Marjorie Oliver Overstreet
January 28, 2011
Mrs. Marjorie Oliver Overstreet, age 78, passed away Thursday, January 27, 2011 in a local heathcare facility.
Mrs. Overstreet was born in Houlka, MS and had been a resident of Flomaton since 1959, coming from Camden, AL. She worked as a Nurse’s Aide in Dr. Thomas J. Stuart’s Office for a number of years, and was of the Baptist faith. Mrs. Overstreet was preceded in death by her husband, Mr. W.E. Overstreet; a daughter, Jane Oliver Merchant; a great-granddaughter, Abigail Fore; a sister, Gertrude James; and a brother, Conway Lowrey.
She is survived by two sons, Roger (Donna) Oliver of Grand Bay, AL and William Trent Oliver of Grand Bay, AL; one daughter, Cheryl (Darryl) Fore of Flomaton, AL; one sister, Jean (Alton) Ricks of Wesson, MS; eleven grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, January 29, 2011 at 1 p.m. from the chapel of Flomaton Funeral Home with Rev. Doug Hogg officiating. Interment will follow in Mason Cemetery in Dixie, Alabama.
Visitation will be held at Flomaton Funeral Home on Friday from 5:30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.
Perfect Saturday: Sunny And Warm
January 28, 2011
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 40. West wind around 5 mph.
- Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 69. Calm wind becoming southwest between 5 and 10 mph.
- Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Sunday: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.
- Sunday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 70. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.
- Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
- Tuesday: A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68. Southeast wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Tuesday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Cloudy, with a low around 58. South wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 65.
- Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 36.
- Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 51.
- Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 31.
- Friday: Sunny, with a high near 53.
Deputies: “This Case Was For The Birds”
January 27, 2011
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has solved a case that they say was for the birds.
An Amazon Nape parrot (pictured) is back at home behind the bars of its cage, while two other men landed behind the bars of the Escambia County Jail.
Tuesday, investigators with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office contacted Escambia County Sheriff’s Office investigators about the burglary of Petland in Mary Ester. They believed the suspect in the burglary, which occurred on January 22, was in Escambia County and trying to sell the $1500 bird for $200.
Escambia Sheriff’s investigators set up a “sting operation” to arrange a meeting with the suspect. The suspect was contacted by phone and, thinking he was speaking with a prospective buyer, agreed to meet at Nine Mile Road and Music Lane.
At around 3:15 pm that afternoon, investigators met with the suspect, who arrived in a taxi, and bought the bird for $200.
Once the transaction was made investigators placed the suspect, identified as Michael Alan Lemonds, 43, of Pensacola, under arrest for dealing in stolen property.
During the course of this investigation it was discovered that the taxi driver, identified as Rodney Curtis Goldsmith, 37, of Pensacola, was an accomplice of Lemonds. Investigators also found cocaine in Goldsmith’s possession.
Goldsmith was arrested for dealing in stolen property, possession of cocaine and his vehicle was seized because it was used in the commission of a felony.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office intends to seek arrest warrants for burglary and grand theft on both Lemonds and Goldsmith.
Pictured: An Amazon Nape parrot that was recovered by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Updated: ‘Bath Salt’ Drugs Banned In Florida; Escambia Deputies Seize $13,000 Worth
January 27, 2011
(Updated 1:30 p.m.) The Florida Attorney General declared “bath salts” illegal Wednesday, and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit spread across the county to begin seizing the chemical that is now as illegal as cocaine and heroin.
By Thursday afternoon, deputies had seized about 164 bags — $13,000 worth — of the substance from specialty smoke shops, convenience stores and other retail outlets in Escambia County.
Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a 90-day emergency ban on the substance that several Panhandle sheriffs said was being used a drug.
“One of the side effects of this drug is it makes you think you see monsters,” Bondi told reporters. “It makes you think you can fly.”
Bondi said the drug is commonly marketed with names like Vanilla Sky, Ivory Wave, Ocean Burst and Bolivian Bath. With lawmakers not set to begin the 2011 legislative session until March 8, Bondi said she had to act swiftly to stop those sales.
They have Spring Break coming up in the Panhandle,” she said. “There are a lot of balconies out there.”
Right after the order, Escambia deputies went to work to size the now-illegal substances.
“We are required to enforce this emergency order, but we aren’t interested in arresting those that cooperate during this initial seizure”, said Escambia Sheriff’s spokesperson Deputy Chris Welborn. “Those that do not cooperate could face felony charges for possession.”
