Motel Death Of Former Cantonment Resident Under Investigation
September 25, 2012
An investigation is continuing after the body of a former Cantonment resident was found Sunday in a Pensacola motel room.
The body of 26-year old Meghan Leigh Satterfield was found in a room at the Palm Court Inn and Suites at 6911 Pensacola Boulevard Sunday morning. She was discovered by motel employees when she failed to check out on time, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators are awaiting autopsy results from the medical examiner for the cause of death.
Anyone with any information on the case is being asked to the call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Molino Man Facing Drug Charge After Dog Shot By Deputies
September 25, 2012
A Molino man has been arrested after the shooting of a pit bull by a sheriff’s deputy led to the discovery of marijuana growing in his backyard.
John Roland Oswald, 30, was charged with one felony count of producing marijuana. He was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $1,000 bond.
Deputies discovered five marijuana plants in Oswald’s backyard Friday morning when they attempted to contact the alleged owners of a pit bull that was shot with a shotgun when it attempted to attack two deputies.
After deputies received consent to search Oswald’s property near the Camp of the Pines in the 10000 block of Highway 29, they located four marijuana plants up to five feet tall and one plant growing in a bucket, according to an arrest report.
Oswald met with a narcotics investigator and admitted that the marijuana plants belonged to him, the arrest report states. “He admitted to having a pill problem prior to being involved in marijuana and that he had started growing marijuana for personal use,” the investigator wrote in his report.
Escambia County deputies had first responded to a complaint about an aggressive pit bull about 9 a.m. Friday at a residence on Highway 29 near Cotton Lake Road. The dog was loose in the victim’s yard and had attacked and killed her dog.
When deputies attempted to contact the alleged owner of the dog at a nearby home on Highway 29 across from the Camp Of the Pines, animal control located several other pit bulls in varying stages of distress. Escambia County Animal Control officers took possession of the dogs for further investigation. Charges are expected for the mistreated dogs, according to Melissa Rawson, spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office. As of Monday, Oswald had not been charged or officially named as a suspect in the animal cruelty case.
Code Enforcement also responded to the home and opened a separate investigation for various code violations, Rawson said.
Great Weather Continues
September 25, 2012
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 60. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 87. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
- Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon.
- Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. Calm wind.
- Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph.
- Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph.
- Saturday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 82. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
- Saturday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph.
- Sunday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 84.
- Sunday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65.
- Monday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 83.
- Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63.
- Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 83.
Molino Man Charged With DUI After Wreck Near Highway 29, Highway 97
September 25, 2012
A Molino man was jailed for DUI following a mid-afternoon wreck Monday at the Tom Thumb in Molino.
Willie Dave McQueen, age 58 of Cedartown Road, was charged by the Florida Highway Patrol with DUI with property damage. He remained in the Escambia County Jail Monday night with bond set at $1,000.
McQueen was the driver of a Buick Park Avenue that apparently pulled into the path of a Honda in front of the Tom Thumb near the intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 97. The accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol; their full report has not yet been released.
Escambia County EMS, the Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the 2:15 p.m. crash.
Pictured top: An Escambia County Sheriff’s deputy stands by with Willie Dave McQueen (left) Monday afternoon awaiting the arrival of the Florida Highway Patrol to a wreck in Molino. Pictured below: McQueen’s Buick Park Avenue collided with this Honda at the Tom Thumb in Molino. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Another Local West Nile Case
September 25, 2012
A third case of the West Nile Virus has been reported in Santa Rosa County, bringing the two-county area total to 13 cases and one death.
Three human cases have now been reported in Santa Rosa, while 10 cases with one fatality have been reported in Escambia County. A death from West Nile was also reported in Okaloosa County.
Health departments in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties have said the chances of more West Nile infections remains high.
Area residents are advised to attempt to avoid going outside between dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are the most active, to use a mosquito repellent and to wear protective clothing. Residents should also work to remove any standing water around the outside of their homes.
Battle Over Early Voting In Florida Appears To Be Over
September 25, 2012
The war over early voting in Florida ahead of November’s presidential election appeared to wind down Monday, with a federal court refusing to block a portion of the state’s controversial 2011 elections law.
In a ruling Monday, U.S. District Judge Timothy Corrigan denied a request from Democratic Congresswoman Corrine Brown and other black voters to issue an injunction to keep the state from reducing the number of early-voting days ahead of the Nov. 6 elections — when Florida could play pivotal roles in deciding which party wins the White House, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House.
The voters had argued that the changes, which would reduce the number of early-voting days from at least 12 to no more than eight, would disproportionately affect minority voters, who are more likely to take advantage of early voting than white voters.
