Judge: Escambia Sheriff’s Office Unlawfully Complied With Public Records Request
August 11, 2012
A judge has ruled that the Escambia County Sheriff’ Office owes a local attorney $425 for his repeated attempts to get public records from the Sheriff’s Office.
Attorney Thomas McGuire submitted a public records request on December 17, 2010, in an attempt to obtain paperwork and audio recordings related to the night in December 2010 that District 5 County Commissioner Kevin White was stopped on suspicion of drunk driving. White was free to go and was never charged with any crime.
The Sheriff’s Office incompletely complied with the public records request in February 2011, and McGuire filed suit in April 2011. In January 2012, according to court records, counsel for the Sheriff’s Office discovered additional documents which were inadvertently omitted from the records provided to McGuire in February 2011.
“Even though the delay was caused by an honest mistake, such ten month delay in providing to Petitioner a complete disclosure of the public records requested constitutes an
unjustified delay, and thus…is considered an unlawful refusal to comply with a public records request,” Circuit Judge Scott Duncan found.
Duncan ordered David Morgan, in his official capacity of Sheriff, to pay McGuire $425 in costs incurred to enforce the public records request.
Passing Cold Front Brings Weather Change
August 11, 2012
A passing cold front will bring a chance of showers and thunderstorms for your Saturda night. By Sunday, we’ll be rain-free with much lower humidity.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Scattered showers and thunderstorms before 7pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 68. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
- Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 94. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph.
- Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. Calm wind.
- Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 94. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
- Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 74. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.
- Tuesday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 92. Light and variable wind becoming southwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
- Tuesday Night: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
- Wednesday: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. Light and variable wind becoming southwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
- Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Thursday: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 94. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
- Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 73.
- Friday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
- Friday Night: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
- Saturday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Today Is Early Voting Deadline
August 11, 2012
The deadline for early voting is 5 p.m. Saturday for the August 14 primary election, according to Escambia County Supervisor of Elections David Stafford.
Four voting sites will be open Saturday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m –
- Supervisor of Elections Annex — 292 Muscogee Road, Cantonment
- Supervisor of Elections Main Office — 213 Palafox Place, Second Floor
- Tryon Branch Library — 1200 Langley Avenue
- Southwest Branch Library — 12248 Gulf Beach Highway
On Election Day, Tuesday, August 14, the polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. Voters must present a valid photo and signature ID and must vote at their home precinct on election day. Stafford is encouraging voters to pay special attention to the polling location information on their Voter Information Card and Sample Ballot, as many polling locations have changed. A precinct finder is also available at EscambiaVotes.com.
FHP Seeks Witness To Fatal Traffic Crash (With Photo)
August 11, 2012
The Florida Highway Patrol is looking for a man that they say may have witnessed a wreck this week that killed a Milton man.
The accident happened about 4:15 a.m. August 5 near Smith’s Fish Camp Road when Jose Alfredo Montero-Jimenez, 40, lost control of his 2001 Ford F150 and overturned multiple times. He was not wearing his seat belt, according to the Florida Highway Patrol, and was ejected onto the highway.
Alfredo Montero-Jimenez was then ran over by a second vehicle. That vehicle, described as possible a 1999-2002 Saturn, continued without stopping.
The FHP believes a man seen on surveillance video from the Tom Thumb in Pace may have been a witness to the crash, and there may have also been a female in his vehicle.
Anyone that knows the identity of the man in the surveillance photo or knows anything about the fatal traffic crash is asked to contact the Florida Highway Patrol at (850) 484-5000, ext. 306.
No Criminal Charges Against Candidate Sam Archer; Elections Commission Investigating
August 11, 2012
A State Attorney’s Office review into a campaign finance complaint against Escambia County Commission District 5 candidate Sam Archer does not warrant criminal charges.
McDavid resident Brent Cravey brought a complaint alleging that Archer violated Florida elections laws by filing incorrect, false or incomplete campaign finance reports. The allegations were based on six campaign expenditures where Sam Archer’s wife Karen was reimbursed for loans made to the campaign. Campaign documents show that Karen Archer had not contributed to or loaned any funds to her husband’s campaign.
