Tuesday Night Murder Suspect Arrested
September 7, 2012
A suspect has been arrested in the shooting death of a woman Tuesday night in Escambia County.
Fred William Walker, Jr. was arrested in Baldwin County for the murder of 47-year old Sandra K. Walker,
The shooting happened about 7:25 p.m. Tuesday in the 5900 block of Wales Avenue, off Mobile Highway. Deputies found Walker deceased at the scene. The shooting was believed to be domestic violence related.
Fred Walker is the son of Sandra Walker’s boyfriend. Sandra Walker was involve in a relationship with Fred Walker’s father for several years, but they were not married.
Suspect Shot By Escambia Deputy Indentified
September 6, 2012
An Escambia County Sheriff’s Office shot a felony suspect Wednesday night on Olive Road.
Escambia County Deputy Daniel Moore was attempting to serve felony warrants on 27-year old Justin Coon of Pensacola at the Hidden Village Town Homes in the 3600 block of East Olive Road, near 9th Avenue.
“While attempting to apprehend the suspect the deputy was forced to fire his weapon,” said Deputy Matt Baxter, spokesman for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office has not detailed the exact circumstances that led to the shooting.
Coon was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital with non-life threatening injuries and then transferred to the hospital unit at the Escambia County Jail.
The deputy was not injured.
Coon is being held without bond on outstanding warrants that include battery, interference with custody and probation violations. He is expected to face more charges in connection with Wednesday night’s incident.
Moore has been placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure in an officer involved shooting. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will be in the lead agency in the shooting investigation.
Pictured top: Escambia County Sheriff’s Office vehicles line Olive Road tonight near 9th Avenue following an office involved shooting. Reader submitted photo by Rachael Smith for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Four Injured In Highway 29 Wreck After Driver Runs Red Light
September 6, 2012
Four people were injured in a two vehicle crash Thursday morning on Highway 29 at 9½ Mile Road after a driver ran a red light.
Melissa Benavides, age 33 of Pensacola, was cited for failing to obey a traffic signal, according to the Florida Highway Patrol, after the 7:55 a.m. crash.. She received minor injuries in the crash. A passenger in her vehicle, 11-year old Kyler Beech of Pensacola, was listed in serious serious condition.
Her 2012 Toyota Highlander struck a 2008 Pontiac G6 driven by 20-year old Jessica Douglas of Cantonment. Douglas received minor injuries. Her passenger, 20-year old Brandi Hutto of Cantonment, was seriously injured.
All four victims were transported to Sacred Heart Hospital by ambulance. The accident shut down a portion of Highway 29 for about an hour.
Pictured: Four people were injured in this crash Thursday morning at Highway 29 and 9½ Mile Road. Reader submitted photos by Lisa Weaver for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bond Increased For Molino Shooting Suspect
September 6, 2012
A man accused of shooting at an occupied mobile home in Molino last month remains behind bars, and he says he’s not guilty.
Sharrieff Amin Shabazz, age 19 of Molino, was charged with three counts of aggravated assault, discharging a firearm in public, possession of cocaine, and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. He remains in the Escambia County Jail.
His bond was set at $41,000 when he was booked into jail, but Judge Joyce Williams has ordered his bond increased to $71,000. Shabazz, who has entered a not guilty plea, is scheduled to appear in court next week.
The victim, 21-year old Kristi Gulsby, told deputies she was arguing with Shabazz over $6 he had loaned her about three months ago for cigarettes. Gulsby said she had paid him back twice.
Gulsby told deputies that Shabazz began cussing her out and screaming that he wanted his money. She said he then reached into his pants pocket and pulled a gun. As he began walking toward the road, Shabazz opened fire on the mobile home with Gulsby and her two juvenile children, one and four years old, nearby, an arrest report states.
No one was struck by the gunfire.
Shabazz was taken into custody a few hours after the shooting during a traffic stop at the intersection of Fairground Road and Jahaza Street in Molino. As the vehicle pulled over for Escambia County deputies, an ATF special agent working the case witnessed a silver handgun and two pill bottles being thrown out of the backseat, which was occupied by Shabazz. Deputies recovered a .380 caliber handgun outside the vehicle along with pill bottles containing 18 Lortab and cocaine. Inside the vehicle’s trunk, authorities reported finding marijuana in a Mason jar and plastic bags.
Century Could Replace Mobile Homes With $650,000 Grant
September 6, 2012
The Town of Century has voted to allow the replacement of mobile homes under a $650,000 grant, if it is awarded to the town.
Century started the application process for $650,000 in housing improvement grants.
If awarded, the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) will be used to rehabilitate or replace homes that are currently occupied by persons of low or moderate income. Century has now modified guidelines to allow mobile homes to be included in the program. If a mobile home is accepted for funding, it will be replaced with a conventional site-built home.
The town has also instituted an applicant guideline that states that a home must have been owned by the applicant for at least three years.
The town hopes to learn if their grant application is approved by the end of the year. Applications for assistance will not be accepted until grant approval.
Work is currently wrapping up in the Century on a $650,000 CDBG grant and a $100,000 hurricane retrofit grant that was awarded last year. About a dozen private homes were rehabilitated under the program. [Read more...]
