Cantonment Child Porn Suspect Released On $12,000 Bond
June 6, 2009
A Cantonment man was arrested Wednesday on charges of possessing and promoting child pornography — including images with children as young as two — was released on just just $12,000 bond.
Michael James Whaley of Trailwood Drive in Cantonment was taken into custody by law enforcement officers with the Attorney General’s CyberCrime Unit and the U.S. Marshall Service’s Fugitive Task Force on Wednesday.
Circuit Court Judge Joel Boles set Whaley’s bond at $10,000 on one count of promoting the sexual performance of a child, a second-degree felony, and $2,000 on two counts of possession of child pornography, a third-degree felony. Whaley is scheduled to be back in court for an arraignment hearing later this month.
A tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s Cyber TipLine indicated Whaley, 34, had placed images of child pornography on a photo-sharing website. Investigators executed a search warrant at Whaley’s home in May and seized four computers as well as over 200 CDs and DVDs. Whaley admitted to possessing and uploading the images found on the photo-sharing site, some of which were of children no older than two years of age, according to the AG’s office. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office assisted with the execution of the search warrant.
Century Care Residents Enjoy Puppet Show
June 6, 2009
The residents at Century Care Center enjoyed a puppet show from the Little Escambia Baptist Church recently.
“It was great,” said Mae Hildreth, activities coordinator at Century Care Center. “It was great! The residents and staff thoroughly enjoyed it. They promised to do a return engagement around the last of July.”
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Carver/Century K-8 Students Receive Awards
June 6, 2009
Today, NorthEscambia.com continues a series of stories with award listings from area schools. Today’s listing contains the names of some of the award winners and the eighth grade graduates from Carver/Century K-8 that received awards in ceremonies at the end of the year.
Academic Achievement
- Reading: Devon Cottrell, Skyler Macks and Izeyic Pfifer
- Personal Development: Hayley Blackmon
- Keyboarding: Kahlil Grice, Shaquanna Jones
- Computer Applications: Skyler Macks, Tyaisha Davison
- Most Improved in Reading: Damien Brown, Arkelle Elliott
The following students were in the eighth grade class at Carver/Century K-8 School: Jay Ates; Keairra Brown; LaPorsha Brown; Devon Cottrell; Jaquan Dale; Tyaisha Davison; Ashtin Dixon; Aradius Elliott; Arkelle Elliott; Tierra Floyd; Alisha Grice; Kahlil Grice; Blaze Harkness; Kateria Hoffman; Trevor Hubbard; Cordell Jackson; Shaquanna Jones; Te’Andreia Knight; La’Mikal Kyles; Skyler Macks; Chris Madison; Trevelle McWilliams; Demontra Mitchel; Jontashia Myles; Stetson Nash; Jamell Rivers; Deidre Steel; Talia Syria Dyshun White; Roderick Woods.
Plan Ahead: Blueberry Jamboree Next Weekend
June 6, 2009
Join NorthEscambia.com for the first annual Escambia County Blueberry Jamboree next Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Barrineau Park Community Center, 6055 Barrineau Park School Road in Molino. Hosted by the Escambia County Neighborhoods/Community Services Bureau and Escambia County Extension Services, the Blueberry Jamboree will be a nostalgic throwback to the old fashioned festivals of years past.
Celebrating locally grown blueberries and live bluegrass music, this free festival will feature contests in pie eating, blueberry spitting and bubble gum blowing. The Kids’ Zone will include bounce houses, face painting and educational games. For the athlete, a “Race for the Blueberries” 5K walk/run begins at 8 a.m. with gift baskets awarded to the winners in each category. To register for the 5K, visit the web site, www.blueberryjamboree.com.
Festival organizers are seeking participants for The Great Blueberry Bake-Off. Three categories are open to the public to compete for cash prizes: pies/cobblers, cakes and other assorted blueberry dishes. Registration is free and will be held from 8:30 to 10 a.m. A copy of the recipe must also be submitted. For details, visit the web site, www.blueberryjamboree.com.
For more information on any of the Blueberry Jamboree festivities, call Brandi Daigle at 475-5220 or Libbie Johnson, 475-5230.
The Blueberry Jamboree is sponsored in part by NorthEscambia.com.
Suspect Dead After Pursuit Ends With Crash
June 5, 2009
An predawn chase by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department ended with the death of a suspect early Friday morning.
The sheriff’s department says John Jeffery Reed, Jr., 22, of Pensacola was killed when the stolen vehicle he was driving hit a tree during a pursuit.
At about 4:42 this morning, Escambia deputies observed a vehicle southbound on Mobile Highway matching the description of a vehicle that was reported stolen on the same shift.
Reed turned into a gas station at Mobile Highway and New Warrington Road. The vehicle tag on the 2006 Chevrolet Colorado pickup was confirmed as stolen and a traffic stop was initiated, according Sgt. Ted Roy, spokesperson for the ECSO. The stolen vehicle immediately pulled out of the parking lot and down Webb Lane.
