switzer crashed the Saturn into a tree in the dead end of Jean Street, located near the intersection of Legair Street. When deputies found the vehicle it wasn’t occupied. A witness to the crash approached deputies and told them that Switzer, who was said to be bleeding from the head, approached her and handed her the infant. Switzer then walked into the woods, according to the witness. The infant was not injured.
He is facing charges of battery, kidnapping and vehicle theft. Child endangerment charges are being filed by the Florida Highway Patrol in connection with the crash.
According to Escambia County court records, Switzer recently resided at an address on Littleton Street in Cantonment.
Local Football Players Honored At Challenger Awards Banquet
December 7, 2010
The 42nd annual Fellowship of Christian Athletes Challenger Awards banquet Monday night honored high school football players for their spiritual leadership.
The players from across the area heard inspirational stories from four University of Alabama players — running back Trent Richardson, offensive lineman Barrett Jones, wide receiver Hardie Buck, and wide receiver Earl Alexander.
The players honored from the North Escambia area were Austin Arrington from Northview, Zach Mitchell from Tate, Tanner Kirk from Escambia Academy, Jonathon Stallworth from Escambia County (Ala.), Brian Ross from Flomaton and Kevin Stanton from Jay.
Pictured: Northview’s Austin Arrington and Jay’s Kevin Stanton were honored during the 42nd annual Fellowship of Christian Athletes Challenger Awards banquet Monday night. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Man Indicted For North Santa Rosa Murders
December 7, 2010
A Santa Rosa County grand jury has indicted a man on two charges of murder in connection with bodies found on a secluded Allentown Road in September.
Robert Lee Hobart was indicted Monday on two counts of first degree murder with a firearm for the deaths of Robert Hamm, 41, and Tracie Tolbert, 43. Hobart is being held without bond in the Santa Rosa County Jail; he will be arraigned January 4.
Hamm and Tolbert were discovered shot to death September 22 on Jesse Allen Road in Allentown. Both victims died from gunshot wounds, according to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.
“Hobart was developed as a suspect in the murders early during the investigation but detectives waited for conclusive forensic evidence before making the arrest,” according to Marc Ward, spokesperson for the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.
Hobart has been in the Santa Rosa County Jail since October 4 on unrelated drug charges. His arrest was delayed as investigators waited for the results of DNA tests, Ward said. The murder weapon was recovered, and investigators said ballistics tests matched the weapon to both the shell casings and the bullets recovered from the crime scene.
A resident of Jesse Allen Road called authorities to report what looked like a large amount of blood in Jesse Allen Road. When deputies arrived, deputies found the two bodies on opposite sides of the roadway.
Jesse Allen Road runs west off Highway 87, about 18 miles south of Jay and not far from Central High School.
Texting While Driving Bill Will BRB
December 7, 2010
A proposal to prohibit message sending while driving has returned in the Senate, with Sen. Evelyn Lynn filing a measure that would bar drivers from sending or reading text messages, E-mails, or other forms of communication.
The bill (SB 80), filed late last month, would make violations a noncriminal infraction carrying a $100 fine. A House version of the measure hasn’t been filed yet. The Senate passed a ban on texting while driving earlier this year, but the House didn’t take up the proposal.
If the bill does get through the Legislature, it’s not clear whether incoming Gov. Rick Scott would be amenable. During the campaign, Scott said he agreed that driving distractions – including “eating fast food,” should be discouraged, but wouldn’t commit to a ban. “I will work with legislators that share my concern to adopt policies that address distracted driving,” Scott said during the campaign, but hasn’t been asked about it since.
A study this fall by the University of North Texas looked at national traffic data from the Fatality Accident Report system and texting data from federal officials, and suggested that texting while driving claimed more than 15,000 lives over a six-year period. Researchers also say deaths by distracted driving are the cause of more than 15 percent of traffic fatalities.
More than 220 million Americans subscribe to wireless services – some estimates say more than 90 percent of Americans have a cell phone – up from about 30 percent at the turn of the 21st Century. And, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, as many as 80 percent of Americans admit to using their phones while driving.
The bill filed by Lynn, R-Ormond Beach, has a tougher punishment than last year’s Senate-passed bill, which would have brought a $30 fine for a first offense, more for subsequent offenses.
Eight states — California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Washington — and the District of Columbia have banned hand-held phone use by all drivers, according to NCSL. Legislatures in other states have prohibited cell phone use by certain drivers, such as young drivers or school bus drivers, for example.
Lynn’s bill has been referred to the Senate Transportation Committee, the Communications, Energy, and Public Utilities Committee and the Budget Committee.
By David Royse
The News Service Florida
Fire Destroys Two Coastal Escambia Homes; 5th Red Bulb In Wreath Campaign
December 6, 2010
Firefighters as far north as Molino were alerted or responded to a fire that destroyed two homes on Innerarity Point early this morning.
