Search Continues For Woman Last Seen At Nine Mile Road Bar
November 9, 2012
Investigators are still looking for 55-year old Nancy Jean Craycraft of Pensacola who has been missing since October 19.
Craycraft was last seen at Chan’s Bar on Nine Mile Rd in the company of Archie Hauck, who has been interviewed, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Both the Escambia and Baldwin County sheriff’s offices are investigating her disappearance. Her car was found in Baldwin County two days after her disappearance.
Authorities and family members have not had any contact with Craycraft since before October 19 and are concerned about her safety.
Investigators and family have not had any contact with raycraft since before she went missing and are concerned about her safety.
Craycraft is described as a white female, 5-foot 4 inches, 110 pounds, with blondish-brown hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information about here whereabouts is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP or the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620.
Walnut Hill VFD Fish Fry Is Saturday
November 9, 2012
The Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department’s 43rd Annual Catfish Fry will be held Saturday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Walnut Hill Fire Station on Highway 97.
Plates will be $7 each with your choice of catfish fillets or grilled chicken, plus baked beans, cole slaw, hush puppies, homemade bread and cake. There will also be drawing for door prizes beginning at 1 p.m.
Proceeds from the fish fry are used to provide assistance to displaced fire victims in the area.
The Northwest Florida Blood Center Bloodmobile will also be on hand for a blood drive.
Pictured: Scenes from last year’s annual catfish fry at the Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Ernest Ward Middle Honors Veterans (With Gallery)
November 9, 2012
An emotional program honored veterans Thursday morning at Ernest Ward Middle School in Walnut Hill.
Much of the program centered around the story of Albert Hunninghake of Walnut Hill. Appearing in a video produced by the school, Hunninghake provided a firsthand account of the attack on Pearl Harbor days after he enlisted in the Navy. He told of being stranded afloat in a life raft in the Pacific for 28 days, an ordeal he survived by thinking of being back on the family farm.
Hunninghake also watched nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll, and watched from a neighboring ship through long binoculars on September 2, 1945, as Japan surrendered aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
The program included a slideshow of students’ and faculty members’ family members that have served in the armed forces, along with music from the EWMS band and choir.
Each branch of the armed forces was recognized in a solemn hat ceremony as members of the Patriot Guard and the Northivew High School NJROTC stood at attention.
Many wiped tears from their eyes as the students prepared a small, white table with a place setting for one in front of an empty black chair. The ceremony represented the never-ending hope for the return of MIA soldiers.
The annual Veterans Day program at Ernest Ward is a longstanding community tradition, held annually for about the last 20 years.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Pictured: Seth Killam, Ian Schneider, Zach Sheldon, Mitchell Singleton and Triston Long take part in a hat ceremony honored the branches of the military Thursday morning at Ernest Ward Middle School. Pictured top inset: Scores of local veterans attended the program. Pictured bottom inset: A table set during a ceremony to remember MIA soldiers. Pictured below: The Ernest Ward choir performs a patriotic selection. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Old Truck Prompts Reports Of Burning Gasoline Tanker
November 9, 2012
A wreck of a truck with a lot of mechanical problems prompted fears of a burning gasoline tanker on Highway 29 at Roberts Road Thursday evening.
Some callers to 911 reported black smoke boiling out of a vehicle was not visible, while other callers even reported they thought a gas tanker truck was burning. That prompted the dispatch of five stations of Escambia Fire Rescue and an ambulance to the area.
The first firefighters to arrive in the area reported so much smoke in the air that they could not determine exactly where the reported burning truck was located. They were soon able to find the multicolor Ford F800in the parking lot of Shear Illusions on Highway 95A.
Firefighters reported that the truck was leaking large quantities of hydraulic fluid, oil and other fluids that had burned while the truck was in motion.
There was no driver with the vehicle when firefighters arrived; witnesses said the driver fled on foot when he heard sirens approaching.
The incident was referred to the Florida Highway Patrol for investigation. Further details were not available.
Pictured: When thick smoke finally cleared off Highway 29 Thursday evening, firefighters discovered this truck was the source. NorthEscambia.com photo by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
In The End, Florida Finally Goes For Obama
November 9, 2012
Florida finally appeared to go for President Barack Obama on Thursday, ending an entirely academic exercise in which the state was decided almost two days after Obama won re-election.
