No Injuries In Early Morning Pickup Versus Tree Crash
November 16, 2012
There were no injuries in a single vehicle crash Friday morning on Davis Highway south of Creighton Road. The driver of a pickup truck lost control and struck a tree about 2:30 a.m. The accident remains under investigation; the driver’s name has not been released.
Pictured: There were no injuries in this early morning crash Friday on Davis Highway north of Langley Avenue. Reader submitted photos by Kevin Winingar for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
No Injuries In School Bus Wreck
November 15, 2012
There were no injuries in a wreck Thursday afternoon on Highway 4 between Bratt and Byrneville near Canoe Creek.
The mirror on an Escambia County School District bus was struck by a passing truck that hauls large cotton bales. A window on the bus was knocked out by the collision. The bus was partially loaded with Northview High and Ernest Ward students.
The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. That investigation has not yet determined which driver, if either, was at fault in the crash.
Pictured above: A window was busted out of an Escambia County school bus Wednesday afternoon a bus mirror collided with a truck. Pictured below. There were no injures on bus 17-12 as a result of the collision. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Investigation Continues Into Shooting Incident That Injured Infant
November 15, 2012
The investigation is continuing into a shooting incident Wednesday afternoon that left a young child injured.
Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a shots fired call at Forest Creek Apartments at 34 Patton Drive about 5:10 p.m. Deputies discovered an infant had been struck by fragments after a shot was fired inside an apartment. The child was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Investigators said they interviewed all parties involved Thursday after they voluntarily went to the Sheriff’s Office for questioning.
The case is still under review, deputies said, and further information has not been released.
Deputies Searching For Two Individuals In Connection With Two Murders
November 15, 2012
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is searching for two people — one a suspect and the other a person of interest – in connection with unrelated murders.
Aquamarine Avenue Murder Person Of Interest
Investigators are searching for Christina N. Sanchez, 19, who they believe has information on a November 14 homicide on Aquamarine Avenue. She may be in a red 1999 Ford Explorer four-door with Alabama tag number 5A99S11. She currently has an active, unrelated outstanding arrest warrant for escape.
If you have any information on the whereabouts of Christina Nicole Sanchez, or the vehicle, you are asked to call Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Tiki Lane Murder Suspect
A Pensacola man is wanted in connection with a homicide of Labar Cardalyo Brown on October 22, 2012, in 6800 block of Tiki Lane. Robert Marvin Parker, Jr., 26, of Pensacola, is wanted on a single count of homicide and is considered to be armed and dangerous.
Deputies found Brown shot to death in a vehicle after responding to multiple reports of shots fired in the area. Investigators said they found evidence which suggests that the case is drug related.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Robert Marvin Parker, Jr, is asked to call Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Two Charged With Child Abuse
November 15, 2012
Two Escambia County residents are facing child abuse allegations.
Deputies reported to the Gulf Coast Kids House Wednesday morning in reference to a child abuse complaint. According to DCF investigators, a 13-year old victim had been hit several times with a belt and also had made allegations of previous abuse by his mother, 37-year old Erica Poole and his stepfather, 34-year old Darrick Poole.
According to the child’s grandmother, who was making the complaint in the name of her grandson, the child had been kicked out of the house by the parents. The grandmother had found him approximately an hour later walking in the rain to her house. She also reported that the child had told her that two weeks prior his stepfather had grabbed him by the throat and pushed him down the hallway, striking him in the eye with a closed fist. The child appeared to have injuries to the neck area, which he stated were caused from strikes with a belt, investigators said.
The Pooles were placed under arrest and charged with one count of cruelty towards a child and one count of child neglect each. They are being held without bond in the Escambia County Jail.
FHP Looking For Driver That Fled 297A Crash
November 15, 2012
The Florida Highway Patrol is searching for a driver that fled the scene of an accident this morning on County Road 297A.
The driver of a 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe was westbound on 297A near Pine Cone Drive when they veered off the roadway and struck a mailbox and a utility pole. The driver then fled the scene.
Moments later, 22-year old Josue Velazquez of Maiden, N.C., struck downed power lines from the original crash, as did an Escambia County EMS ambulance driven by Crystal Smith of Pensacola. There were no injuries reported.
