Traffic Stop Uncovers Arsenal Of Weapons And Cash; Men Headed To An Escambia Middle School
April 26, 2012
A traffic stop at the Alabama/Florida line Wednesday afternoon turned up an arsenal of a weapons and thousands of dollars in cash with two men that said they were simply tutors headed to a Pensacola middle school.
An officer with the Flomaton Police Department conducted a routine traffic stop about 5 p.m. after observing the driver of a 2012 Chevrolet Suburban make an improper lane change on Highway 29. He stopped the vehicle just over the bridge between Flomaton and Century, still inside Alabama but only a few yards from Florida.
For more photos from the traffic stop, click here.
Update: The vehicle in this story was stopped again Thursday morning on New Warrington Road in Pensacola. Click here for the update.
After finding several guns in the vehicle, the Flomaton officer immediately called for backup from the Escambia County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office.
A search of the vehicle by the Flomaton Police Department uncovered multiple handguns, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, multiple ammunition clips, tasers, handcuffs, brass knuckles and “suspicious” solid black clothing and hoodies. Officers also located a paper bag containing $8,400 in $100 bills inside the vehicle.
The vehicle was also searched for drugs by an Escambia County (Fla.) K-9, but no illegal drugs were located.
The driver and passenger, both adult males, said they were on their way from the Birmingham area to tutor students Thursday at Warrington Middle School. One of the men was dressed in a t-shirt with a tutoring company’s logo on the front and the words “Free Tutoring” on the back. They produced business cards and other items from a tutoring company in New Jersey.
The men said they had the arsenal of weapons for their own protection because they sometimes tutor students in “bad areas”.
Officers spent about two hours searching the vehicle, questioning the men as they stood handcuffed by a police car and running various computer records checks on the vehicle, the firearms and the men. All of the weapons were legally possessed, according to officers.
Both men were released without any criminal charges or traffic citations. Their names were not released since they were not charged with any crime.
Officers said all school resource officers in the Escambia County, Florida, area would be alerted to the situation prior to the start of school on Thursday as a precaution.
Escambia Superintendent Malcolm Thomas said security would be stepped up today. For his reaction and more about the tutoring company, click here.
For more photos from the traffic stop, click here.
Pictured top: Guns, ammunition and $8,400 in cash discovered during a traffic stop Wednesday afternoon on the Alabama/Florida state line. Pictured bottom inset: Officers from Alabama and Florida took part in a two-hour investigation. Pictured below: The driver and passenger were questioned. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Editor’s note: The identity of the driver and passenger has been obscured in these photographs because they released without being charged with any crime.
Hundreds Spend Wednesday Night In The Dark After Accident
April 26, 2012
About 200 Escambia River Electric Cooperative customers near Walnut Hill were without power over three hours Wednesday night after an 18-wheeler pulled down a power pole and lines.
The accident happened about 6:30 p.m. on South Highway 99 at Tungoil Road when an auger on a piece of farm equipment being hauled by a truck was left extended too high and pulled down a service line and broke a pole. The downed lines then sparked a small brush fire.
According to EREC, crews worked from about 6:30 until 10 p.m. to rebuild the lines and restore power.
There were no injuries. The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded.
Pictured: A collision with farm equipment being hauled by an 18-wheeler downed power lines in Walnut Hill Wednesday evening, leaving about 200 customers without power. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Three Northview Players Sign Football Scholarships
April 26, 2012
Three Northview High School Chiefs signed football scholarships Wednesday during a ceremony at the school.
Sean Knight signed with Tyler Junior College in Tyler, TX; while Austin Albritton signed with Birmingham Southern. Brian Ross signed with Furman University in Greenville, SC.
Sean Knight recorded 122 tackles at Northview, with 33.5 tackles for a loss and six sacks. He was named first team all-state by the Associated Press and named to several all-star teams. Knight chose Tyler Junior College over offers from Southern Mississippi, Western Michagan, FIU, Bowling Green, Miami (Ohio) and others.
Brian Ross had 54 total tackles in just one year as a Northview Chief, including 15.5 tackles for a loss and 7.5 sacks. He was named second team all-state by the Associated Press and to a local all-star team. Ross also received offers from Mercer, Carson Newman, Millsaps and Birmingham Southern.
Austin Albritton had total 27 tackles for Northview, including four tackles for a loss and two interceptions. He also had 11 receptions for 262 yards and five touchdowns for the Chiefs. He was named second team all-state by the Associated Press and to a local all-star team. He also received offers from Millsaps and Louisiana College.
