Pensacola Blue Wahoos Lose To Mobile 6-5
April 14, 2012
The BayBears beat the Pensacola Blue Wahoos 6-5 on Friday night in Mobile. It was the second walk-off win of the series for Mobile.
Both teams took advantage of errors to score key runs in the ninth inning. The BayBears committed two in the top of the inning to give the Blue Wahoos a chance to tie it, while the Blue Wahoos committed an error with two outs that allowed the winning run to score in the bottom of the frame.
Didi Gregorius delivered a two-run single in the top of the ninth to tie the game after the BayBears committed two errors with two outs to keep the inning alive. The winning run came on an error at third base on a ball hit by Alfredo Marte which scored Matt Davidson from second.
The two teams battled in a seesaw match all game after the BayBears took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third. The Blue Wahoos came back with two more runs in the top of the fourth inning to take a brief lead. The first run crossed home on a wild pitch before P.J. Phillips singled home Joel Guzman to put the Blue Wahoos in front.
Each team would score a single run in each of the following three half innings resulting in a 3-3 tie until Wladimir Sutil provided a pinch-hit two-run single in the bottom of the eighth inning giving the BayBears a 5-3 advantage.
Neither starter recorded a decision. Patrick Corbin work seven innings for the BayBears and was charged with three runs, two earned. He walked three and fanned six. Tim Crabbe was finished after four for the Blue Wahoos. He allowed a pair of runs, both earned, on two hits, four walks and six strikeouts. Justin Freeman allowed the winning run in the ninth inning to take the loss. Evan Marshall blew the save in the ninth for the BayBears but picked up the win after giving up the two unearned runs in the ninth.
The two teams will wrap up the series on Saturday night in Mobile. Right hander J.C. Sulbaran will oppose BayBears lefty Tyler Skaggs. First pitch is set for 7:05 and Hank Aaron Stadium.
By Tommy Thrall
Pictured: The Blue Wahoo’s Cody Puckett. Photo by Chris Nelson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Motorcyclist Critically Injured In Byrneville Crash
April 13, 2012
A 24-year old male was critically injured in a motorcycle wreck this afternoon in Byrneville.
The accident happened about 2:10 p.m on West Highway 4 just east of Byrneville Road. The male apparently lost control while eastbound on Highway 4 and ran off onto the shoulder. The rider was thrown from the motorcycle, which traveled a considerable distance after leaving the roadway, leaving debris scattered over hundreds of feet of a ditch.
The motorcyclist, who was wearing a helmet, was reported to be found unconscious by a witness. He was airlifted as a “trauma alert” to a Pensacola hospital.
Further details have not been released; the accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Escambia County EMS, Escambia County Fire-Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the crash.
Pictured top: A motorcyclist was airlifted to a Pensacola hospital following a wreck in Byrneville Friday afternoon. Pictured below: The motorcycle broke apart in the crash. Pictured below: Debris was scattered over a long stretch of the roadway. The motorcycle can be seen behind and to the right of the ambulance in this photo. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Train Hits Log Truck In Brewton, No Serious Injuries
April 13, 2012
There were no serious injuries reported in a train versus 18-wheeler crash Friday morning in Brewton, Ala.
A freight train collided with a log truck just after 9 a.m., sending logs and debris from a railroad crossing signal across Highway 31 in the downtown area. At least other seven other vehicles were involved in the crash as they were struck by logs and debris.
The log truck, according to door markings, was operated by Johnson Logging of Brantley, Ala.
Do you have more photos? Email them to news@northescambia.com
Pictured: A Friday morning wreck involving a train and log truck in downtown Brewton, Ala. Reader submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
FBI Raids In Bluff Springs, Brewton – Bank Robbery Suspects Arrested
April 13, 2012
[EXCLUSIVE] Two suspects in a recent Brewton bank robbery — including a Century woman — were taken into custody Thursday night as FBI agents conducted simultaneous raids south of Century and near Brewton.
“We are executing a search warrant related to a recent bank robbery in Brewton,” James Stewart, a FBI supervisory senior resident agent, told NorthEscambia.com Thursday night as agents worked to complete an operation at a small travel trailer located in a campground on Bluff Springs Road.
Robin Ann Godwin, age 42, was taken into custody at the travel trailer. She was booked into the Escambia County (Fla.) Jail early Friday where she was held as a fugitive from justice on outstanding bank robbery related warrants from Alabama. Jail records listed her address as another campground at 1300 Liahona Trail.
A man, reported to be Godwin’s father, was also taken into custody Thursday night as FBI agents executed a similar search warrant near Brewton. The man’s name was not available early Friday morning.