Reed than did a u-turn running over the stop sign at Webb Lane and Dogwood Drive and headed straight at the pursuing deputy causing that deputy to take evasive action by driving completely off the road, Roy said.
Another deputy then spotted the stolen vehicle on Border Street. Reed then lost control of the stolen vehicle and crashed into a tree at the intersection of Border Street and Bobe Street. Responding deputies arriving on scene knocked the back window out of the vehicle in order to get the passenger door open to render first aid due to the deputies observing the suspect to be unresponsive, Roy said.
Reed was transported to an area hospital where he died from his injuries. There were no other vehicles involved in the crash and no other injuries to any civilians or deputies. Investigators used fingerprints to identify Reed.
Atmore, Walnut Hill Mugging Suspect Arrested
June 5, 2009
The suspect accused of stopping and robbing women Monday in Atmore and Walnut Hill has been arrested, and he has confessed to both crimes.
The Atmore Police Department says Jeffrey Daniel Gentry, 29, of Atmore was arrested and charged with robbery in the third degree in connection with a mugging in Atmore Monday afternoon. The arrest was the result of a joint investigation by the Atmore Police Department and the Escambia County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Department.
On Monday afternoon, Atmore police received a complaint that an elderly female was robbed after being flagged down by another motorist on Pensacola Avenue. Shortly after this complaint, Escambia (Fla.) County authorities received a complaint of a similar incident on Highway 97 near Highway 99 in Walnut Hill. Noting the similarities, investigators from both agencies conducted a joint investigation.
Thursday, Atmore Police investigators received an anonymous tip that a vehicle matching the description of the one used in the robbery was parked at a residence on Madison Drive in Atmore. The vehicle was reportedly a dark green Isuzu Rodeo.
During the ensuing investigation of that tip, police developed enough probable cause to obtain a search warrant for a residence on Madison Drive. That search warrant was served Thursday and some evidence was collected from the residence. Investigators from both agencies also obtained enough information for Gentry’s arrest.
Gentry, who was at the residence at the time of the search warrant, was taken into custody and questioned by investigators from Alabama and Florida. Gentry confessed to committing both robberies and led police to the location of some of the property that he had discarded after the robberies, Atmore Police investigators said. Gentry was booked into the Escambia County (Ala.) Detention Center.
Authorities tell NorthEscambia.com that the Atmore victim was able to positively identify from a lineup.
Escambia County Florida investigators are in the process of obtaining warrants on the suspect in connection with the Walnut Hill incident.
For the original story about the muggings, click here.
Giving It All Up: Molino Family Selling Everything They Own, Becoming International Missionaries
June 5, 2009
A Molino family worked to sell all of their belongings this weekend, giving up their worldly possessions to head to the mission field in a remote area of Guatemala.
Max and Julie Kent along with children Megan, 11, and Justin, 6, will begin their two year mission 1,000 miles away in a remote mountain village in a few short weeks. The couple says the Lord called them to the mission field, and they soon realized that everything they had would have to go.
From their furniture, to their house, to their car, to their household furnishings — it was all for sale this weekend. They hope that by the time they leave Molino, they will only have what they can pack in a few bags for the trip to Guatemala and family mementos stored with a relative.
“I was more selfish and money-oriented,” Max Kent said of his life in 2002, the year Julie took her first mission trip of Brazil with a group from the First Baptist Church of Cottage Hill. “I grew up in church, and I knew that I should have my kids in church. I knew that church was the right thing to do.
“God really worked on my heart. I nearly lost my wife and my job. He would become first and foremost in my life on April 25, 2005, when I was saved,” he said. After that, Max said he realized that his worldly “stuff” was worthless.
“He progressively changed my heart,” he said. “You can’t take money and stuff with you when you die. He did not put us here to have stuff. He put us hear to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people and share the story of salvation.”
Once all of their possessions are sold, the Kent family will head to Richmond, Virginia, on July 27 to begin training in an International Mission Board/Southern Baptist Convention program. From language to culture, they will immerse themselves in what life in Guatemala will be like.
Then on October 22, they board a plane for Guatemala and a small village near Coban. It’s small farming community, where many of the houses can be best described, Max said, as shacks like a homeless person in the states might live in.
Julie, who was a fourth grade teacher at Molino Park Elementary, will assist another missionary in Guatemala with teaching math. Max will assist with other mission work — spreading the word about Jesus in the remote mountains.
For six-year old Justin, the family’s upcoming adventure really does not seem that big. “It’s just a few inches away on the map,” dad said his son says. “He’s excited to just go anywhere. It’s a childlike faith.”
Megan, 11, understands fully what the family is about to undertake. Megan has been on two international mission trips to Honduras and Ecuador.
