Man Pulls Gun On Walmart Workers (With Video)
February 26, 2013
What started out as a retail theft turned into a robbery when a suspect pulled what appeared to be a black semiautomatic pistol on loss prevention officers at a local Walmart. Now, Escambia Sheriff’s investigators are seeking the public’s help in identifying the suspect.
On Saturday, February 23, Escambia Sheriff’s investigators responded to a retail theft which occurred shortly after noon at the Walmart located in the 4600 block of Mobile Highway.
Loss prevention officers had witnessed the individual conceal several items from the store before checking out and failing to pay for the items. They then escorted him to the loss prevention office after a brief struggle in the exit area.
Before deputies arrived, dispatchers advised them that the person in question had pulled a weapon on store employees. The suspect fled and deputies circulated the area; however he was not located. He is described as a clean shaven white male with light brown hair. He was wearing dark pants and a gray tee shirt with a dark grey fleece pullover.
Anyone with information on the crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP or the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620.
If you do not see the video below, it is because your work, school or home firewall is blocking YouTube videos.
Rainout for Tate, Northview Baseball and Softball
February 25, 2013
It’s a rainout for area baseball and softball games:
Northview’s varsity and JV Chiefs scheduled games for Tuesday at Northview have been moved to Baker. On April 11, Baker will now travel to Bratt.
Northview Lady Chief’s home against Escambia Academy has been canceled. On Tuesday, the varsity will travel to Pensacola to play Catholic.
Tate’s varsity will play at Washington tomorrow at 7 p.m. JV game will be rescheduled for April 16 at 6 p.m. JV plays at Pace tomorrow as scheduled at 7 p.m.
Tate softball was not scheduled to play today. The Lady Aggies will travel to Milton on Tuesday at 5 p.m. for JV and 7 p.m. for varsity.
Missing Woman Located
February 25, 2013
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office investigators have found a 91-year old woman that had been missing for a week.
Geneva Woods was last seen February 18 in the 6000 block of Chelsea Street.
She was found unharmed a few hours after the Sheriff’s Office asked for the public’s help in locating her Monday afternoon.
No Injuries In Wrecks On Muscogee, Crabbtree Church Roads
February 25, 2013
There were no injuries in single vehicle wrecks Monday morning on Muscogee Road and Crabtree Church Road.
Muscogee Road Crash
The Florida Highway Patrol said 49-year old Kenneth Vincent Oakley of Mobile was traveling eastbound on Muscogee Road west of Highway 29 at about 5 a.m. in a 1996 Peterbuilt truck when he said he met another vehicle with high beams that blinded him.
Oakley veered off the road and into a ditch. He tried to continue to the travel out of the opposite end of the ditch but collided with a culvert, rupturing a fuel tank and dumping the truck’s load of sheet metal.
Charges against Oakley are pending, according to the FHP.
Crabtree Church Road
There were no injuries reported when a driver overturned about 6:10 a.m. on Crabtree Church Road near Homeplace Lane, just west of Highway 97.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 29-year old Jason Williams of Molino was traveling east on Crabtree Church Road where he said he hit standing water and lost control of his 2000 Ford SUV. The vehicle hit a culvert and overturned onto its right side.
Williams was not injured. There were no charges filed, according to the FHP.
Flash Flood Watch: Severe Storms, More Heavy Rain Possible Tonight
February 25, 2013
Pictured: Flooding this afternoon on Crabtree Church Road in Molino. Submitted photo by Patsy Eady for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
There is a tornado watch and flash flood warning in effect for the entire area. Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Periods of showers and thunderstorms. Some storms could be severe, with heavy rain. Low around 51. East wind 10 to 15 mph becoming southwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.
- Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 66. Windy, with a southwest wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 20 to 25 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph.
- Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 40. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph.
- Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 66. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 37. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 61. Northwest wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
- Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 35. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
- Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 57. Northwest wind 5 to 15 mph.
- Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 34.
- Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 55.
- Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 29.
- Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 53.
