Tate High School Placed On Precautionary ‘Code Yellow’ Status, All Clear Given
December 1, 2022
Tate High School was placed on “totally precautionary” code yellow security status early Thursday afternoon, according to the school district.
Someone reported hearing a possible gunshot in the neighborhood around the campus, but nothing was found.
Tate High has since returned to an ordinary operating status.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Man Broke Into Cantonment Home, Made A Meal, Took A Nap, Took A Truck And A Gun: ECSO Says
December 1, 2022
A Michigan man’s crime spree ended in Escambia County after he broke into a Cantonment home, fixed himself a meal, and stole a pickup truck.
James Lee Mitchell, 50, of Flint, Michigan, is charged with burglary, vehicle theft and grand theft of a firearm. He will likely face additional charges in other jurisdictions.
Mitchell was caught on camera as he entered a home Sunday on Sunnydale Road in Cantonment. He took keys to a Toyota Tundra truck, a small semi-automatic .380 caliber firearm and a pair of electrical pliers.
“He even has the audacity to cook a meal and take a nap during his unwelcomed exploit. The hooligan leaves with a stolen gun (bet you don’t feel sorry for him now) and the stolen truck,” the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Deputies found the stolen truck the following day on Ensley Street, and the firearm was recovered.
The ECSO said Mitchell stole a vehicle in Marion County, Florida, and stopped in Santa Rosa County and burglarized two homes before heading to Escambia County. He ran out of gas in Cantonment where deputies said he broke into a couple of houses, a motorhome and a shed.
“Word on the street is that he stopped in Santa Rosa County and broke into two houses there before venturing into our particular harbor,” the ECSO said.
Mitchell remained in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $25,000.
Cantonment Man Seriously Injured In Pensacola Motorcycle Crash
December 1, 2022
An 18-year old Cantonment man was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash midday Wednesday in Pensacola.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the 77-year old driver of a GMC SUV failed to stop at a stop sign at the intersection of Gonzalez Street at “T’ Street.
“The driver of the motorcycle attempted to avoid the collision by laying the motorcycle on its left side. As a result, the motorcycle slide under the SUV and collided with the undercarriage of the SUV in the intersection,” FHP said in a crash report.
The Cantonment man was wearing his helmet at the time of the collision and was listed in stable condition at last report.
Troopers cited the SUV driver with failure to yield right of way from a stop sign.
Photos: Al Showers/WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Former ECUA Recycling Manager Pleads Guilty To Racketeering In Half Million Dollar Scheme
December 1, 2022
A former recycling manager at the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority’s Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) pleaded guilty Wednesday to racketeering in connection with selling a half million dollars worth of recyclables through a shell company he owned.
In September of 2018, Jarrell Lamar Reynolds, now 45, was hired by ECUA to manage the recycling operation at the Perdido Landfill.
“He was hired, according to ECUA management, because of his experience in the industry and his personal contacts with potential new vendors and customers,” an arrest report states. “ECUA believed that hiring Reynolds would increase the efficiency of the the recycling operation and increase their revenues through the introduction of new customers for their recyclable material.”
On December 5, 2018, Reynolds created a shell company called JAT Recycling in Georgia, and he was the lone officer of the company. He used the shell company to acquire the property from ECUA and sell the recyclables. Once sold to third parties, Reynolds maintained control of about $510,000 in profits and transferred them to multiple accounts he controlled, according to court documents.
The profits were then used by Reynolds to purchase cars, investment properties, and other personal expenses.
Additional charges of racketeering as well as organized fraud, money laundering, and extortion were dropped in exchange for Reynolds’ guilty plea.
Pictured top: The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority’s Materials Recycling Facility (MRF). File photo.
Escambia County’s Overall Crime Rate Drops
December 1, 2022
The overall crime index in Escambia County dropped 9.8% during 2021 compared to the previous year, according to new data released Wednesday by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
The total number of murders in the county dropped from 32 in 2020 to 23 in 2021, and robberies decreased from 376 to 282. Two other violent crime categories were up — rapes (225 to 284), aggravated assaults (1,306 to 1,332). Other crimes decreased from 2020 to 2021 — burglaries (1,588 to 1,285), larcenies (6,039 to 5,410) and motor vehicle thefts (732 to 689).
The countywide report covers crimes investigated by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Pensacola Police Department and other agencies like the Florida Highway Patrol, University of West Florida Police Department, and Pensacola State Police Department.
During 2021, 34.3% of crimes in Escambia County were cleared, compared to 32.6% in 2020.
The crime rate per 100,000 population also decreased, from 3,181.2 in 2020 to 2,867.9 in 2021.
