Escambia Man With Long Criminal History Gets Prison Time
January 15, 2012
An Escambia County man with an extensive criminal history was sentenced to prison Friday.
Maurice Montgomery was sentenced by Judge Jan Shackelford to 10 years in state prison with a 5 year minimum. He was also designated as a habitual felony offender as well as a prison releasee reoffender. On December 8, 2011, Montgomery was found guilty by an Escambia County Jury of two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of assault.
On August 28, 2011, Montgomery threatened two victims, chased them in his vehicle and attempted to run them off the road, according to State Attorney Bill Eddins.
Montgomery has a criminal record in Florida going back to the 1980’s, with 19 prior felony convictions and over 25 misdemeanor convictions. Since 2000,Montgomery has been in and out of prison four times, with his most recent release in May 2011. Prior to his convictions in Florida, Montgomery also served prison time in New York.
The investigation and arrest were conducted by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Burkett Joins Century Accounting Firm
January 15, 2012
Jessica Burkett of Byrneville has joined staff of the Century accounting firm of Ann Brooks, CPA, PA.
Burkett received a B.S.B.A. in professional accountancy with a minor in finance from the University of West Florida in December 2004 and is licensed in Florida as a certified public accountant. She has seven years experience as an accountant in public and private accounting and has extensive experience in payroll accounting as well as individual, corporate, and trust tax.
Jessica Burkett is married to Anthony Burkett and has one daughter, Halee. She is the daughter of Don and Starr Word of McDavid.
Brush Fire Destroys Hay Worth Thousands (With Photo Gallery)
January 14, 2012
Firefighters from multiple departments battled a brush fire Saturday afternoon near Walnut Hill that destroyed thousands of dollars worth of hay.
Only a few acres were consumed by the fire, but about 125 large round bales of hay worth at least $6,000 burned. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
The fire was off Highway 164 east of Highway 97. No injuries were reported.
The Walnut Hill, McDavid, Century and Molino stations of Escambia Fire Rescue and the Florida Division of Forestry responded to the blaze. It took about two hours to bring the fire under control.
For a photo gallery from the scene, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Man Injured In Highway 97 Crash
January 14, 2012
A Cantonment man was injured in a single vehicle rollover accident Saturday morning south of Walnut Hill.
The accident happened about 10 a.m. on Highway 97 just north of Tungoil Road. The Florida Highway Patrol said 56-year old Jerome Allen of Cantonment lost control in a curve while heading north on Highway 97. His 1999 Honda left the roadway and rolled over multiple times before coming to rest upright in a ditch.
Allen was transported to a Pensacola hospital by ambulance with minor injuries
Charges against Allen are pending.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Man Spends Night In Broken Down Truck, Treated For Cold Exposure
January 14, 2012
One person was transported to the hospital Saturday morning after spending a freezing night in the their broken down truck alongside Highway 97 in Davisville.
Atmore Ambulance transported the 46-year old male to Atmore Community Hospital about 7:30 Saturday morning. The person had reportedly spent the night in their truck near Highway 97 and Pelt Road and was suffering from cold exposure. The injuries were not considered severe.
According to a nearby weather station in Walnut Hill, the temperature dipped to 24 degrees early Saturday morning.
Pictured: A 46-year old man was transported to the hospital after spending a freezing night in this broken down truck along Highway 97 in Davisville. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
No Serious Injuries In Two Highway 29 Wrecks
January 14, 2012
There were no injuries reported in a wreck Saturday morning in Molino or in an unrelated accident in Bogia.
In the first accident, two vehicles reportedly collided on Highway 29 just south of Molino Road about 7:30 a.m. There were no injuries among the three people involved in the accident. The Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS also responded to the crash.
The second accident happened abut 7:45 a.m. on Highway 29 near Bogia Road. There were no injuries in the crash.
Both accidents are under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. Further details have not been released on either accident.
One Seriously Injured In Wreck That Caused Power Outage
January 14, 2012
A traffic crash late Friday night seriously injured one person and plunged area homes into darkness.
The accident happened about 11:15 p.m. at Frank Reeder Road and Tower Ridge Road in Beulah. The Florida Highway Patrol said 24-year old Gregory Scott Lloyd of Pensacola was traveling east on Frank Reeder Road at a high rate of speed when his 1998 Pontiac Firebird left the roadway and struck a mailbox and then a utilty pole, splitting it in half.
Lloyd was transported to West Florida Hospital in serious condition. Charges against him are pending, according to FHP.
The power was out for several hours as Gulf Power worked to replace the pole.
Poarch Creek Indians Partner In $24 Million Pensacola Hotel Development
January 14, 2012
The Poarch Creek Indians of Atmore are partnering in a $24 million development that will bring a new hotel, retail and offices spaces and over 200 jobs to Pensacola.
Innisfree Hotels official began construction of their “Airport & 12th” development connected to the Pensacola International Airport terminal with a groundbreaking ceremony Friday morning.
