Bicyclist Dies Days After Being Struck By Molino Driver
February 5, 2009
A unidentified bicyclist died Wednesday from injuries he suffered Monday night when he was hit by a pickup driven by a Molino resident.
The Florida Highway Patrol says the bicyclist was pronounced dead Wednesday at Baptist Hospital.
The accident happened at 7:24 Monday night on Highway 29 just north of Texar Drive in Pensacola. The FHP says a 1995 Chevrolet pickup driven by Tiffany L. Chance, 18, of Molino stuck a Hispanic male on a bicycle. The FHP has been unable to determine his identity.
Troopers say Chance was northbound on Highway 29 when the bicyclist pulled into her path. The front of Chance’s pickup struck the side of the bicycle, according to the FHP report.
The FHP is asking that anyone that might know the identity of the bicyclist call Trooper R. Streeter at 484-5000 ext. 346. The bicyclist was described as a Hispanic male, about 25 to 40 years old. He was riding a blue and silver “Next” brand bicycle with a metal basket on the handle bars. Troopers say the bicyclist was under the influence of alcohol.
Escambia Phony Cop Tries To Stop Another Woman
February 5, 2009
A phony cop has struck again in Escambia County, this time attempting to stop a woman on Palafox Street just north of Nine Mile Road.
The victim, a 29-year old female, told deputies that she was driving on Palafox Street north of Nine Mile Road when she met a white car, possibly a Crown Victoria, with a spotlight. The vehicle turned around and followed her, turning on a flashing light on the dash that was described as a having a purple tint.
The woman called 911 about 1 a.m.:
“There is someone being me with some lights on,” the woman told the 911 operator.
“I’m going down Palafox, but I’m not stopping if my tag is being runned in,” she said. “I’m not stopping.”
“OK, ma’am, what I need you to do is keep driving,” the dispatcher told the woman.
The car with the flash light turned off almost immediately after dispatchers alerted deputies in the area to the incident, possibly indicating that the police impersonator has a scanner in his car.
“You absolutely did the right thing. I wouldn’t pull over for anybody right now; not until we find this guy,” the dispatcher told the woman. She eventually drove to a well-lit gas station and stayed on the phone with the 911 operator until a deputy arrived.
This was the fourth reported incident since January 20 involving the phony cop, and each time he appears to be targeting women.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Department released a composite sketch of the suspect few days ago
He has been described as a white male in his 20’s or early 30’s. He is reportedly has dark bushy hair, a stocky build and is bout 6′2″ tall. He has a mole under his left eye.
The sketch was based upon information provided by a young female was sexually assaulted by the suspect on January 27 near I-110 and Brent Lane in Pensacola. The suspect was wearing some type of uniform with no name tag and a belt, according to reports, at the time of that assault. He was driving a white Ford Crown Victoria with a spotlight. He may have had the word “Sheriff” in green letters on the side of the car. Tuesday’s victim said he had a New England type accent.
On January 20, a young female was stopped a phony cop, possibly the same man, near Nine Mile Road and Beulah Road. She was not injured. A young University of West Florida student reported a man in a white sedan flashed blue lights at her on University Parkway on January 24.
If you have further information about this phony cop, call the Sheriff’s Office at 436-9630 or Crime Stoppers at 433-7867.
Hundreds To Lose Power In Planned Outage This Afternoon
February 5, 2009
A few hundred Escambia River Electric Cooperative customers will loose power this afternoon for up to two hours.
Power to about 200 customers will be cut from 2:00 until 4:00, according to Sabrina Owens, EREC spokesperson. Customers from the Oak Grove Substation on North Highway to Highway 97 to Arthur Brown Road to the Enon community will be without power. EREC on neighboring highways may be impacted by the outage depending on the direction from which their electric service originates.
The customers that are expected to have their power cut should have received an automated phone call from EREC Wednesday afternoon.
Owens said EREC crews will be working to replace an aging piece of equipment in the Oak Grove Substation. She said the piece of equipment is being replaced now to prevent an eventual outage that might be lengthier and impact a much larger number of customers.
The outage will not likely last the full two hours, Owens added.
Town To Resurface State Line Road; Eventually Industrial Blvd.
February 5, 2009
The Town of Century has awarded a $128,437.30 paving contract to Roads, Inc. of NWF for State Line Road.
State Line from Highway 29 to Shady Lane will be resurfaced under the contract, a distance of about a half mile.
Roads, Inc. was also the low bidder on repaving a section of Industrial Boulevard in the town’s industrial park. Roads, Inc.’s bid to repave first two-tenths of a mile of Industrial Boulevard off Highway 4 was $88,520. The town has not yet accepted that bid because they are hoping that a hurricane debris contractor will pick up the tab.
The road was reportedly damaged by the debris contractor hauling debris during Hurricane Ivan. The contractor had agreed, according to the mayor, to repair the road before leaving town. They did not.
Now they will be presented with the $88,520 bid and asked to pay up. If they don’t, the town plans to look at legal action, according to Mayor Freddie McCall, in order to recover the funds.
The State Line repaving project will be paid for out of of Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) funds.