Both were reportedly suspects in the February 17 early afternoon robbery of the Bank of Brewton in Brewton, Ala.
A single suspect (pictured left) walked into the bank through a public boardwalk entrance at the rear of the building and demanded cash and fled out the same door. Authorities said at the time that they were not sure exactly how the bandit left the area following the robbery, but a few days later they said the bandit may have headed to Florida.
Nearly a dozen FBI agents from field offices in Mobile and Pensacola spent a couple of hours searching the travel trailer in Bluff Springs Thursday night. Multiple containers of evidence were removed by agents and placed into the back of a SUV. Some of the federal agents were wearing shirts identifying them as members of a “FBI Evidence Response Team”. Working undercover, they would not allow their photographs to be taken.
Campground residents were inside neighboring travel trailers Thursday night as FBI agents finished executing the search warrant. Even a couple of hours after federal agents arrived at the campground, some of the neighbors could be seen periodically peeking out of their doors and windows at the travel trailer in “Lot 2″, with it’s patio crowded with lawn chairs and outdoor decorations. Pink flamingo lawn ornaments and potted plants surrounded the patio — nothing making it look out of place for the quiet area just a few feet from the Escambia River.
More details are expected to be released Friday and will be published here on NorthEscambia.com.
Pictured top and bottom: FBI agents executed a search warrant related to a Brewton bank robbery at this travel trailer on Bluff Springs Road south of Century Thursday night. FBI agents, who were just off camera, would not allow their photographs to be taken. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Names Released: Baby Dead, Adult And Toddler Injured In Fiery Crash
April 13, 2012
An infant was killed and two others were injured in a single vehicle crash Thursday afternoon in Atmore.
Three-month-old Alexis McGhee died in the single vehicle crash just after 1 p.m. Thursday on Highway 21 near the casino in Atmore. According to Alabama State Troopers, she was not restrained. She was ejected and pronounced dead on the scene.
Emmett Clyde Gross Jr., 24, of Atmore was driving north on Highway 21 near the casino in a 1985 Oldmobile Cutlass when he lost control. The vehicle left the roadway, hit an embankment, became airborne and landed on its roof in a field. The vehicle then burst in flames.
Gross, who was not wearing a seat belt, was also ejected from the vehicle. Another passenger, one-year-old Kelyn McGhee, was also injured. Gross and Kelyn McGhee were airlifted to the USA Medical Center in Mobile in two different LifeFlight helicopters in critical condition.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation by Alabama State Troopers.
The Poarch Fire Department, Atmore Fire Department, Atmore Ambulance, the Atmore Police Department, Poarch Police Department and the Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff’s Office also responded to the crash.
Pictured: A car burst into flames after a single vehicle accident that claimed one life in Atmore Thursday afternoon. Reader submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Appeals Court Overturns Local Juvenile Sentence; Says 80 Years Equals Life
April 13, 2012
A Florida appeals court Thursday tossed out an 80-year prison sentence for a Cantonment man convicted of committing two armed robberies in Cantonment as a juvenile, saying it violates a U.S Supreme Court ban on life sentences for juveniles in non-murder cases.
A three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal said the sentence for Antonio Demetrius Floyd, now 31, is the “functional equivalent of a life sentence without parole.”
Floyd was 17 in 1998 when he committed two counts of armed robbery in Cantonment. He was initially sentenced to life in prison, but after the U.S. Supreme Court decision he was re-sentenced to 40 years on each count, according to Thursday’s ruling. The appeals court said Floyd would be 97 years old if he served the full sentence and ordered that the trial court revise the sentence.
“In this case, common sense dictates that (Floyd’s) 80-year sentence, which … is longer than his life expectancy, is the functional equivalent of a life without parole sentence and will not provide him with a meaningful or realistic opportunity to obtain release,” the court ruled.
Floyd, who lived in North Chipper Road in Cantonment, stole a vehicle on November 24, 1998 and robbed an E-Z Serve convenience store at 2110 South Highway 95A and another at 10 Williams Ditch Road.
Within minutes of the early morning robberies, an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant spotted a maroon GEO Storm departing the area at a high rate of speed. The deputy lost sight of the vehicle, but it was located abandoned a short time later on Richardson Road. Numerous items taken during the robberies were found inside of the vehicle.
Floyd was tracked a residence in the 4500 block of Richardson Road where Floyd was found in the living room. Clothing was also found that matched the description from the robberies. More than $300 was taken during the robbery on Highway 95A, while less than $300 was taken from the robbery on Williams Ditch Road, according to a 1998 arrest report.
