Lady Royals Claim District Title
April 20, 2012
The Jay Lady Royals won the FHSAA Class 1A District 2 softball championship Thursday night with a 5-1 win over Bonifay.
Pitcher Sydney Lowery (16-3) allowed just six hits, had five strikeouts and hammered in a run during seven innings on the mound for the Lady Royals (18-3)
Jay: Samantha Steadham 2-3, 1 RBI, 2 BB; Becca Calloway 1-1, 2R, 2W; Tessa Hendricks 1-4, 1 3B, 1 R; Lowery 1-2, 1 RBI, Ashlynn Geck 1-3.
The Lady Royals had advanced to Thursday night’s championship game with a 11-6 win over Chipley.
Pictured: The 2012 District Champion Jay Lady Royals celebrate their victory Thursday night. Submitted photo by Kaprena Kelley for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Softball, Baseball: Tate, Northview, West Florida (Photo Gallery)
April 20, 2012
Here is a look at baseball and softball action from across the area Thursday night:
Pensacola High 7 — Northview 6
The Pensacola High School Tigers slipped past the Northview Chiefs 7-6 Thursday night at PHS to end the regular season. The district tournament begins next week at Bonifay.
For a photo gallery from Northview at Pensacola High, click here.
Tate 7 — West Florida 3
The Tate Aggies improved to 20-3 on the season with a 7-3 win over West Florida High School Thursday night. The Aggies will host Rutherford at home at 6 p.m. Friday.
SOFTBALL
Jay 5 — Laurel Hill 1
For details and photos from this game, click here.
Tate 3 — Navarre 1
The Tate Lady Aggies beat Navaree 3-1 Thursday night. Marina Cobbs was 2-4, while Rachel Dunsford went 1-4 with a RBI. Other Tate hitters: Bailey Burke RBI; Kat Tucker R, RBI; Heather Schaff 1-4, R.
West Florida 10 — Arnold 3
West Florida High School earned a district title Thursday night with a 10-3 win over Arnold. The Jags will host Live Oak Suwannee Wednesday in the Region 1-5A quarterfinals.
Pictured: The Northview Chiefs traveled to Pensacola High School Thursday. NorthEscambia.com photos by Taylor Rigby, click to enlarge.
Molino 16U Green Hornets Take Second In Pace Tourney (With Gallery)
April 20, 2012
The Molino 16U Green Hornets finished second Thursday night in the Mid Season Softball Tourney in Pace.
For a photo gallery with the Molino 16U Green Hornets from earlier in the tournament, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Gary Carnley, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Drop To Jacksonville Before Capacity Crowd
April 20, 2012
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos fell to the Jacksonville Suns 4-3 Thursday night before a capacity crowd of 5,038 — the seventh full house this year out of 10 home contests.
The large crowd almost certainly guarantees the Blue Wahoos will continue to lead the Southern League in attendance, as they came into tonight’s contest best in that category, averaging 4,799 fans per contest.
Jacksonville won the series 4-1 after winning each of the final four games after dropping the first contest to Pensacola 2-1.
The Suns got out to an early 2-0 lead in the first, but the Blue Wahoos tied it at 2-2 after a sacrifice fly from 3B Henry Rodriguez, while 2B Brodie Greene led off the second with a single and subsequently scored on RF Yordanys Perez’s RBI double. Jacksonville however, made it 4-2 after solo home runs from C Kyle Skipworth and LF Ryan Patterson. The Blue Wahoos narrowed the margin to one from C Mark Fleury brought home Guzman but were held scoreless after that point.
SS Didi Gregorius (2-3, 1 R, 1 SO) extended his hit streak to eight games with his fifth multi-hit effort of the year, while CF Ryan LaMarre (2-4, 1 BB, 1 SO) and 1B Joel Guzman (2-4, 1 R) also collected two hits.