During the campaign, documents filed by Sam Archer show he loaned his campaign about $82,000. The funds were from a joint bank account shared with his wife, according to Chief Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille.
During the campaign, three loan repayments were made to Sam Archer in the total amount of $4,300. Six additional loan repayments were made to Karen Archer in the total amount of $1,597, documents show. The campaign treasurer told the State Attorney’s Office that the refunds were made to Karen Archer for convenience sake and because the funds were from a joint account.
“Any possible violations regarding the loan payments do not rise to the level of a criminal violation and should be handled by the Florida Elections Commission,” Marcille said.
Cravey said Friday that he had filed a complaint with the Florida Elections Commission. The State Attorney’s Office confirmed that the complaint had been filed and is under investigation by the Elections Commission.
Florida Elections Commission investigations, reports and other documents are confidential under Florida Law until after the commission finds probable cause or dismissed the complaint.
‘Family Feud’ Gunman Charged With Attempted Murder
August 11, 2012
An Escambia County man has been arrested in connection with a “family feud” shooting that occurred Tuesday afternoon on West Jackson Street when multiple shots were fired at a house.
Rufus Marcel Abrams, age 33 of Truman Avenue was charged Friday by the Pensacola Police Department with six counts of aggravated assault with a weapon, and one count each of attempted murder and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.
A motive for the incident remains under investigation, but it is believed to stem from a homicide of Abrams’ relative that occurred December 17, 2011, in the 1200 block of West Moreno Street.
Keondrick Abrams, 17, who was Rufus Abrams’ cousin, was shot to death in the December incident and died at the scene. Tykey Douglas, 17, was also was shot.
James Dortch, 20,and Novel Austin Jr., 20, were arrested in late December. Each was charged with one count of attempted homicide and one count of premeditated homicide.
The Gun Crime Response Team is being utilized in the investigation of this incident, and additional arrests are pending as the investigation continues, said Pensacola Police Department Capt. David Alexander.
Fall Ball Registrations For NWE, Molino, Cantonment
August 11, 2012
Fall ball registration is underway for Molino, Cantonment and Northwest Escambia leagues.
Molino Ballpark
Sign ups are underway for Fall Ball at the Molino Ballpark.
Registration will take place every Saturday in August from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the board room at the ballpark. Fall ball is for all ages — tee ball, baseball and softball. $35 per player.
Cantonment Ballpark
Fall Ball registration will be held Saturday, August 11 from 10 a.m. until noon.
Registration is $40 per player for all ages, no birth certificate needed, at the ballpark on Well Line Road. The Fall Ball parent meeting will be held Monday, August 13 at 6:30 p.m.
For more information, call (850) 417-0673.
NWE Bradberry Park
NWE is organizing the park’s first Fall Ball program for the Walnut Hill, Century, and Atmore area. Baseball is for children 5 to 15, and softball is open to ages 7 to 16. Games will run mid-September until the end of October.
Players will be registered at Bradberry Park in Walnut Hill with no money collected at the time of registration. A $50 registration fee will be collected when teams are created; the fee will cover park expenses and a player team shirt. Each team will also raise $5 per player, per game for umpire fees
NWE Fall Ball registration will be held:
Friday, August 17, 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, August 18, 10 a.m. – noon
Saturday, August 25, 10 a.m. – noon
For more information, call (850) 327-4579 after 5 p.m.
Farm Family Of The Year Named During County Farm Tour
August 11, 2012
Over 225 local officials and area citizens took part in the 46th Annual Santa Rosa County Farm Tour.
On the day-long bus tour, they learned first-hand about agriculture and its importance to the local economy. Stops on the tour included Whispering Pines Christmas Tree Farm, Shannon Flinn Farm, a “Visit with Beekeeper’s”, Chumuckla’s Farmers Opry, UF/IFAS WFREC Jay Research Farm and Holland Farms.