Word Of The Morning: Brrr!
February 5, 2009
It was warmer this morning in Juneau, Alaska, than here in North Escambia, FLORIDA.
The morning low here in North Escambia bottomed out in the teens, while Juneau hit a low around 27.
And it’s going to be cold again tonight with a low around 18. Here’s our complete North Escambia forecast for the next several days:
- Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 52. Wind chill values between 15 and 25 early. North wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south.
- Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 18. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
- Friday: Sunny, with a high near 64. Wind chill values between 25 and 35 early. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south.
- Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 35. South wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 69. South wind between 5 and 10 mph.
And, just for the record, it might have been warmer in Juneau, Alaska, this morning, but our Florida weather was better. They were expecting up to eight inches of snow last night and today in Juneau.
Hard Freeze Warning: Low Tonight Of 18
February 4, 2009
A hard freeze warning has been issued for tonight as temperatures will fall below freezing just after sunset and continue to fall to the upper teens by morning.
Our official National Weather Service forecast for NorthEscambia says:
- Tonight: Clear, with a low around 18. North wind around 5 mph.
- Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 51. Wind chill values between 15 and 25 early. North wind around 5 mph becoming south.
- Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 21. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Friday: Sunny, with a high near 64. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.
- Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 38. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 69. Calm wind becoming south between 5 and 10 mph.
A hard freeze warning means temperatures will drop below freezing and remain below 26 degrees for five or more hours. Relief agencies should prepare for additional demand of those needing shelter from the cold. Consider extra insulation or dripping faucets for exposed pipes.
Check on the elderly… impoverished… and shut-ins to ensure they have heat and that no attempt is made to run a space heater or other fuel burning device without ventilation. Residents with gas heat ensure Carbon monoxide detectors are in working order.
These conditions will damage crops and other sensitive outdoor vegetation. Action should be taken to ensure shelter for pets. Ensure liquid cooled engines have proper coolant.
Alltel Blackberry Network Goes Down
February 4, 2009
Officials with Alltel say that portions of their Blackberry network in the Southeast were down again Wednesday.
Alltel experienced a Blackberry network outage over the weekend, and continued message delivery delay problems Monday and Tuesday. Blackberry users in the Southeast, including locally in North Escambia and South Alabama, begain to experience network problems about 9:30 Wednesday morning.
Many users had their Blackberry service restored about 3:30 Wednesday afternoon.
Most Blackberry users were unable to access the Internet, send or receive Blackberry or other non-SMS (txt message) email, or send or receive Blackberry phone-to-phone PIN messages.
SMS (texting) and voice calls continued to work as they do not depend on the Blackberry network.
Phones other than the Blackberrys did not experience issues, Alltel says.
Century Town Employee Gets In Fight, Leaves Inmate Alone; Punishment Debated
February 4, 2009
The Town of Century is debating what action should be taken after a town employee left a state prisoner unattended in parking lot, and after he got into a fight while on the time clock — a fight that got him arrested.
Escambia Sheriff’s Department reports say that Robert Allen Powell, 56, of Century got into a fight with Randall Keith Grimes, 47, of Century at the town’s Dollar General store.
Powell stopped at the Dollar General in a town truck along with a prisoner from the Century Correctional Institute that was on work detail for the town. Powell reported went into the store to purchase cold medication, leaving the prisoner unattended in the parking lot. Inside the store, Powell ended up in the altercation with Grimes.
Their stories differ on what happened. Powell told deputies that Grimes called him names and then punched him. Grimes said Powell called him a “retard” and a “bastard” before Powell punched him in the face. Powell told deputies the entire incident stemmed from Grimes’ involvement with his ex-wife.
The report says store surveillance video shows that Powell threw the first punch, according to the ECSO report. Powell was arrested on a battery warrant, and released on a $2,500 bond.
The big issue for some members of the Century Town Council was not the fight, but the fact that Powell left the prisoner unattended outside the store.
“The issue is not with the man defending his honor,” said council member Henry Hawkins. “It’s about leaving the prisoner unattended.”
“I investigated it to the best of my ability,” Century Mayor Freddie McCall said. McCall is supervisor of all town employees. McCall said the store’s surveillance video does not tell the whole story; the mayor said that Powell stated he threw the first punch after Grimes spit in his face.
Court records indicate that Powell filed for a restraining order against Grimes. A hearing in the matter is scheduled for today before Judge Kim Skievaski.
McCall said the prison system will continue to allow the town to use free inmate labor. Powell will not be able to supervise an inmate until after his court process is complete, but McCall said prison officials had stated that he would be able to supervise prisoners in the future.
McCall said the prison system would “overlook” the fact that Powell stopped to get the cold medicine, and that the prison warden did not consider it a big problem.
“He was on company time, in a company vehicle and in charge of an inmate,” said Council President Ann Brooks. She added that since Powell was representing the town and was a town employee he should be held responsible for his actions.
The town’s personnel manual does spell out that an employee can face punishment ranging from a written reprimand to three days suspension without pay for fighting, according to Town Clerk Dorothy Sims. It does not spell out any punishment for leaving a prisoner unsupervised.