After the initial seizure, narcotics deputies will be checking the stores in the coming days. Anyone found in violation of the law could be arrested, Welborn said. He said people using the bath salts as a narcotic have been treated for paranoia, hallucinations, delusions, agitation, hypertension, chest pain and headaches. Some users reported suicidal thoughts.
Bondi, in her first month as attorney general, said she was only recently made aware of the drug. She said she received a letter from Bay County Sheriff Frank McKeithen saying the situation was getting hard to control.
“Our experience in Bay County has been to the point of almost lethal,” McKeithen said Wednesday in Tallahassee. “We’ve had several incidents where officers are in contact with individuals who’ve ingested this substance. It’s creating superhuman strength that takes seven to eight officers to deal with these individuals that’s actually under the influence of it.”
McKeithen said that without Bondi’s emergency ban, there may have been too many cases of MPDV abuse to handle on the Northwest Florida beaches in the coming months.
“Our problem was it could be the perfect storm,” he said. “That was our biggest concern with our over 2,000 kids coming to Panama City (and) Bay County during spring break, being able to walk into these so-called head shop businesses and purchase this substance. We had to do something. We asked for help.”
“I frankly had a nightmare last night that somebody was going to overdose and we hadn’t done anything,” Bondi said.
Under the new ban, which Bondi said takes effect immediately, possession or distribution of the MPDV bath salts will be a schedule 1 felony, punishable by one to three years in prison.
“To put it in perspective, that’s right up there with cocaine and heroin,” Bondi said.
The News Service Florida contributed to this report.
New Escambia Fire Chief Named
January 27, 2011
Daniel R. Spillman was named the new Escambia Fire Rescue Chief Thursday morning by County Administrator Randy Oliver.
“The selection panel was most impressed with qualities they felt would make Spillman successful in leading our fire services, which is comprised of both volunteer and career fire fighters. These qualities are based on his past endeavors that successfully built consensus and trust between career and volunteer fire fighters,” Public Safety Bureau Chief Mike Weaver said about the appointment.
Spillman was selected after a review of 20 candidates that applied for and met the minimum qualifications. He will be on the job within the next six weeks with a starting salary of $81,000.
Spillman was chief of the Seminole Tribe Fire Rescue in Hollywood, Florida for the last year. From 1983 to 2005, he worked as the Deputy Chief of the Tallahassee Fire Department where he retired. During his tenure, the City of Tallahassee combined forces with the county fire departments which were primarily volunteer. With a bachelors degree from Florida International University in Fire Science and Safety, Spillman has 36 years experience in the fire service and emergency medical service fields.
Walnut Hill Man Facing Federal Weapons Charge
January 27, 2011
A Walnut Hill man is behind bars facing a federal weapons charge.
A federal grand jury indicted Floyd Scott Mooney, 39, for unlawful transport of firearms. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail Wednesday afternoon by U.S. Marshals where he was being held without bond pending a detention hearing Thursday.
According to the indictment issued January 19 by the federal grand jury, Mooney was in possession of a half dozen rifles and ammunition in violation of federal law due to his status as a convicted felon that was sentenced to more than one year in prison.
During a two minute arraignment hearing Wednesday, Mooney entered a plea of not guilty before U.S. Judge Miles Davis in Pensacola U.S. District Court.
In March 1999, Mooney was convicted on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking offense and was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison, according to federal court records.
Mooney’s trial has been scheduled for early March.
Woman, 88, Victim Of Hit And Run Attack
January 27, 2011
Deputies are asking for the public’s help after an 88-year old woman was the victim of an apparently coordinated attack.
Annie Cumbie’s vehicle was hit by the driver of a Nissan Maxima in the 4000 block of Fairfield Drive Tuesday afternoon. When she got out of her vehicle, the driver of the of the gray Nissan fled the scene.
It was then that she was approached by an unknown male who offered her assistance.
Cumbie said that the male walked over from the nearby Mayfair Grocery and todl her that he could help. But instead, he pushed her into her car, grabbed her purse and fled on foot. He then handed the purse to the driver of the Nissan Maxima.
Cumbie was treated for minor injuries by an Escambia County EMS crew but was not transported to a hospital.
The suspects in this case face robbery and battery charges.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Shots Fired: Century Debates Community Center Security
January 27, 2011
The Town of Century is once again looking at its rental policies for the town’s community center after the mayor says shots were fired at an event.