Unofficial returns on the Florida Division of Elections website showed the Democratic incumbent clinging to a lead of slightly more than 58,000 votes over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Even without Florida’s 29 electoral votes, which were viewed as essential for any Romney win, Obama had already carried enough states to claim the presidency.
Still, Democrats touted a final victory after one of their strongest elections in years. U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson won re-election while the party gained seats in Congress and both chambers of the Legislature, though Republicans continue to hold commanding majorities in state government.
Democratic Party Chairman Rod Smith issued a statement congratulating Obama for winning the state.
“Florida Democrats ran the strongest, largest ground game this state has ever seen: out-registering Republicans for eight consecutive months, cutting the GOP’s historical absentee ballot advantage in half, requesting over a million Democratic absentee ballots for the first time in history, and out-pacing Republicans during every day of early voting, and this hard work has paid off,” Smith said.
Meanwhile, Romney Florida adviser Brett Doster told The Miami Herald in a statement that the campaign had lost Florida.
“We thought based on our polling and range of organization that we had done what we needed to win,” Doster said. “Obviously, we didn’t, and for that I and every other operative in Florida has a sick feeling that we left something on the table. I can assure you this won’t happen again.”
Brian Burgess, communications director for the Republican Party of Florida, essentially conceded defeat.
“We’re obviously not happy with the result, but given the wave that we saw all over the country, we’re glad that we gave them enough of a fight in Florida to prolong the battle here as long as we did,” Burgess said in an email. “But we’re not looking back, we’re looking forward to building a stronger coalition of Floridians who believe America can do much better than what we’ve seen over the last four years.”
The odyssey of Florida’s electoral votes began shortly after the polls officially closed. Some voters in Miami-Dade County waited in line until after 1 a.m. Wednesday — after several networks had called the race for Obama. Obama had already claimed 303 electoral votes before Thursday’s announcement, more than the 270 needed to win re-election.
By Brandon Larrabee
The News Service of Florida
NWE Mites Playoff Bound
November 9, 2012
The Northwest Escambia Mites are playoff bound. Their first playoff game will be Saturday, November 17 against East Pensacola with game time and location to be announced.Members of the NWE Mites are (front, L-R) Jacob Findley, Josh Wilson, Kenaundre Richardson, Dillon Grant, Trent Kite, Michael Merchant, Trent Peebles, Ben Wilson, Cody Edwards, (second row) Tripp Gipson, Tyler Kite, Wyatt Windham, Josh Merchant, Jayson Helton, Jason Fayard, Adam Aliff, Ian Gifford, Johnny Windham, (back) Assistant Coach Danny Fuller, Assistant Coach Ronnie Merchant, and Head Coach Josh Edwards. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Woman Sentenced To Prison For Abusing Mentally Disabled Daughter
November 9, 2012
An Escambia County woman was sentenced Thursday to 69 months in state prison for abusing her mentally disabled daughter.
DeeAnn Hale, 59, was charged in April along with friend Clinton Michael Carr and her husband. Carr was sentenced Thursday to five years, six months in prison.
On April 12, law enforcement discovered that the daughter had been forced to wear a signboard that read “I am a liar and a theif” (sic) around her neck. She was forced to repeatedly walk the perimeter of a backyard pool allegedly as punishment for “stealing” candy from food the family claimed was for the homeless.
The sign was made of two pieces of wet plywood, approximately 3-foot squared, being held around her neck with two heavy metal chains. Deputies asked the girl to kneel down and were able to remove the signs, which were estimated to weigh about 40 pounds. Due to the weight of the signs the chain had slightly embedded into the victim’s neck, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The woman had also suffered a lacerated scalp which had been stitched closed with a common sewing needle and thread. Further investigation into the woman’s treatment revealed that during the previous 12 months, she had been forced to stay outside 24 hours a day for days on end and deprived of adequate shelter, food and medical attention, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
DeeAnne Hale’s husband, Rondal Hale, was previously convicted of four counts of aggravated abuse of a disabled adult and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
No Serious Injuries In Hwy 29 Crash
November 8, 2012
One person was injured in a two vehicle crash late Thursday morning on Highway 29 near Kingsfield Road.
The accident happened about 11 a.m. when a driver apparently rear-ended a flatbed semi-truck trailer in the southbound lanes of Highway 29. he injured female was transported to a Pensacola hospital by ambulance. Her injuries were not considered life threatening.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Two Charged With Murdering Store Owner (With Exclusive Photos)
November 8, 2012
Two people have been charged with murdering a store owner inside a Davisville lottery store Tuesday afternoon.