Hawkins recommended that the town determine what punishment the prison system would inflict on a prison employee that might leave a prisoner unattended. He said the town should consider a punishment “up to” that level. His motion to take such action died without a second.
McCall said he would find out how the prison system would deal with an employee committing such an offense and report back to the council.
Powell will face Judge David Ackerman on February 19 on the misdemeanor battery charge.
Grimes has not been charged in connection with the incident.
Town Wants $300,000 From Prison For Water Overages
February 4, 2009
The Town of Century is looking to collect almost $300,000 from the Florida Department of Corrections for water bills the town says the state owes.
Under the town’s contract to provide water for the Century Correctional Institute, there is an added charge for water usage above 6 million gallons per month.
Mayor Freddie McCall says ongoing high water consumption by the prison has been somehow overlooked, and now the town wants the prison system to pay up a grand total of $298,751.54 in overusage charges dating back to January 2000.
The state did pay overusage charges totaling $18,362.38 for June, July, August and September of last year, McCall said. But they failed to pay the town’s bill for charges from January 2000 to May 2008.
“They’ve done admitted guilt because they sent me those checks,” McCall said of the four payments received from the state.
The town will turn the water overusage bill over to Matt Dannheisser, the town’s attorney, to being collection proceedings.
The Town of Century was successful in recovering over $300,000 for prison system natural gas usage. The town received a $302,488.40 check in late October to cover back gas billings for the Century Correctional Institute.
The dispute stemmed from billing practices that dated back to 2000. Under the town’s agreement with the DOC and Century Correctional Institute, the prison was to pay for natural gas at the rate of 120 percent of the town’s actual cost. The town’s billing system would generate a bill at the normal rate, then town employees would re-rate the bill and send a new bill about 10 days later at the 120 percent rate. That adjustment was originally done twice a year based upon the rate from nine months earlier.
But in 2000, there was spike in natural gas prices, Matt Dannheisser, the town’s attorney said, and the town went back to the DOC that agreed to pay 100 percent of the town’s cost on a monthly basis. But they did not agree to pay the 20 percent profit margin until a new agreement was reached.
Town Accountant Robert Hudson had reported to the council several months ago that the DOC owed about $569,000 in back payments. But that amount included $127,000 in interest that Dannheisser said the DOC was not willing to pay, and the DOC disputed some of the billing amounts.
The check received in October was deposited into the town’s gas fund, McCall said, with the town council to make the eventual decision what to do with the funds.
Man Busted For Stealing Assault Rifle, Other Items From Police Cars
February 4, 2009
A man arrested for stealing items that included an AR-15 assault rifle from from five police cars is not the phony cop that has stopped several area women in Escambia County.
John Kelvin White, 23, of Pensacola was arrested early Tuesday morning for breaking into five law enforcement vehicles parked at officer’s homes. White is suspect of stealing items from a marked Escambia County Sheriff’s Department cruiser, two marked Pensacola Police Department cars and two state Department of Transportation officer vehicles.
But sheriff’s department officials say White is not the same man that has impersonated a law enforcement officer in several traffic stops in Pensacola, including one where a woman was violently assaulted.
Deputies say that about 2:00 Monday morning, a Pensacola Police Car was burglarized in the driveway of the officer’s residence in the area of the Coral Creek subdivision. Stolen from the police car were an AR-15 assault rifle and several magazines of ammunition.
Early Wednesday morning, Escambia Deputy Mark Smith, being aware of the burglary the previous evening, was on patrol in the subdivision when he observed a red 1987 Ford pickup truck stopped partially in the roadway and partially in a driveway in the 2100 block of Coral Creek Drive.
Deputy Smith exited his patrol car and approached the Ford Pickup where he observed a white male rise up from behind the steering wheel as if trying to hide, according to Sheriff’s Department spokesman Ted Roy.
The suspect, later identified as White was observed wearing a jacket with the Department of Transportation patches and sewn on badge on it. Deputy Smith then observed an Escambia Sheriff’s Office Jacket, bullet proof vest and a bag of chemical protective gear lying in plain view in the passenger side of the vehicle.
As Deputy Smith made contact with the suspect and lone occupant, the suspect exited the pickup, took off the jacket and stated someone had just stolen his truck and he chased them to this point.
Suspect White was immediately detained and handcuffed. A pat down of the suspect revealed two sets of handcuffs and two wallets belonging to the victims in the suspect’s pockets.
White was then placed under arrest. Items recovered included police car keys, an AR-15 rifle with four fully loaded magazines, a flashlight, a digital camera with lens, identification cards from the officer’s vehicles, handcuffs, chemical protective gear and miscellaneous items including a police badge and jacket.
White was charged with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, burglary, possession of burglary tools, fraud-unlawful use/possession of a police badge and possession of marijuana. The suspect’s vehicle was also seized and transported to the Sheriff’s Office. It was also learned that the suspect had an outstanding warrant out of Texas for felony marijuana possession. The officers whose items were stolen were contacted and responded to the scene and recovered their items.
White’s bond was set at $22,000. He remained in the Escambia County Jail early Wednesday morning.