Man Shot And Killed After Opening Fire On Escambia Deputies
October 4, 2022
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies returned fire killing a man that shot at them Tuesday morning.
The ECSO responded to the 100 block of Payne Road in Navy Point about 4:10 a.m. A woman told deputies that 36-year old Colin Merrill West was inside with a gun and had threatened her.
West first refused commands as deputies surrounded the home. Just over an hour later, he exited the door with a handgun and opened fire at deputies who returned fire, Sheriff Chip Simmons said.
“Here’s the deal. When you come outside with a gun in your hands, start shooting at us, you get what you get and that’s dead. When someone shoots you, there’s not much time for dialogue. There’s not much time for diagnosis. We tried that. We tried that for about an hour and he refused to come out,” Simmons said.
He said eight deputies fired at West. None were injured.
“This is not the way we wanted it to end. We gave him plenty of opportunities; he chose not to take those opportunities.”
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is conducting an independent investigation, and the deputies involved have been placed on administrative leave, as is standard procedure in an officer-involved shooting.
The ECSO was already applying for felony warrants on West, and he was a convicted felon on probation for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon domestic violence, and false imprisonment (kidnapping) convictions out of Santa Rosa County in 2019.
Century Cancels Budget, Tax Hearing Due To Public Notice Error
October 4, 2022
Century’s new fiscal year started October 1, but they have not yet approved a budget or tax rate.
A final public hearing on the budget and millage rate set for Monday night was called off due to a public notice error. According to Town Clerk Leslie Howington, the numbers in a budget summary did not match the numbers in a public notice for the meeting.
The meeting will be rescheduled, but as of Monday night a new date and time had not been announced.
Pictured: No member of the general public attended the first of two required Century budget public hearings on September 27. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Tate’s Riley Robbins Named Association Florida High School Player of the Week
October 4, 2022
Tate High School junior Riley Robbins has been named the American Volleyball Coaches Association Florida High School Player of the Week.
In a dozen games this year, Robbins has recorded 55 kills (4.58/game), 53 digs (4.42/game), 67 receptions (5.58/game), two aces and one assist.
This is Robbins’ third year playing volleyball for the Tate Aggies.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Man Charged With Battery Of Two Close Family Members
October 4, 2022
A Cantonment man is accused of the battery of two close family members during a recent argument.
Timothy Clayton Hendrix, 44, was charged with felony domestic battery by strangulation and one count of misdemeanor battery domestic violence.
Hendrix allegedly became involved in an argument with two family members that escalated into a physical altercation. He allegedly pushed a female, tried to drag her out of the house by her wrists, and placed his hands around her neck. He placed a male relative into a chokehold when he attempted to intervene, according to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office report.
Hendrix gave deputies different versions of his story, the report states, as he claimed the female hit him and the male struck him in the right eye. His “inconsistent story leads me to believe that he is being untruthful,” a responding deputy wrote in the report.
He was released from jail on a $50,000 bond.
Over 40,000 Escambia Vote By Mail Ballots Are Now On The Way
October 4, 2022
The Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Office on Monday began delivering more than 40,000 vote-by-mail ballots to the U.S. Postal Service for the November 8 general election. This is in addition to ballots sent to military and overseas voters last month.
Voters who have requested to vote-by-mail should begin receiving their ballot packages within a week. After completing the ballot, the voter must sign and date the return envelope and return it by mail (postage paid) or deliver it to the elections office or an early voting site during early voting hours beginning October 24. Ballots must be received in the Supervisor of Elections office no later than 7 p.m. on election day. All vote-by-mail ballots are verified prior to tabulation. Complete voter instructions are included in the vote-by-mail package.
The U.S. Postal Service recommends voters mail their completed ballot at least one week before the due date.
The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot for the General Election is 5 p.m. on Saturday, October 29.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Register Now For Tri-City Children’s Choir; Practice Begins This Week
October 4, 2022
Registration is underway for the second season of the Tri-City Children’s Choir (TCCC), a regional initiative of the Pensacola Children’s Chorus.
TCCC welcomes young singers in grades 1-6 who reside in Century, Flomaton, Jay and the surrounding areas.
The choir will once again be under the direction of Holley Driver, a Century-based music teacher.
Singers will meet weekly on Thursdays from 4:30 until 5:15 p.m from October 6 to December 15 at Century First United Methodist Church, 530 Church Street. A performance is scheduled for December 16. TCCC is a tuition-based program and costs from $15 to $65 per week. Families may choose the weekly amount that works best for their household finances, and scholarships are also available.
For more information on joining the choir, or make a contribution, visit www.tricitychoir.org.
Driver directed the TCCC during their first season this past spring. She taught music in the Escambia County School District for over 15 years, served as the choral director at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Molino for nine years, and teaches in her own studio.
If you need more information, call Driver at (850) 324-6182.
Pictured: A May 2022 by the Tri-City Children’s Choir. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Atmore Police Looking For Man With Nine Felony Warrants
October 4, 2022
The Atmore Police Department is searching for a man on nine outstanding warrants for fraudulent use of a credit card.
