Man Escapes Murder Charges, Gets Year On Drug Charge
September 28, 2012
An Escambia County man that escaped a murder charge was sentenced to prison Thursday on a drug charge.
Bryan Andrew Hines was sentenced following a conviction for possession with intent to purchase marijuana. Hines was also originally charged with felony murder for the death of Frederick Ortiz, which occurred at the same time as the drug transaction, but he was acquitted of that crime by the jury.
Hines was sentenced by Judge Joel Boles to 11 months and 30 days in the county jail followed by 24 months probation, and bond was set at $10,000 pending his appeal.
The State Attorney’s Office requested the maximum possible sentence of five years and that he begin to serve his sentence immediately.
At trial, evidence was presented showing that Hines contacted Ortiz to purchase marijuana, and they agreed to meet at a location near Hines’ home. When Ortiz arrived,
Hines got into his vehicle and they discussed the marijuana purchase. A witness testified that during the course of that transaction, another man approached the vehicle and fired a gun.
The witness then ran from the scene.
After several more shots were heard, the witness returned to find Ortiz lying dead in the street with a single gunshot to his torso. Hines was subsequently identified and charged with felony third degree murder after his phone was found inside Ortiz’s vehicle.
Escambia Firm Recycles Construction Debris, Creates Jobs
September 28, 2012
An Escambia County firm recently passed the one million pound mark with material it recycles from construction waste that otherwise would clutter landfills.
Lifecycle Containers also has created six new jobs for workers who identify, sort, transport and recycle construction waste into useful products. Cardboard, for instance, is recycled into concrete forms on other construction jobs. Asphalt and asphalt shingles are converted into roadway material; concrete becomes riprap for seawalls; lumber is donated to a nonprofit group.
Lifecycle Container’s founder is passionate about using creative techniques to protect the environment and reduce waste.
“This passion led me to tackle the huge issue of construction waste needlessly clogging our landfills,” said Allen Bounds. “This issue combined with my desire to create new jobs and do my part to bolster Pensacola’s economy led me to form Lifecycle.”
Bounds started recycling construction debris as a hobby in the late 1990s, but the business became so strong that he incorporated in 2010. The company keeps a sense of fun with its mission – naming its trucks LoLo and Bully and its cardboard-baler Cookie Monster.
It specializes in collecting and converting construction waste from medium-sized commercial buildings and renovations as well as residential additions and renovations.
Lifecycle gets high marks from Christopher Pelt, a project manager for Greenhut Construction Company, which is using Lifecycle while working on building projects for Sacred Heart Hospital.
“The cost is competitive with regular disposal services, so the right thing for any prudent person is to use these services if he cares about recycling materials,” Pelt said.
Pelt said Lifecycle provides “impeccable service” as Greenhut and Sacred Heart move away from the old custom of simply throwing away construction debris. Two Sacred Heart projects already have diverted more than 140,000 pounds of construction debris from the landfill and “we are just getting started,” Pelt said.
In addition to Greenhut and Sacred Heart, Lifecycle also works with Habitat for Humanity Re-Store, Pensacola Sanitation Department, Escambia County Solid Waste Department, the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Green Globes and the United States Green Building Council.
Bounds said he specifically chose to locate the business and its warehouses inside the city limits because he is eager to bolster Pensacola’s economy.
Joseph Wayne Odom
September 28, 2012
Mr. Joseph Wayne Odom, 55, passed away on Wednesday, September 26, 2012, in Flomaton.
Mr. Odom was a native of Bay Minette and a resident of Perdido for the past five years. He drove race cars and motorcycles; he was outgoing and a people person. He was a loving father, grandfather, son and brother.
Mr. Odom was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Jerry Miah and Mary Isabell Odom, maternal grandparents, Joe and Evie Coleman; two brother-in-laws, Ben
Johnson and Paul Hutto; one nephew and two great nieces.
