Walnut Hill Suspect Charged With Domestic Violence, Battery On Deputy
January 5, 2023
A Walnut Hill man is facing charges for domestic violence and battery on a sheriff’s deputy.
Noelle Alicia Spence, 45, was charged with simple assault, false imprisonment, battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest. All of the charges are felonies, except simple assault, which is a misdemeanor.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to a disturbance on Spence Road off Pineville Road where witnesses told deputies that Spence had jumped on the victim.
When deputies attempted to place Spence in handcuffs, he began to pull away before two deputies were able to get control of him, a report states.
“Spence hip checked me pushing me backwards into a door and tried to escape custody. I was able to subdue Noelle Spence and take him to the ground,” a deputy wrote in his report, noting that Spence “is a biological male that is in transition”.
The victim told deputies that Spence was “talking crazy” as he threatened to kill the victim while she was trapped in her room, according to an ECSO arrest report. The victim tried to call for help, but Spence grabbed her phone before making threats to do violence and kill her, the report continues.
Spence remained in the Escambia County Jail Thursday with bond set at $16,000.
It Was Christmas Morning. They Didn’t Know Their House Was Burning Above Them.
January 5, 2023
A Cantonment family did not know their house was on fire Christmas morning, until the fire department pulled up and knocked at the door.
Smoke was showing from the roof of the home in the 700 block of West Roberts Road when Escambia County Fire Rescue arrived about 7 a.m.
“My fiancé, stepson, and I woke up on Christmas morning to firefighters banging on our front door, telling us to get out. There was a fire in our attic that was started due to an electrical issue,” said Connar Moore
ECFR said smoke detectors did not alert the family because the fire was in the attack. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire in just a few minutes, but the family was displaced until repairs can be made.
“It began over the master bedroom and was slowly moving via the insulation. Luckily, no one was hurt, and we were able to find and recover our cats,” Moore said. “The house is still standing, but there is a mix of fire, water, and smoke damage to the roof, the attic, the rafters, the master bedroom, the hallway, and one of the offices.”
According to Claudia Curiel, GoFundMe’s regional spokesperson, Moore organized a fundraiser to help the family get back on their feet.
“Any amount you can donate can help us get back on our feet and find somewhere to stay while we work to repair our home,” Moore said.
ECSO Seeks Suspect In Multiple Armed Robberies
January 5, 2023
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a suspect wanted in connection with multiple armed robberies.
The ECSO said the suspect hit several convenience stores throughout Escambia County between November 10. 2022, and January 3, 2023.
The individual has been dressed in dark clothing, wearing a dark mask, and carrying a silver and black handgun.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP or the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620.
Photos: ECSO, click to enlarge.
Established Foreign Manufacturing Company Seeks To Locate In Century; Town Council President Says No
January 4, 2023
A 50-year old foreign company with established American customers wants to lease a building owned by the Town of Century and bring new jobs, but the president of the town council is against the idea.
According to the FloridaWest Economic Development Alliance, the company is looking to set up their first domestic manufacturing and warehouse distribution facility serving the oil and gas industry. They plan to hire five people initially, with a goal of 10 employees by the end of the year with an average salary of $46,570 — the average wage in the Pensacola area. The company hopes to begin warehouse operations by the end of February with a forthcoming expansion into manufacturing.
“They were originally planning to just do warehouse and distribution, exporting their products here,” Danita Andrews (pictured left), chief business development officer for FloridaWest, said. “They have quickly decided that they want to move forward with being able to manufacture here as well…It makes good business sense for them to manufacture here rather than continue from where they are.”
The company wants to lease a 40,000 square foot town-owned building in their industrial park known as the “Helicopter Technology Building”. The town re-acquired the industrial building at public auction for less than $1 out of pocket back in August 2009, following the town’s foreclosure judgment against the now defunct Helicopter Technology company. The building has sat empty since then.
The lead for the project came from the international division of Enterprise Florida at the end of October, and the company visited Century and other available locations in Escambia County around Thanksgiving.
“They manufacture a component for a part for the oil and gas industry, they’re actually a plastics and rubber extrusion company,” Andrews said, adding that the raw product is in pelletized form before it is poured into a machine and molded using pressure.
