Molino Man Found Guilty Of Killing His Infant Daughter
September 25, 2008
A Molino man has been found guilty of manslaughter for killing his infant daughter in 2006.
Christopher Paterson, 28, was found guilty of the death of his one year old daughter Ali Jean Paterson. A jury deliberated for only about two hours before returning the guilty verdict.
Ali Jean Paterson died on November 26, 2006, from burns she received two weeks earlier when she was left unattended in a hot bath, according to authorities. Paterson told deputies he placed the child in shower that just felt warm and went to another room to get a towel. He said that when he returned, Ali was screaming, and there was steam rising from the shower. He then called 911 after noticing red sores on the child.Ali survived at Children’s Hospital in Birmingham for two weeks before she died.
This was not Paterson’s first involvement with authorities over Ali. The Department of Children and Families investigated a broken leg she suffered in May 2006. Paterson and Brittany Knapp, Ali’s mother, took Ali to the hospital with a broken leg. They said her leg was broken when it became trapped in a slot in her crib. DCF did not find that the incident was abuse at that time.
Paterson was indicted by a grand jury on second degree manslaughter charges in February of 2007. He was arrested on May 1, 2007, near Gainesville. He has remained in jail since his arrest.
Paterson could be sentenced to up to 15 years in state prison.
Deer Season? Deputy Hits Deer
September 25, 2008
An Escambia County deputy’s car suffered minor damage Wednesday night when he hit a deer near Walnut Hill.
The deputy was not injured; the doe was killed.
The accident happened on South Highway 99 just south of Tungoil Road. The deputy was driving the speed limit at the time of the collision and was not responding to a call.
As is standard practice with any accident involving a deputy’s car, a crime scene unit was called to the location to photograph the damage.
Pictured above: An Escambia County deputy’s car after a collision with a deer Wednesday night near Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com photo.
Annual See You At The Pole Held
September 25, 2008
The annual See You at the Pole rally was held Wednesday morning at Northview High School.
About 75 NHS students gathered at the flagpole as school began to pray in the non-denominational event.
See You at the Pole is a student-initiated, student organized, and student-led event. That means this is all about students meeting at their school flagpole to pray—for their school, friends teachers, government, and their nation.
“Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening!” from 1 Samuel 3:9b was theme verse for the See You at the Pole event at thousands of schools across the nation Wednesday morning.
“It’s tough being a Christian student today, isn’t it? You have to make a lot of choices about who you are—and who you’re not. You have to try and follow God in a world that misunderstands Christianity and tolerates its principles less and less all the time,” according to the See You at the Pole website.
See You at the Pole is scheduled annually on the fourth Wednesday in September.
Pictured above and below: The annual See You at the Pole event was held Wednesday morning at Northview High School and schools across the country. Scroll down and click the thumbnails at the bottom for more photos. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escaped Alabama Inmates Spotted In Walnut Hill; Arrested In Pensacola
September 24, 2008
Two escaped state prisoners from Atmore were captured Tuesday in Pensacola, just days after they were spotted in Walnut Hill.
An anonymous tip to Crimestoppers led to the capture of Charles Bales, 33, and John Rice, 42, Tuesday morning at the Palm Court Motel on Highway 29 in Pensacola. The pair escaped from a work detail in Atmore last Wednesday.
On Thursday, a Walnut Hill resident, Tracy Benner, found the two men walking down Arthur Brown Road and gave them a ride. He said they stated that they were hungry. The local resident drove them to the Walnut Hill Farm Supply to buy food. When he left them at the business on Highway 97, he had no idea he had just given a ride to two escaped prisoners.
The clerk at the farm supply, who did not wish to be identified, did not know the two were wanted by authorities when they came into the store Thursday.
“They said they were looking for a telephone and for food,” she told NorthEscambia.com. “They got about $20 worth of food, snacks and stuff, and they never did ask to use the phone.”
She said she asked the men were they were headed, and they responded “Mississippi”. She said they were wearing “regular street clothes”, and that they were nice.
The clerk said they were in the store for about five minutes and they left on foot, walking south on South Highway 99, away from Highway 97.
Both Benner and the clerk said they immediately recognized the pair as Bales and Rice Sunday when they saw a story on NorthEscambia.com. They reported their contact with the prisoners to the Escambia County Sheriff’ Department.
“If it wasn’t for the story on NorthEscambia, I would have not known they were wanted,” Benner said.
Sgt. David Preston with the sheriff’s department said there were no other reported sightings of the two men in the North Escambia area.
Rice was serving a life sentence for a 1997 Baldwin County burglary. Bales was serving a 10 year sentence in connection with a 2002 robbery. Bales could have been eligible for parole as early as June of 2010.