Statewide, crime in Florida hit a 50-year low, according to the 2021 Annual Uniform Crime Report. The report covers the calendar year of 2021 and shows . Both violent and property crimes decreased in 2021. Domestic violence was also down.
Keep The Wreath Green Fire Safety Campaign Begins Thursday
December 1, 2022
The annual “Keep the Wreath Green” fire safety campaign begins Thursday in Escambia County.
During the month-long campaign, five-foot wreaths will also be on display at 21 Escambia County Fire Rescue stations and five Pensacola Fire Department stations, with wreaths also placed outside Escambia County’s Ernie Lee Magaha Government Building downtown, the Escambia County Public Safety Building and Pensacola City Hall. Each time firefighters respond to a residential fire with damage during December, a green light bulb will be replaced with a red one to remind citizens of the dangers posed by fires in residential homes.
There were 19 red bulbs placed on the wreaths in 2021 to represent December residential fires. Four of those were in North Escambia: St. Matthews Lane in the Quintette area, Jahaza Street in Molino, Ashcraft Road in Bratt, and Wild Turkey Road off Jacks Branch Road.
The record, set in 2004, was 22 fires during December; the 19 in 2021 was the second highest.
The 19 residential structure fires during December in Escambia County included a fire on Quintette Road (above), a Christmas Day fire on Jahaza Street (first below), a Christmas Eve fire on Wild Turkey Road (second below), and a fire on Ashcraft Road (bottom). NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate’s Drew Reaves Signs To Play Baseball At PSC
December 1, 2022
Tate High School senior Drew Reaves signed Wednesday to play baseball at Pensacola State College.
“I would like to thank God, as He has put me with these abilities to be able to go to PSC and play,” Reaves said. “Also, He has put me with this great family which led to these great friends, teammates, coaches, and ultimately to where I am at today.”
For more photos, click or tap here.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Contractor Jesse LaCoste Arrested In Santa Rosa County
December 1, 2022
Pensacola contractor Jesse LaCoste was booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail Wednesday evening.
LaCoste, the 30-year old brother-in-law of Pensacola contractor Matthew Banks, was charged with felony larceny in connection with an incident in Gulf Breeze, according to authorities.
Escambia and Santa Rosa counties revoked both individual’s contractors licenses after numerous complaints were filed with county boards. They were ordered to repay millions to customers after allegedly failing to complete work for which they received payments in advance.
Banks was previously charged with felony fraud for failing to provide a refund.
A Pensacola resident paid Banks $6,740 by check for a renovation on North G Street in Pensacola. Banks, according to police, never started work and would not provide a refund despite the homeowner’s demand.
Bogia Man Charged With Battery Of Pregnant Woman
November 30, 2022
A Bogia man is accused of allegedly hitting a pregnant woman and preventing her from leaving a residence.
Jordan Matthew Capps, 22, was charged with aggravated battery offender knew or should have known the victim was pregnant, and false imprisonment, both felonies. He remained in the Escambia County Jail without bond Wednesday morning.
The pregnant victim told the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office that Capps became angry when he could not find his phone and accused her of having. He grabbed her arm, hit her in the head multiple times and poked her in the eye, according to an arrest report.
When the victim tried to leave the residence, Capps pulled her back away from one door, blocked her exit through another door and snatched her keys, the report continues. Deputies noted injuries to her forehead and hand.
Deputies were unable to contact Capps immediately after the November 22 incident and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
After he was arrested Tuesday, Capps was also charged with possession of a firearm or concealed weapon by a convicted felon. Records show he was convicted of sexual battery by a juvenile on a victim under 12 in 2016 and is a registered juvenile sex offender.
Escambia Sex Offender Gets 11 Years In Federal Prison For Gun Crimes
November 30, 2022
An Escambia County sex offender has been sentenced to 134 months in federal prison for multiple gun crimes.
James Leroy Smith Jr., 38, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle, and multiple violations of his federal supervised release conditions. Smith was sentenced to 10 years in prison on the firearm charges, and he was sentenced to an additional 14 months for his supervision violations to run consecutively to his firearm case.
“Senseless violence by armed felons endangers the public and results in serious consequences,” stated U.S. Attorney Coody. “Our partners at the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office are to be commended for their swift actions in apprehending this violent felon. Due to their efforts our community is safer, and this repeat offender is exactly where he belongs – back behind bars.”
Court records indicate Smith was arrested by ECSO deputies on April 24, 2021, after shooting a black AR-style rifle loaded with rounds in a 100-round double-drum magazine at another car while driving through a residential area. At the time, Smith was being supervised by the U.S. Probation Office following a prison sentence imposed for failure to register as a sex offender. In addition to that federal offense, he had nine other felony convictions, including a prior conviction for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and a conviction for sexual battery.
The sentence resulted from a joint investigation by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.