Blue Wahoos starter J.C. Sulbaran (6.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 11 SO) suffered the loss despite fanning a team season-high 11 batters, allowing three earned runs on six hits in six frames. Suns RHP Omar Poveda (5.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO) earned the win after giving up three earned runs on eight hits in five innings, while reliever A.J. Ramos (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 SO) notched his first save of the season after allowing a scoreless ninth inning.
Pensacola now heads on the road for a ten-game road trip, with stops in Montgomery and Jacksonville. The Blue Wahoos will begin their five-game series in Montgomery with the Biscuits on Friday night at 7:05 pm, with the Blue Wahoos expected to send RHP Pedro Villarreal to the mound. The Biscuits have yet to announce who will oppose Villarreal in tonight’s contest.
Plane Crashes In Gulf
April 19, 2012
A twin engine planned that flew in aimless loops over the Gulf of Mexico for three hours Thursday crashed about 150 miles southeast of Pensacola.
NORAD notified the Coast Guard 8th District watchstanders at 8:30 a.m. CST of an airplane flying erratically over the Gulf of Mexico. Two F-15 fighter jets were able to intercept the plane, reporting that the windows were iced over and the pilot was unresponsive to repeated hails. The plane was flying between 25,000 and 35,000 feet.
The airplane crashed at approximately 11:15 a.m. and has been identified as a Cessna 421. The plane was reported to float for a period of time before sinking. There were no signs the pilot survived.
The pilot has been identified as Dr. Peter Hertzak, an OB-GYN from near the New Orleans area.
Coast Guard dispatched an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircrew from Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile in Mobile, Ala., an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and crew from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Fla., and the crew aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Coho, an 87-foot patrol boat homeported in Panama City, Fla.
The Ocean Sentry crew is on scene and monitoring the situation, the Jayhawk crew is en route with an estimated arrival time of 1 p.m., and the Coho is estimated to arrive on scene at approximately 3 p.m.
“This is a joint response with the Coast Guard and Air Force,” said Kevin Robb, the command duty officer for the 8th District command center. “We’re saturating the scene, responding with multiple air and surface assests.”
The plane took off from Slidell, Louisana, en route to Sarasota, Florida. The plane, according to FAA records, is registered to Lee H. Aviation in Wilmington, Delaware.
District Attorney Employee Pleads Guilty To Forgery, Ethics Violation
April 19, 2012
Just before her trial was set to begin this week, the former worthless check coordinator for the Escambia County (Ala.) District Attorney’s Office pleaded guilty to a felony ethics charge and second-degree forgery.
Monica Lynn Watson pleaded guilty to the intentional misuse of her public position for illegal personal gain through the mishandling of funds in the worthless check unit, and to second-degree forgery of a motion that purported to be signed by the District Attorney for the dismissal of a case against a defendant.
“This case involves extensive documentation from the Examiners of Public Accounts of misuse of funds totaling $10,259,” said Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange. “It is important that this defendant has been held to account and will be punished for her crimes to betray the public trust and abuse government funds.”
Charges against Watson arose from information in an audit of the Escambia County (Ala.) District Attorney’s Office conducted in 2008 by the Examiners of Public Accounts, covering the period of September 1, 2006, to May 31, 2008. Discrepancies in funds of the Worthless Check Unit (WCU) led to further inquiries, which uncovered money orders that had been received by the District Attorney’s Office but not receipted in the WCU.
It was discovered that two money orders had been deposited into Watson’s credit union account. Furthermore, there was no record in WCU records for certain people who had paid cash to and had handwritten receipts from Watson, but the receipts were logged in under someone else’s name. The Examiners’ audit also cites Watson for filing motions to dismiss cases saying that those defendants had paid all money they owed when they had not, and that the motions were stamped with the District Attorney’s name. According to the audit, $10,259 was stolen from the WCU, which Watson initially refused but later repaid.
Watson entered a “blind” plea, which means there is no agreement for prosecutors to recommend a particular sentence or for any reduced penalty. She faces a potential penalty of two to 20 years imprisonment for the ethics violation, which is a class B felony, and one to 10 years for second-degree forgery, a class C felony.
