Strict Pursuit Policy In Effect In Escambia County
August 13, 2010
Following Wednesday night’s deadly crash in Brewton following a police pursuit, NorthEscambia.com is taking a look at the pursuit policy in place in North Escambia.
“We are very restrictive in our pursuit policy,” said Commander Eric Haines of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. “We probably have the strictest policy in the area.”
Haines said the department’s policy allows vehicle chases only for forcible felonies and DUI’s but only when the risk of not stopping the driver is greater than if they are not stopped.
“Let’s say your family is in that car that might be hit by the pursuit. Is it worth it for your wife to die because someone threw out a bag of crack?” is a question Haines said he presents to deputies as he explains the pursuit policy.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says about 360 people are killed each year in police chases. That’s an average of one every day.
“Police officers want to catch what they chase. The adrenaline gets pumping, and it’s hard to stop,” he said. That’s where supervisors come in, deciding in real time if any pursuit that might happen in Escambia County is allowed to continue.
When an officer does become involved in a pursuit in Escambia County, it is reviewed as seriously as if he discharged his weapon.
“That patrol car is a several thousand pound weapon flying down the street,” Haines said.
The officer’s immediate supervisor will review the pursuit, along with a patrol captain and perhaps other senior officers. If it is found that the pursuit was not justified, the deputy can receive a letter of reprimand or even be suspended from the force.
The policy also provides for limitations on forcible felonies when the danger to the public is too great. Officers are taught to carefully weigh their options before becoming involved in a chase. Many times, Haines said, officers know the identity of a driver and a warrant can be issued for their arrest at a later date, rather than becoming involved in a pursuit.
Pursuits can’t be based on “if’s”, he said, such as “what if” an unknown driver that runs a stop sight might actually be a wanted felon.
“Perhaps it is valid argument with ‘what if you could have caught them’ when someone goes on to commit a serious crime. But you are responsible for the knowledge you have at the time,” Haines said, not the various “what if” scenarios.
Simply failing to stop for a deputy is not a pursuit, according to Haines. In the event a driver fails to stop but does not pose a danger to the public, deputies are allowed to continue to attempt a traffic stop until the person takes a dangerous evasive action.
“If we had someone that failed to stop — say a drunk or someone having a medical problem — but they otherwise drove within the law, we would follow them as long as it takes.”
NorthEscambia.com graphics.
Local Woman’s Jewelry Featured On Vogue Magazine Cover
August 13, 2010
It really sounds like an unlikely combination. An Atmore woman, handmade jewelry, a Vogue magazine cover and rubber bicycle inner tubes. But add it all together, and you have a high fashion success story.
The August cover of Italian Vogue magazine features recycled rubber jewelry handcrafted in Atmore by Kathleen Nowak Tucci. Tucci has been creating art for 25 years and has recently begun working with recycled bicycle inner tubes. Kathleen has shown her work in private, corporate, and university collections nationally and internationally. Her latest interest in recycled rubber has landed her in some of the most exclusive boutiques across the country.
Tucci, whose recent artistic accomplishments includes a successful line of one-of-a-kind lamps, said she was intrigued with rubber. She tried creating art from industrial gaskets, but that “was a total flop”, she said. But then her artist’s eye took a long look at the seemingly unlikely rubber bicycle inner tube.
“It was an interesting material to play with,” Tucci said. “As a material, I was totally drawn to it.”
“Art deco style, swirls and curves…I’ve always love them,” she said of her jewelry’s design.
And thanks to the marketing eye of her sister, Margaret Nowak Dobos, the high fashion world was drawn to her creations. Dobos lives in Orange County California and serves as the marketing representative, distributor, photographer and stylist for Kathleen’s accessories.
“It’s unbelievable to be sold in Beverly Hills,” she said.
It’s only been six months since inner tubes were first recycled by Tucci from trash to fashion treasure on the website mysistersart.com. Italian Vogue found the website and contacted the sisters in June to say they were looking for rubbery jewelry for a photography shoot. They shipped Tucci’s jewelry to New York City. They knew it was used in the magazine photoshoot, but they also knew the odds were very slim that the jewelry photos were ever make the printed magazine.