A third person, Wendy Sweeney, was also arrested at the motel Tuesday on outstanding local warrants,” Sheriff’ spokesman Glenn Austin said. It was not immediately known if she had any connection to Rice or Bales, or is she had any part in the their escape. No further details on her arrest were available from the sheriff’s department.
Pictured above: Escaped Alabama inmates Charles Bales (left) and John Rice were arrested in Pensacola Tuesday, just days after being spotted in Walnut Hill. Wendy Sweeney (left) was also arrested along with the two men. Submitted photos.
School Advisory Councils Decide How To Spend Thousands; Work Hard Behind The Scenes
September 24, 2008
Working behind the scenes at area schools are school advisory councils, and they began this school year with the responsibility of deciding how to spend thousands of dollars awarded by the state.
School advisory councils are made up of a team of people representing the various segments of the community, from parents and teachers to students, administrators, support staff and local business people.
Based on the state’s school grading system, schools that either receive an “A” grade or improve at least one grade from the previous year were eligible to receive the recognition funds. Bratt Elementary received $33,492. Carver/Century K-8 School received $17,319. Molino Park Elementary was awarded $36,436. Charter school Byrneville Elementary got $13,830. Ernest Ward Middle School received $38,973, and Northview High School was awarded $46,887.
At Tuesday morning’s meeting of the school advisory council at Bratt Elementary School, the council voted to split Bratt’s $33,492 among all current school employees that were on the payroll last year — including teachers, lunchroom employees, custodians and other staff — as a bonus. It’s the same thing Bratt has done with their awarded school performance funds for each of the past several years, according to Principal Sheryl Pomeroy.
At Northview High School’s School Advisory County meeting Tuesday afternoon, members voted to form a committee to report back on possible uses for the school’s $46,887. The committee will consist of parents on the SAC, teachers and faculty. The committee will report back to the SAC at a future date.
By law, the funds can be used for non-recurring faculty bonuses, educational equipment, new technology or hiring temporary personnel to assist in maintaining and improving student performance.
“I want to give praise to our students, faculty and staff for their hard work. We were just six points away from an ‘A’. We were very close,” Northview Assistant Principal Mike Sherrill told the SAC of the B-graded school.
At Bratt’s school advisory council meeting, members were also informed that Bratt was rated as the only Five Star School in North Escambia.
“It’s an honor to be the only one in the north end,” outgoing SAC advisory council member Tami Calloway said. “It’s an honor that Bratt got that.”
The overall purpose of a school advisory council is to assist in the preparation and evaluation of the results of the school improvement plan and to assist the school principal with the annual school budget. Additionally, SAC’s receive funds to be used by the SAC at their discretion and monies to be used to reach the goals of the school’s improvement plan.
Pictured above: Assistant Principal Mike Sherrill at Northview’s School Advisory County meeting Tuesday. NorthEscambia.com photo.
Lady Eagles Finish Season Undefeated
September 24, 2008
The Ernest Ward Middle School Lady Eagles volleyball team finished a perfect season Tuesday afternoon with a win over Flomaton.
The Eagles beat the Canes 19-25 25-22 and 15-4 to finish at 8-0 on the year.
Click here for a photo gallery from Tuesday’s action at Ernest Ward Middle School.
Pictured above: Volleyball action Tuesday at Ernest Ward Middle School. NorthEscambia.com photo.
A Run In The Country: Northview Hosts Cross Country Meet
September 24, 2008
Northview High hosted a cross county meet Tuesday afternoon, and the Chiefs placed second in both the boy’s and girl’s categories.
West Florida High School placed first among both the boys and girls. Escambia Academy placed third in the boy’s divison.
The top male runners in the 5K, and their times, were:
- Alan Ash, Escambia Academy, 17:57
- Greg Adams, West Florida High, 19:24
- Mark Simmones, West Florida High, 19:55
- Elliot Ross, Northview High, 19:57
- Coty Chance, Northview High, 19:58
The top female runners in the 5K, and their times, were:
- Taylor Drie, West Florida High, 26:32
- Haleigh Sport, West Florida High, 26:34
- Brooke Bosso, West Florida High, 27:27
- Jeranda String, West Florida High, 27:28
- Sarah Killam, Northview High, 28:29
Members of the Northview Boy’s Cross Country team are: Cody Chance, Elliot Ross, Cory Calloway Justin Whiting, Wesley Chancery, Daniel Jordan, Zachary Lamb, Clinton Davis, Joshua Scott, Dustin Lewis, AJ Lambert, Blake Luker, Brett Rolin, and Zachary Byers.
Members of the Northview Girl’s Cross Country team are: Hannah Jordan, Amanda Sellers, Samantha Macks, Jessica Bloodsworth, Miranda Scott, Mallory Bell, Sarah Killiam, Katie Mann, Dixie Carnley and Monica McClain.