A probation and sentencing hearing for Watson is scheduled for May 8.
Century Man Charged With DUI, Threatening To Kill Three Deputies
April 19, 2012
A Century man was arrested for DUI and allegedly threatening the lives of three Escambia County deputies.
Jeremy Scott Young, age 34 of Old Flomaton Road, was charged with DUI and three counts of corruption by threat of public servants and ticketed for an open container in a motor vehicle and failure to drive within a single lane following a traffic stop at North Century Boulevard and Highway 4 East.
Young was stopped by an Escambia County Sheriff’s deputy after he was observed driving erratically on North Century Boulevard. The deputy reported smelling the odor of alcohol from Young’s breath and vehicle. The deputy also noted an open light beer container in an Auburn hugger on the dash of the truck. He refused multiple requests to submit to a field sobriety test.
Just before being taken to jail, Young reported told two deputies that he would “see them tomorrow night and that they would die”, according to an arrest report, adding that his threat was not a joke. He then obtained the unit numbers for both deputies “and continually began stating their numbers over and over trying to remember” them.
Young then told the deputy transporting him to jail that he would kill him if he was “molested” while in jail.
Young was later released from the Escambia County Jail on a $4,000 bond.
Man Charged With Assaulting Pregnant Girlfriend
April 19, 2012
A Century man is charged with assaulting his pregnant girlfriend in Pensacola.
Darryl Thomas Frazier, age 24 of Alger Road, was charged with aggravated battery on a pregnant woman, criminal mischief property damage and second degree petit theft.
He is accused of kicking in doors at his pregnant girlfriend’s residence on Burgess Road, punching her, slapping her and throwing her into a window frame. When she told him that she was going to call police, he told her that he did not care because he would bond out, but first he would take “collateral” from her, according to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrest report.
Frazier allegedly took $18 in cash, a debit card and an iPod docking station from the victim.
Frazier was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $6,000 bond.
FHP Trooper Impersonator Arrested
April 19, 2012
A 20-year old man has been arrested for allegedly impersonating a Florida Highway Patrol trooper and an Auxiliary trooper.
Austin Allen Oldfield of Pace is facing multiple charges of impersonating a law enforcement officer and imitation of the Florida Highway Patrol uniform.
According to the FHP, Oldfield was observed in a Pace restaurant wearing a tan uniform with FHP insignia, emblems and a badge. An off-duty trooper in the restaurant took notice and began to talk to Oldfield who identified himself as a FHP Auxiliary trooper. The off-duty trooper left the restaurant and determined that Oldfield was not being truthful. An on-duty trooper was dispatched to the restaurant to make contact with Oldfield, but he had already departed.
The FHP said their investigation determined that Oldfield had worn the uniform and identified himself as an Auxiliary trooper on two other occasions.
Troopers said they believe all of the impersonating incidents were casual in nature; they do not believe Oldfield had contact with anyone while acting in a law enforcement capacity.
The Florida Highway Patrol is asking that anyone who may have had contact with Oldfield in a law enforcement capacity to contact them at (850) 484-5000.
Photo: Can’t Afford Gas Prices? Car Lot Might Have The Answer
April 19, 2012
Can’t afford high gas prices but need a ride? A used car lot in Atmore might just have the answer — pedal power. Wednesday afternoon, Rollins Used Cars was displaying a girl’s Huffy bicycle with a sticker price of $30 alongside Highway 31, right in front of a shiny Ford Mustang.
“That’s funny when you stop and think about it,” a NorthEscambia.com reader said. “Gas prices are getting so high we may all soon be on a bike. There’s just so much irony here that it’s funny.”
Interested in the bicycle? Call Rollins at (251) 368-8353.
Pictured: A bicycle for sale alongside vehicles Wednesday afternoon at Rollins Used Cars in Atmore. Reader submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.