Pictured top: Northview Chiefs Sean Knight, Brian Ross and Austin Albritton signed college football scholarships Wednesday afternoon during a ceremony at the school. Pictured below: The three scholarship recipients with their families and NHS Coach Sid Wheatley. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Police Warn Of Lottery Scams
April 26, 2012
Authorities are warning the public to be aware of fraudulent lottery and fraudulent lottery and inheritance claims after complaints were received by the Pensacola Police Department.
“As with other scams, people are being mailed a check and a letter promising them more money if they cash the check and send money to a specific address,” said Pensacola Police Chief Chip W. Simmons.
Simmons said legitimate letters from companies, attorneys or other sources will not ask people to provide money before they receive winnings and/or inheritances. Scams such as this occur throughout the year, and people need to be wary of requests for money they receive in the mail, over the internet or by telephone, he said.
“This is especially true for people who haven’t entered a particular contest or lottery,” Simmons added.
If someone receives that they believe to be a fraudulent letter, they are asked to contact their local law enforcement agency.
Chiefs Honor Track Stars
April 26, 2012
The Northview High School girls track team held their annual banquet this week and recognized several outstanding team members.
Receiving awards were:
- Senior awards- Charleigh McPherson,Cheyanne Garnett
- Hurdles-Tierra Floyd, junior
- Jumping Events- Tierra Floyd, junior
- Long Distance – Jazzlyn Franklin, junior
- Sprint -Angeligue Brown, freshman
- Middle Distance -Zacarra Davis, sophomore
- Throwing Events- Elayzha Bates, freshman
- “Do It For the Team” Award – Alisha Grice, junior
- Most Improved Award – Annie Bobo, freshman
- Coaches’ Award – Ashley Joiner, junior
Tierra Floyd was also recognized for representing Northview in the Regional Track Meet at Jacksonville and placed 10th in the 100 hurdles with a personal record of 16.9.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Enterprise Florida Faulted For Secrecy
April 26, 2012
A new government watchdog group says taxpayers should be getting more information about how their money is spent by Enterprise Florida, the state’s public-private economic development arm, which spends millions of dollars to create jobs.
Integrity Florida on Wednesday released a report charging that tax breaks and incentive grants went to corporations that paid to be on the public-private partnership’s board of directors – and that not enough jobs were being created.
Integrity Florida executive director Dan Krassner said corporate seats on Enterprise Florida’s board are available for $50,000 and alleged board members get tax incentives and vendor contracts from the public-private partnership.
He also said Enterprise Florida doesn’t give adequate notice of its meetings and uses code-names such as “Project Bacon,” “Project Snake Eyes” and “Project Mae West” to maintain its secrecy.
“We don’t want to hurt the deals. We don’t want to hurt the jobs – we need the jobs,” said Krassner. “But it’s important the public knows, if our government is committing our tax dollars and going under contract, even if it’s with Project Bacon, we don’t have to know the company name, but we need to know how much of our money is going to be spent, how much are we on the hook for.
“We need to know how many jobs is that secret company going to create, and by when,” Krassner said.
Enterprise Florida spokesman Stuart Doyle said taxpayers have never been kept in the dark about how their money is spent for economic development projects.
“I think we’ve always been transparent in the way we do business, and unfortunately, this report does not reflect that,” said Doyle. “We notice our meetings in accordance with state policy and we’ve always been as transparent as possible.”
Doyle said Krassner had met with Enterprise Florida president and CEO Gray Swoope last week.
“It’s rather surprising that a report like this comes out,” he added, “because we walked through each of their points with them.”
Enterprise Florida was created in 1996, when the state Department of Commerce was abolished. Doyle said 20 percent of its funding comes from the private sector and 80 percent from the state.
He said the board is likewise a combination of private and public interests, including lawmakers and state officials, “and it was designed that way.”
“Rather than have the state or the public sector decide how to do job development, why not have the companies – the people who are out there creating the jobs every day – have the input into the state’s economic growth?” he said.
According to the watchdog group’s report, Enterprise Florida awarded contracts worth nearly $6 million last year to companies that were “confidential.” Publix Super Markets, Embraer Aircraft and Lockheed Martin Corporation – all Enterprise Florida board members – received tax breaks or incentives. Ernst & Young, the firm charged with calculating Enterprise Florida’s return on investments, also got a grant.
Doyle said there is no conflict of interest involving Ernst & Young because the firm has been working for Enterprise Florida for more than a dozen years.
“They did receive incentives a few years ago, but one thing has nothing to do with the other,” Doyle said, adding that most of Florida’s incentives are performance based and that companies get the money “only after they have produced the jobs.”
But Krassner said jobs aren’t coming fast enough or in sufficient quantities for the investment.