The fire was reported at 1:26 a.m. in the 15000 block of Rena Lane. When firefighters arrived, they found one home fully involved and a second home, under construction, with a heavy fire.
The occupants of the first home, where the fire started, were believed to be out of town. The fire then moved to the second home and a wooded area across the street. Both homes were completely destroyed by the fire, but no injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s office.
Firefighters from Innerarity Point, Perdido Key, Pleasant Grove, West Pensacola, Warrington, Myrtle Grove, Beulah, Osceola, Ferry Pass, the Navy and Orange Beach, Alabama responded to the scene.
Firefighters from other Escambia fire stations, including Cantonment and Molino ,were placed on standby or moved south in the county to provide coverage in areas where firefighters had responded to Innerarity Point, which is located near Perdido Key.
The fire marked the fifth residential fire in December in Escambia County, and the sixth bulb in the “Keep the Wreath Green” holiday fire safety campaign. None of the fires have been in the North Escambia area.
Other fire this month have included:
- 3700 block of W. Cervantes Street
- 8100 block of Imperial Drive
- 1500 block of Lansing Drive
- 5400 block of Glass Drive
Arrest Made In Murder Of Former Molino Resident
December 6, 2010
(Updated) A former Molino resident’s boyfriend has been charged with her murder after her body was found late last week in South Carolina.
Cherokee County (SC) Coroner Dennis Fowler said Winter Delane Windgard’s body was found on the side of a rural road last Thursday. Fowler said Monday that Wingard, 26, died as the result of hemorrhages caused by blunt force injury to her head. Fowler said the victim was severely beaten in the head and neck and strangled. In addition, the coroner said Wingard sustained multiple stab wounds to the neck.
Monday, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office charged Joey L. Clark of Mooresboro N.C. with Wingard’s death. He is being held without bond.
Wingard’s mother reported the 26-year old missing Thursday night, saying that she was last seen about 1:30 that morning as she left her home in Gaffney, SC., in her mother’s vehicle to go to a store.
“I felt horrible; I don’t know how to describe it,” Winter Wingard’s sister Summer Wingard said Sunday.
Summer Wingard said the sisters formerly lived on Molino Road. Winter Wingard attended Molino Elementary, Ransom Middle and Tate High before completing her education online.
Gaffney is a town of about 13,000 people about 20 miles northeast of Spartanburg, South Carolina.
A memorial service for Winter Delane Wingard will be held Wednesday from 4-6 p.m. at Faith Chapel Funeral Home on Beverly Parkway in Pensacola.
Local Singer Appears On NBC’s ‘The Sing-Off’
December 6, 2010
A local singer is appearing on NBC’s a cappella singing competition series, “The Sing-Off”, which premiered Monday night.
Adam Chance Ray, who performs as Adam Chance, sings bass for the six-member Street Corner Symphony. Ten a cappella groups will compete on the nationally televised show for a $100,000 prize and a Sony Music recording contract .
Chance (pictured), who was born in the Florida Panhandle, currently resides in Tuscaloosa, but still has numerous relatives in the Atmore and Jay areas.
The members of Street Corner Symphony are from all over the Southeast United States and call Nashville their home base. The group was formed in May of 2010 for the sole purpose of competing in The Sing-Off.
“We met right before we had to get things together for the show,” Chance said.
Street Corner Symphony’s music is described as “laid back southern soul” with a rich heritage in gospel music. Chance is the only one of the six members that is not the child of a preacher.
“The Sing-Off” will feature a cappella groups performing popular songs from various genres, with America ultimately deciding the winning group.
Returning celebrity judges Ben Folds, Shawn Stockman and Nicole Scherzinger will critique each performance, narrowing down the finalists to the top three groups competing for America’s vote.
“The Sing-Off” is a five-night holiday event premiering Monday, December 6 (7-9 p.m.) on NBC, locally on WPMI TV 15. The one-of-a-kind battle of voices will continue on December 8, 13 and 15, culminating in a live finale on December 20 (7-9 p.m. each night).
A behind the scenes NBC interview with Street Corner Symphony is below. Adam Chance is on the far right.
Pictured top: Street Car Symphony members (L-R) Jon McLemore, Adam Chance, Jeremy Lister, Mark McLemore, Richie Lister, John Martin. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Cold Tonight, Flurries? For Tuesday Night, Wednesday
December 6, 2010
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast from the National Weather Service:
- Tonight: Clear, with a low around 22. North wind around 5 mph.
- Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 52. Wind chill values between 15 and 25 early. North wind around 5 mph.
- Tuesday Night: A chance of flurries after midnight. Increasing clouds, with a low around 26. North wind around 5 mph.
- Wednesday: A chance of flurries before 9am. Partly sunny, with a high near 50. Wind chill values between 20 and 30 early. North wind around 5 mph.
- Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 24. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 56. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 31. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph.
- Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 60. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
- Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
- Saturday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 67.
- Saturday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49.
- Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny and breezy, with a high near 55.
- Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 30.
- Monday: Sunny, with a high near 49.