Investigators had worked since March to identify a suspect seen on Walmart surveillance video. They say he is 32-year old Joseph Matthew Dooley.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the Atmore Police Department at (51) 368-9141.
FHP Seeks Driver In Fatal Pedestrian Hit And Run
October 4, 2022
The Florida Highway Patrol is searching for a driver involved in a fatal hit and run in Escambia County.
A SUV struck and killed a 43-year old Pensacola man as he was walking along the shoulder of West Fairfield Drive near Hestia Place about 9:40 p.m. Sunday. Troopers said the SUV veered onto the shoulder before hitting the pedestrian.
Vehicle parts collected at the scene indicated that the suspect vehicle is a red, 2018-2019 Chevrolet Traverse.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Florida Highway Patrol at *FHP or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Pictured: The photo provided by FHP is not the actual vehicle involved, but is a model similar in color and style to one involved in a fatal hit and run.
‘Our Kids Have Got To Be OK’ – Sheriff Asks For Public’s Help After Fatal Youth Football Park Double Shooting
October 3, 2022
“Our kids have got to be okay. This can never be okay in our community. It’s not going to be.”
That is what Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons had to say Monday afternoon about a fatal double shooting at a youth football game on Saturday.
A 22-year old male was pronounced deceased following the shooting at the Bellview Athletic Park — near the sideline the football field. He still had a gun in his hand. Another adult male was transported to a local hospital with gunshot wounds.
The search for suspects continued Monday as Simmons issued a plea with anyone at the game to share video and photos from the game, both before, during and after the “targeted” shooting.
The shooting happened after an altercation with as many as six other people and the two victims. At least two of the suspect left the ballpark and returned wearing masks. There was an exchange of gunfire, the sheriff said, between the victims and the suspects. Four to six people fled the scene in a vehicle, he said, adding that they are no longer looking for a Nissan Altima as previously announced Saturday evening.
So far, investigators have recovered 15 shell casings from the scene of the game between Bellview and Milton.
“We cannot have this. This is on a Saturday afternoon, surrounded by children and these idiots to decide that this is a good time to, to sort through a beef that’s been going on for months and sometimes, in many cases years. So people know the information, people know who is involved in the altercation, people know who is fighting, people know who were there, but they for some reason do not want to tell us,” Simmons said.
“If you want to be part of the solution, stop defending these people. Stop defending their actions. Whether they’re friends of yours, associates of yours, family members of yours. Because if you keep your mouth shut, this stuff is going to continue. We’re going to have all the deputies in the world out there, but we can’t be everywhere.
“So, I’m begging you, if you went to the game, if you were at the game, or if you’ve heard something, you can call Crime Stoppers, you can call our investigators.
Escambia County Commission Chairman Jeff Bergosh said the county will provide free grief counseling at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Wedgewood Community Center.
“We have a great community,” Bergosh said Monday. “This is not representative of the community of Belleview, and I just want people to know that these are outside influences coming in. They will be caught. I have no doubt the sheriff and his men are going to catch these people.”
“Let’s show up at these games and put a hedge of protection around our children. We can’t be afraid. We can’t give in. We must let our presence be shown. We cannot let the criminals win over our children,” Commissioner Lumon May added.
School Superintendent Tim Smith said grief counselors were made available Monday at five schools: Longleaf Elementary, Bellview Middle, Pine Forest High, Escambia High and Success Academy. Grief counseling was also available Monday at several schools in Santa Rosa County.
“This is an act of pure evil. It’s despicable what has happened,” Smith said. “It has spread out from the individuals involved to children. It is absolutely ridiculous. It is pure evil.”
Simmons said that no member of the Ladarius Clardy family was involved in any kind of retaliation, and no Clardy family members are suspects. Clardy was murdered in July 2021. “But I can tell you that some of the people that were involved in a clarity investigation are also suspects or people that are involved in this particular incident as well.”
“We are not going to tolerate this at our ballparks, we’re not going to tolerate this anywhere, but you cannot put our children at risk,” the sheriff stated.
Anyone with information, photos or videos is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
For more photo, click or tap here.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Work Begins On Ascend Park Renovation, New Playground
October 3, 2022
Work started Friday on the renovation of the Ascend Park and the installation of new playground equipment for community use.
The park on Old Chemstrand Road was damaged by Hurricane Sally back in 2020.
“We’re excited to get this project underway and see families enjoy the new playground upon completion. We appreciate the community’s patience and look forward to announcing the reopening and welcoming the community back soon,” said Tony Ferguson, Ascend senior communications specialist.
The original equipment has deteriorated and is being removed to make way for an entirely new playground, a project anticipated to be completed before the end of the year. The park is currently closed for construction and NorthEscambia.com will let readers know when it is reopened.
The playground renovations are being paid for by funds from the Ascend Cares Foundation and the Ascend Performance Materials Pensacola site.
Pictured: The Ascend Park on Friday. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