“We have more than 800,000 out-of-work Floridians,” he said. “And it would take nearly 42 years to put all those Floridians back to work at the current jobs goal of Enterprise Florida.”
Krassner said he’d learned in a conference call that Enterprise Florida had set a goal of retaining or creating 20,000 jobs for the last year. He’s calling for an independent calculator of Enterprise Florida’s return on investments – not Ernst & Young.
He also wants Enterprise Florida to release details about tax incentives as soon as it signs a contract.
Asked about the transparency issue Wednesday, Gov. Rick Scott, a member of Enterprise Florida’s board, called it a “trade-off” with competitiveness.
“We’ve got to make sure we can compete with these other states, but we’ve got to make sure [taxpayers] know how their dollars are spent,” Scott said. “You’ve got to compete confidentially, but as soon as you can, you’ve got to provide the information.”
By The News Service of Florida
Tate Beats Escambia, Headed Into District Championship Game
April 26, 2012
The Tate High School Aggies advance to the District 1-6A championship game with an 11-1 defeat of the Escambia Gators Wednesday.
The Aggies (22-4) will face Pace (18-7) at 7 p.m. at Milton High School.
JT Granat pitched the win for the Aggies in five, allowing six hits, striking out five and allowing just one run. Hitters for Tate were: Hunter Black 1-2, 2 RBI, 2B; Austin Quina 2-3, 2B, RBI; Mac Seibert 1-3, 2B, 3 RBI.
Prescription Drug Round-up Saturday In Florida, Alabama
April 26, 2012
A prescription drug round-up is scheduled for Saturday in Escambia County, Fla., and in Flomaton, Ala., in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The Flomaton round-up event will accept prescriptions drugs from both Alabama and Florida residents.
Pharmaceuticals are being discovered in our nation’s waterways at very low concentrations. While the sources of these pharmaceuticals may be numerous, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been studying unused pharmaceutical disposal practices. This study was prompted by the concern that potentially large amounts of pharmaceuticals are being flushed or improperly disposed of down the drain, ultimately ending up in our rivers, streams and coastal waters, according to ECUA.
Escambia County, Fla.
The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA), Pensacola Police Department, and Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, in coordination with the Community Drug and Alcohol Council will conduct the round-up in Escambia County, Florida, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
On October 29, 2011, the most recent “Prescription Drug Round-Up” collected over 927 pounds of unused and unwanted prescription drugs. The Saturday, April 28, 2012 event will feature 7 locations with deputies and officers from the Pensacola Police Department and Escambia County Sheriff’s Office participating in the effort.
In Escambia County, Florida, round-up locations will be at:
- CVS Pharmacy, 13430 Innerarity Point Road
- CVS Pharmacy, 8150 North Davis Highway
- CVS Pharmacy, 3880 North 9th Avenue
- CVS Pharmacy, 2100 West Cervantes Street
- Pensacola Police Dept., 711 North Hayne Street
- Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, 1700 West Leonard Street
- Escambia SO Pensacola Beach Substation
Flomaton, Ala.
The prescription round-up event in Flomaton will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Flomaton High School gym.
“Anyone is welcome to participate, including residents of Century and the rest of Escambia County, Florida,” said Flomaton Police Chief Daniel Thompson.
Citizens Insurance Board Weighs Higher Rates
April 26, 2012
Homeowners who join the state-backed insurance pool after January 1 could see rates more than 10 percent higher than current premiums under a proposal up for debate Thursday by Citizens Property Insurance Corp.’s governing board.
Existing Citizens policyholders are protected from large rate bumps by a statutory 10 percent cap on premium increases – and will continue to be. Under the proposal to be considered Thursday, new policyholders could be charged initial rates far more than similar customers who have already been in the pool.
Going forward, however, all customers would be protected by the 10 percent limit in effect for the company’s nearly 1.5 million current policies.
Struggling with actuarially unsound rates and political pressure to winnow its number of policy holders to bolster private competition, Citizens’ board members say new policies aren’t subject to the 10 percent limit on increasing premiums precisely because they’re new policies. Since new customers have no current premium, they aren’t protected by a limit on premium increases.
The limit on increases was meant to protect policyholders in the pool, which insures some of the riskiest properties in the state, from making insurance unaffordable.
The recommendation to remove the cap on new policies has already come under fire from consumer groups and a leading Senate critic of attempts to raise Citizens premiums. Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, said the company’s board of governors is trying to circumvent the Legislature, which has said it does not want Citizens’ policyholders to see their rates skyrocket. It was the Legislature that put the 10 percent cap on premium increases in the first place.
