Woman Asks Deputy For Help With Trailer, Gets Busted For Drugs
July 7, 2010
A motorist that asked for help in Century was arrested after she admitted to deputies that she had drugs in her possession.
Sandra Woods Mosley, 50, of Old Bratt Road, Atmore, approached Escambia County deputy Jason Land on Industrial Boulevard in Century about 1 a.m. on July 3, asking for help with a trailer she was towing with her Jeep Cherokee. Deputy Land helped remove the trailer from the vehicle, at which time Mosley asked Land to use his flashlight to look in her vehicle for her keys.
Inside the Jeep, he found items that were possibly consistent with drug use, prompting him to question Mosley.
According to the arrest report, Mosley then spontaneously admitted that she had narcotics in her possession, reaching into her purse and pulling out a Tic Tac container with three crack cocaine rocks and one Xanax. She also produced items commonly considered drug paraphernalia.
Mosley was taken into custody and charged with possession of crack cocaine, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, and possession of drug paraphernalia. She remains in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $6,000.
Trial Delayed In $1.43 Million Sheriff’s Office Theft Case
July 7, 2010
A delay has been granted in the trial of a former Escambia County Sheriff’s Office employee accused of stealing $1.43 million from the department.
Jury selection was to begin Tuesday in the trial of Cathy Lister, 58, a former accountant that allegedly stole the funds over a long career with the Sheriff’s Office. Circuit Judge Paul Rasmussen delayed jury selection until July 19 following arguments from Lister’s attorney that he did not have adequate time to review evidence and other documents.
Lister is facing 11 money laundering charges and one aggravated white collar crime charge. She had been free on $25,000 bond, but her bond was increased to $128,500 in April. She remains in the Escambia County Jail.
Lister was first charged in February with stealing $130,000 from the sheriff’s office, but further investigation determined that well over $1 million more was missing. The money was taken over a 10 year period from monies seized as part of investigations that was placed in the department’s Evidence Trust Fund.
Court testimony has revealed that some of the money was deposited into account belonging to Lister and some of her family members. Investigators do not know where the rest of the money went.
Lister was a 32-year employee of the department who retired from the finance division just six days before her arrest.
New South Alabama Group Has $1.25 Million For Economic Development
July 7, 2010
A new alliance has launched with over $1.25 million pledged to foster economic development in several South Alabama counties, including Escambia.
Organizers say the new Coastal Gateway Regional Economic Development Alliance has $1,255,000 in secured written pledges from public and private investors to market and promote the assets of Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Monroe and Escambia counties.
The Alliance will work to market and recruit the area as a top-tier destination location, work to retain existing business and expand income potential, work to prioritize issues that impact the area as a whole and work to maintain a fund for lobbying and the creation of entrepreneurial opportunities. In order to completely meet their goals, the Alliance says it need about $2 million.
Charter board members include: Bryan Jones of Crowne Management; Sam Covert and Peggie Byrd of Alabama Power Company; Chip Harrigan of Fulton Logging Company; Mayor Terri Carter of the Town of Repton; Mayor Richard Long of the City of Jackson; Escambia County (Ala.) Commission Chairman David Stokes; Mayor Sheldon Day of the City of Thomasville; John Barnett of BankTrust; Mayor Pete Wolff of the City of Evergreen; Mayor Jerry Newton of the City of Grove Hill; Mayor Ted Jennings of the City of Brewton; Commissioner Karen Bradford of the Clarke County Commission; Mayor Ben Smith of the Town of Butler; Mayor Mike Kennedy of the City of Monroeville; and Mayor Howard Shell of the City of Atmore.
The group is taking over for the former Coastal Gateway Economic Development Authority. In order to obtain a seat on the board of the new Alliance, members must meet an undisclosed financial contribution level.
Post Office Wants To Raise Stamp Prices
July 7, 2010
The U.S. Postal Service announced Tuesday that it wants to raise the price of first class postage by two cents.
The price of a first class stamp would jump two cents from 44 to 46 cents. The price of a postcard would increase 2 cents to 30 cents, as the price for other services would jump an average of 5 percent.
The Postal Regulatory Commission must approve the recommended price changes. The increases would not go into effect until January 2, 2011. It would be the first stamp price increase in almost two years.