Most details about the company and their plans remain confidential during discussions, as is allowed and is standard in economic development in Florida.
Andrews requested that the Century Town Council vote to allow Mayor Ben Boutwell to negotiate lease terms with the company for final approval by the council.
“It comes back to this table,” Boutwell told the council.
“Ain’t nothing fixing to be done period if I have anything to do with it,” Council President Luis Gomez (pictured left) responded.
“Okay Mr. Gomez, just keep holding us back sir. Just keep holding us back. Keep holding us back,” Boutwell rebutted.
“I’m out. Y’all can vote on it, but that ain’t what my vision is for the helicopter building,” Gomez said before asking for a motion to allow the mayor to negotiate with “this ghost client”.
Council member Dynette Lewis made a motion, clarifying that it would allow Boutwell to work with not a “ghost client” but with FloridaWest to negotiate lease terms with the company. The motion was seconded by Jackson and passed 3-1 with Gomez against.
The company is offering a lease amount equal to a recent appraisal — $94,000 annually or $7,833 monthly — with the company paying for insurance, taxes and maintenance with a minimum five-year term.
Company officials will be in Century next week to meet individually with each town council member and look at any potential upgrades to the building. Andrews said they will need to expand the existing facility by some 1,500 to 2,000 square feet to accommodate a large piece of manufacturing equipment that requires a tall ceiling.
“There is no waste; there is nothing that would contaminate the water or the air,” Andrews said. “They can take any excess product and reutilize that again in the extrusion process. This is my understanding.”
“Twenty jobs in five years is nothing for the town of Century,” Gomez said. “They opened up a peanut factory in Atmore, which I know don’t have anything to do with us, automatically 200 jobs. That’s what I’m looking for for Century. That’s what I am looking for for Century. Something with some people that want to be transparent on their own, not somebody who comes in here under the cover of night. They’ve got to have all these stipulations under the cover of a backroom deal negotiated by somebody else. That’s not going to benefit Century.”
“It sounds to me like we put the cart before the horse. We want to give up all of this authority to the mayor to a person that we don’t know,” Gomez continued. “We can’t even do due diligence. We can’t do no type of research. We can’t see what the background is, but we are supposed to just come in here and give him (the mayor) the authority to negotiate on behalf of the town and then accept or not accept whatever they come up with.”
“I’ve got to stick to my convictions. I’m just tired of people coming into Century wanting to hide,” he said.
FDLE: Former Navy Federal Employee Sold Member Account Info On The Dark Web
January 4, 2023
A former Navy Federal Credit Union employee has been charged by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement with selling customer information on the dark web.
Wade Hampton Helms, 34, of Arab, Alabama, was arrested on a FDLE warrant last week on one count of offenses against users of computers, computer systems, computer networks and electronic devices; eight counts of criminal use of personal identification information; 34 counts of unlawful possession of personal identification information; and one count of unlawful use of a two-way communications device. All charges are felonies.
FDLE’s investigation began in September 2022, when internal fraud investigators with a Pensacola-area credit union reported possible fraud related to Helms, who at the time lived in Pensacola and was an employee of the credit union.
Agents discovered that Helms misused his employee access to compromise dozens of credit union member accounts, taking the members’ personal identification information and providing it to third parties via the dark web. He also assisted the third parties to gain access to the credit union member accounts, resulting in the third parties stealing funds from the accounts.
The credit union has notified members whose information was compromised.
Helms was arrested by the Arab (Alabama) Police Department on the FDLE warrant and transported to Pensacola. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail and later released on a $47,000 bond.
Flomaton Police Seek Harassment, Trespassing Suspect
January 4, 2023
The Flomaton Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating a wanted suspect.
Jeremy Alan Crapps is wanted for trespassing first degree and harassment for an incident on December 29 in Flomaton, according to FPD.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the Flomaton Police Department at (251) 296-5811 or their local law enforcement agency.
Map Shows Amtrak Plan To Return Service To Northwest Florida, Perhaps Atmore
January 4, 2023
Amtrak service could return to Northwest Florida, and perhaps Atmore, according to an Amtrak map recently published.