Malcolm Troy McGhee, Jr., 24, was arrested early Wednesday morning in Escambia County, Alabama, and is awaiting extradition to Florida.
Brent Dewayne Lambeth, age 20 of Atmore, was arrested Wednesday afternoon by the U.S. Marshals Task Force, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, a Century Correctional Institution K-9 team and the Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff’s Office. He was taken into custody at or near a trailer in a wooded area on Sandy Hollow Lane near Walnut Hill. He is being held in the Escambia County (Fla.) Jail without bond.
Both men are charged with murder and robbery with a firearm.
The longtime owner of the State Line O’ Yes Lotto on Highway 97 in Davisville, 74-year old Thomas “Tommy” Kroll was shot and killed during an exchange of gunfire during the robbery about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Investigators said they received information from confidential sources that led to the arrests. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said Kroll’s business was specifically targeted by Lambeth and McGhee because of previous purchases of “Spice” and that the duo “intended on robbing the store of more Spice that day”.
For a photo gallery from the murder scene, click here.
For an earlier story, click here.
For more about Tommy Kroll and words from his wife, click here.
Pictured top: Brent Dewayne Lambeth, a suspect in the murder of a Davisville business owner, was arrested Wednesday afternoon at or near this mobile home in wooded area on Sandy Hollow Road in Walnut Hill. Pictured bottom inset: An Escambia County K-9 unit was on scene. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge. Pictured below: The scene following the robbery Tuesday afternoon in Davisville. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Byrneville Elementary Releases First Nine Weeks Honor Roll
November 8, 2012
The following students were named to the first nine weeks honor roll at Byrneville Elementary School:
Mrs. Barberree’s Kindergarten
All Satisfactory
Ayden Atallah
Maddie Mae Driskell
Tyler Gilmore
Olivia Griffis
Damarius Jefferson
Daisy Johnson
Mia Kornegay
Madison Levins
Allie Odom
Jayden White
Mrs. Roger’s Kindergarten
All Satisfactory
Nicole Briscoe
Layla Brown
Ashton Covan
Kerissa Dortch
Anna Dunsford
Hunter Johnson
Kelan Jurey
Evin Matlock
Addisen Millen
Blake Shaw
Mallory Smith
Mrs. Dawson’s First Grade
“A” Honor Roll
Madalyn Grimes
Tyson McBride
“A/B” Honor Roll:
Reygan Steadham
Ms. Thornton’s First Grade
“A” Honor Roll
Alexa Castro
Riley Dawson
Meredith Johnston
Tyler Riggs
“A/B” Honor Roll:
Adrianna Atallah
Nolin Godwin
Josh Johnson
Aydan Smith
Mrs. Marshman’s Second Grade
“A” Honor Roll
Kaden Odom
Aloysia Dortch
“A/B” Honor Roll
Briana Dunsford
Chase Hampton
Johnnie Howell
Kayla Johnson
Emily Lambeth
Jessica Loftis
Dreama Wright
Mrs. Weaver’s Second Grade
“A” Honor Roll
Drake Allen Driskell
Micaleb Guntrum,
Emily Levins
“A/B” Honor Roll
Leah Anderson
Marina Franklin
Eli Jackson
Zane Rolin
Aleigh Thornton
Mrs. Dunsford’s Third Grade
“A” Honor Roll
Hunter Borelli
Torka Mills
Dillon Spears
“A/B” Honor Roll
Bama Coburn
Josh Dunsford
Tessa Flowers
Kailin Gafford
Jace Gifford
Taylor Levins
James Loftis
Harley Walker
David Ward
Mrs. Gilmore’s Fourth Grade
“A” Honor Roll
Maille Kilcrease
Logan Bryan
“A/B” Honor Roll
Travon Brown
Tyler Rolin
Tyler Merchant
Brianna Colter
Abigail Levins
Heather Knowles
Mrs. Johnston’s Fifth Grade
“A” Honor Roll
Madicyn Bell
Ian Gifford
Alex Glidewell
Chandler Hinote
Alexis Lee
Lea Nall
Cloe Smith
Savannah Steadham
Nicky Trump
Olivia Watson
Ashten Wright
“A/B” Honor Roll
Skyler Busbee
William Johnson
Jake Lambeth
Hannah Merchant
Kelli Merchant
Waylon Milstead
Valorie Padilla