Two Escambia Men Arrested In Armed Burglary
June 2, 2012
Two men were arrested Friday for armed burglary after they entered the apartment of two females on Michigan Avenue.
The victim told 911 dispatchers that two black males had pushed their way into her apartment and began fighting with her and her mother. The victim later told deputies during the altercation one of the suspects had pulled a handgun. The victims were able to push the suspects out of the apartment and contact law enforcement.
A description of the suspects and their vehicle was provided to dispatchers. A deputy spotted the suspected vehicle and followed it to an address in the 5200 block of Charbar Drive. The suspects ran from the vehicle into the house where deputies later took both into custody.
A search of the suspects and the area failed to yield the gun that was allegedly used in the crime.
Dealex M. Sumler, 19, was charged with armed burglary of an occupied dwelling and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Tywan C. Bedgood, 18, was charged with armed burglary of an occupied dwelling and battery.
Mary Evolyn Kittrell Whitson
June 2, 2012
In the quiet morning hours on Wednesday, May 30, 2012, our beautiful spirited mother Mary Evolyn Kittrell Whitson slipped gently from her earthly home into the arms of her Heavenly Father and was joyously welcomed by many loved ones.
She was born May 10, 1916, in the thriving sawmill town of Muscogee to Floyd Western Kittrell and Maud Evolyn Arnold Kittrell. In her early years she attended Muscogee School and enjoyed the camaraderie of siblings and classmates; some of whom remained lifelong friends. She was christened in the Knox Presbyterian Church in Muscogee where she remembered vividly seeing as a child the beautiful stained glass windows.
At age nine her parents moved to Pensacola where she enjoyed being a city girl. A few years later her family returned to the country settling in the Farm Hill community in Cantonment. During her teen years she attended J.M. Tate School where she participated in various school activities; she especially loved playing on the girls basketball team.
While attending a baptism on Perdido River at Muscogee her pretty red hair caught the eye of a very handsome Carl R. Whitson, Sr. from Gonzalez. After a whirlwind courtship, and a few months shy of her 18th birthday, they were married on January 25th, 1934, by family friend Rev. A.J. Townley.
They settled in Pensacola and the following year began a wonderful family with the birth of their first child. In 1947 they relocated to a home in the Cantonment Farm Hill community where they would spend the remaining years of their lives. They were married 49 years before Carl went to be with his Lord and Savior.
God gave mother many talents and she generously shared them with family and friends. She possessed and inner strength and “can do” spirit that was evident to anyone who knew her. As our first teacher, we learned from her that “God is Love and He is always with us”. She taught us the meaning of charity and to and to always think of others in need.
Having joined Lathram Chapel Methodist Church, she worked tirelessly with her mother and others to keep the small church alive, all the while serving 27 years as church pianist.
In 1948, mother’s journey led her to St. Regis Paper Company in Cantonment where she gained employment and worked for the next 33 years. Following retirement from St.Regis, she began volunteer work. One of her favorite projects was tutoring at Jim Allen Elementary School in early childhood classes. She continued a family tradition of volunteering as a poll worker on election day, serving for many years at Precinct 21 in Cantonment.
An opportunity to sell beautiful Tiara glass was presented and soon she became a top saleswoman for the company, winning many awards and premiums.
Traveling around her wonderful country was truly a blessing for her, especially enjoying trips with family to the West, Washington D.C., Chicago, the Black Hills of the Dakotas, the mountains of Tennessee and Kentucky, and South Florida .
Gardening was one of her favorite hobbies and she had a very green thumb. Always eager to share cutting, plants from her yard are blooming all over the country. Other hobbies included reading, sewing and playing a weekly game of Bunco with special friends. These Bunco parties began in 1960 and continued for over 40 years. We often teased her about her “gambling” habit.
But her absolute favorite activity was spending time with her family. She especially loved our large gatherings for holidays and birthdays. Her love of family and pride in them was never ending. We loved her so and we’ll miss her always.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 49 years , Carl Rushing Whitson, Sr. and two infant children, Nancy Karen Whitson, and Gary Dean Whitson, parents Floyd Western Kittrell and Maud Evolyn Arnold Kittrell, brothers Carl Dane Kittrell, John Daniel Kittrell, Floyd Arnold Kittrell, Eugene Otis Kittrell, and James Western Kittrell; father -in-law, Gilbert Wesley Whitson, mother-in-law, Lelia Bowman Whitson, sister-in-law, Lulu Ruth Whitson Levy, and sons- in law Herman Conley and William(Sonny) Benefield, and many friends.