An agreement is in place for a new corridor for Gulf Coast communities between Mobile and New Orleans, including connections with Amtrak’s Sunset Limited, City of New Orleans, and Crescent at New Orleans. The service does not currently extended east beyond Mobile.
The new map shows Amtrak service from Mobile to Jacksonville, with the route traveling through Atmore and Pensacola before heading further east.
Amtrak service between New Orleans and the east coast of Florida ended with Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.
Pictured: An Amtrak inspection train rolls in Atmore (top) and Pensacola (below) in February 2016. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia County Ends December With 16 Residential Structure Fires
January 4, 2023
Escambia County recorded 16 residential fires during December, represented by 16 red bulbs in the “Keep the Wreath Green” in the annual fire safety campaign.
Three of the fires were in the North Escambia area.
State Investigating Bratt House Fire
The Florida Bureau of Fire, Arson & Explosives Investigations is investigating the cause of a fire that left a family without a home Friday evening in Bratt (pictured top). The fire was reported about 5 p.m. in the 4000 block of Still Road, about 1.5 miles south of West Highway 4. The double-wide mobile home was fully involved when the first firefighters arrived on scene. There were no injuries reported, but two dogs were pronounced deceased at the scene. The fire was the 11th red bulb in the wreath.
Christmas Morning Fire Damages Cantonment Home
About 6:25 on Christmas morning, ECFR responded to a house fire in the 700 block of West Roberts Road in Cantonment. The fire was in the attic, so smoke detectors did not alert the occupants. Due to damage in the attic, the residents were displaced until repairs can be made. There were no injuries. This was the 12th red bulb on the fire safety wreath.
Makeshift Residence Destroyed By Fire In Cottage Hill
Improperly used extension cords are being blamed for a fire that destroyed an makeshift residence in Cottage Hill Tuesday morning. The fire was reported about 8:20 a.m. in the 1900 block of Smyers Road, north of Cottage Hill Road. Firefighters arrived to find what Escambia County Fire Rescue said was a “repurposed camper shell” burning. It was a total loss. ECFR said someone was living in the structure, but they were able to escape without injuries. This was the 13th red bub in the wreath.
NorthEscabia.com photo (top) and photo for NorthEscambia.com (lower) click to enlarge.
County Seeks Applicants For Escambia Children’s Trust
January 4, 2023
The Escambia County Board of County Commissioners is seeking applications from county residents to serve on the Escambia Children’s Trust.
To be considered, applicants must submit the completed Escambia Children’s Trust application and questionnaire for gubernatorial appointments with an optional resume by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 20.
Resumes and both applications should be submitted via email to boardapply@myescambia.com or mailed to:
Jose Gochez, Program Manager
Escambia County Board of County Commissioners
221 Palafox Place, Suite 420
Pensacola, FL 32502
The Board of County Commissioners will nominate three applicants per vacancy to be submitted to the governor for review and potential appointment. Following the board’s selection, the county administrator will notify the Governor’s Appointments Office of the selected applicants and additional steps from the nominees may be required.
To be considered for the Escambia Children’s Trust, Florida Statute criteria include the requirement that nominees have been residents of Escambia County for the previous 24 months and are willing to submit an annual Statement of Financial Interests Form. Florida Statutes also require that gubernatorial appointments are representative of the demographic diversity of the County’s population.
Per Section 125.901, Florida Statutes, the Escambia Children’s Trust shall consist of 10 members, including:
- The superintendent of schools;
- A school board member as appointed by the school board;
- The Department of Children and Families district administrator, or his or her designee;
- A judge assigned to juvenile cases as appointed by the chief judge;
- A c0ounty commissioner as appointed by the Board of County Commissioners; and
- Five members appointed by the governor from candidates nominated by the Board of County Commissioners to serve a four-year term.
In November 2020, 61% of participating voters in Escambia County supported the creation of the Children’s Trust to be funded by an increase in ad valorem taxes of up to a maximum of 0.5 mil. The Children’s Trust will provide early childhood education, safety, developmental, preventative, health, and well-being services, including after school and summer enrichment programs.
The ECT is responsible for assessing the needs of the children in the county and developing a strategic plan for addressing unmet needs, which must then be submitted to the Board. The ECT, like the county, must also go through the process of adopting a millage rate and budget in accordance with Florida’s Truth In Millage (TRIM) Act, and the CSC must submit an annual report to the Board as required by Florida law.