“It was an honor just to know that Steven Meisel took the photos,” Tucci said. “He’s one of the world’s best known photographers.” Meisel, without a doubt, has an eye for fashion — he’s credited with discovering or promoting the careers of models like Linda Evangelista, Naomi Cambell and Christy Turlington, as well as taking rather famous photos of his friend Madonna.
Then Tucci visited the Italian Vogue website to see the preview of the August magazine. There, on the cover, she found her jewelry.
“It was amazing,” she said.
Tucci and her sister Annie Nowak, owner of Annie’s Community Cup, looked at cover image appear on the Vogue website over and over.
“I never aspired to this,” Tucci said. “It is beyond my wildest dreams.”
Pictured top: Kathleen Nowak Tucci at work on her bicycle inner tube jewelry, courtesy Ben Twingley. Pictured top inset: The August cover of Italian Vogue magazine, courtesy Vogue. Pictured middle and bottom inset, bottom of page: Tucci’s jewelry, as photographed by her sister Margaret Nowak Dobos.
School Board To Hold Meeting At Northview
August 13, 2010
Mark your calendars — the Escambia County School Board is hitting the road for a North Escambia town hall meeting.
The school board will hold the town hall meeting at the Northview High School theater on August 26 at 5:30 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to provide a presentation and engage in discussion about class size reduction requirements.
An agenda will be available at a later date and will be made available on the school district’s website and here on NorthEscambia.com.
Sales Tax Holiday Underway
August 13, 2010
Florida shoppers won’t pay sales tax on many items from Friday through the weekend thanks to a Legislature hoping to spur the economy, give weary consumers a break and maybe land a few votes.
The three-day event is expected to save taxpayers $26 million by exempting qualified items from the state’s 6 percent sales tax on a host of items from pencil and paper to backpacks and shoes, although history suggests many of them will end up spending more on taxes on other items than they otherwise would have.
For complete details on exempt items in Florida, click here (pdf).
The holiday will translate into a loss of $21.2 million in state sales tax revenue and $4.8 million for local governments, according to House estimates released earlier this year.
The sometimes annual event, versions of which are now in place in 19 states, remains popular despite criticism by some tax watch groups that say the events are more politically savvy than economically sound.
But Gov. Charlie Crist on said even a little bit of extra shopping may help the retail sector, as well as strapped parents with kids going back to school.
“I am pleased that students and families will have the opportunity to save their hard-earned money as the new school year approaches,” Crist said in a statement following an appearance at the Dadeland Mall in Miami to tout the holiday. “It is always a priority to ensure our children have the resources they need to be successful and competitive in the classroom.”
Cash strapped lawmakers earlier this year approved the sales tax holiday, a three-day event beginning at 12:01 a.m. Friday. Consumers will not pay sales tax on books, clothing and footwear that cost $50 or less and school supplies that cost $10 or less.
The Legislature first enacted a back-to-school sales tax holiday in 1998 and has since had eight such periods ranging from a week to 10 days. Cash strapped lawmakers didn’t set aside money for the holiday for the past two years during the economic downturn that caused a budget crisis at the Capitol. During more flush times, the state has also offered sales tax breaks on hurricane supplies, which lawmakers didn’t give out this year.
Mark Robyn, an economist with the Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit research group that advocates for transparency and broad based rates for state and federal taxes, says the holidays merely shift the time in which consumers choose to purchase back-to-school items and therefore don’t result in either increased revenue for businesses or significant savings for consumers.
“There are better ways to use tax incentives,” Robyn said. “(The holidays) are more a political gimmick.”
Small businesses can actually be hurt by the holiday as it can slow sales before and after the event, a shift that effects cash flow, Robyn said. Small retailers are also less able to have enough staff needed to handle the increased demand.
Retailers say such opposition is ill-founded because the sales tax holiday translates into increased revenue not only for retailers who offer back-to-school items but to other merchants who sell taxable items as well during the period.
Rick McAllister, president of the Florida Retail Federation, said tax analysts who say the holiday has little or no impact on sales should talk to the retailers who annually lobby lawmakers to offer it.
“The people who know are the retailers, McAllister said. “If it didn’t make a difference why would they want to do it? It’s more work for them. If it didn’t translate into higher sales they wouldn’t want to go to the trouble.”
Retailers in the past have said that because of increased sales of other items, the sales tax “holiday” actually ends up increasing the amount of tax revenue coming into state coffers during the period.