She is survived by sons Carl Rushing Whitson, Jr. (Beth) , and Paul Maurice Whitson ; daughters Mary Gwen Whitson Conley, Joyce Carol Whitson Robbins (Jim), Jackowyn Emile Whitson Benefield; sister Olivia Delorious Kittrell Hamilton; 10 grandchildren, Michael A. Conley (Faye), Keith W. Conley (Shan), Jeffrey K. Robbins (Kelly), Jamie D Robbins-London (Don), Joanna R. Robbins Hayes (Rob), Carl R. Whitson, III (Julia), Mona Lynn Whitson Baker, William Bryan Benefield, Darla Ann Whitson Shiver, and Paul Reese Whitson (Angie) and 19 Great Granchildren:, Kady Robbins, Lauren and Ashton Conley,Levi and Rena Whitson, Ali, Anna and Riley Hayes, Tegan and Eric Shiver, Marcus, Tristan Ian, Evan, & Elizabeth Baker, Stella London, Bryanna and Mckala Benefield.
Visitation and services will beheld at Faith Chapel North Cantonment. Visitation Saturday June 2nd, 5-7 p.m., and services Sunday, June 3 at 2 pm. Officiating will be Rev. John Kuritz and Rev. Pam Avery with grandsons serving as pallbearers. Interment will follow services at Lathram Chapel United Methodist Church Cemetery in Cantonment.
Memorials may be made to one of her favorite charities — The United Methodist Children’s Home, 3140 Zelda Court, Montgomery, AL 36106 , (800) 239.3575. Family would like to thanks Dr. Gary Gotthelf and staff for many years of caring for mother, and Emerald Coast Hospice, especially Julie Brigham, R.N., and Evelyn Fields for their kindness and loving care, and her special niece Mary Elizabeth Kittrell Deese.
Faith Chapel North is in charge of arrangements.
Northview Names Honor Grads
June 2, 2012
Honors graduates for Northview High School’s Class of 2012 were recently named.
They are as follows:
Pictured top: Northview Class of 2012 Summa Cum Laude graduates (4.0 and above) are Valedictorian Elizabeth Ashley Wright, Salutatorian Holly Nicole Dickson, Joel Nathaniel Wetzel, Amber Dianrie Francis, Josie Britt Doucette, Caleb Wesley Leonard, Jamila Akilah Codrington, Lydia Ann Weaver. Not pictured: Lindsay Beth Hedgepeth.
Pictured inset: Northview Class of 2012 Magna Cum Laude graduates (3.85 or higher) are (L-R) Brian Jeffrey Ross, HenryJoseph Baldwin, Charla Suzanne Stark and (not pictured) Taylor Leigh Ann Dukes
Pictured below: Northview Class of 2012 Cum Laude (3.5 and above) graduates are: Arthur Jacob Baldwin, Austin Randall Albritton, Timothy Lucas White, (not pictured) Camilah Joy Goetter, Chelsea Grace Parham, Melissa Jayne Moretz, Alexander Dewayne Payne, Lauren Ashley McCall, Caroline Lindsay Prater and Savannah Dyan Singleton.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Man Charged With Bread Store Robbery
June 2, 2012
An Escambia County man was arrested Friday shortly after robbing a discount bread store and assaulting the elderly clerk.
About 12:30 p.m., Vincent L. Johnson, 39, entered the Dolly Madison bread store at 1815 West Fairfield Drive and got into a scuffle with the clerk, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The 71-year old clerk was knocked to the ground, and Johnson fled with an undisclosed amount of cash.
A witness was able to get a vehicle description that led deputies to the 3200 block of Tarragona Street where they were able to take Johnson into custody.
Johnson was charged with battery on a person 65 year of age of older, petit theft and robbery without a firearm. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $21,000.