Survivors include his father and mother, Jim & Jeanette Odom of Bay Minette; wife, Ruby Wilson of Perdido; son, Jimmy Joe (Tiffany) Odom of Atmore; two stepsons, Daniel (Elaine) Sheets of Poarch and Jesse Wilson of Perdido; daughter, Katrina (Rickey) Anthony of Brewton 1 stepdaughter, Gwen Wilson of Perdido; eight brothers, Jackey (Shelia) Odom of Nokomis, Johnny (Sandra) Odom of Stapleton, Donald (Charlene) Odom of Barnett Crossroads, Arthur (Susan) Odom of Atmore, Jerry (Tangie) Odom of Electic, AL, Claude (Becky) Odom of Atmore, Eddie (Faye) Odom of Perdido and Tommy (Voncile) Odom of Brewton; six sisters, Gayle Johnson of Poarch, Carolyn (Gary) Posey of Flomaton, Isabell Odom of Flomaton, Joyce (Debbie Fisher) Odom of Del Rio, TX, Jenny Hutto of Bay Minette, and Linda Fink of Gulf Shores; nine grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be Saturday, September 29, 2012, at 10 a.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home in Atmore with the Rev. Richard Daniel and Rev. Tony Richburg officiating.
Burial will follow at the Pineview Cemetery.
Visitation will be Friday, September 28, 2012, from 6-9 p.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.
Pallbearers will be Chad Odom, Jeremy Odom, Joseph Odom, James Johnson, Jesse Wilson and Thomas Posey.
Honorary Pallbearers will be Stanley Stewart, Ronnie Rolin, Matthew Ray, Johnny Colbert, Tyler Boatwright, Joshua Odom, Andrew Odom, Christopher Odom and John Victor.
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes is in charge of all arrangements.
Atmore Man Convicted Of Century Shotgun Shooting
September 27, 2012
A 56-year old man has been convicted of shooting a man as he ran across busy North Century Boulevard last December.
Willie James Floyd of Atmore was charged with attempted first degree murder, but it took a jury just over four hours to find him guilty of the lesser charge of aggravated battery using a deadly weapon. He will be sentenced in November.
Floyd shot 30-year old Deririck Medlock of Hoover, Ala., December 6, 2011, as he ran across the 8100 block of North Century Boulevard.
Medlock told deputies he was traveling north on North Century Boulevard (Hwy. 29) about 3:50 p.m. when a white four-door vehicle swerved in front of him, cutting him off. Medlock said he pulled into the Century Quick Stop at 8130 North Century Boulevard to calm down after the near-accident.
Medlock said he was outside his vehicle talking on his cellphone when Floyd then pulled into the parking lot and confronted the him, according to an arrest report. Floyd then retrieved a shotgun from his car and fired into Medlock’s car, striking it with birdshot at the roof line above the rear passenger door (pictured left).
The victim then ran across North Century Boulevard when Floyd fired again, striking the victim in the leg with birdshot. Birdshot was also lodged in his wallet in his back pants pocket. Medlock hid behind a tree across North Century Boulevard from the store, where he watched Floyd drive away. Medlock then drove to the Southern Panhandle Restaurant just north of the store and called 911. He was evaluated there by Escambia County EMS, and he refused transport to the hospital.
Other witnesses confirmed the details given by the victim, and at the shooting was captured on the store’s surveillance video. That video has not been released by prosecutors.
For more photos from the scene, click here.
Pictured top: Deririck Medlock of Hoover, Ala., explains how an Atmore man shot him with shotgun December 6, 2011, in Century as Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Frank Way listens. Pictured inset: Damage to the victim’s car. Pictured below: The shooting incident began in this parking lot. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Our View: Problems With Library’s Reasons For Cutting Out North Escambia
September 27, 2012
The West Florida Library announced that hours are being cut at library branches across the county — most dramatically in North Escambia.
Part of the cuts will essentially reduce the Century Branch Library to a part-time library sharing employees and resources with the new Molino Library. The Molino Library will open next month, robbing Peter to pay Paul with staff from Century. The Molino Library will be full of used furniture, taken from the Main Branch which is being replaced with a new building and new furniture, perhaps a wise reuse of taxpayer property. Most of the books on the Molino Library shelves will be duplicates from other branches, donations from citizens and books culled away from an upcoming Friends of the Library book sale. The phrase about a red headed stepchild comes to mind.