The next meet for both teams will be Tuesday, September 30 at 4:30 at Northview. Other teams running will be Pensacola High, Jay High, & Pensacola Christian Academy, Tate High, T.R. Miller High and Escambia Academy.
Click here for a photo gallery from the meet.
Pictured top: The race to the finish at a cross country track meet Tuesday afternoon at Northview High School. Pictured above: Sarah Killam, Northview’s top female runner Tuesday, rounds the corner toward the finish line. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
NHS Girls In Spanish Fort Volleyball Tournament
September 24, 2008
The Northview Varsity girl’s volleyball team competed in the Spanish Fort Tournament this past weekend in Spanish Fort, Alabama.
In their first game, the Chiefs swept two from the Blue Devils from Atmore, 25-15, 25-9.
Then the Chiefs fell to Spanish Fort, 14-25, 9-25.
In their final game, Northview lost to Foley, 11-25, 23-25.
In the tournament, sophomore Ashley Digmon had eight digs, and sophomore Shawna Montgomery had three blocks, six kills, seven aces and a pair of digs.
Caitlin Hall, a junior, had two blocks, 20 assists and two kills. Junior Amber McMillan had nine digs.
And senior Brittney Thompson racked up four blocks, 13 kills, two aces and 10 digs.
Northview’s Lady Chiefs are now 4-6 overall, 0-2 in the district.
Both the varsity and junior varisty will be on the road Thursday at South Walton. The JV plays at 4:30 and the varsity hits the court at 6:00.
Second Public Hearing Notice
September 23, 2008
SECOND PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
The Town of Century is applying to the Florida Department of Community Affairs (DCA) for a Small Cities Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) under the Housing Revitalization category in the amount of $650,000.00. For each activity that is proposed, at least 70% of the funds must benefit low and moderate income persons. The activities, dollar amount and estimated percentage benefit to low and moderate income persons for which the Town is applying are:
Housing Rehabilitation and Construction Costs: $ 552,500.00 100 % low and moderate income
Project Administration: $ 97,500.00 70 % low and moderate income
The Town of Century plans to minimize displacement of persons as a result of planned CDBG activities in the following manner: No displacement is anticipated because all construction will occur within established rights-of-way. If any persons are displaced as a result of the planned activities, the Town will assist such persons to obtain suitable replacement housing.
The public hearing to receive citizen views concerning the proposed project will be held at the Town Council Meeting Room on Friday, September 26, 2008 at 2:00 p.m. A draft copy of the application will be available for review at that time. The applications will be submitted to the state on September 29, 2008. A final copy of the application will be made available at Century City Hall on Monday through Friday between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. within five days after September 29, 2008. To obtain additional information concerning the public hearing, contact Karen Hughes at (850) 256-3208. The Public Hearing is being conducted in a handicapped accessible location. Any handicapped person requiring an interpreter for the hearing impaired or visually impaired should contact Ms. Hughes by September 22, 2008 and an interpreter will be provided. Any non-English speaking person wishing to attend the public hearing should contact Ms. Hughes by September 22, 2008, and a language interpreter will be provided. To access a Telecommunications Device for Deaf Persons (TDD) please call 1-800-955-8770.
Pursuant to Section 102 of the HUD Reform Act of 1989, the following disclosures will be submitted to DCA with the application. The disclosures will be made available by the Town of Century and DCA for public inspection upon request. These disclosures will be made available on or after the date of submission of the application and shall continue to be available for a minimum period of five years.
1. Other Government (federal, state, and local) assistance to the project in the form of a gift, grant, loan, guarantee, insurance payment, rebate, subsidy, credit, tax benefit, or any other form of direct or indirect benefit by source and amount;
2. The identities and pecuniary interests of all developers, contractors, or consultants involved in the application for assistance or in the planning or development of the project or activity.
3. The identities and pecuniary interests of any other persons with a pecuniary interest in the project that can reasonably be expected to exceed $50,000 or 10% of the grant request (whichever is lower);
4. For those developers, contractors, consultants, property owners, or others listed in two (2) or three (3) above which are corporations, or other entities, the identification or pecuniary interests by corporations or entity of each officer, director, principal stockholders, or other official of the entity.
5. The expected sources of all funds to be provided to the project by each of the providers of those funds and the amount provided; and
6. The expected uses of all funds by activity and amount.
EWMS Volleyball Team Now 6-0
September 23, 2008
The Ernest Ward Middle School volleyball team is now 6-0 after beating T.R. Miller last night.
Ernest Ward’s Lady Eagles beat the Tigers from Brewton 25-10, 25-13. It was the Eagle’s second win of the season over T.R. Miller.
Ernest Ward will wrap up their volleyball season this afternoon at 4:00 at Ernest Ward.
Pictured above: The EWMS Lady Eagles volleyball team Monday against T.R. Miller. Submitted cellphone photo.