Bartley Eugene (Gene) Lord
March 27, 2013
Gene Lord, 77, of Pace passed away on March 25, 2013. He was born in Pensacola and grew up in Pace. Gene was preceded in death by his father, Reverend D.M. Lord, his mother Estelle Lord , one brother, D.E. (Pete) Lord, brother-in-law, Neal Watford, and nephews Alan Lord and Danny Lord .
He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Jackie (Renfroe) Lord, three children; Darlene (Duke) Lee, Bart Lord and Mike (Kathy) Lord, 4 grandchildren; Doug Lee, Chari Huntzberry, Angela Danan and Ben Danan, 4 great-grandchildren; Shelby Sanders, Jacob Waltz, Bryce Waltz and Kilan Huntzberry, one sister, Carol Lord Watford, sister-in-law Colleen Lord, 2 nephews, Billy Lord and Doug (Becky) Lord and a host of friends.
He was of the Baptist faith.
He graduated from Milton High School in 1953 and attended Pensacola Junior College.
Gene was very active in the Boy Scouts of America and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout; he is listed in the Eagle Scout Roll of Honor.
Gene worked as Staff manager for Life and Casualty Insurance Company in Hattiesburg, Ms for 10 years and went on to open his own business, Tri-City Insurance, in Century, Fl. He began a career in civil service at NAS Whiting Field and went on to complete the apprentice program for sheet metal mechanic (aircraft) at NAS Pensacola where he retired after 25 years of service.
Continuing a family tradition, Gene taught his sons to hunt and fish at an early age. He especially loved the outdoors and spent countless hours either working in his yard or pursuing his passion for hunting and fishing with his boys or playing Superman with his great-grandchildren.
Gene was a hero to his family, with his smile, his laugh, “his little dance” and his fun loving ways. He loved his lemon tree, his garden, his video camera and spending time with his family.
Visitation will be held at Lewis Chapel in Pace on Wednesday March 27, 2013, from 5-7 p.m.
Funeral services will be held at Lewis Chapel in Pace Thursday, March 28, 2013, at 11:00 a.m. with the Reverend Glen Davenport officiating.
Pallbearers are Billy Lord, Doug Lord, Marvin King, Andy Davis, Bob Holland and Herman Jernigan
Burial will be at Elizabeth Chapel Cemetery on Chumuckla Hwy following the services.
Authorities Seek Missing, Endangered Man
March 26, 2013
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a man considered missing and endangered.
Ellis Robinson, 22, was last seen March 22 in the 100 block of South 2nd Street and has been without needed medication since this time. He was last seen wearing a blue and white striped shirt, blue jeans and black and white striped shoes. He has brown eyes, is about 5-feet, 8-inches tall, and weighs about 220 pounds.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or (850) 436-9199.
Exclusive: Sister Addresses McGhee Disappearance; Sheriff Has Message For Abductor
March 26, 2013
It has been a decade since Melinda Wall McGhee went missing from her Atmore home, a decade that has been a living nightmare for her sister Lisa Wooten.
Wooten said Monday that she’s never held any hope that her sister will be found alive since the moment she learned the details of McGhee’s disappearance .
“I live everyday with no hope that she will be found alive,” Wooten said in an exclusive interview with NorthEscambia.com. “I knew from the first day, I knew and believed at that moment that she was murdered.”
For Wooten, her hope now centers on closure and justice.
“Every time I hear that remains have been found somewhere, I pray that it will be my sister,” she said. “We are still hoping someone with come forward with something. We want to to find out what happened, who did it, and bring them to justice.”
The case still haunts Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff Grover Smith.
“We’re all a little concerned when we lay our head down and sleep, to know that a person can be abducted from their home in broad daylight, and ten years later we still have no answers,” he said.
Smith also had a message of justice for McGhee’s abductor — or murderer — at a press conference held Monday.
“We also want to remind the person who took Melinda McGhee, that every time you hear a footstep behind you, every time you hear a noise in the night, it could be us. We’re not gonna quit. We are never going to let you rest and we’re going to do everything in our power that God gives us the wisdom to seek to do, to find out where Melinda is and where you are if you’re the person who took her.”
Smith said foul play was certainly part of McGhee’s disappearance, and he vowed his department will continue their investigation. A special investigator, Tommy Calhoun, is leading the search for the suspect.
Smith said sometimes he doubts the abductor will be found locally. “The type person that will commit a crime like this is likely to commit another similar crime in 10 years,” he said. “That has not happened here.”
“People remain suspects until they can be cleared, and there are several individuals we are highly interested in that we will not clear until we have sufficient evidence and information that they are no longer a suspect,” Calhou said. Some of those people have refused to speak to investigators for the past 10 years.