The state had countered that elections officials were allowed to offer more hours on each of those days, and that the changes applied equally to all voters.
Corrigan relied heavily on evidence that many counties would offer as many as 12 hours a day in early voting and would require some Sunday voting, a potential opening for the “souls to the polls” get-out-the-vote efforts of some black churches.
“Because Florida’s Early Voting Statute allows early voting during non-working hours, as well as voting during the weekend, including one Sunday, voting times which are important to African American voters, as well as to (get out the vote) efforts, the Court cannot find that the 2011 Early Voting Statute denies equal access to the polls,” he wrote.
Brown and others had argued that the Sunday required for early voting, nearly a week-and-a-half before the election, was not as good as the Sunday immediately before Election Day, which some supervisors used for early voting under the old law.
“I had really hoped that the judge would allow counties to restore voting on the Sunday immediately before election day, but at least we will have one Sunday of early voting guaranteed,” Brown said in a statement issued by her office following the ruling.
Brown vowed to hold a pair of voter-registration drives Tuesday and Sunday in an effort to counter what she portrayed as an effort by the GOP to suppress the black vote.
Brown and the voters could still push forward with the remainder of their lawsuit against the changes, but Corrigan’s ruling means he doesn’t believe they have a good chance of winning the case. And the sides aren’t supposed to let him know whether they want to move forward until December — after the elections.
Corrigan’s order comes a few days after state Sen. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa, and a pair of voting-rights organizations abandoned an administrative case challenging the implementation of the law in 62 of the state’s 67 counties. That fight centered over whether Secretary of State Ken Detzner could require some counties to follow the new law while five counties that must gain federal approval for any voting changes held elections under the old law.
But federal officials eventually green-lighted the early voting change, making the challenge moot.
By Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Citizens Moving 60,000 Insurance Policies To Other Companies
September 25, 2012
The Office of Insurance Regulation on Monday announced that 60,000 policies from Citizens Property Insurance Corp will be taken by private carriers as the state attempts to whittle away at the 1.4 million policies now held by the state-backed insurer.
Florida Peninsular Insurance Co. will take an additional 10,000 policies, bringing its Citizens takeout total to 45,000. American Integrity Insurance Co. will take 50,000 policies. The takeouts will begin in November.
“It is encouraging to see the commitment of these domestic companies to bring more jobs as well as additional insurance capacity to Florida,” Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty said in a statement.
Citizens’ policyholders will be notified of the take-out request (assumption) on October 1 and have 30 days to accept or decline the offer. If policyholders do not respond, they will be transferred to the private company on November 6. Earlier this month, OIR approved a 150,000-policy takeout.
By The News Service of Florida
Deputies Seize Guns, $264,000 In Drugs And Cash
September 25, 2012
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office seized tens of thousands of dollars in cash and marijuana plants as search warrants were recently executed.
After serving three different search warrants, authorities seized over $35,000 in cash, 83 marijuana plants worth over $166,000, over 15 pounds of “high grade” marijuana with a street value of over $63,000 and a quantity of crack cocaine and prescription medications. Deputies also seized nine firearms including assault rifles and handguns, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Investigators said several people will face charges after the search warrants were served in Crescent Lake, Myrtle Grove and Monte Claire.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Berrydale Wreck Claims Life Of Jay Man
September 25, 2012
One person was killed in wreck Monday night on Highway 4 in northern Santa Rosa County.
The accident happened about about 8:30 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 4 and Gordon Landing Road, about a mile east of the Berrydale Forestry Camp.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Joshua David Holland, age 30 of Jay, was attempted to cross Highway 4 from Gordon Landing Road to Mason West Road when he pulled his 1988 Ford pickup into the path of an 18-wheeler drive by William Mathew Connell, age 47 of Ochlocknee, GA.
Connell swerved in attempt to avoid a collision but was unable to avoid the wreck, according to FHP.
Holland was pronounced deceased at the scene. His passenger, 22-year old Lacey Lefay Harris of Jay, was airlifted by LifeFlight to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola in serious condition. Connell refused medical treatment at the scene.
The accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Century Signs Off On New $2.9 Million Budget
September 25, 2012
The Town of Century approved a $2.9 million budget Monday afternoon for the upcoming fiscal year that is about $2.14 million less than last year.
Century’s 2012-2013 budget was set at $2,889,827. Last year’s $5,032,816 budget was unusually large for Century due to grant income and expenditures of $1,913,000.
There will be no increase in ad valorem taxes this year to meet the budget for fiscal year 2012-2013, which begins October 1.
To view a summary of the budget in pdf format, click here or the image below.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.