Lawmakers Have Ideas Ready For Potential Special Session
August 13, 2010
There’s no timetable for when lawmakers may return to Tallahassee and take up remaining issues related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill – if they do return at all – but several proposals are being drafted by lawmakers that could lead to property tax rebates, additional money for tourism development boards and heightened powers for the statewide prosecutor.
Lawmakers stopped by Tallahassee last month for one day to shoot down Gov. Charlie Crist’s proposal to allow voters to make the ultimate decision on whether the state should ban offshore oil drilling. But they also failed to address any economic issues related to the oil spill.
Senate leaders bemoaned the fact that the House wouldn’t stay and work on other legislation related to the effects of the spill, which a committee of senators had already started examining. House Speaker Larry Cretul instead appointed his own committees to tackle issues associated with the spill and told Senate President Jeff Atwater that if necessary, lawmakers could return to the Capitol in September to take up ideas brought by both House and Senate members.
Sen. Don Gaetz said members of the Senate are trying to prioritize the issues into three categories – ones that need to be handled immediately, those that could be handled in the organizational session that will be held in November and ones that can wait until the regular legislative session in the spring.
“We’re trying to rack and stack the issues,” said Gaetz, R-Niceville, who chairs the Senate Select Committee on the Economy.
The House committees, meanwhile, have begun to meet by conference call.
The big question remains when and if a special session will ultimately be called, bringing legislators back to Tallahassee before the November election. Cretul has said he wants lawmakers to first figure out whether there even needs to be a special session through committee meetings, and if so, what needs to be done. A spokeswoman for Cretul reiterated that position to the News Service Thursday.
Senate President-Designate Mike Haridopolos told reporters last week that there would be a session if “we have a conclusion” on what to do, and Gaetz acknowledged that the Senate had to “have a dance partner” in the House to pass legislation.
“The worst thing is going into a special session and not knowing how you’re going to end it,” he said.
Gaetz said that the select committee’s ideas are in legislative drafting now and he is hopeful the House will soon produce its own proposals as well. The Senate proposals so far include:
-A multistate compact among the other Gulf of Mexico states that lays out needed regional environmental protections
-Legislation strengthening the role of the statewide prosecutor, particularly when it comes to environmental crimes.
-Property tax relief that could include property tax rebates similar to payments made in 2007 to Central Florida residents whose homes were destroyed or heavily damaged by tornadoes.
-A law that would authorize a matching program from funds in the Restaurant and Lodging Trust Fund so that Panhandle tourism boards could promote the area, particularly during the winter months when there are fewer visitors.
-Economic incentives to companies, unrelated to tourism or the military, who want to move to the region.
Tropical Rains
August 13, 2010
Lots of tropical moisture from the remnants of Tropical Depression 5 will being scattered showers and thunderstorms all weekend.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Friday: Showers and thunderstorms. High near 92. Calm wind becoming south between 10 and 15 mph. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
- Friday Night: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 77. South wind between 5 and 10 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
- Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 93. Heat index values as high as 106. Calm wind becoming southwest between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Saturday Night: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 76. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
- Sunday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 93. West wind around 5 mph.
- Sunday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 77. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Monday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 93. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 76. North wind around 5 mph.
- Tuesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 91.
- Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 76.
- Wednesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 89.
- Wednesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74.
- Thursday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 88.
Seven People Injured When Mental Health Van Overturns On Dirt Road
August 12, 2010
Seven people were injured when a van overturned near Flomaton Thursday afternoon.
The accident happened about 2:20 p.m. on Friendship Road north of Highway 31. The driver of the Southwest Alabama Metal Health & Metal Retardation Board van apparently lost control on the narrow, muddy dirt road. The van slid and overturned onto its side.
Preliminary reports indicated that there were 10 people on the van. Seven were transported to area hospitals by ambulance; two of those were considered to be in more serious conditions by emergency workers on scene. An unknown number of patients were trapped in the van and were extricated by emergency workers.
Pictured above: Firefighters work to extricate one of seven people injured in a van crash Thursday afternoon near Flomaton. Pictured below: Emergency workers treat one of the serious injuries. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Manhunt Turns Up Empty After Home Invasion, Attempted Rape
August 12, 2010
A home invasion and attempted rape near Canoe, Ala., led to a manhunt Thursday afternoon.
