Listen To Jim Paul’s Exclusive Interview With NorthEscambia.com
January 11, 2008
Shortly after releasing a statement to the media and employees of the Escambia County Schools, Superintendent Jim Paul conducted an exclusive telephone interview with NorthEscambia.com. You can here that interview in its entirety buy clicking the play button below.
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For the complete story about Paul’s arrest, click here.
Pictured: Jim Paul speaks to NorthEscambia.com from his office Friday afternoon.
School Superintendent Jim Paul Won’t Resign After DUI Arrest; NorthEscambia.com Gets Exclusive Interview
January 11, 2008
Escambia County School Superintendent Jim Paul told NorthEscambia.com that he will not resign after being arrested in Pinellas County, Florida, Thursday morning and charged with DUI. In an exclusive NorthEscambia.com interview, Paul said he made a mistake, and he will be punished for that mistake.
To hear Jim Paul’s exclusive interview with NorthEscambia.com, click here.
In his exclusive interview with NorthEscambia.com, Paul said was at a technology conference funded by Apple Computer. He said he was unable to sleep Wednesday night and decided to play the slot machines at the Hard Rock Casino. He said he had two glasses of wine about 10:30, and then went to his car about 12:30.
“You know, you’ve had a couple of drinks,” he said he told himself at his car. “You don’t need to be driving. That’s the last thing I’ll need for goodness sakes is to be pulled over…so I just sat there…and just read some emails on my Blackberry. And tried to doze for a couple of hours and I would drive back.”
He said a drunk rapped on his car window about 1:30 or 2:00 that morning. “It was kind of a drunk; then I felt silly,” he said. “What I a doing here for goodness sake?”
That’s when he started driving back, and was eventually stopped by Pinellas County deputies.
“I didn’t feel in anyway that I was unable to drive,” he told NorthEscambia.com. “But I’m sure everybody says that who’s had drinks and gets behind the wheel of a car.”
Paul released a statement to school district employees Friday morning. In that statement, he issued an apology to the employees and students of the district and to the community.
“I have strived for the past seven years as superintendent of our school district to exhibit the highest personal standards of conduct as an example to all district stakeholders and have expected the same of our employees and students,” Paul’s statement said..“Obviously, my recent actions have fallen far short of that example and I quite frankly find it difficult to find the appropriate words to relate my remorse for the shame and embarrassment I have brought to my position as the school district’s chief executive and to the school district itself.”
You can read Paul’s statement in its entirety by clicking here (pdf format).
According to a Pinellas County report obtained by NorthEscambia.com, Pinellas County deputies say the incident began when they observed a rented white 2007 Chevrolet Impala speeding and weaving dramatically on the Courtney Campbell Causeway in Clearwater. A sergeant assigned to the DUI Enforcement Unit stopped the vehicle and while speaking with the driver, 60-year-old James Roy Paul of Pensacola, became concerned that he was impaired.
A DUI investigation was initiated and after it was determined that Paul was impaired, he was arrested on one count of misdemeanor driving under the influence. Following his arrest, Paul was transported to the Pinellas County Jail where he was booked at 4:45 a.m. Eastern time. He was allowed to post a $500 bond at 2:34 Eastern time, after spending more than nine hours behind bars.
He submitted to a breath test which measured his breath alcohol level at 0.128. The legal limit in Florida is 0.08. During the investigation Paul was cooperative and identified himself as the Superintendent of the Escambia County School District.
Click here to see the officer’s charge report obtained by NorthEscambia.com.
A court date of February 6, 2008, at 8:30 a.m. has been set in Penellas County for Paul.
Paul was in the Tampa area with Paul Fetsko, an assistant superintendent, and Don Maderson, the district’s technology director, for a technology conference. Paul was alone in the car at the time of his arrest.
The 60 year old Paul was first elected superintendent in 2000 and and re-elected in 2004. His office is up for re-election this year. He qualified as Republican candidate in that election on July 19 of last year. Once other candidate, Democrat Myra L. Simmons of Pensacola has also qualified to run in that race.
Pictured above: Escambia County School Superintendent Jim Paul’s booking photograph from Thursday morning in Pinellas County obtained by NorthEscambia.com.
Blog: Mr. Paul, Let’s Talk: My Kids Have Questions
January 11, 2008
As first reported here at NorthEscambia.com Thursday morning, Escambia County Superintendent of Schools Jim Paul was arrested for DUI in South Florida early Thursday morning.
Mr. Paul…let’s talk. My kids have questions.
Both of my girls are students in your school district. One is a bouncy first grader, age six. The other is a maturing young lady in the fourth grade, age 10.
