Three Escambia Men Indicted On Federal Child Porn Charges
December 18, 2012
Three Escambia County men were arraigned Monday on child pornography charges.
Kevin Allaire, 24, is charged in a two-count indictment alleging that he received and possessed child pornography between June 2008 and August 2010. Mack Varnado, 32, is charged in a three-count indictment with receipt, transportation, and possession of child pornography between March 2005 and February 2012. William Dunaway, Jr., 22, is charged with one count of possession of child pornography on July 31, 2012.
If convicted, Allaire and Varnadoeach face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years up to a maximum of twenty years in prison, and Dunaway faces up to a maximum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment. All three cases are set for separate trials in February 2013.
These cases werebrought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys= Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
Century Caregiver Support Meeting Scheduled
December 18, 2012
The Council on Aging of West Florida will host a Century Caregiver Support Group Meeting on Thursday, December 20 at 6 p.m.
There is no cost and the public is invited to attend. Reservations are not required. The meeting will be held at Century Care Center located at 6020 Industrial Blvd. The group meets on the third Thursday of each month at the same time and location. County residency is not required to attend.
The support group is designed to reduce stress, increase coping skills, provide strategies for effective management of care giving tasks and enable caregivers to provide high quality care in the home. The programs are sponsored by Council on Aging of West Florida, the State of Florida Department of Elder Affairs and the Northwest Florida Area Agency on Aging. For more information, call 432-1475.
Scott Appoints Crews To Head Up Department Of Corrections
December 18, 2012
Deputy Secretary of Corrections Michael D. Crews was promoted to secretary Monday by Gov. Rick Scott, filling the vacancy created by the resignation of Ken Tucker.
Crews becomes the third secretary of the prisons agency under Scott in three years. Tucker had replaced Scott’s initial choice for secretary, Ed Buss, who had disagreements with the administration.
Tucker would have had to leave the agency no later than March, when his time in the state’s Deferred Retirement Option Program is up. Crews took over as the head of the agency on Monday.
Crews has nearly 30 years experience in corrections and law enforcement, and has been deputy secretary since last year. He’s also worked at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and started his career as a probation and parole officer, before working as a correctional officer at Apalachee Correctional Institution and the Tallahassee Work Release Center from 1984 to 1986.
“Throughout Michael’s impressive career, he has demonstrated an excellent understanding of law enforcement and a willingness to serve the citizens of Florida,” Scott said in a statement released Monday morning. “I am confident Michael will lead the Department of Corrections with integrity, leadership, and with an understanding of our ultimate goal to keep Floridians safe.”
Crews takes over an agency that has been forced to cut positions, and is in the middle of a long-running battle between lawmakers and corrections officers unions over privatization, both of prisons and the health care services in the prisons. The agency has also seen lawmakers target a number of prisons for closure, as the number of empty beds has risen with lower crime rates.
The agency, faced with the prospect of additional budget cuts, has also raised the prospect that it may consider more privatization, though it hasn’t spelled out any detailed plans yet. A budget document published in October said the department could cut costs through further privatization of facilities, though a spokeswoman said at the time that no list of possible privatization targets existed yet.
Crews has a bachelor’s in criminology from Florida State. The secretary of corrections makes $160,000.
By The News Service of Florida
Santa Rosa Sheriff Introduces New Smartphone App
December 18, 2012
Santa Rosa County Sheriff Wendell Hall announced today that his office has launched a smartphone app that allows the office to communicate much more effectively with the community. The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office app is a free download for users and is available for both iPhone and Android smart devices.
Users of the app will have access to real-time detention center information with mug shots, charges and offender information. The app is fully integrated with VINE® (Victim Information and Notification Everyday), which allows crime victims to be notified about the custody status of their offender. The app also includes warrants, lists of non-custodial parents and most-wanted criminals, news, the facility location, the sheriff’s office directory and much more.
“The most beneficial and significant feature of this app is that it lets us get important information right to people’s fingertips,” said Sheriff Hall “The app greatly improves our ability to serve the public, and that’s what we’re here for. We’re thrilled that we can provide this to the community.”
Information that can be pushed right to a user’s smartphone includes Amber Alerts (including photos of missing persons), news about escapees and manhunts, weather warnings and other local emergencies.
“We know that more and more people are getting the information they need from their smartphones,” said Sheriff Hall. “We want to make sure we’re using the latest communication technology to keep the public informed, and this app lets us do that.”
Download here for iPhone:
http://www.itunes.com/app/FLSantaRosaSO
Download here for Android:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.appriss.flsantarosaso
Main Library Branch Is Closed
December 18, 2012
The Main Branch of the West Florida Librar has closed until early next year as crews wrap up the second phase of a library expansion.
The Main Library, located at 200 West Gregory Street, will be closed through January 7.
The library’s new 51,000 square foot Main Library will feature a wave themed area for children and teens, access to more public computers, community meeting rooms, increased parking, a Friends of the Library bookstore, and a coffee shop.