The clerk, whose name has not yet been released, was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Office Phones Down This Morning
June 2, 2012
The non-emergency phone system at the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office is scheduled to be down this morning for maintenance. Emergency calls should still be placed to 911.
Temporary numbers to reach dispatchers for non-emergency calls will be (850) 375-7795, 7796, 7797, and 7798. The jail administrative phone system will also be affected. The Santa Rosa County Jail can be reached at the temporary number (850) 375-2498.
Generals Sweep Doubleheader Over The Pensacola Wahoos
June 2, 2012
The Generals swept Pensacola in their double header, taking the first contest 6-1, before Jackson walked off with a 2-1 extra-inning victory over the Blue Wahoos in the second game on Friday evening at Pringles Park in Jackson, Tennessee.
Jackson took the opening game of the twinbill behind a solid seven inning complete game effort from starting pitcher Brandon Maurer. The right-hander earned his third win of the year after yielding only a lone earned run on just four hits in his strong outing. Blue Wahoos starter Daniel Corcino suffered the loss after allowing three earned runs on five hits in three frames, though relievers Chris Manno and Wilkin De La Rosa combined for three shutout frames in the defeat.
The Generals powered ahead to an early 5-0 advantage in the opening frame. C Jesus Sucre started the scoring by driving in two with a single to right, his first of four hits in the contest, before a fielding miscue allowed the next run to come across. LF Kalian Sams would then launch a solo homer to left to complete the inning’s output. A bases loaded free pass in the third extended the Jackson margin to 6-0.
The Blue Wahoos would plate their lone run in the fifth to dash the Generals’ shutout hopes. After 1B Joel Guzman reached on a lead-off walk, 3B P.J. Phillips sent in Guzman with a run-scoring double to center for Pensacola’s lone score of the contest.
It was a pitcher’s duel in game two with neither team giving way until the tenth, when the Blue Wahoos scored their only run of the contest. 3B David Vidal walked and advanced to third on 1B Stephen Hunt’s single prior to an RBI groundout from C Chris Berset, which put the Fish ahead.
The Generals however, would answer with two scores in the bottom of the frame to end the contest. Sucre singled and 1B Joseph Dunigan walked, before both moved a base on a wild pitch to set the stage for 3B Francisco Martinez. The third baseman grounded a single into right to bring home both Sucre and Dunigan to end the game and series.
Despite surrendering the run in the tenth, Jackson reliever Steven Hensley (3.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO) earned the win to improve to 2-2, while Blue Wahoos RHP Justin Freeman (0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB) suffered the loss after yielding the final two tallies. Pensacola starter Mark Serrano (5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 5 SO), in addition to Donnie Joseph (1.1 IP, 3 SO) and Curtis Partch (2.2 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 5 SO), totaled nine shutout frames, while Generals starter Jandy Sena (4.1 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 4 SO) teamed up with relief pitchers Bobby LaFraomboise (0.2 IP) and Carter Capps (2.0 IP, 1 BB, 4 SO) for seven scoreless innings.
The Blue Wahoos now return to Pensacola Bayfront Stadium for a five-game set with the Jacksonville Suns, the Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins, beginning on Saturday night at 6:30 pm. Pensacola is scheduled to send RHP Tim Crabbe to the mound to begin the series, while the Suns are expected to start LHP Jose Alvarez.
By Andrew Green
Atmore Man Charged With Stabbing His Mother
June 1, 2012
A man that allegedly stabbed his own mother following a dispute over money is behind bars.
Dayshawn Dixon, age 27, of Atmore, was charged with domestic violence first degree and booked into the Escambia County Detention Center in Brewton following the late night incident.
About 11:34 p.m. Thursday, the Atmore Police Department responded to a stabbing call on East 4th Street. They discovered that Dayshawn Dixon had allegedly stabbed his mother, 46-year old Kimberly Dixon, in the chest.
According to witnesses, Dayshawn Dixon became upset that his mother would not give him $200 from his Social Security check, so he retrieved a kitchen knife and stabbed her.
Kimberly Dixon was transported to Atmore Community Hospital by private vehicle. She was treated and released.