The morning of March 24, 2003, was a sunny start to the first day of spring break. Melinda Wall McGhee, then 31, returned to her home about 8 a.m. after working the night shift as a nurse at a Bay Minette nursing home.
Her husband, Troy McGhee, was at work at Masland Carpets in Atmore. Their two children were at a babysitter, and Troy’s son from a previous relationship was at a dentist’s office. At about 8:30 the morning of March 24, 2003, Melinda McGhee spoke to her mother on the phone. It was the last time anyone known to Melinda would ever hear from her.
At about 4:00 that afternoon, husband Troy came home to find Melinda missing. There was blood and evidence of a violent struggle inside the home. He reported his wife missing.
In 2010, authorities issued a death certificate for McGhee after a required seven year waiting period passed.
When asked what she would like to say directly to the person responsible for the disappearance of her sister, Wooten said, “I don’t want him to know the pain, the hurt, the anger I’ve felt for the last 10 years. He is not worthy of any of my words.”
Anyone with information about McGhee’s disappearance is asked to call Investigator Tommy Calhoun at (251) 809-2154 or email him at tcalhoun@co.escambia.al.us. A reward of up to $15,000 is offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
Pictured top inset: Melinda Wall McGhee’s mother Ouida and her sister, Lisa Wooten, sit quietly behind pictures of McGhee during a press conference Monday in Poarch, AL. Pictured inset: Escambia County (AL) Sheriff Grover Smith (left) and Investigator Tommy Calhoun discuss McGhee’s disappearance. Pictured bottom: Representatives from contingent of law enforcement agencies that have worked the case for the past 10 years. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
House Destroyed, Four Other Structures Threatened By Wildfire (With Gallery)
March 26, 2013
One house was destroyed and four other structures were threatened by a wind-drive brush fire Monday afternoon in Byrneville, and one home owner is pointing the blame at thieves or vandals that have plagued the neighborhood.
An uninhabited house was reported to be on fire just before noon in the 1300 block of McBride Road. The house was fully involved and had sparked a brush fire that was spreading quickly across a field as firefighters arrived on scene.
The house was a total loss. Firefighters were able to keep the rapidly spreading brush fire from destroying an abandoned trailer, two occupied mobile homes and barn. In total, the brush fire consumed about eight acres.
For a photo gallery, click here.
“They’ve been stealing stuff out of the house before,” said Noah McBride, owner of the abandoned house. He said the house had no electricity of gas and theorized the fire was started by thieves or vandals.
“There has been a big problem with break-ins in this area,” he said. “The house still had old furniture and things in it, and they’d been there several times stealing a few things. I bet they were back.”
The exact cause of the fire will be determined by the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office.
The Century, McDavid, Walnut Hill, Molino and Cantonment stations of Escambia Fire Rescue, the Flomaton Fire Department and the Florida Division of Forestry battled the blaze. Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded.
Pictured top: An uninhabited house on McBride Road was fully involved when firefighters arrived on scene as scene in this reader submitted photos.. Pictured inset and below: A resulting brush fire consumed about eight acres and threatened four other structures. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Property Taxes Deliquent April 1
March 26, 2013
Real estate and tangible personal property taxes become delinquent on April 1.
After the Saturday, March 31 deadline, a penalty of 3 percent for real estate and 1½ percent for tangible taxes will be assessed. Over $31 million (approximately 13%) of the Escambia County tax roll remains unpaid, according to Tax Collector Janet Holley.
Since the deadline falls during the weekend when the offices are closed, offices will still accept payments without penalty Monday, April 1 for in person payments only.
In addition, payments will be accepted without penalty if:
- mailed with a postmark by March 31
- left in any 24-hour drop boxes available at all offices by midnight March 31
- made on the tax collector web site by midnight March 31
Drive thru service and 24-hour drop boxes are available at all locations.
You may check the status of your taxes and pay online at www.escambiataxcollector.com. For more information, contact the tax collector’s office at (850) 438-6500, ext. 3252.
All tax collector offices will be closed March 29 in observance of Good Friday.
Escambia Schools Plan Summer Programs
March 26, 2013
The Escambia County School District is planning a variety of summer school programs.
Programs will include a summer reading camp for third grade students who continue to exhibit substantial reading deficiencies, a preschool readiness program for children entering kindergarten who have not participated in a VPK program, an extended school year for students with disabilities, a high school driver’s education program, and a virtual program for remediation and course recovery for secondary students.
The budgeted programs are expected to cost $964,405, less than the $1.35 million spent last year due to the elimination of a second reading and math camp.
The third grade summer reading camps will be held at centralized locations: Beulah, Molino Park, Oakcrest, Holm, Pine Meadow and Blue Angels elementary schools. The preschool readiness program will be offered at Beulah, Pine Meadow, Holm and Blue Angels elementary schools.