They got off the school bus Thursday afternoon as they do every day. Ran down the driveway and bounded in the door. The oldest one is pretty smart for her age. She’s loves to read. She loves to write. She’s taken a great interest in what I do on NorthEscambia.com everyday, and often goes with me to cover some of the feature stories here.
When the girls got home Thursday afternoon, the oldest asked me what I had written about during the day. I had to tell her first about you, Mr. Paul. Like I said, she’s a bright kid, and she had an idea who you are.
DUI, I told her. She’s been taught about alcohol, and she knows that it’s a bad thing. And she knows that you can’t drink and drive.
“Isn’t he Mrs. Pomeroy’s boss,” she asked. Mrs. Pomeroy is her principal at Bratt Elementary. I told her yes.
“Isn’t he suppose to tell her what to do,” she asked. Again, I told her yes.
“If he was drinking that stuff and driving around,” said my youngest daughter, “is my teacher going to do that? I don’t want my teacher to do that. That’s bad.” Let me remind you that she’s just six.
Mr. Paul, I want you to read that last paragraph again. Think about it and try to understand it with the mind of a little child.
I’m going to repeat it for you. “If he was drinking that stuff and driving around is my teacher going to do that? I don’t want my teacher to do that. That’s bad.”
At six, she loves her teacher. She looks up to her, and looks up to the example she sets. She understands, Mr. Paul, that you are in a position of responsibility over her principal and over her teacher…her hero. She understands that adults are to set examples for children.
This is not about politics. This is not about whether or not you should resign. It’s not about any of that you’ve certainly heard and read in the media the past day.
This is about the simple thought process of a child. The teachers in our county are our children’s heros, mentors and friends. My six year old does not get politics. She gets the fact that you did something very wrong as her teacher’s boss.
This is about my children. This is about the thousands of children in our district. Sure, the middle school and high school students are going to understand what you did. They are going to get it.
But my six year old does not get it. I want you to explain it to her.
We are all listening.
UPDATE: Mr. Paul did respond to these questions in an exclusive interview with NorthEscambia.com Friday afternoon. To hear that interview in its entirety, click here.
No Serious Injuries In Hwy 29 School Bus Crash
January 11, 2008
There were no serious injuries when a school bus and car collided at the intersection of Highway 29 and Well Line Road in Cantonment Friday afternoon.
There were no children on the bus at the time of the 1:03 p.m. crash. Florida Highway Patrol troopers say the bus, driven by Judy Pierce of Cantonment, pulled in front of a 1993 Chevrolet driven by Kevin Folse of Pensacola. Folse sustained minor injuries and was treated at the scene.
Pierce was charged with violation of the right of way at an intersection, according to the FHP report.
County Rezones Highway 4 Property
January 11, 2008
The Escambia County Commission voted Thursday night to rezone 27 acres of property in the 5100 block of West Highway 4.
The property, owned by David and Nancy Roach, had been zoned VR-1 that allowed for one dwelling for every four acres. The new zoning, VR-2, allows for one dwelling on every three quarters of acre. The new zoning would potentially allow about 35 homes to be constructed.
Raymond Peebles, a board member of the Bratt Assembly of God, addressed the commission in opposition to the rezoning. The property sits adjacent to the church’s property. Peebles told the commission that he was concerned that Godwin Cemetery Road, a private road, would be used to access the property.
Commissioners noted that the property had potential access from Highway 4 and from Dortch Road. They voted 5-0 in favor of the rezoning.
Pictured above: An Escambia County Property Appraiser map showing the rezoned property outlined in red. Highway 4 runs along the southern border of the property. Godwin Cemetery Road is to the east, and Dortch Road is to the west. The Bratt Assembly of God Church can be seen at the corner of Highway 4 and Godwin Cemetery Road.
Panhandle Equine Rescue Receives Donation
January 11, 2008
Panhandle Equine Rescue (PER) received over four thousand dollars in donations Thursday night from a recent horse endurance ride.
The money was presented by the Five Flags Arabian Horse Association to PER at PER’s monthly meeting at Fran’s Country Grill in Molino. The money was raised at the “Blackwater Boogie Endurance Ride” that was held November 30 and December 1 in the Blackwater State Forest near Milton. Over 130 riders from across the Southeast participated in the ride.
The $4,222.46 check was presented by Christina Schiro (pictured above, right) of the Arabian Horse Association to Diane Lowery (pictured above, left), president of PER. Added to $535 in proceeds given to PER last month, the total funds presented to PER totaled $4,757.46.
Panhandle Equine Rescue’s mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and provide adoption services for abused, neglected and abandoned equines. It is authorized by the Escambia County court system to investigate equine reports in the county.