Obama Wins County In Mock Election; Tate, Ernest Ward, Ransom Students Pick Romney
November 15, 2012
Over 6,500 Escambia County students, representing 15 schools, cast their votes in a mock election last Tuesday, choosing Barack Obama for president, Bill Nelson for Senate and Jeff Miller for Congress. Students at the three participating North Escambia schools, however, cast more votes for Mitt Romney for president.
“It is exciting to see students participating in the democratic process,” said Escambia County Supervisor of Elections David Stafford. “Teachers and students get an opportunity to study civics in a real life situation and see how their votes stacked up against the voting public.”
The Escambia County Kids Voting results were as follows:
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
President:
- Barack Obama 57.5%
- Mitt Romney 42.5%
U.S. Senate
- Bill Nelson 54.6%
- Connie Mack 33.8%
- Chris Borgia 5.2%
- Bill Gaylor 6.4%
U.S. Congress
- Jeff Miller 48.7%
- Jim Bryan 43.2 %
- Calen Fretts 8.0 %
Here are results from North Escambia area schools:
ERNEST WARD MIDDLE SCHOOL
President:
- Barack Obama 30.64%
- Mitt Romney 69.36%
U.S. Senate
- Bill Nelson 46.76%
- Connie Mack 45.8%
- Chris Borgia 3.12%
- Bill Gaylor 4.32%
U.S. Congress
- Jeff Miller 62.41%
- Jim Bryan 30.12%
- Calen Fretts 7.47%
RAMSOM MIDDLE SCHOOL
President:
- Barack Obama 32.98%
- Mitt Romney 67.02%
U.S. Senate
- Bill Nelson 45.95%
- Connie Mack 43.47%
- Chris Borgia 4.96%
- Bill Gaylor 5.62%
U.S. Congress
- Jeff Miller 62.49%
- Jim Bryan 30.26%
- Calen Fretts 7.25%
TATE HIGH SCHOOL
President:
- Barack Obama 29.45%
- Mitt Romney 70.55%
U.S. Senate
- Bill Nelson 37.34%
- Connie Mack 56.22%
- Chris Borgia 3.22%
- Bill Gaylor 3.22%
U.S. Congress
- Jeff Miller 73.38%
- Jim Bryan 20.78%
- Calen Fretts 5.84%
The program provides schools with a ballot that mirrors the ballot used in the polling locations through a secure website. Students use a unique number to login and cast a ballot. The login can only be used once.
The Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Office first partnered with Kids Voting Tampa Bay and Kids Voting USA to provide the mock election for students in grades K-12 for the 2008 presidential election. Kids Voting Tampa Bay and Kids Voting USA are a part of a national non-partisan, non-profit program. They also provide civics curriculum for teachers to educate students about elections, voting, and active citizenship.
The program is provided at no cost to the educational institutions or the elections office. The Escambia County Elections office provided “I voted” stickers to all of the participating schools.
Doctor With Body Parts In Storage Unit Facing More Charges
November 15, 2012
The former medical examiner that had body parts from over 100 people in an Escambia County storage unit is facing additional charges.
Michael Edward Berkland was charged Wednesday with four counts of petit theft punishable by up to 60 days in jail . He had previously been charged with one count of improper disposal/storage of hazardous waste and one count of public nuisance, according to State Attorney Bill Eddins.
The improper storage charged is a third degree felony punishable by up to five years in state prison, while the public nuisance charge is a second degree misdemeanor punishable by up to 60 days in the county jail.
The remains were stored in plastic containers, specimen cups and trash bags inside Unit B12 at Uncle Bob’s Storage at 195 East Fairfield Drive. The unit was rented by Berkland, a former associate medical examiner who is no longer licensed in Florida, according to the Pensacola Police Department.
Lungs, hearts, tissue samples, and 10 brains were among the body parts from more than 100 people found in the air conditioned unit. The body parts were stored in formaldehyde in plastic containers, plastic bags, and even a 32-ounce Styrofoam cup from a convenience store.
Some of the containers had cracked and leaked, police said.
Storage shed Manager George Klages told police contents of the unit had been sold for $900 during an auction on August 22. As the purchaser began cleaning out the unit, cardboard boxes of plastic containers holding the remains were found.
Klages told police Berkland rented the unit from April 8, 2009, until it was auctioned August 22. He said Berkland was late on rental payments several times during the lease, but usually paid right before the unit contents were to be auctioned. The storage unit also contained office furniture and other property.