In tough budget times, sacrifices are necessary. But wait…the library has increased expenses almost 12 percent in a year. According to Escambia County Administrator Randy Oliver, the county has eliminated about 150 positions and cut expenses by 8.6 percent from 2012 and almost 16 percent since 2009. But not the library.
Escambia County contributes about 70 percent of the library’s funding, while the City of Pensacola kicks in the rest. The county, however, has no say in how their millions are spent by the library. So who gets the shaft from the library? The unincorporated areas of North Escambia.
But the library’s management had reasoning why Molino and Century were cut. But fact checking the reason given to the Escambia County Commission Tuesday night finds the reasoning has more holes than a good Swiss cheese.
“But since Century and Molino are not so far apart from each other, we had to reduce Century’s hours in order to open Molino’s hours. So that the staff that works at Century would pick up their hours at the Molino Library when that opened,” Darlene Howell, acting library administrator told the commission.
Libraries are a great place to do a little research before making such a statement before the board that provides 70 percent of your funding.
The library locations in Century and Molino are not “not so far apart from each other”. From Google maps, we found these distances between library branches. For the Century to Molino distance, we double checked that we had the most direct route, and did not even include any dirt roads.
- Century Branch to Molino Branch — 19.7 miles
- Main Library to Tyron Branch — 6.2 miles
- Main Library to Southwest Branch — 14.5 miles
- Main Library to Westside Branch — 1.3 miles
- Tryon Branch to Westside Branch — 7.1 miles
- Tryon Branch to Southwest — 21.2 miles
Looks like several of the libraries are even more “not so far apart from each other”. Don’t take us wrong…this is not a call to shutdown the very valuable Southwest and Tryon branches. They are a reasonable distance from the main library and serve very important roles in their communities. And, from our experiences, the Tryon Branch is a library and employees in which to take pride.
But while we are talking “not so far apart from each other” — what’s the deal with the Westside Library? Which politician’s pet project what this? If it is as necessary as library management says to cut hours and “share resources”, why is there a branch that is currently operating 60 hours per week (compared to a current 40 hours in Century) just 1.3 miles from the full-featured Main Library? Why are we not sharing resources or closing the Westside Branch just 1.3 miles away rather than Century and Molino at 19.7 miles away?
The Westside Library, if something must be cut, is just a short ECAT bus ride away from the Main Library, or a quick 2-3 minute trip by car. We fail to see how that would be as inconvenient as 19.7 miles — about 40-45 minutes and a couple of expensive gallons of gas round trip.
Westside will see hours of operation cut to 44, while Century will be cut to 24 hours per week. Still not seeing the fairness factor.
Oh wait…the Westside Branch is in the City of Pensacola. And Century…well, Century is just that place where the high school was closed, the middle and elementary schools were closed, the tax collector’s office was closed, the health department was closed….hmm, it’s just the Century Branch Library. And I bet those people in Molino won’t notice if we shaft them either…just a bunch of country folks that probably won’t use the library anyway.
The West Florida Library needs to take notice that North Escambia residents are taxpayers too. The West Florida Library need to take notice that 70 percent of their funding is from Escambia County, and note that the Century and Molino communities are part of Escambia County.
If Escambia County is going to fund 70 percent of the library system budget, Escambia County needs a 70 percent say in how the system is operated.
For an earlier story about the library cutbacks, click here.
Ernest Ward Middle Seeks School Advisory Council Members
September 27, 2012
Ernest Ward Middle School is actively soliciting parents and community members who wish to become part of the School Advisory Council for the 2012-2013 school year.
The SAC is an avenue through which parents can meet with representatives from school administration, teachers, educational support staff, and students to discuss all aspects of student life at Ernest Ward, from academics to extracurricular activities.
The SAC meets at least four times per year. The first meeting will be at noon Friday, September 28 in the school media center.