DeSantis Sworn In For Second Term, Sets Priorities
January 3, 2023
Governor Ron DeSantis delivered his second inaugural address from the steps of the Florida Historic Capitol in Tallahassee on Tuesday.
According to a statement from his office, DeSantis highlighted the progress that Florida has made to improve the lives of its residents as a result of his administration priorities, including guaranteeing access to high-quality education, creating a robust economy that continues to grow faster than the nation’s, providing access to resources for those recovering from hurricanes, and investing record funding into the Everglades and Florida’s critical water resources.
In concluding his speech, Governor DeSantis reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring our state remains the Free State of Florida and set priorities for his second term in office.
Here is the complete text of his speech as prepared for delivery:
Mr. Chief Justice, members of the Cabinet, and fellow citizens:
From the Space Coast to the Suncoast, from St. Johns to St. Lucie, from the streets of Hialeah to the speedways of Daytona, from the Okeechobee all the way up to Micanopy.
Freedom lives here, in our great Sunshine State of Florida!
It lives in the courage of those who patrol the streets and keep our communities safe, it lives in the industry of those who work long hours to earn a living and raise their families, it lives in the dedication of those who teach our children, it lives in the determination of those who grow our food, it lives in the wisdom of our senior citizens, it lives in the dreams of the historic number of families who have moved from thousands of miles away because they saw Florida as the land of liberty and the land of sanity.
Over the past few years, as so many states in our country grinded their citizens down, we in Florida lifted our people up.
When other states consigned their people’s freedom to the dustbin, Florida stood strongly as freedom’s linchpin.
When the world lost its mind – when common sense suddenly became an uncommon virtue – Florida was a refuge of sanity, a citadel of freedom for our fellow Americans and even for people around the world.
In captaining the ship of state, we choose to navigate the boisterous sea of liberty rather than cower in the calm docks of despotism.
We face attacks, we take hits, but we weather the storms, we stand our ground, and we do what is right.
As the Book of Psalms reminds us, “I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.”
We have refused to use polls and to put our finger in the wind – leaders do not follow, they lead.
We have articulated a vision for a free and prosperous state.
We have, through persistence and hard work, executed on that vision.
We have produced favorable results.
And now we are here today because the people of Florida have validated our efforts in record fashion.
Florida shows that results matter. We lead not by mere words, but by deeds.
Four years ago, we promised to pursue a bold agenda. We did just that and we have produced results:
We said we would ensure that Florida taxed lightly, regulated reasonably, and spent conservatively – and we delivered.
We promised we would enact big education reforms – and we delivered.
We said we would end judicial activism by appointing jurists who understand the proper role of a judge is to apply the law as written, not legislate from the bench – and we delivered.
We promised to usher in a new era of stewardship for Florida’s natural resources by promoting water quality and Everglades restoration efforts – and we delivered.
We said we would stand for law and order and support the men and women of law enforcement – and we delivered.
We promised to remedy deficiencies in Florida’s election administration and to hold wayward officials accountable – and we delivered.
We said we would support the areas in Northwest Florida stricken by Hurricane Michael – and we delivered.
And when Hurricane Ian came last year, the state coordinated a massive mobilization of response personnel, facilitated the fastest power restoration on record, and even quickly rebuilt key bridges that had been wiped out by the storm. We have stood by the people of Southwest Florida and we will continue to do so in the weeks, months and years ahead.
Because of these efforts and others, Florida is leading the nation:
We are #1 in these United States in net in-migration
Florida is the #1 fastest growing state
We are #1 in new business formations
Florida is #1 in tourism
We are #1 in economic freedom
Florida is #1 in education freedom
And we rank #1 in parental involvement in education
Florida also ranks #1 in public higher education
This is a record we can all be proud of.
And we are far from done:
Florida has accumulated a record budget surplus, and we need to enact a record amount of tax relief, particularly for Florida families who are grappling with inflation.
We must ensure school systems are responsive to parents and to students, not partisan interest groups, and we must ensure that our institutions of higher learning are focused on academic excellence and the pursuit of truth, not the imposition of trendy ideology.