Faced with plummeting mail volume traced to the recession and increased use of the Internet, the Postal Service is projecting a deficit of nearly $7 billion for the next fiscal year. Despite eliminating millions work hours and reducing expenses by more than $1 billion every year since 2001, a budget gap remains.
The proposed price changes, if approved, will raise about $2.3 billion for the first nine months of 2011. Postmaster General John E. Potter said he does not want customers to bear the burden of dramatic price increases. Instead, Potter announced in March that pricing would be one in a series of solutions the Postal Service is pursuing to become financially sound.
“There is no one single solution to the dire financial situation that the Postal Service faces,” Potter said. “These proposed rate adjustments are moderate and part of a fair and balanced approach to insuring mail service for all Americans well into the future.”
The Post Office has also outlined plans to cut Saturday mail delivery.
Other actions outlined in March included the restructuring prepayments of retiree health benefits, creating a more flexible workforce and expanding access to products and services to places more convenient to customers.
Pictured: The Simpsons were honored a new 44 cent stamp introduced in May, 2009.
Century Resident Completes 500 Mile Hike Across Spain (With Photo Gallery)
July 7, 2010
Over the past month, we have followed the journals of Century resident Terri Sanders as she hikes 500 miles across Spain this summer.
As Terri hiked from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France, she filed dispatches from her journal and sent pictures when possible for NorthEscambia.com as she hiked the Camino de Santiago — the Way of St. James — to the Atlantic Ocean.
To read the complete series from day one, click here. For a photo gallery from her trip, click here.
Today, we bring you Terri’s final journal entry as she finishes her pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.
June 30, 2010
Start: Arca
Destination: Santiago De Compostela
It was just before 6:00 a.m. when someone snagged the chair at the head of my bunk with their leg and went sprawling. Needless to say I was awake then. I even beat John out of bed. Throughout the morning all I wanted to do was walk slow and drink in every detail of this last day of the Camino. The path was lined with the ever present stands of eucalyptus trees and the shade they provided was very welcome. Then as we grew closer to the city the woodsy path was replaced by asphalt and more and more people crowded the trail.
It was 10:45 am when we crossed into the city limits of Santiago. We came down an incline and could see the city spread out before us. We had done it! We had hiked 800 kilometers across Spain! It took us another hour to get through the city to the cathedral square where we stood in line for another 45 minutes to turn in our credentials and get our compostela, our certificate of completion.
We had planned to say in Cathedral Square in the oldest hostel in the world that is in constant use. We thought it would be a nice ending for our walk. We had planned on it being higher than our usual alburque but the price of 275 Euros a night changed our mind. We were approached by a lady on the street offering pilgrims places to stay for a reasonable price.
At first we were a bit concerned but when we saw the room we were grateful. It is one room with three twin beds, a common shower and bath. It cost us 15 Euros each and we are virtually in the middle of cathedral square. We found a quaint cafe with great food and had lunch, then walked around the square taking pictures acting like common tourists. There was a group of camera men taking pictures and interviewing some guy who must have been important and we were right in the middle of all of it. He kept walking and talking, the cameras kept rolling and we stayed in back of the group the whole time. Someone later said it was some famous rock singer.
There are several quotes from our guide book that I would like to quote here. One of the most potent aspects of the pilgrimage is the extended time it requires away from the familiar. This allows an opportunity for the inner alchemy of spirit to start its work of transformation. It is not just the physical body that needs to sweat off the excess baggage, the mind needs purifying also. Our world is a mess and we are not going to fix it with more of the same. We need a fresh approach and a different mindset to the one that created the chaos in the first place. Hopefully this re-ordering of the way we see the world will quicken apace as we open to lessons presented to us along the Camino and begin to understand that life itself is a classroom.
A purpose of pilgrimage is to allow time for old belief systems and outworn truths to fall away so new and higher perspectives can arise. Collectively we live in a spiritual vacuum of our own making where the mystical and sacred have been relegated to the delusional or escapist. Accordingly we live in a three dimensional world and refuse to open the door to higher dimensions of reality. We have impoverished ourselves in the process, severely limiting our potential. We are terrorized by the chaotic world we have manifested around us and we have become ensnared in its dark forms. We have become so preoccupied with these fearful images we fail to notice that we hold the key to the door of our self made prison. We can walk out any time we choose!