It is believed the remains are from autopsies Berkland did between 1997 and 2007 at funeral homes in Pensacola, Tallahassee, Fort Walton Beach, and Panama City.
At the time of his arrest, Berkland was operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license and was also charged with that offense.
HS Football: Round 1 Playoff Brackets
November 15, 2012
Friday night is round one of the FHSAA playoffs. He is Friday night’s 1A bracket and how the teams faired last week:
(All kickoff times are 7:30 p.m. local)
Region 1
District 1 Champ 7-3 Northview lost to Class 5A 10-0 West Florida 41-28
Will play at home against
District 2 Runner-up 4-6 Cottondale lost to 8-2 Bozeman 48-22
District 2 Champ 8-2 Graceville beat 4-6 Chipley 42-41
Will play at home against
District 1 Runner-up 5-5 Freeport beat FHSAA Independent 2-8 Rocky Bayou Christian 40-21
Region 2
District 3 Champ 8-2 Holmes County lost to Class 4A 7-3 Marianna 35-0
Will play at home against
District 4 Runner-up 6-4 Blountstown lost to 8-2 Lafayette 16-7
District 4 Champ 8-2 Liberty County idle
Will play at home against
District 3 Runner-up 8-2 Bozeman beat 4-6 Cottondale 48-22
Region 3
District 5 Champ 8-2 Lafayette beat 6-4 Blountstown 16-6
Will play at home against
District 6 Runner-up 7-3 Hilliard beat Class 2A 4-6 Eagle’s View Academy 21-12
District 6 Champ 10-0 Trenton beat 5-5 Chiefland 26-14
Will play at home against
District 5 Runner-up 3-7 Jefferson County beat Class 2A 5-4 North Florida Christian 26-21
Region 4
District 7 Champ 10-0 Union County idle
Will play at home against
District 8 Runner-up 5-4 Crescent City idle
District 8 Champ 4-6 Wildwood beat FHSAA Independent 0-8 Montverde Academy 41-0
Will play at home against
District 7 Runner-up 7-3 Newberry idle
Gulf Power Recycles 5 Billion Gallons Of ECUA Reclaimed Water
November 15, 2012
It’s the perfect match – a wastewater treatment plant and a power plant. And two years and five billion gallons of water later, Gulf Power Company and Emerald Coast Utility Authority are proving that by working together a sustainable system of treating wastewater and making electricity can be a thing of beauty.
The electric utility recently surpassed the 5 billion-gallon mark in the amount of treated water used at the Plant Crist electric generating plant north of Pensacola. The plant uses the water as a cooling agent in the steam production process to operate a state-of-the-art scrubber system that reduces air emissions. And, by using the water from the nearby ECUA water treatment plant, the company avoids taking millions of gallons of water out of the Escambia River.
“This shows through teamwork and innovation, two different utilities can work together to benefit all their customers and the environment,” said Natalie Smith, Gulf Power spokesperson. “With our scrubber system we are providing cleaner electricity for our customers in Northwest Florida, and this partnership with ECUA shows that we can provide solutions for sustainable resources and responsible growth. This partnership benefits Northwest Florida with cleaner air — and cleaner water.”
The award-winning Gulf Power-ECUA project started in October 2010, when Emerald Coast Utilities Authority began piping water from its new Central Water Reclamation Facility to Plant Crist, four miles away. Plant Crist uses the treated water in its steam generating process and to operate the scrubber system, which reduces regulated air emissions from Plant Crist by more than 95 percent.
The new advanced ECUA facility was built to replace the Main Street Wastewater plant, which was located downtown across the street from the Community Maritime Park. Since Gulf Power and International Paper are able to use the reclaimed water, the new facility is considered zero-discharge.
“Being good stewards of the environment is part of our mission at Gulf Power and this project is a great example of doing this on a very large scale,” Smith said.
In September, Gulf Power won a national award from the WasteReuse Association as Water Reuse Customer of the Year. The partnership with ECUA won the Sustainable Florida Award in 2010. A year later, it won the 2011 Industry Excellence Award from the Southeastern Electric Exchange, which includes 20 major utilities in the Southeast and mid-Atlantic from Texas to Maryland and Virginia. Gulf Power also won the David York Water Reuse Award from the Florida Water Environment Association earlier this year.
Pictured: The Central Water Reclamation Facility in Cantonment. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.