“It was reported to me that there was a shooting that took place inside the building,” Mayor Freddie McCall said, adding that he could not find any bullet holes. “But there was evidence there that someone stuffed somebody’s head through one of our windows. The window was knocked out, and there was blood and hair.”
Century’s community center is often rented for community and family events like birthday parties, wedding receptions and baby showers. But sometimes even those events are not problem free, McCall said, citing an incident last summer in which the Ag Building on West Highway 4 was rented for a baby shower. After that event, McCall said he found two 55-gallon trash drums full of “whiskey bottles”.
“We are walking on thin ice,” he said. “We are to the point that we need to insist that we have some kind of security there (at events).”
The mayor said security needs to be in place at community center events to insure that the town’s drug-free and alcohol-free building policies are followed.
“We are going to be sued sooner or later.”
Off-duty Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies won’t work security at any type of party, but they will work other event types at $25 per hour per deputy,” McCall said.
The problem, according to the mayor, will be determining what type of functions will be required to have on-site security and what functions will be exempt. And, another problem, he said, will be trusting that events like family gatherings will be what the organizers claim.
“It’s not fair to everybody else that uses the building appropriately like they should with respect to the community and the neighbors,” Council Member Nadine McCaw said, “because it hurts everybody.”
The Century Town Council will consider a possible community center security policy at a future meeting, perhaps as early as their next regular meeting on February 7.
Pictured: A sign on the entrance of the Century Ag Building clearly states that no alcohol or drugs are allowed on the premises. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Northview Honors Winning Football Team, Cheerleaders
January 27, 2011
The Northview Chiefs honored their football players and cheerleaders and their annual banquet.
The Chiefs finished their season with the Regional 1-A Championship. The 2010 Chiefs were the only team in the history of Northview High School to bring home a Regional title and the first to make a playoff game east of Tallahassee.
“I can’t put into words how proud I am of this group,” Northview Head Coach Sid Wheatley said of the Regional win.
Northview Head Cheerleading Coach Anna Barry and JV Coach Megan Carroll said they are also proud of their squads.
The following players and cheerleaders received awards:
FOOTBALL
- Academic Award: Dustin Yuhasz
- Rookie Award: La’ Derious Franklin, Blake McCall
- Iron Chief Award: Austin Arrington
- Chief Award: Alex Payne
- Special Teams Award: Montaio Mitchell, Taylor Martin, Lance Bushaw
- Big Hitter Award: Sim Brown
- Head Hunter Award: Taylor Martin
- Mr. Big Play Award: Dustin Yuhasz
- Most Improved Lineman: Nathan Therrell
- Most Improved Back: La’Mikal Kyles
- Outstanding Defensive Lineman: Lonnie Gardner, Sean Knight
- Outstanding Offensive Lineman: Tyler Brooks
- Most Valuable Defensive Player: Roderick Woods, Brandon Sheets
- Senior Awards: LaDarion White, Taylor Martin, Kaleb Purvis, Lance Bushaw, Levi Gideons, Lonnie Gardner, Austin Arrington, Tyler Brooks, Dustin Yuhasz, Jeremiah Cooler, Michael Moore, Jake Clayton
JV CHEERLEADING
- Most Improved: Chloe Leonard
- Spirit Award: Lauryn Walker
VARSITY CHEERLEADING
- Most Improved: Jessica Warner
- Spirit Award: Laneicia Gomez
- Best All Around: Charleigh McPherson
- Squad Strength: Lauren McCall
Pictured: Northview High School honors their football players and cheerleaders. Submitted photos by Vicki Baggett for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Teacher, Students Arrested On Drug Charges
January 27, 2011
A teacher at the Escambia (Ala.) Alternative School in Flomaton was arrested Wednesday on drug charges, as were two students in Atmore.
Jill A. Coulter, 54, of Cantonment, was charged with drug possession and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia after a K-9 search led to the discovery of marijuana in her vehicle in the school parking lot, according to the Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff’s Office. Deputies also located rolling papers.
Also Wednesday, drug searches led to the arrest of two students at Escambia County High School in Atmore. An 18-year old student, Tikeria Wiggins, was charged with with unlawful possession of a controlled substance (hydrocodone) and unlawful possession of marijuana. A juvenile student was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana.
Pictured: Jill A. Coulter.