The Shannon Flinn family was named the “Outstanding Farm Family of the Year”.
Shannon and his wife Audra, along with daughter Megan and sons Sheldon and Aaron, farm 500 acres of corn, cotton, peanuts and soybeans. Officials said they are leaders in area production of food and fiber and are actively involved in various agricultural organizations. In addition to the Flinn family, tour organizers presented a plaque to retired Extension Agent Dan Mullins honoring him for his many years of dedicated service to the agricultural community.
Pictured top: Santa Rosa Commissioner Don Salter (left) with the Shannon Flinn family, the “Outstanding Farm Family of the Year”. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
FHP Releases Report On Fiery I-75 Crash That Killed Tate Grad And Family
August 11, 2012
A 31-page report from the Florida Department Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and Florida Highway Patrol released Friday concluded driver error played significant roles in the deaths of 11 people and the injuries to many more during a series of crashes on a smoke-shrouded stretch of I-75 south of Gainesville in January.
The bodies of Tate graduate Michael Hughes, his daughter Sabryna Dawn Louise Hughes and Sabryna’s stepmother Lori Hughes were found two days after the crash in a badly burned pickup truck. The truck was incinerated when it collided with a semi-truck that had stopped on I-75 due to fog and smoke conditions. The family had traveled from Pensacola to the Gainesville area to attend a funeral.
Friends said Michael Hughes grew up in the Jacks Branch Road area and was a 1990 graduate of Tate High School.
The crash, which took place after 4 a.m., was prompted by smoky conditions from a nearby wildfire that led to poor visibility. But it was drivers’ reactions to those conditions that contributed to the disaster, the FHP report noted.
Some drivers stopped in the middle of travel lanes while other drivers didn’t slow down enough to be able to travel safely through the thick haze. While additional training may help, the report’s authors say the tragedy could happen again despite the best training and protocol.
“Even if each of the recommendations made by the FDLE in its incident review were to have been present or occurred that night, it is probable the same decision would have been reached,” the report concludes. “Also, no amount of planning or policy will take the place of driver reaction to low visibility and unpredictable conditions.”
The state is facing multiple lawsuits from drivers and their survivors following the January 29 crash which to place shortly after that stretch of road was reopened for traffic.
Editor’s note: While the FHP report found that driver behavior contributed to the crashes, the report does not specifically detail what caused the Hughes’ family to become involved in the accidents.
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.
Highway 29 Snarled For Hours By Log Truck Wreck
August 11, 2012
There were no serious injuries in an accident involving a log truck and four cars Friday afternoon in Cantonment, but there were serious traffic problems that delayed thousands of people.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 56-year old Clarence Ray Vaughn of Summerdale was traveling east on Muscogee Road in a 1999 Mack truck. When he attempted to turn southbound on Highway 29 about 2:45 p.m., his load shifted and the trailer rolled onto its side as multiple vehicles were headed north on Highway 29.
Logs from the trailer rolled into a 1995 Chevrolet pickup driven by 73-year old L.C. Brown of Cantonment, and into a 2004 Dodge Stratus driven by 59-year old Anite Duff of Cantonment. The logs pushed Duff’s vehicle into a 2001 Buick driven by 58-year old Willie McQueen of Molino. And a screw from the log trailer struck and broke the windshield of a 2006 Chevrolet driven by 24-year old Trent Altman of McDavid.
Duff suffered minor injuries and was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola with minor injuries. No others involved in the accident were injured, according to the FHP.
Vaughn, the truck driver, was cited for careless driving.
The accident shut down all four lanes of Highway 29 for a short time and continued to cause traffic backups for hours. At times, northbound traffic was backed up about two miles — all the way back to Archer Road.
Pictured: A log truck accident Friday afternoon on Highway 29 just south of the Muscogee Road intersection. Reader submitted photos by Angel Lathan (inset), Nicole Snyder (below) and others, click to enlarge.