The town has already been awarded $155,000 in grant money to harden homes against hurricanes. The Florida Division of Emergency Management awarded Century $105,000 in Residential Construction Mitigation Program Funds. The Community Action Program Committee will provide an addition $50,000 in grant money, bringing the total dollars for hurricane retrofits to $155,000.
Pictured: One of about a dozen homes rehabilitated in Century last year using grant funds. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Barrineau Park Community Center To Host Music Night, Swing Dance
September 6, 2012
The Barrineau Park Community Center will play host to two big events Friday and Saturday nights — a bluegrass music night and swing dancing.
Friday — Barrineau Park Music Night
The monthly Barrineau Park Music Night will be held Friday night at the Barrineau Park Community Center. The featured local groups are Southern Sounds and bluegrass group Trugrass.
The singing starts at 6:30 p.m. Food and refreshments will be available beginning at 6 p.m. The event is a family-friendly — no alcohol is permitted on the property, and no smoking is allowed in or near the building.
Admission is free, but donations are accepted for musicians’ expenses.
For more information, call (850) 572-4433. The Barrineau Park Community Center is located on Barrineau Park School road, about three miles west of Molino.
Saturday — Swing Dancing
“Swing Molino Swing”, a family oriented event, will be held at the Barrineau Park Community Center Saturday night.
The event begins at 6:30 p.m. with lessons. There will be a $5 charge to cover costs, and there will be a $5 meal available with a hot dog, chips, dessert and drink. Spike heels are not allowed, and females that plan to wear a dress and practice the dip moves will need a pair of shorts underneath.
Summer Of 2012 Was Wettest On Record
September 6, 2012
The summer of 2012 was the wettest on record for the Pensacola area , according to data released Wednesday by the National Weather Service.
The Pensacola Regional Airport, the official recording location for the county, recorded 39.19 inches of rain — nearly 15 inches above normal. That broke the old record of 37.04 inches set in 1994. The high rain totals were thanks to a June flood and rains from Debbie and Isaac.
The heavy rains also kept temperatures near normal. The average summer temperature was 81.9 degrees just above the normal of 81.5 degrees.
Pictured: June flooding at the Escambia County Jail. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Bill Clinton Blasts GOP, Hails Obama At DNC
September 6, 2012
In a Democratic National Convention address that combined withering attacks on Republicans with a full endorsement of President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton delivered a point-by-point repudiation of the GOP case for defeating Obama and said the nation was better off now than when Obama was elected.
Clinton acknowledged that many people were still feeling the pain of a slow economic recovery, but said things were turning around.
“If you will renew the president’s contract, you will feel it,” Clinton promised.
He also discussed the Republican’s attempts to use the economic downturn as a reason to throw Obama out, laying blame for the crash on the GOP. Clinton summed up their case this way: “We left him a total mess, he hasn’t cleaned it up fast enough so fire him, put us back in.”
The campaign of GOP nominee Mitt Romney shot back, slamming Obama for looking to Clinton to validate his candidacy.
“Americans deserve a president willing to run on his own accomplishments, and not the record of a predecessor,” spokeswoman Amanda Hennenberg said.
In her own speech, Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren, a star among the Democratic base for her work on consumer protection, also nodded toward the troubled economic times.
“People feel like the system is rigged against them,” Warren said. “And here’s the painful part: They’re right.”
Clinton formally placed Barack Obama’s name up for nomination on Wednesday night. Obama will accept his nomination Thursday night during a nationally-televised speech. The speech was planned for the city’s 74,000-seat outdoor football stadium, but the threat of severe weather has moved the event back inside the Time Warner Cable Arena, the site of the rest of the week’s activities.
By The News Service of Florida
Learn More About Starting Your Own Cottage Food Business
September 6, 2012
Escambia County Extension will host a “Cottage Foods: Starting Your Own Cottage Food Business” program for those that wish to sell food made in their homes.
The program will cover pricing, marketing, food safety, demonstrations and include a time for questions and answers with the Extension Service Small Farms and FCS Staff. Farms or individuals interested or currently marketing processed foods are encouraged to attend.
Cottage foods by definition are foods made in the home for resale that do not require refrigeration. These include but are not limited to jams, jellies, preserves, honey, cakes and pies.
The program will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, September 11 at the Escambia County Extension Office at 3740 Stefani Road in Cantonment. The $5 cost of the program will cover materials and handouts. For registration, contact Fran Lainhart at (850) 475-5230 or via email at lainhaf@ufl.edu to register.
Isaac Remnant May Spark New Tropical System in the Gulf of Mexico
September 6, 2012
A remnant piece of Hurricane Isaac has re-emerged into the Gulf of Mexico and has been dubbed Invest 90L by the National Hurricane Center. The system is currently disorganized but the NHC gives it a 40 percent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone. If a tropical storm were to form, it would be named Nadine, as the remnant was not from the main circulation of Isaac which moved into the Northeast.
The Hurricane Hunters are scheduled to fly into the system Friday afternoon, if necessary, to investigate the system.