It was months before I realized the changes that hiking the AT had made in me. Still today there are times that another change is brought to mind. I suppose it will be the same with my Camino hike. The only noticeable difference I have seen is the fact that about halfway through this hike I began to write poetry. I have always written but never poetry. It is like these poems were inside me all the time just waiting for me to open a door to let them out. The problem was I didn’t know that door even existed much less needed to be opened. Tomorrow we become tourists for a few days before we journey back to the states.
Miles 12.8
The End.
Man Faces 2 Counts Of Murder In Death Of Pregnant Woman, Child
July 6, 2010
A Cantonment man will be charged with two counts of murder after the stabbing death of a pregnant woman and her unborn child Monday night in North Escambia.
Phillip Arnold, 65, of 349 South Chipper Road, Cantonment, was booked into the Escambia County Jail early Tuesday morning on an open count of murder in connection with the incident. He was being held without bond.
According to Escambia County Sheriff’s Office investigators, Arnold will be charged with two counts of murder due to the unborn child not surviving.
The victim has been identified as Angela C. Brown, 44, of Pensacola. A motive for the murder has not been established at this time, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Witnesses said Brown and Arnold lived at the same address but rented different rooms in the complex, according to deputies.
“The suspect and victim’s only tie to each other is that of neighbors as far as investigators can establish,” according to Sgt. Ted Roy, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies were dispatched to the stabbing at a mobile home at 349 South Chipper Road about 8:35 p.m. When they arrived, witnesses told deputies that Arnold fled into a nearby wooded area.
The woman was reportedly stabbed very near her heart. As deputies were arriving in the area, EMS personnel advised they had seen a black male running down the railroad tracks on South Chipper Road.
The first deputy on scene discovered a pregnant female lying on the floor of the mobile home and started CPR. Brown was transported by LifeFlight to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola where the victim and her unborn child were pronounced dead.
Witnesses at the scene reported observing a black male known to the them as Arnold running from the scene moments before they discovered the victim, according to the Sheriff’s Office. K-9 officers attempting to track Arnold discovered a knife that was believed to be the murder weapon. As deputies were surrounding the area to search for Arnold, he called sheriff’s dispatchers about 9:10 p.m. Arnold said he was at a home at 2473 Stacey Road and that he wanted to turn himself in. He was taken into custody without incident.
Brown was the mother of seven other children.
Pictured below: A stabbing was reported about 8:40 p.m. Monday in the 300 block of Chipper Road. The suspect, Phillip Arnold of Cantonment, turned himself in about 30 minutes later on Stacey Road.
Mail A Check To Citizens Insurance? Someone Diverted Their Mail
July 6, 2010
If you are a Citizens Property Insurance customer that mailed a check or other correspondence to the company last month, it may have been diverted to someone else.
The state’s public insurance company says mail from June 24 to June 29 was fraudulently diverted to an unauthorized location. Citizens became aware of the situation last week after receiving a change of address notification from the U.S. Postal Service. The company said someone changed the company’s physical address at the Post Office. A second attempt to divert the company’s post office box mail failed.
Citizens is advising anyone that send a check or other correspondence to the company during the June 24 to June 29 time period to contact the company at (888) 685-1555. The affected address was 6676 Corporate Center Parkway, Jacksonville.
Century Council Denies Zoning Change To Allow ‘Junkyard’ To Operate
July 6, 2010
A Century Front Street property will not be rezoned from residential to commercial so what a town consultant says is “junkyard” can operate.
The council voted 4-1 Monday night to deny the rezoning request by George William Philyaw on a recommendation from the town’s land use consultant, Debbie Nickles. Nickles said Century’s future land use plans and ordinances do not allow for “spot zoning” a single piece of property unless it is for the overall public good.
Council President Ann Brooks said that the town’s attorney advised against approving the spot rezoning request because it would likely be overturned in court.
“If we change it, we are certain to get a lawsuit,” Mayor Freddie McCall told the council prior to the 4-1 vote. Council member Henry Hawkins voted against the motion to deny the request.