Recently, PER rescued five of fourteen horses from a resident of Escambia County near the intersection on Highway 95A and Quintette Road south of Molino. The resident was unable to care for fourteen horses at one time, according to Lowery, so PER stepped in. Four boarded horses on the property were returned to their owner, and PER took possession of Firecracker, Rolla, Pretty Boy, Junior (pictured left) and Miss Penny.
“He had too many horses,” Lowery said, “Basically, he was in over his head.” She said the horses were in poor condition when they were picked up by PER, but now they are in good shape. Soon after a vet visit next Wednesday, all five should be available for adoption. All five can be viewed in our photo gallery by clicking here.
PER’s annual Benefit Ride scheduled for February 9 has been renamed “The Charlotte Salzer Memorial Benefit Ride”. Charlotte passed away December 30 after a six month battle with cancer. She was nurse, retired from Atmore Community Hospital. Before and after retiring, she was active in rides for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, Atmore’s Relay for Life, Panhandle Equine Rescue, and the Five Flags Arabian Horse Association.
The benefit ride will take place Saturday, February 9 at Coldwater Recreation Area in the Blackwater River State Forest. The approximately 12 mile ride will be followed by an awards ceremony and a meal. For more information click here to download and print a pdf flyer, or contact Chris Jones at 478-2161.
Federal Raid At Century Helicopter Company
January 10, 2008
Officials with the U.S. Office of Transportation raided Van Nevel Helicopters in Century’s industrial park Wednesday seizing business records of the business and its owner, Georges Van Nevel.
“Van Nevel is suspected of improperly refurbishing helicopters and helicopter parts, selling unapproved aircraft parts, performing improper repairs on helicopters and misleading the aviation community by false advertisements,” according to federal documents from the Office of Transportation obtained by NorthEscambia.com.
When NorthEscambia.com was on the scene Wednesday, three marked Escambia County sheriff’s cruisers were maintaining a perimeter around the building, keeping onlookers and employees away from the building on Industrial Boulevard. As the driver of one vehicle drove toward the parking lot not using the main driveway but a grassy area on the side, he was quickly approached by deputies before he entered the parking lot (pictured left, click to enlarge).
The raid began during the 5:00 hour Wednesday morning, according to deputies.
Van Nevel operates Helicopter Technologies. It held a FAA repair station certification until Van Nevel voluntarily surrendered the repair station certificate in early August 2007, according to federal documents. Helicopter Technologies supported the FH1100 Company until that certificate surrender, but he had the capability to continue performing helicopter maintenance and repairs under an “Airframe and Powerplant” certificate. But Van Nevel’s companies were still able to sell parts for the FH-1100 helicopter, according to federal documents.
According to documents filed with the Florida Secretary of State, Van Nevel is the only corporate officer for Helicopter Technology, Inc., FH1100 Manufacturing Corp., and Van Nevel Helicopters, Inc.
According to the website fh1100.com, the company also operated the “Van Nevel Helicopters Academy”. The “whois” service at Network Solutions, an internet domain registrar, identifies the owner of the fh1100.com domain name to be Georges Van Nevel.
Federal agents were to seize documents related to all of Van Nevel’s companies, according to federal documents. Documents to be seized include both paper documents and electronic information related to the operation of the company, including employee records, customer records, supplier records and aircraft maintenance information.
No charges have been filed against Van Nevel or any employee or agent of any of his companies.
NorthEscambia.com was unable to contact Van Nevel for contact on Wednesday.
At Monday night’s meeting of the Century Town Council, Town Clerk Dorothy Sims reported to the council that Helicopter Technology last made a payment to the town in September 2007, and that payment was for their May 2007 rent in the town’s industrial park.
Click here for more photos from Van Nevel Helicopters.
Pictured top: A marked Escambia County deputy cruiser sits outside Van Nevel Helicopters as federal agents conduct a raid inside Wednesday. All photos exclusive NorthEscambia.com photos.
Snowflakes For Century Care Center
January 10, 2008
The residents of Century Care Center decorated snowflakes Wednesday for residents under hospice care.
Sally Cary with Covenant Hospice of Northwest Florida joined the Century Care residents in an arts and crafts program.
While working on the project, Care provided Mardi Gras beads, King Cake and punch for the residents.
Photos submitted by Mae Hildreth, Century Care Center.
Video: Steeple Goes Up At Aldersgate Methodist
January 10, 2008
A new steeple was installed Wednesday afternoon at Aldersgate Methodist Church in Molino. The steeple replaces one that blew off the sanctuary during Hurricane Ivan on September 16, 2004.
Century Fire Dept. Responds To Backwoods Road
January 9, 2008
The Century Volunteer Fire Department responded to the report of a residential structure fire at 11:00 Wednesday night. Firefighters on the scene in the 300 block of Backwoods Road reported the fire was out upon their arrival. There were no injuries.