Facebook Threats Against Medical Personnel, Facilities Not Credible
August 10, 2012
Authorities have determined that alleged Facebook threats against medical personnel or medical facilities in the area were not credible.
The man was interviewed Thursday afternoon by the Pensacola Police Department. His identity has not been released because he was not charged with any crime.
The Pensacola Police Department had recently received information about the possible threats, but the department saidl they were vague, unverified and did not expressly target a specific location.
As a precaution, information about the man was relayed to area hospitals.
While the man was being located and brought in for an interview Thursday, Pensacola policeeceived calls from medical facilities outside Escambia County reporting
employees had recently seen the man in their facilities, according to Capt. David Alexander.
In addition to the Pensacola Police Department, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, te Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement participated in the investigation.
Pedestrian Critical After Being Hit By Pickup
August 10, 2012
A pedestrian is in critical condition after being hit by a pickup early Friday morning on Highway 29 near Kenmore Road.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Dwayne Scott Carney, are 45 of Milton, was southbound on Highway 29 in an unlighted area at 4:55 a.m. when 52-year old Donald Wilbur Strickland of Panama City walked into his path.
Strickland was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in critical condition. Carney was not injured.
Charges are pending in the crash, according to the FHP..
Warrant Issued In Family Feud Drive-By Shooting
August 10, 2012
A warrant has been issued for a Pensacola man wanted in connection with an incident that occurred Tuesday afternoon on West Jackson Street when multiple shots were fired at a house.
Rufus Marcel Abrams, 22, address unavailable, is wanted for six counts of aggravated assault with a weapon, and one count each of attempted murder and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.
While a motive for the incident, which occurred around 3:30 p.m. in the 2400 block of West Jackson Street, remains under investigation, it is believed to stem from a homicide that occurred December 17, 2011, in the 1200 block of West Moreno Street.
Keondrick Abrams, 17, of the 2700 block of West Yonge Street, who was Rufus Abrams’ cousin, was shot to death in the December incident and died at the scene. Tykey Douglas, 17, of the 3100 block of Cedarwood Village, Pensacola, also was shot.
James Dortch, 20, of 911 S. Madison Dr., Pensacola, was arrested December 27, 2011, and Novel Austin Jr., 20, of 213 South J St., Pensacola was arrested December 28, 2011. Both were charged with one count of attempted homicide and one count of premeditated homicide.
Detective James Reese said since the December shootings, Pensacola Police have investigated several incidents where shots were fired involving members of the Abrams family threatening the Dortch family.
The most recent incident occurred Tuesday after a court hearing for Novel Austin and James Dortch at the M.C. Blanchard Judicial Center, 190 Governmental Center. Reese said there were disturbances between the Abrams and Dortch families Tuesday inside and outside the judicial center as they were leaving.
The West Jackson Street incident occurred a short time after the families left the judicial center. The suspects approached the house on foot and multiple shots were fired before the suspects entered a vehicle nearby and left the area.
The Gun Crime Response Team is being utilized in the investigation of this incident, and additional arrests are pending as the investigation continues, said Capt. David Alexander.
Anyone having information on the incident is asked to contact the Pensacola Police Department at (850) 435-1900.
Zimmerman Will Try Stand Your Ground Defense
August 10, 2012
Lawyers for George Zimmerman confirmed Wednesday that he will assert a “stand your ground” defense, although a judge would determine in a hearing whether he ultimately can claim to have acted in self defense under the Stand Your Ground law.
That means there could essentially be a “mini-trial” ahead of any possible actual second degree murder trial for Zimmerman’s shooting earlier this year of Trayvon Martin, and it could lead to charges being dropped.
The Sanford shooting case, in which Zimmerman has claimed self defense all along, has been watched nationally, in part because of the racial overtones involved, but also because it put the state’s relatively new self defense statute under a microscope, even though the defense has been used numerous times.
“Now that the State has released the majority of their discovery, the defense asserts that there is clear support for a strong claim of self-defense,” Zimmerman’s defense team said on a website set up for it to communicate with the public. “Consistent with this claim of self-defense, there will be a ‘Stand Your Ground’ hearing.”
Many of the arguments and much of the evidence that would be presented at trial could first be aired at such a hearing, in which the judge would decide whether the case fits the “Stand Your Ground” statute, which says that people who feel legitimately threatened have the right to meet force with force. The burden would be on the defense to prove that the case fits the circumstances laid out in that law. If they do prove that, charges against Zimmerman would be dropped.