A week ago, the council held a public workshop as they work to decide if Philyaw was operating a junkyard on his residential property and if what he claims to do for a living was or was not a business.
Philyaw has been cited by Escambia County Code Enforcement for his property at 120 Front Street because it is zoned residential which does not allow his type of business to operate. He has told the town council that he simply collects metal for recycling until he has a “load” and then it is sold. Nickles maintained that the property was a junkyard under the town’s ordinances.
“This is not a home occupation,” Nickles said at public hearing on June 28. “Based on my site visit, I consider this a junkyard…junkyards refer to storage of materials.”
Numerous residents spoke against the rezoning at that public hearing, and the council was presented a petition with signatures from about three dozen residents in opposition.
According to town records, Philyaw applied for a business license to operate about three years ago, but the application was denied because the property was zoned residential.
Philyaw was required to deposit $600 with the town for his rezoning request. With the denial, he will forfeit the actual costs incurred by the town.
Pictured top: The street view of the property at 120 Front Street, Century as seen June 28. NorthEscambaia.com file photo, click the enlarge.
Reader Submitted: One Vacation Oil Spill Photo Really Stands Out
July 6, 2010
The following was submitted by a NorthEscambia.com reader:
I was in Pensacola the week of June 26-July 2. We stayed on the beach and was able to see the work and oil. I made several pictures; however, one stands out….With rain, thunder, lightning, strong winds, and the oil spill, it is nice to know that God is still in control.
Judy Earnhart
Rocky Face, Ga. 30740
Do you have photos or a story you would like to share? Email news@northescambia.com
Almost There: Century Resident Continues Journal From Spain Hike
July 6, 2010
We are continuing to follow the journals of Century resident Terri Sanders as she hikes 500 miles across Spain this summer.
As Terri hiked from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France, she filed dispatches from her journal and sent pictures when possible for NorthEscambia.com as she hiked the Camino de Santiago — the Way of St. James — to the Atlantic Ocean.
To read the complete series from day one, click here.
On Wednesday, we will bring you Terri’s final journal entry and look a gallery of photos from across Spain.
(Scroll down to read entries from several days.)
June 27 2010
Start: Portomarin
Destination: Palas De Rei
Today was a day of varied terrains. We started by climbing up and crisscrossing the main road. More and more new faces join us every morning and we are also seeing some of the pilgrims we met miles ago. It is funny how you think someone is far ahead of you and then you see them sitting at a cafe table.
The walk through the woodlands was very enjoyable and as Lou pointed out, with the terrain it we could be in just about any state in the union. This area was the scene of a bloody battle in 840 between the Moors and Christians but there is nothing left now to disturb the peace other than the chatter of pilgrims .
We passed through the hamlet of Rosario, named because long ago pilgrims would begin to recite the Rosary as they came into town. We heard of a brand new alburque so we decided to try it out. Shock of shocks it was air conditioned!! A brand new facility, new beds, cafes, showers with plenty of hot water.
If it lacked anything it was tables and chairs to sit in as you went on line to check email or the internet. As we tried to sleep though we learned the walls were paper thin and the doors all had a tendency to slam. There are plenty of pilgrims who have started hiking and want to party most of the night then sleep late in the mornings.
Miles 16.2
June 28, 2010
Start: Palas De Rei
Destination: Ribadiso
I threatened to pitch a full blown temper tantrum if the guys woke me up before 6:00 am. They must have taken me seriously because Lou woke me up at 6:30. I decided to ship my pack ahead today. We have several climbs and I am having problems with my left heel. It was very enjoyable to hike with just snacks and water.
We crossed six shallow river valleys today and the majority of the path was a natural path. The day today was all about smells. When we finally left the farmlands and the smell of manure, the hedge rows were in full bloom and the sweet smell was almost intoxicating. Then we walked through a forest of eucalyptus trees and their smell was just as intoxicating.
Most of the places today had octopus on the menu. Evidently this area is renowned for its octopus meals. None of us were willing to try one of the dishes but instead opted for a scrambled egg sandwich. It was almost cultural shock to hike through town with its noisy streets and shops, blaring horns and busy sidewalks. We stopped in the western suburb of Santa Maria de Melide with its 12th century Romanesque church. The interior is decorated with delightful inspiring frescos above the altar. We collect yet another stamp in our pilgrim passport and head out of town back into the woodlands. Our resting place for tonight is in Ribadiso.
