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.
Three With 120 Years Combined Experience Retire From International Paper
November 30, 2022
Three employees with 120 years combined service recently retired from International Paper’s mill in Cantonment.
They are:
- Tommy Nall, predictive maintenance technician, 42 years of service
- Mark Ard, reliability engineer, 37 years of service
- John Huelsbeck, storeroom, 41 years of service
“These team members have been teachers, mentors, high level contributors and friends at the mill. They professionally and personally will leave long lasting positive impressions,” Scott Taylor, mill manager, said.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Walnut Hill Man Charged With DUI In Connection With Wrong-Way Highway 97 Crash
November 30, 2022
A Walnut Hill man has been charged in connection with a wrong way crash Monday night.
James Harold Green, 66, was charged by the Florida Highway Patrol with DUI with property damage, reckless driving with property damage, and smuggling a controlled substance into the county jail, according to jail records. He was released on a $5,000 bond.
Witnesses said Green’s pickup truck was traveling in the wrong lane of Highway 97 near Wiggins Lake Road, just north of Walnut Hill Fire Station, about 6:47 p.m..
An oncoming driver reportedly swerved out of the way to avoid a head-on collision, and his pickup truck struck a guardrail. The driver was not injured.
The wrong-way pickup truck came to rest about 1,000 feet away in a ditch hitting a guardrail and a mailbox. Green was transported by Escambia County EMS to Jay Hospital for treatment and taken into custody by troopers. While he was being booked into the Escambia County Jail, a felony amount of narcotics was discovered, according to FHP.
The Florida Highway Patrol investigated the crash. The Walnut Hill and McDavid stations of Escambia County Fire Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia County Names Top 3 Legislative Asks
November 30, 2022
The Escambia County Commission has picked their top three legislative priorities for the upcoming session.
The county will ask the Florida Legislature to:
- Complete the FDOT Work Plan, which includes a Beulah I-10 interchange
- Provide $2.5 million in funds for a wastewater lift station at OLF-8 on Nine Mile Road
- Reform for residential property insurance in the state
Other items were discussed, but commissioners ultimately decided to limit their asks to three items.