Mark O’Mara, Zimmerman’s attorney, said on the website that it will take time to prepare for such a hearing and urged “everyone to be patient during this process and to reserve judgment until the evidence is presented in the ‘Stand Your Ground’ hearing.”
O’Mara’s posting on the website is the first time the defense team has acknowledged that it will use the Stand Your Ground defense.
Ben Crump, the Tallahassee-based attorney for the Martin family, said in a statement that he believed the “stand your ground” claim would be rejected and the matter would be decided in a jury trial.
Zimmerman was charged by a special state prosecutor, Angela Corey, who was appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to take on the case after an uproar from the public when charges hadn’t been filed in the shooting. Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, shot Martin at near point blank range in February after following him in a gated community. Zimmerman said Martin was suspicious – there had been break-ins in the neighborhood, and subsequently said he was attacked by Martin.
By The News Service of Florida
Northview Adds Strength, Conditioning Classes For Girls, Needs Donations
August 10, 2012
Northview High School will offer strength and conditioning classes for girls this school year, and organizers are looking for donations to make the program a success.
The program was not established prior to students registering for classes. Girls that are involved with fall sports are being encouraged to sign up for the class. Parents of athletes participating in cross country, volleyball, weightlifting and cheerleading should call the school guidance department and make scheduled changes as soon as possible.
The girls’ weight room is in need of donations, according to Coach Natalie Nall.
“We are in need of cardio equipment and weight training equipment that works; treadmill, stair climber, elliptical machine, row machines, weights, bars, leg press, jump boxes, medicine balls, or etc.,” she said. “We also have broken equipment that needs a fatherly touch or jump boxes that could be created.”
For more information on how you can volunteer or donate equipment, contact Nall at nnelson@escambia.k12.fl.us or call the school at (850) 327-6681.
Nall said the girls’ athletic programs at Northview have lacked strength and conditioning classes to physically prepare athletes and help prevent injuries. With more time after school to work on strategies, she said it could lead to a healthier lifestyle and more athletic scholarships for girls.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Man Rear-Ends Firetruck
August 10, 2012
An Escambia County man was seriously injured when he rear-ended a firetruck on I-10 in Walton County Thursday afternoon.
James W. Martin, 64, was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital after the 1:40 p.m. crash at the 73 mile marker. The Florida Highway Patrol said the firetruck he rear-ended was traveling at a slow speed with emergency lights activated looking for a reported traffic crash.
The driver of the firetruck received minor injuries.
Charges against Martin are pending, the FHP said.
Former Escambia Pawn Broker Convicted $900K Theft Case
August 10, 2012
A federal jury has convicted an Escambia County man for his involvement with nearly a million dollars stolen in jewelry and heavy equipment.
Following a three day trial, Benjamin Dean Garrett, 41, was convicted of conspiracy to transport stolen property in interstate commerce and interstate transportation of stolen property.
During the trial, the government proved that on February 1, 2008, Garrett, former co-owner of Sam’s Pawn Shop, lured a longtime Pensacola native from her home to his pawn shop, while his accomplices in a stolen property ring burglarized the victim’s home and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of jewelry. Garrett had known the
victim, age 85, for years, and she had purchased jewelry at Garrett’s pawn shop.
The plan called for Garrett to sell the jewelry to individuals outside the Pensacola area, from New York to South Florida. A portion of the victim’s jewelry was recovered in June 2008 at a pawn shop in Ashville, North Carolina. Thereafter, an additional quantity of the victim’s jewelry was recovered in Alabama. Of the estimated $600,000 worth of jewelry stolen in 2008, only about a third was ever recovered.
The investigation into the stolen property ring was originally initiated by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, when multiple items of heavy equipment were reported stolen in the Northern District of Florida.
During the late fall of 2007, a break in the case came when one of those involved in the thefts began cooperating with law enforcement.
All total, about $300,000 worth of heavy equipment was stolen from victims in the Northern District of Florida and Alabama. Once the property was stolen, the members of the ring transported the property across the Florida/Alabama border, so that the property could be sold in the opposite state.
Olympics: Women’s Soccer (With NorthEscambia Gallery)
August 10, 2012
Great Britain advanced as far as the quarterfinals in Olympic women’s football (soccer) in London.