This hostel is a wonderful reconstruction of one of the oldest pilgrim hospitals still in existence with an award for environmental architecture. This is the only hostel here and it is not quite as bad as a cattle car. The showers and toilets are down a long path separated from the sleeping quarters. I am thinking there is a lot of grass between my bed and the bathroom. Its redeeming grace is that it is located on the bank of a small river with steps going into the water to sit on and soak your feet. Some brave souls are even braving the icy water to try and swim in 3 foot of water.
There are lots of screams and squeals going on among the younger hikers. One of the funniest things that has happened to me along the trail happened this afternoon. I was sitting on a low window ledge arranging my back pack to catch the sun to dry it when a man jumped from the window and landed in front of me. He gave his best superman pose, faced me and proudly proclaimed in very broken English that he had hiked 22 kilometers today.
What is strange about that you ask? Only the fact that he was in his mid seventies and he was wearing nothing but a Speedo bathing suit! Lou says he was just hitting on me. I am not sure that is supposed to make me feel better or not. This guy kept repeating himself like he was waiting for me to give some sort of reply. All I could think to say was “Oh!” I am not sure what I was saying “oh” to though!
Miles 16.4
June 29, 2010
Start: Ribadiso
Destination: Arca Do Pino
I was determined not to have to crawl out of the top bunk and go outside in the middle of the night and my determination worked. However the weather turned chilly during the early hours of the morning and I woke up shivering. My pack was down on the floor and I tried reaching over the rail to get it and get my sleeping bag out but it was just out of my reach. If I leaned any farther I would have fallen on my head and really woke everyone up. I pulled the disposable sheet off the bunk and put it over the top of my silk liner. I don’t think it did any good though. I was awake before the guys even crawled out of bed.
In fact I was packed and ready to roll by 6:30. We had plenty of shade today and most of the walk was on earthen paths. A television crew was doing a segment on pilgrims and they took video of me getting my pilgrim passport stamped. At one point there were a dozen or more cars lined along the road. Today was a celebration of San Pedro which I found out was St. Peter. There was a small marching band that marched along the road and several large statues being carried by four men each. I don’t know why today was the celebration and no one could understand us when we asked.
Arzua is the last major city before we enter Santiago. The town is an untidy development put together haphazardly along the older town center. There is no rhyme or reason to how the town is laid out. This is the farthest we have had to walk off of the trail to get to a hostel. It was probably close to a half mile into town. We also encountered our first major wait to check in. We were in line for 45 minutes.
It is hard to believe that tomorrow we reach Santiago, the destination we have been hiking towards for 29 days now. We ask each other where the days went. It seems just yesterday we were huffing and puffing up that first mountain. I came over here with two expectations and they were to hike and have a good time. I have hiked and I have had a great time. I have met some very interesting people, some of which I could not understand a word of what they said. Some who I could converse with because they spoke a little English. I have found the same apathy in cafes by the waitresses and waiters that you find in the states. It is just a job to them and they are not really present. Then there have been the larger portion of them who have went beyond just waiting on you to asking about where you are from and how long you have been walking.
For most of the small villages it is the pilgrims who keep the place going even if it is just a small amount it is all they have. Most of the pilgrims themselves will try to talk with you, bridging the language gap as much as possible. Then there are those from other countries who speak English and very fast become your friends and you exchange email addresses with. All in all it has been a lot of fun; I have been exposed to totally different cultures while in the same country.
If there is one negative thing that stands out it is the fact that at least half of those who walk are either uneducated or uncivilized in the “Leave no trace” motto that is prevalent among most of the United States trails and parks. I am appalled at the number of women who will pee along the trail and leave their toilet paper on the ground as opposed to putting it in a zip lock bag and disposing of it every night in the trash or just burying it.
Then there were plenty of places along the trail just off the path where people choose to have a bowel movement, leave the used toilet paper on top of it with no thought of digging a cat hole to bury their poop in. I didn’t see things like this along the Appalachian Trail although at some of the trail heads it was obvious that women chose to just leave their toilet paper on the ground.
Miles 13.8