In their Thursday ruling, court also encouraged state lawmakers to address juvenile sentencing to comply with the 2010 Supreme Court decision, which found that life sentences for young offenders in non-murder cases violated the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Lawmakers during this year’s session considered two bills about the issue, but the House and Senate did not come to agreement
Sunny Weekend Forecast
April 13, 2012
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 80. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south.
- Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 54. South wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Southeast wind between 10 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
- Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 59. South wind between 5 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
- Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Breezy, with a south wind between 10 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
- Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 62. South wind between 10 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
- Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. Breezy, with a south wind between 10 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
- Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62. South wind between 10 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
- Tuesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy and breezy, with a high near 80.
- Tuesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59.
- Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 83.
- Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 55.
- Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 82.
Tate Beats Pensacola High
April 13, 2012
The Tate Aggies defeated Pensacola High School Thursday, with wins for both the varsity and junior varsity.
In junior varsity action, Tate beat Pensacola 18-0.
In varsity play, the Aggies beat PHS 10-8. With the win the Aggies improved to 19-1 overall, 12-1 in the district. Winning pitcher for Tate was Blake Edgar, while Peterson took the loss for PHS.
Pensacola Hitters:
Jonathan Bennett 4-4, 3 2B’s, 4 RBI
Jimmy Threat 3-3, 2B, 2 RBI
Brandon Harigel 1-4, 2B, RBI
Tate Hitters:
Austin Quina 1-4, 2B, RBI
David Moorhead 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI
JT Granat 2-2, 2 RBI
Andrew Mack 2-3
Cody Palmer 2-4
Tate will host Milton on Friday. The junior varsity plays at 4:30, followed by the varsity at 7 p.m.
Commission: No Libraries To Close; Funding Solution Unknown
April 13, 2012
About 200 people wearing red attended an Escambia County Commission meeting Thursday morning to protest cuts to the county’s library system as commissioners tentatively agreed not to close any library branches.
“We are not going to do a massive cut to the libraries to the point where one have to close,” Commissioner Wilson Robertson said. Robertson sported a large button that proclaimed “Library” on his jacket during the meeting.
Commissioners, however, did not rule out trimming the library budget or the budget of any other county department as they work to solve a projected multi-million dollar shortfall next fiscal year.
And commissioners made no decision on how to continuing funding the libraries — including the Century Branch Library and the under-construction Molino Library.
Commissioners discussed numerous ways to make up a projected $9.5 million across the board deficit, most of which is due to a new Medicaid law signed by Gov. Rick Scott. That law will force the county to pay $6.2 million to the state for disputed Medicaid bills that have been adding up for about a decade. County Administrator Randy Oliver had identified the library as one possible source toward solving their impending budget crisis.
The problem, commissioners agreed, was state mandates, not local budget management.
“I find it ridiculous that those jackasses in Tallahassee can use local governments to balance their budgets,” an obviously agitated Commissioner Kevin White said. “It just blows my mind.”
Commissioner reaction was mixed on how to solve the budget problems — from Marie Young and Whitesuggesting a .5 mils property tax increase to Gene Valentino saying the county should first find ways to trim the bottom line before considering a tax increase.
“Five-tenths of a mil would solve all of our problems,” Young said. “What’s the big deal about raising taxes? That’s not a big deal—Ohhh, somebody’s going to take that and run with it.”
“We cannot provide the current level of services on the current revenues,” County Administrator Randy Oliver said.
The commission will schedule budge workshops in the coming to weeks to iron out how to save the $9.5 million.
Pictured above: Library supporters wearing red packed an Escambia County Commission meeting Thursday morning. Pictured below: After the commission chambers filed, library supporters gathered in the atrium of the governmental complex to watch the meeting on a television feed. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Perfect Property Audits At Byrneville, Jim Allen And Northview
April 13, 2012
Routine property inventories at three North Escambia schools found that the schools could property account for 1,235 items worth $1.8 million dollars.
No Escambia County School District assets were missing from Byrneville Elementary, Jim Allen Elementary or Northview High School.
According to Jim Allen Principal Rachel Watts the non-working computer was labeled for discard and may have been accidentally placed in a dumpster by a custodian rather than being returned to the district’s surplus department.
At Byrneville, auditors located 78 district owned items worth $114,774.49 . All of Jim Allen’s 553 items with an original cost of $742,812.52 were located, as were all of the 604 inventory items with an original cost of $980,535.75 at Northview High School.
The Escambia County School District routinely audits property at schools in the county.