Woman Hit, Killed By Train
March 26, 2013
A woman died after being hit by a train Monday afternoon in Escambia County.
The woman was identified by police at 22-year old Anja Govedarica of Scenic Highway. Authorities said she was chasing her dog trying to get it off the tracks as a train approached. The dog escaped, but the train was unable to stop before striking Govedarica.
The incident occurred around 4:15 p.m. in the 200 block of Chipley Avenue.
Cantonment Stabbing Under Investigation
March 26, 2013
Investigators are continuing to look for clues in a weekend stabbing in Cantonment.
Escambia County EMS was called to a home on Robinson Street north of Muscogee Road about 2:30 Sunday morning where they found an 18-year old male had been stabbed in the lower abdomen. He was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital. He was treated for non-life threatening injuries, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The stabbing reportedly occurred at a different location in Cantonment.
So far, investigators have few clues to go on in the case; the victim would provide only limited information about the stabbing, according to Sena Madison, spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office.
Anyone with information on the stabbing is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Sex Offender Arrested For Lewd Behavior, Indecent Exposure
March 26, 2013
A registered sexual offender was arrested Monday afternoon after an investigation determined he exposed himself on Sunday to a 10-year old boy at Walmart.
Glenn Franshion Williams, 34, of the 2100 block of Eliasberg Street,was arrested around 2:30 p.m. at his home, said Pensacola Police Department Detective Cliff Lyster. He was charged with lewd and lascivious behavior and indecent exposure.
The incident occurred around 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the Walmart at 2650 Creighton Road. The child was in the children’s toy aisle and looking at a water gun when the suspect exposed himself and began masturbating, Lyster said.
Lyster said the child immediately left the area, found his mother and pointed out the suspect to her. She then notified a Walmart employee, who in turn notified police.
Frashion is not a suspect in other exposure complaints at several other retail stores. For more on those cases, click here.
Ex-Republican Party Chair Faces Sentencing This Week
March 26, 2013
Former Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer, who pled guilty on the eve of a potentially politically salacious trial that could have aired the laundry of the state GOP and former Gov. Charlie Crist, will find out his prison fate Wednesday.
Greer’s pre-trial guilty plea in February allowed him to avert the possibility of up to 75 years in prison for fraud, money laundering and theft when he again appears before Circuit Judge Donald Myers at 1:30 p.m. in Orlando.
Instead, Greer, 50, faces the prospect of a maximum sentence of 35 years on four counts of theft and a reduced money laundering charge. The recommended sentence, per state guidelines, is more likely to put Greer in prison for closer to 3-and-a-half years.
Greer, ran the party from 2007 to 2010, has been able to stay at home since his plea announcement on Feb. 11. A grand jury had indicted Greer in 2010 on six counts, including a charge of organized fraud which was dropped with the guilty plea.
Greer’s attorney Damon Chase, who had fiercely claimed “the evidence was overwhelmingly in our favor,” was not immediately available for comment on Monday.
Greer’s guilty admission accepts the state premise that he created a shell fund-raising company called Victory Strategies that was used to steer Republican Party of Florida money into his personal bank account, on top of the $130,000 salary he got from the party.
Greer long claimed the party was aware of the arrangement, even approving a secret $123,000 severance deal that was supposed to shroud him from criminal liability. He filed suit against the RPOF, former Senate President Mike Haridopolos and Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, seeking the severance money and $5 million in damages.
The suit was dropped with the guilty plea.
RPOF leadership has spent the past three years trying to distance themselves from Greer, who they have accused of lavishly spending party money.
While chairing the RPOF, Greer first drew complaints from inside the party for taking side in a number of primary contests.
Greer has blamed his banishment from the party and eventual downfall for his ties to Crist, and particularly his support of Crist’s controversial embrace of President Barack Obama’s 2009 stimulus package and later Crist’s run for U.S. Senate in 2010 against Marco Rubio.
After Greer pled guilty, RPOF Executive Director Mike Grissom referred to Greer as “the man Charlie Crist personally picked to lead the Republican Party of Florida.”
“The truth is now known that Jim Greer broke the law, stole from RPOF and our donors, and then said and did everything he could to cover up and distract attention from his crimes,” Grissom said in a release. “Everything Jim Greer has said and done over these past few years should be considered in that light.”
Crist also disassociated himself from Greer’s actions, claiming under oath to have had no knowledge of Victory Strategies until one day reading about it in a newspaper.
Democrats, meanwhile, have tried to keep Republicans from ducking blame. But the Florida Democratic Party may also start to push the matter into the past as Crist continues to fuel speculation he will run, as a Democrat, for governor in 2014.
By The News Service of Florida