Have Unwanted Medications? Prescription Drug Round-Up Is Saturday
September 27, 2012
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Pensacola Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and CVS Pharmacies will partner Saturday for a “Prescription Drug Round-Up”.
The event is a one-day effort between local and federal law enforcement to provide the pubic a site to voluntarily surrender expired, unwanted, unused pharmaceutical controlled substances and other medications for destruction.
“This is an excellent opportunity for citizens of Escambia County to dispose of their unwanted medications before they fall into the hands of someone who may abuse or misuse them,” Sheriff David Morgan said, “We appreciate the assistance of a community-minded business CVS in this endeavor, so much can be accomplished when law enforcement, businesses and citizens partner together.”
Medications can be dropped off from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturday at the Pensacola Police Department or the following CVS locations:
- 2090 South Hwy 29 ( Hwy 29 & Kingsfield Rd.)
- 5301 North Palafox ( Pensacola Blvd & Brent Lane)
- 8150 North Davis Hwy ( Olive Rd & Davis Hwy)
- Mobile Hwy and Saufley Field Road
- 444 Gulf Beach Hwy ( Gulf Beach and Navy)
This event is a part of a national take-back effort. For more information concerning the prescription drug round-up, contact the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Community Oriented Policing Unit at (850)-436-9496.
Friday Is Last Chance To Save On Registration For Chief Challenge 5K
September 27, 2012
Friday is the last day to save on registration for the Third Annual Chief Challenge 5K Run/Walk at Northview High School.
The event will be held Saturday, October 6 at 8:30 a.m. at the school campus in Bratt. “The course is not your typical 5K race. It includes a variety of terrains and challenging hills around the campus,” according to event organizers.
For a registration form and more details, click here. The registration fee and a t-shirt are discounted to only $15 though September 28.
Awards will be presented to the top six male and female runners in the elementary, middle and high school categories, and to the top three male and female runners in two adult categories plus master and grand master.
About 120 runners and walkers took part in last year’s Chief Challenge. The Chief Challenge 5K Run/Walk is sponsored in part by NorthEscambia.com.
Pictured: The 2011 Chief Challenge. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Prison Health Care Privatization Case Sent Back To Circuit Court
September 27, 2012
The latest challenge to Florida’s plan to privatize prison-health services has been sent back to circuit court by the 1st District Court of Appeal, online dockets show. State employee unions went to the appeals court September14 to try to block the Department of Corrections from contracting with two companies to provide inmate health care.
But last week, the case was transferred to Leon County circuit court, where an earlier challenge to the privatization plan died in July. In their filing with the appeals court, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the Federation of Physicians and Dentists/Alliance of Healthcare and Professional Employees said privatization opponents had tried to block the contracting process in the circuit court but had been “unable to obtain a judgment on the merits.”
The long-running dispute stems from a decision by state lawmakers in 2011 to approve prison health privatization in budget fine print, known as “proviso” language.
AFSCME and the Florida Nurses Association early this year challenged the constitutionality of that move. Leon County Circuit Judge Kevin Carroll in July declined to rule on the constitutional question because the proviso language had expired with the June 30 end of the fiscal year. That led the Department of Corrections to move forward under other parts of state law to privatize the services.
Wexford Health Sources is expected to receive a contract for prisons in South Florida, and Corizon, Inc., would serve prisons in other regions.
By The News Service of Florida
Peggy Elizabeth Fuller
September 27, 2012
Peggy Elizabeth Fuller, 69, of Canaseraga, NY, passed away peacefully at Noyes Memorial Hospital on September 25, 2012.
Peggy was born July 14, 1943, in Union, S.C. She is predeceased by her husband, Clayton Eugene Fuller and granddaughter, Chasity Fuller.
Peggy leaves behind son, Sammy (Linda) Fuller of Molino, FL; daughter, Peggy (John Bennet) Henchen of Wayland, NY; and son, Shannon (Angel) Fuller of Angelica, NY. Peggy also leaves behind numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren and many friends.
A memorial will be held for family and friends at Valley Wesleyan Church in Canaseraga, NY, on October 6 at 1 p.m.