“It’s not only a sneaky move, it is deceitful. It is a travesty,” Fasano said. “I tell you, they are clueless in Tallahassee as to the impact this will have.”
But a key Senate committee chairman says higher rates, though painful, are needed to reduce the exposure of Florida taxpayers who would be on the financial hook if a major storm hit and Citizens could not pay its claims.
Sen. Garrett Richter, R-Naples and chairman of the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee, has been a long-time advocate of boosting Citizens premiums to bring them in line with the private market.
As long as Citizens has below market rates, Richter said private companies will not return and Florida taxpayers will continue to be on the hook in the event of a catastrophic storm.
“I believe that it is in the state of Florida’s interest to have Citizens rates that are adequate to pay claims,” Richter said. ”
Lawmakers in 2006 froze Citizens rates following the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons, which prompted a surge in claims and led some companies to leave the state, pushing more customers into Citizens. Lawmakers in 2010, under the leadership of Senate President Jeff Atwater, agreed to cap premium hikes at 10 percent, a level far below what industry officials said was necessary to bring the rates up to private competitors.
Atwater, who supported the cap, on Wednesday urged Citizens to keep premiums on new policies low as well.
“While I understand and support the efforts to facilitate the depopulation of Citizens and a return to a competitive private marketplace for Floridians, the removal of the cap for new business is beyond the scope of legislative intent,” Atwater wrote Citizens’ chairman Carlos Lacasa in a letter Wednesday.
Lawmakers earlier this year rejected major changes to Citizens, including a controversial provision to automatically shift policyholders to surplus lines companies (they could opt back into Citizens at any time.) Fasano, who led the charge against the surplus lines bill, said the board is continuing its efforts to de-populate the pool.
“This is just another way to get people out of Citizens,” Fasano said of the recommendation.
The Office of Insurance Regulation, which would have to approve any premium increase, has not received any formal filing so has not carefully considered the issue, OIR spokeswoman Amy Bogner told the News Service Wednesday.
“However, we do understand the argument that is being made regarding this situation,” Bogner said. “Our actuaries and lawyers will need to look at the specifics of any proposed rate change and also review the issue of essentially having two sets of rates — one for new policies and another for renewals.”
By The News Service of Florida
Blue Wahoos Attempt Comeback, Jacksonville Gets 6-5 Win
April 26, 2012
The Blue Wahoos overcame a 5-0 deficit to tie the game in the top of the ninth inning, but the Jacksonville Suns capitalized on a leadoff triple in the bottom of the ninth to down Pensacola 6-5 in the series opener from the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville on Wednesday night.
The Suns took a 3-0 lead by scoring three times in the second inning against Wahoos starter Pedro Villarreal. Kyle Skipworth homered to start the inning. Later, Ryan Patterson doubled home Curt Smith from first. Patterson would score later in the inning on an RBI single by the pitcher Jose Alvarez. Jacksonville plated two more in the fourth when Patterson singled home Kyle Jensen, and Patterson later came home on Donnie Webb’s RBI triple.
After a leadoff double by Ryan LaMarre to begin the game, Suns starter Jose Alvarez proceeded to retire the next 15 Blue Wahoos batters in order.
The Blue Wahoos came alive offensively with a four-run sixth. It all began on single by Brian Peacock who later scored on a sacrifice fly by LaMarre. Yordanys Perez came home on a single by Didi Gregorius, who later came around on a Henry Rodriguez double. Rodriguez advanced to third on a base-hit by Joel Guzman, but a throwing error allowed him to score pulling the Blue Wahoos within one.
All four runs were charged to Alvarez who was only able to get one out in the inning.
In the top of the ninth, the Blue Wahoos capitalized on an error by the second baseman on a pop up in short right field that allowed Cody Puckett to reach safely and advance to second to open the inning. Peacock drove him in on a single to centerfield to tie the game at five.
Justin Freeman (L, 2-2) allowed a leadoff triple by Donnie Webb to begin the bottom of the ninth. He scored two batters later on Dalls Poulk’s game-winning single to centerfield. Freeman was charged with the loss after allowing two hits and the winning run in the ninth inning. Despite allowing the game-tying run in the top of the ninth, Evan Reed (W, 1-1) got credit for the win. The run was unearned on one hit over his one inning.
The two teams continue their series on Thursday when the Blue Wahoos send right-hander Tim Gustafson (1-0, 3.09) to the mound against Suns righty Bryan Evans (0-1, 5.94). First pitch is set for 6:35 at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.
By Tommy Thrall
Pictured top: Ryan LaMarre collected two hits, including a double in the Pensacola Wahoo’s losing effort Wednesday in Jacksonville. Photo by Chris Nelson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.