The project includes a 127 room Hyatt Place Hotel along with office and retail sites on 12 acres
“We’re proud to introduce a new prototype of the Hyatt Place Hotel brand to the Pensacola area market and will choose the tenants of the other outparcels carefully to ensure quality amenities at our city’s international gateway,” said Rich Chism, Innisfree’s director of development.
The $24 million project, when completed, is projected to generate over $420,000 annually in non-airline revenue for the airport through lease fees, and $100,000 in local option sales taxes for the City of Pensacola. It will also create over $4 million in payroll revenues through the addition of about 235 new jobs to the local economy.
Innisfree’s founder and CEO Julian MacQueen said the company is proud to partner with the Poarch Creek Indians on the project.
“Our relationship with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians has spanned almost two decades. We’ve collaborated on other successful projects during this time and are very excited to work with them again,” he said.
Tim Martin, president/CEO of Creek Indian Enterprises Development Authority, said, “We are fortunate enough to be able to reinvest into the community with quality investments like the Airport and 12th project.”
In addition to the Windcreek Casino in Atmore, the Poarch Creek Indians operate several other properties, including the Pensacola Dog Track and Poker Room. The Florida Legislature is considering allowing additional casinos in Florida, or allowing existing dog and horse tracks to add slot machines. None of the laws have passed that would allow gaming at the Pensacola airport property.
The groundbreaking came on the heels of a recent announcement that project financing was secured with the support of two local credit unions; Pen Air Federal Credit Union and Navy Federal Credit Union.
“The commitment of the credit unions and the Poarch Band of Creek Indians to this project has helped Innisfree expand in very difficult economic times”, MacQueen said. “We’re fortunate to have their support. They are good neighbors to the Pensacola community.”
The land for the development is being leased from the City of Pensacola and will be connected to the main airport terminal via a covered walkway. Robins & Morton, the project’s general contractor, has completed some key infrastructure work and is currently building the foundation for the hotel. The hotel is expected to open in the spring of 2013.
Innisfree currently owns and operates six full service hotels and resorts in the Gulf Coast region of Florida and Alabama as well as four focused service properties in the southeast United States.
Courtesy images for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Cold Night, Sunny Sunday
January 14, 2012
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Saturday Night: Clear. Lows 28 to 33. West winds around 5 mph.
- Sunday: Sunny. Highs in the lower 60s. North winds around 5 mph becoming east in the afternoon.
- Sunday Night: Mostly clear. Lows 32 to 37. Southeast winds around 5 mph.
- M.L.King Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 68. Southeast wind between 5 and 15 mph.
- Monday Night: Sunny. Highs in the upper 60s. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph becoming 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon.
- Tuesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 69. South wind between 10 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
- Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 39. North wind between 10 and 15 mph.
- Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 53.
- Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 32.
- Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 61.
- Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 39.
- Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 63.
Senate Has New Plan To Privatize Numerous Florida Prisons
January 14, 2012
After being rebuffed by a judge for its effort to privatize several prisons because of the way lawmakers went about it, the Legislature will try again to shed several prisons, this time doing it in statute.
The Senate Rules Committee on Friday quietly released a proposal and scheduled a hearing for this coming Wednesday to discuss the proposed committee bill (SPB 7172), which would require the Department of Corrections to privatize all prisons and other correctional facilities in 18 counties in the southern half of the state.
Private companies wishing to bid on the prisons – which could go to multiple companies or in one big contract to just one company – must be able to find 7 percent cost savings to the state to get the contract.
The Legislature passed nearly the same measure last year, but it did it in the fine print of the state budget known as proviso language, rather than passing a bill that went through the committee process. That violated the Florida Constitution, Judge Jackie Fulford ruled in September. That decision is on appeal currently.
The bill would appear to take care of that concern, at least, though it won’t appease the critics of privatization in general. The head of the Teamsters Union local that represents corrections officers said Friday that the state is rushing into a wholesale privatization effort without thinking it through or hearing from everyone who has an interest in the issue.
“There has to be a comprehensive study – this makes a tremendous impact on the different communities … we kind of think this is a rush to judgment,” said Ken Wood, acting president of Teamsters Local 2011.
The measure’s release comes a day after the Department of Corrections announced it will also close seven prisons around the state by the middle of the year. Those seven prisons, and four additional work camps also slated for closure, wouldn’t be included in the privatization plan.
The bill would require the department to privatize all prison facilities, including annexes, prisons, and work release centers in Manatee, Hardee, Indian River, Okeechobee, Highlands, St. Lucie, DeSoto, Sarasota, Charlotte, Glades, Martin, Palm Beach, Hendry, Lee, Collier, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.
That would include several prisons classified as “major institutions” by the Corrections Department, including Everglades Correctional Institution, Homestead C.I., Dade C.I., and the South Florida Reception Center, all in Miami-Dade County; Charlotte C.I. in Charlotte County; Martin C.I. in Martin County; Hardee C.I. in Hardee County; and Okeechobee C.I., in Okeechobee County.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections, Ann Howard, said the Legislature makes the policy.
“Whatever it is that goes through, we will enforce,” Howard said.