Florida must always be a great place to raise a family – we will enact more family-friendly policies to make it easier to raise children and we will defend our children against those who seek to rob them of their innocence.
We will always remain a law-and-order state, we will always support law enforcement, and we will always reject soft-on-crime policies that put our communities at risk.
Florida is now in a golden era for conservation of our treasured natural resources. Our momentum is strong and we will finish what we started – we will leave Florida to God better than we found it!
This much we pledge and so much more.
It is often said that our federalist constitutional system – with fifty states able to pursue their own unique policies – represents a laboratory of democracy.
Well these last few years have witnessed a great test of governing philosophies as many jurisdictions pursued a much different path than we have pursued here in the state of Florida.
The policies pursued by these states have sparked a mass exodus of productive Americans from these jurisdictions – with Florida serving as the most desired destination, a promised land of sanity.
Many of these cities and states have embraced faddish ideology at the expense of enduring principles.
They have harmed public safety by coddling criminals and attacking law enforcement.
They have imposed unreasonable burdens on taxpayers to finance unfathomable levels of public spending.
They have harmed education by subordinating the interests of students and parents to partisan interest groups.
They have imposed medical authoritarianism in the guise of pandemic mandates and restrictions that lack a scientific basis.
This bizarre, but prevalent, ideology that permeates these policy measures purports to act in the name of justice for the marginalized, but it frowns upon American institutions, it rejects merit and achievement, and it advocates identity essentialism.
We reject this woke ideology.
We seek normalcy, not philosophical lunacy!
We will not allow reality, facts, and truth to become optional.
We will never surrender to the woke mob.
Florida is where woke goes to die!
Now Florida’s success has been made more difficult by the floundering federal establishment in Washington, D.C.
The federal government has gone on an inflationary spending binge that has left our nation weaker and our citizens poorer, it has enacted pandemic restrictions and mandates – based more on ideology and politics than on sound science – and this has eroded freedom and stunted commerce.
It has recklessly facilitated open borders: making a mockery of the rule of law, allowing massive amounts of narcotics to infest our states, importing criminal aliens, and green lighting the flow of millions of illegal aliens into our country, burdening communities and taxpayers throughout the land.
It has imposed an energy policy that has crippled our nation’s domestic production, causing energy to cost more for our citizens and eroding our nation’s energy security, and, in the process, our national security.
It wields its authority through a sprawling, unaccountable and out-of-touch bureaucracy that does not act on behalf of us, but instead looms over us and imposes its will upon us.
The results of this have been predictably dismal.
This has caused many to be pessimistic about the country’s future. Some say that failure is inevitable.
Florida is proof positive that We the People are not destined for failure.
Decline is a choice. Success is attainable. And freedom is worth fighting for.
Now fighting for freedom is not easy because the threats to freedom are more complex and more widespread than in the past – the threats can come from entrenched bureaucrats in D.C., jet-setters in Davos, and corporations wielding public power.
But fight we must.
We embrace our founding creed that our rights are not granted by the courtesy of the State, but are endowed by the hand of the Almighty.
We reject the idea that self-government can be subcontracted out to technocratic elites who reduce human beings to mere data points.
We insist on the restoration of time-tested constitutional principles so that government of, by and for the people shall not perish from this earth.
Florida has led the way in preserving what the father of our country called the “sacred fire of liberty.”
It is the fire that burned in Independence Hall when 56 men pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to establish a new nation conceived in liberty.
It is the fire that burned at a cemetery at Gettysburg when the nation’s first Republican president pledged to this nation a “new birth of freedom.”
It is the fire that burned among the boys who stormed the beaches of Normandy to liberate a continent and to preserve freedom for the world.
It is the fire that infused a young preacher’s dream, relayed at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, that the Declaration of Independence said what it meant and meant what it said: all men are created equal.
It is the fire that led a resolute president to stand in Berlin and declare “tear down this wall,” staring down the communists and winning the Cold War.
It is our responsibility here in Florida to carry this torch.
We do not run from this responsibility; we welcome it.
We will be on our guard.
We will stand firm in the faith.
We will be courageous.
We will be strong!
And we thank God and are proud to be citizens of the great Free State of Florida!
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