State Briefs: Hurricane Season Starts; Job Growth Slows; DCF Official Forced Out
June 1, 2012
Here’s a look at what’s making news around Florida today:
Hurricane Season Starts Today
Gov. Rick Scott will mark the start of hurricane season in Miami, stopping at a Home Depot to remind residents to pack a hurricane kit, and taking part in a news conference at the National Hurricane Center starting off the annual summer storm season. While the Atlantic season starts June 1, Florida has already watched two named storms this year, including Tropical Storm Beryl, which while not much more than a summer squall, blew ashore in the Jacksonville area last weekend, mostly bringing rain to North Florida.
Job Growth Slowed A Bit In May
Economic growth slowed in May with just under 70,000 new jobs created, fewer than expected, and the national unemployment rate remained “essentially unchanged” at 8.2 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. Employment increased in health care, transportation and warehousing, and wholesale trade but declined in construction. Employment was little changed in most other major industries. Republicans quickly blamed the White House for not doing enough to create jobs last month. Florida’s jobless rate is down to 8.7 percent, getting closer to the national rate.
DCF Official Forced Out After Harassment Claim
A top Department of Children of Families official was forced out because of alleged sexual harassment of an employee who was paid $150,000 by the agency to settle the issue without a lawsuit and stay quiet about it, the Palm Beach Post reported. DCF confirmed that Secretary David Wilkins decided Jamie Self, director of the agency’s Family and Community Services Office had to leave the agency after being accused of sexual harassment by employee Christie Ferris. The newspaper reported that Self hired Ferris and then had an affair with her. She claimed in a complaint filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after she was fired Jan. 19 that Self harassed her, sent her explicit text messages and that she believed if she didn’t have an affair with him she would lose her job. The Post, which obtained a copy of the settlement, quoted DCF General Counsel Drew Parker as saying that the agency settled with Ferris to avoid potentially larger costs of a lawsuit. “Sometimes employees do stuff that’s not right and that costs the agency money,” Parker told the paper. Wilkins knew Self from their work together at the Florida Baptist Children’s Home. After he worked there, Self was director of Christian education for the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Bartow. He was paid $103,000 a year and oversaw high profile parts of the agency’s operations, including the child abuse hotline and child safety oversight. Self said in a note to colleagues when he resigned that he was moving his family back to central Florida.
By The News Service of Florida
Gulf Power Still Seeks Rate Increase For North Escambia Power Plant
June 1, 2012
Gulf Power Company’s future plans still point toward a North Escambia generation facility, and the utility is still seeking a rate hike to to pay the costs associated with the purchase of thousands of acres near McDavid.
Wednesday afternoon, Gulf Power announced a $58.5 million rate decrease plan was being filed with Florida Public Service Commission. But a previously filed $2 million rate increase proposal is still pending before the PSC for the North Escambia facility.
Earlier this year, the Public Service Commission did not allow Gulf Power to pass along costs related to a potential nuclear-power plant site in North Escambia because the utility has not taken an initial step — known as getting a determination of need — for such a project.
Gulf Power has asked the PSC to allow $2 million in costs associated with the North Escambia land purchases. That would equate to about 20 cents per month for the average customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours per month. The 20 cents would be more than offset by about a $10 per month savings from the rate decrease announced this week.
“This was the first time that the PSC has not allowed costs for land held for future use to be included in the base rate,” Sandy Sims, Gulf Power manager of public affairs, said.
The $2 million, just a fraction of the costs of the land acquisitions, would pay interest on finance agreements and fund environmental assessments on the North Escambia property.
Gulf Power has not said what type of power plant it wants to construct in North Escambia, but PSC filings indicate that it could be natural gas, coal or nuclear.
Pictured top: One of many houses that now sit abandoned near McDavid where Gulf Power has purchased thousands of acres for a possible nuclear power plant. One of many Gulf Power “Posted” signs that line the roads in the area of the potential plant. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Clear, Cooler Night
June 1, 2012
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 58. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. North wind around 5 mph.
- Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 63. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.
- Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 94. Calm wind becoming southwest between 5 and 10 mph.
- Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. Southwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 95. West wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. Southwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 94. West wind between 5 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
- Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. Southwest wind between 5 and 10 mph becoming calm.
- Wednesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 90.
- Wednesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69.
- Thursday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 90.
- Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69.
- Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 89.