The female victim told deputies that the male suspect entered her home on Tumbling Lane, north of Highway 31 between Canoe and Atmore, about noon. The male fled the residence on foot.
Multiple agencies from Alabama and Florida searched for the suspect for about two hours but were not immediately able to locate him. According to Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Mike Lambeth, the suspect is believed to have fled the scene in a vehicle.
The victim described the suspect as wearing a black mask, black shorts, a black shirt, white socks and tennis shoes. She believed the suspect was a white male.
The Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff’s Office, the Escambia County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office, Poarch Creek Tribal Police Department and the Atmore Police Department formed a perimeter around the area. Tracking dogs from both the Alabama Department of Corrections and Century Correctional Institution were brought into to search for the suspect, but they were unable to locate the man’s trail. A surveillance plane was also used in the search for the suspect.
The victim was transported by ambulance to Atmore Community Hospital for evaluation.
More details will be posted as they become available here on NorthEscambia.com. Tumbling Lane is located about two miles north the Alabama-Florida line.
Pictured top: A Century Correctional Institution K-9 officer attempts to locate the trail of an attempted rape and home invasion suspect Thursday afternoon in Canoe, Ala. Pictured inset: A Century Correctional Institution and an Alabama Department of Corrections K-9 officer discuss the search. Pictured below: Authorities investigate a home invasion and attempted rape Thursday afternoon in Escambia County, Ala. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Brewton Police: Chase That Claimed Principal’s Life Was Justified
August 12, 2010
Brewton’s police chief said his officer was acting within his department’s chase policy Wednesday night when a high speed chase ended with the death of a suspect and the principal of T.R. Miller High School.
Brewton Police Chief Monte McGougin defended the officer’s actions during the chase, saying that his officer, who was not named during a press conference Thursday, had slowed and backed off the chase prior to its tragic end — the death of Donald Rotch, T.R. Miller principal (pictured left)
McGougin said a red Pontiac Grand Am driven by Samuel Martin Reid, 39, pulled into the parking lot of the Brewton Police Department on Highway 31 at 8:02 p.m. Officers reported that the driver appeared to be in a physical altercation with a woman in the car.
“The door of the vehicle would repeatedly open and close, open and close,” the police chief said officers observed in the department’s parking lot. As the Brewton officer approached the car, it sped away, headed north on Highway 31.
“The officer gave chase,” McGougin said. About that time, a woman was “tossed” from the car, he said. The woman was not injured. Shortly after the chase began, the officer “put a great distance” between his car and the suspect vehicle by 8:04 p.m.
“When he topped a hill, ” McGougin said, “he saw a large explosion two hills ahead of him” as the crash happened. He said the entire incident from the time the car left the police station until the crash took about two minutes.
Reid was trying to pass a white car occupied by a Florida family when the crash happened. The family was not injured, but debris heavily damaged their sedan.
“This has been very hard on the officer involved,” McGougin said. He said the officer, who has been place on adminstrative leave, was a T.R. Miller student and played baseball with Rotch at his coach. “He is taking this extremely hard.”
“This is a situation that could have been completely prevented,” Mia Reid, sister of the deceased, said. ”
The accident is under investigation by the Alabama State Trooper’s Vehicular Homicide Unit.
Read a previous story about the chase and crash here.
Photos top: The vehicle driven by T.R. Miller Principal Donald Rotch. Pictured below: The vehicle drive by Samuel Martin Reid. Photos courtesy WEAR TV for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Man Found Dead By Highway 29 In McDavid Identified
August 12, 2010
Investigators have identified the man whose body was found next to Highway 29 Tuesday morning in McDavid.
The body of Donald Freeman, 49, of Pensacola was found lying face down in high grass a few feet off the side of Highway 29 just north of the West Fraser McDavid sawmill about 9:20 Tuesday morning.
“We have ruled any blunt force trauma, and there are no signs of foul play,” said Sgt. Ted Roy, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Roy also said there were no obvious signs of trauma that would indicate Freeman was struck by a passing vehicle.
However, Roy said the cause of Freeman’s death is still unknown. He said the department is still waiting for toxicology and additional test results.
Freeman was believed to be walking toward Century were he had relatives, Roy said.
For a photo gallery from the scene, click here.
For an earlier story and video, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.