Escambia Man Charged With Traveling To Meet A Minor At Nine Mile Restaurant
May 11, 2026
A 62-year-old man was arrested after allegedly traveling to a local Waffle Huse to meet a child for illegal sexual activity.
Billy Ray Rogers was arrested by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office last Wednesday at the Waffle House on East Nine Mile Road at 7 East Nine Mile Road, near North Palafox Street. He faces a felony charge of traveling to meet after using a computer to lure a child. He was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $15,000 bond.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported disturbance at the Waffle House. An arriving deputy was met by a man who said he works for Predator Poachers, a Texas company that goes undercover to catch sexual predators. The company is not affiliated with local law enforcement.
Another Predator Poachers employee told deputies that he had been working undercover as a 13-year-old girl named “Miley.” The sheriff’s office said he provided printed copies of messages between the Miley persona and Rogers from TikTok and Telegram in which Rogers invited Miley over to his house. The company enlisted a Waffle House customer to message and call Rogers to see if he was coming to pick her up at the Waffle House, an arrest report states.
The Waffle House customer told deputies that Rogers said he did not want to be arrested because he is a 60-year-old man and she was just 13 years old. She then explained to Rogers that she walked from a friend’s house and it was dark, asking him to pick her up, and he pulled up to the restaurant door, according to the arrest report.
According to the ECSO report, Rogers spontaneously told a deputy “that he has child porn on his black phone and a computer” and he sent nude photos of himself to an underage female and wanted the girls to come to his place. The phone was seized and submitted into evidence. Child pornography charges were not immediately filed, pending the outcome of the investigation.
The ECSO report states that Rogers admitted “that he knew what he did was wrong,” that he knew Miley was 13 years old, and that he sent her a sexually explicit photo of himself.
Deputies reported that the alleged messages sent by Rogers to the 13-year-old decoy were explicit details of what he intended to do.
Rogers was interviewed by the ECSO Special Victims Unit (SVU) prior to being booked into the Escambia County Jail.
Century Nonprofit Awarded $10,000 Dollar General Literacy Foundation Grant
May 11, 2026
The Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded a $10,000 grant to a Century nonprofit for a family literacy project.
The funds were awarded to the Extra Mile Club Str8 Up for the project “Families Getting Out of the Rat Race A Family Financial Literacy”.
The Dollar General Literacy Foundation annually awards grants to public schools, libraries and nonprofit organizations within a 15-mile radius of a Dollar General store or distribution center. Since its founding 33 years ago by Dollar General’s former CEO, Cal Turner, Jr., the DGLF has awarded more than $292 million to literacy efforts across the country.
“Since the Foundation’s inception in 1993, our focus has remained on making meaningful investments in students, teachers, and the organizations that support literacy and learning at every stage of life,” said Denine Torr, executive director of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. “We are grateful for the impact teachers and educators make every day and are excited to have another record setting year of helping expand literacy access for learners of all ages. These funds will help educators enhance their instruction and create opportunities that help empower students to reach their full potential.”
Other grants were awarded in Northwest Florida: $3,000 for the Destin Library and $5,550 to the Fort Walton Beach Library.
Pictured: Pastor Evelyn Deterville opened the Extra Mile Club St8 Up Soul Train Club in April 2025 in Century. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