The project is funded through $6 million in local option sales tax, a $606,500 U.S. Department of Energy grant, and $1 million left over from the construction of WFPL’s Tryon Branch Library on Langley Avenue which came in under budget. The Friends of the Pensacola Public Library contributed $100,000.
Escambia Outlines RESTORE Advisory Committee Selection Committee
December 18, 2012
On October 18, 2012, the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners established the RESTORE Act Advisory Committee. The purpose of the Committee is to develop a plan, take public input and set the final goals for the community’s use of RESTORE funds. The Committee will review projects and submit recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners for consideration. The Committee will consist of nine members who are residents of Escambia County, with committee members individually representing the financial industry, the business community, transportation, government, the City of Pensacola, local environmental advocacy organizations, citizens-at-large, and two unrestricted at-large positions to be determined by Board approval.
The environmental committee representative will be selected by consensus of the local advocacy organizations who have been asked to nominate one person to represent the environmental segment. The Escambia County Community and Environment Department is hosting a meeting January 7, 2013, at the County Central Office Complex, 3363 West Park Place, to facilitate the selection process.
Early nominations can be made by submitting the person’s name and a short bio to Keith Wilkins at the address below before January 2, 2013. Nominations may also be made from the floor at the selection meeting January 7, 2013. If a single selection cannot be determined by consensus, the final individuals will be asked to submit resumes to the Community and Environment Department by 5 p.m. on January 11, 2013 with the names submitted to the Board of County Commissioners for final selection. The final selection of all candidates will be presented to the Board of County Commissioners at their regularly scheduled meeting January 17, 2013. For further information or to make a nomination, please contact Pat Chunn or Keith Wilkins at 595-4988, kwilkins@myescambia.com or 221 Palafox Place, Pensacola, Florida, 32502.
IP Cantonment Mill Gives Back To Neighbors In Need
December 18, 2012
The International Paper Pensacola Mill is once again spreading a little holiday help to its neighbors that live next to the Cantonment facility. Joe Mack, who works in the mill’s woodyard, spends every late December delivering frozen turkeys and gift certificates to members of the surrounding community who could use a little bit of help paying for Christmas dinner.
This year, Mack was armed with $750 in gift certificates and more than a twenty-five turkeys as he drove out of the mill’s Gate 5. Some of the donations are dropped off at the Council on Aging’s Cantonment location, which is about a mile from the mill, but Mack also delivers the gifts to homes of longtime residents he knows could use a little help. Turkeys and gift certificates are also distributed to approximately a dozen Cantonment families through the Health and Hope Clinic.
“The Pensacola Mill is a standing feature in Cantonment starting as the Florida Pulp and Paper Company in 1941,” said Janice Holmes, communications manager. “Cantonment has had to weather the changes in the economy just like every other community. We are humbled to be able to give back in this small way to those neighbors who have shown so much loyalty to the mill — many with generations of family members who have worked here.”
Each year, IP provides more than $10 million to support thousands of charitable organizations in the communities where their employees live and work. Company contributions and Foundation grants are a significant part of our giving strategy, as IP strives to be the best socially responsible corporate neighbor in the communities where employees live and work.
International Paper (IP) Pensacola Mill will award $50,000 in Foundation Grants in 2013. The application deadline is January 11, 2013. Grants are awarded by the IP Foundation in Memphis, Tenn., which focuses on environmental education, literacy, employee involvement and critical community needs. Applicants must be a registered 501c3 non-profit organization, school, or qualifying government entity to apply. For more information about the Foundation, visit www.ipgiving.com.
Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Donnie Foster
December 18, 2012
Mr. Donnie Foster, 76, passed away on Tuesday, December 18, 2012, in Century.
Mr. Foster was a native of Pineville and resided in Century for the past 26 years.
Survivors include his wife, Jeanne Foster of Century; two sons, James Ray Foster of Century and Eric Stanford of Loxley; one daughter, Jessica (Colby) Wright of Loxley; and one grandchild, Catie Bush.
Services will be Friday December 21, 2012, at 11 a.m. from the Dry Springs Community Church with Rev. Joe Gibson officiating. Interment will follow in the Dry Springs Community Church Cemetery.
Family will receive friends Friday December 21, 2012, at the Dry Springs Community Church one hour prior to service time.
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes is in charge of all arrangements.
Body Found In Wooded Area Near High School
December 17, 2012
An investigation is underway after a body was found in a wooded area this morning near Pensacola Catholic High School.
The body of 28-year old Alfred L. Waslton was located about 8:50 a.m. near Wentworth Street and Maxwell Street. A person told the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office that they were walking through the woods where they located the body and then contacted law enforcement.
More details have not been released as the investigation continues.
Anyone with information about the body is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP or the Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620.
Sunny Skies For Tuesday
December 17, 2012
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 45. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest after midnight.
- Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 67. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
- Tuesday Night: Clear, with a low around 38. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.
- Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 73. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Wednesday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
- Thursday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 66. Breezy, with a south wind 15 to 20 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 34. Northwest wind around 10 mph.
- Friday: Sunny, with a high near 60. North wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
- Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 33. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
- Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 63.
- Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 39.
- Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 63.
- Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40.
- Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 63.