A Molino family living in England was there at Wembley Stadium for Great Britain’s 1-0 win over Brazil. For a photo gallery, click here.
Great Britain went on to lose to Canada 0-2.
Pictured top: Great Britain’s women’s football (soccer) team celebrates after a 1-0 win over Brazil in London’s Wembley Stadium. Pictured below: Game action. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Man Arrested For Indecent Exposure
August 10, 2012
A Santa Rosa County man has been arrested for indecent exposure in front of his neighbors and deputies.
David Hair, 51, remains in the Santa Rosa County Jail after being arrested Tuesday and charged with two counts of indecent exposure in public.
Hair’s neighbor’s reported that on July 30th he was sitting just inside his open front door at 4:30 a.m. nude and performing a sexual act. When deputies responded to the home on Windrun Place, they witnessed Hair involved in the activity, according to Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.
About 5::30 a.m. August 7, deputies responded to Hair’s home again after a neighbor complained that he was nude and involved in the same activity in front of an open window with lights on.
Hair told deputies that he “has a problem” and enjoys the activity while watching outside.
This was not the first time Hair has been involved in suspicious activity. He was trespassed warned from two schools after school children observed him hiding in the wood line near the school. Deputies and school officials were made aware of the activity, but no suspicious or illegal activity was observed after the warnings were issued. Hair has a previous conviction from the 1990’s in Escambia County for exposing himself.
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information about Hair’s activities contact Special Operations at (850) 983-1100 or Santa Rosa Crime Stoppers at (850) 437-STOP.
Wahoos Walk Off With 3-2 Extra Inning Win Over Lookouts
August 10, 2012
Blue Wahoos second baseman Brodie Greene drove home the winning run with a walk off single to left in the tenth, while left fielder Bryson Smith recorded three hits and shortstop Billy Hamilton stole two more bases to lead Pensacola to a 3-2 extra-inning victory over the Chattanooga Lookouts on Thursday night at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
With the victory, the Fish improved to 25-22 in the second half to move to within one game of the Jacksonville Suns for first place in the South Division. Chattanooga fell to 26-21 since the league’s midpoint after the defeat. It was the first walkoff victory for Pensacola since June 13 versus Mobile.
Smith reached on an error to begin the bottom of the tenth, took second on 3B David Vidal’s sacrifice bunt and third on an error to set the stage for Greene. With a 1-1 count, the infielder grounded the pitch through the hole between shortstop and third base to cue the celebration. It was the first and only time the Blue Wahoos led all game.
Chattanooga took their first lead in the fifth, when starting pitcher Aaron Miller helped his own cause with a solo homer to left. It was the hurler’s first career roundtripper in his fourth season of his professional career. The Blue Wahoos tied it at 1-1 in the bottom of the frame when Hamilton tripled before coming across on a fielder’s choice.
The Lookouts then grabbed the advantage again at 2-1 in the seventh thanks to their second longball of the evening. LF Brahiam Maldonado began the frame with a solo blast to left, his fifth homer of the season.
Pensacola answered the tally in the bottom of the seventh when Hamilton led off with a bunt single, stole second for the second time on the evening and moved to third on a flyout before coming home on Smith’s run-scoring single to center, which would force extra innings.
Smith (3-5, 1 R, 2 RBI) and Hamilton (2-4, 2 R, 1 3B, 1 BB, 2 SB) each recorded multi-hit efforts in the contest for the Blue Wahoos, while Maldonado collected three hits for the Lookouts. With his two steals tonight, Hamilton has now totaled 133 this year, bringing him to within 12 of tying Vince Coleman’s single-season record of 145, set in 1983.
Blue Wahoos starter Tony Cingrani (6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO) did not factor in the decision despite giving up only a lone earned run on just four hits while fanning six in six innings of work, while RHP Curtis Partch (1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 SO) earned the win after firing the final 1.2 frames. Chattanooga reliever Chris Withrow (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 SO) suffered the loss to fall to 3-3 on the year after yielding the final unearned run.
With Pensacola leading the series 2-0, the two clubs are scheduled to meet again Friday night, with first pitch scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at the bayfront stadium. RHP Kyle Lotzkar is expected to get the nod for the Fish, while RHP Allen Webster is slated to take the hill for Chattanooga.
By Andrew Green
Photo by Chris Nelson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.