Megan, mom and dad said, is looking forward to the trip just as they are.
“I am looking forward to the unknown and to see what He’s got in store for us,” Max said.
“I am looking forward to our children,” Julie said, “and seeing how the Lord is going to use them.”
Pictured above: Julie and Max Kent with their carport loaded with their personal possessions that were for sale this weekend as they prepare for their new careers as missionaries in Guatemala. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Deputies Looking For Murder Suspect
June 5, 2009
Escambia County deputies are asking for you help in locating a murder suspect.
A warrant has been issued for Michael Joe Green II, 35, in connection with a May 10 shooting at the Red Roof Inn in Pensacola. The victim was shot in the head outside of the motel.
Escambia investigators say Green may be in the Ensley area.
Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Green is asked to call the Escambia Sheriff’s Office at 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at 433-STOP.
Barrineau Park Bridge May Be Closed Due To Crime Problems
June 5, 2009
The Barrineau Park Bridge between Alabama and Florida had turned into a major problem that has Alabama officials saying they might shut down their side of the bridge.
The problem includes lots of graffiti, drugs, alcohol and fights, mostly on the Alabama side of the remote rural bridge across the Perdido River from Escambia County, Florida, to Baldwin County, Alabama. Some of the fights, according to the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Department, are staged between rival groups of teens. Baldwin deputies have responded to at least two fights in the past week, one requiring medical attention by Escambia County EMS.
The Florida side of the bridge has small “No Parking” signs posted, and it is relatively quiet and unused. Much of the river access is currently blocked by logs removed from log jams in the river. The land is privately owned on the Florida side, and the property owner has standing orders with the sheriff’s department to arrest trespassers.
But the Alabama side of the bridge is a different world with easy access to the river. Plus, the land is public, making it open to anyone. This week, Alabama officials posted large “No Parking” signs, and they plan to post more “No Trespassing” signs to forbid river access.
When NorthEscambia.com visited the bridge late Thursday afternoon, the “No Parking” signs had no vehicles parked near them. Instead, two vehicles were parked on the bridge and a third was parked on the Alabama side of the roadway, a short distance down the dirt road away from the bridge and the no parking signs. Several teens were standing peacefully on the bridge, while a few more people were swimming and wading with their dogs.
Empty beer and alcohol bottles litter the Alabama side of the bridge, and graffiti covers the bridge. The Florida side of the bridge is almost litter-free.
It is the fights, underage drinking and drugs that have Baldwin authorities the most concerned. They say they will step up patrols on their side of the bridge. If that does not work, Alabama authorities are not ruling out shutting down Duck Place Road which runs about three miles from Alabama 112 to the bridge and the Florida line. The bridge is a half mile from Highway 99 and Jacks Branch Road in Florida.
Pictured top: New “No Parking” signs were posted this week on the Alabama side of the Barrineau Park Bridge over the Perdido River. Picture below: Graffiti covers the bridge. Pictured bottom: No parking signs are also posted on the Florida side of the bridge. Two vehicles were parked on the bridge Thursday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Chipping In: $10 Can Make A Difference
June 5, 2009
The United Way of Escambia County announced the results of its Chip in $10 Challenge Thursday, with 535 donors contributing a total of $12,438.
The $12,438 raised in the local campaign will be added to a $150,000 start-up grant provided by the J.H. Baroco Foundation that inspired the challenge for a total community investment of more than $162,000 to help Escambia County families impacted by the recession.
The first $150,000 (the Baroco gift) has been allocated by a team of United Way volunteers. Nonprofit programs that have received funding include:
- The Salvation Army
- Catholic Charities
- United Ministries
- Children’s Home Society
- FavorHouse of Northwest Florida
- United Way’s First Call For Help
- United Way’s Financial Stability Coalition
Several United Way volunteers will meet in the next week to determine how to allocate the funds raised during the Challenge portion. Donations can still be made online at www.ChipIn10.com, by phone at 444-7145 or by mail to 1301 W. Government St., Pensacola, FL 32502.
The organizations that receive grants from Chip in $10 are using the funds to help families regain stability after a sudden financial crisis such as a loss of employment, reduction in hours, or home foreclosure. In addition to providing financial help, the Chip in $10 grants are aimed at helping these families develop strategies to plan for their future. All recipients must first attend a six-hour financial literacy workshop designed to promote basic money management and understanding of basic financial principles.
In addition to helping individuals and families, the Chip in $10 program has provided the catalyst for a community database for health and human service agencies, driven by United Way’s First Call For Help. The goal of the database is to reduce duplication of services and streamline the data collection process to enhance the capacities of all agencies that work to provide health and human services for people in need.
To learn more about Chip in $10 and United Way, visit www.ChipIn10.com or www.UnitedWayEscambia.org, or call 444-7120.