Couple’s Mandatory Prison Time Cut From 15 To 3 Years For Drug Trafficking
February 25, 2013
A Walnut Hill man and his wife sentenced in 2009 to a mandatory 15 years in state prison for drug trafficking have had their mandatory sentence cut to only three years.
In June 2009, it took an Escambia County jury just 50 minutes to convict the Stephen Eugene Freeman, 43, and his wife Monica Lassitter Freeman, 40, on the trafficking charges involving 14 to 28 grams of hydrocodone.
Both Freemans filed a motion alleging that they had ineffective counsel during their trials, “essentially claiming that their lawyers did a poor job”, according to Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille, asking the judge to set aside their convictions.
“They made substantial allegations that would have been very difficult to refute,” Marcille said. “If their motion was granted, it would mean a new trial.”
Prosecutors were unable to locate the confidential informant that testified against the Freemans in 2009, Marcille said, making it near impossible to prove without question the number of pills sold. For that reason, the State Attorney’s Office negotiated the charges against both Freemans down from trafficking 14 to 28 grams to trafficking in more than four but less than 14 grams — which carries a much shorter minimum mandatory sentence — in order to avoid a new trial.
Monica Freeman was sentenced on the lesser charge to 69 months in state prison with a minimum mandatory of three years with credit for 214 days plus time served in prison since her conviction. Stephen Freeman was sentenced to 60 months in state prison with a three year minimum mandatory with credit for 81 days plus time served in state prison since his conviction. The court did not rule on the ineffectiveness of the Freeman’s lawyers.
The Freemans were originally arrested by Escambia County Sheriff’s Deputies on June 4, 2008, following an undercover operation in which deputies discovered prescription Lortab and other pills in the couple’s home on Garrett Road in Walnut Hill.
Pictured: Monica and Stephen Freeman as seen in their 2008 Escambia County Jail booking photos (below) and their most current Florida Department of Corrections photos (above).
Escambia County Drive-By Shooting Under Investigation
February 25, 2013
A drive-by shooting Sunday in Escambia County is under investigation.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to Rochelle Drive and Massachusetts Avenue about 5:30 Sunday morning in reference to a shots fired call. Deputies found 34-year old Herbert Lee Bonner of Pensacola with a gunshot wound to the thigh.
He told deputies that he had been walking on Massachusetts Avenue when a white car traveling eastbound fired multiple rounds at him, striking him in the back of the thigh.
Bonner was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Further details have not been released. Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP or the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620.
Escambia County Students Of The Month Named
February 25, 2013
Students of the month for January have been named in Escambia County. The awards are presented monthly to a limited number of students from participating schools.
(North Escambia area schools are in bold.)
Bellview Elementary — Marleigh Gideons, fifth; Silkia Conley, first;
Beulah Elementary — Sadie Ridley, second; Tyson Snyder, second;
Blue Angels Elementary — Jude Trahan, first; Alara Biggs, first;
Bratt Elementary — Brayson White, KG, Savannah Doremus, fourth;
Brentwood Elementary — Jakiya Williams, third; Logan Labossiere, third;
Ferry Pass Elementary — Mackenzie Jones, first; Jonathan Dean, first;
Global Learning Academy Nicole Wigington, second; Lakota‐Rayne Gibbs, second;
Hellen Caro Elementary — Aidyn Hemmert, fourth; Jonah Leland, fifth;
Holm Elementary — Grace Hurt, Pre-K, Kaleb Bowser, Pre-K,
Jim Allen Elementary — Audrey Rudd, first; Robert McClammy, first;
Lipscomb Elementary — Aubriana Frick, second; Emily Oswald, third;
Longleaf Elementary — Nahriyah Alejandro, fourth; Alexander Russo, fourth;
McArthur Elementary — Kylee Rose, first; Hajar Abdelqader, first;
Montclair Elementary — Camden Vandervort, second; Lyquasha Mccorvey, second;
Myrtle Grove Elementary — Christian Sande, second; Bos’nia White, second;
Navy Point Elementary — Patience Goble, third; Maksim Stakheev, second;
Pleasant Grove Elementary — Quo’tasha Leverette, fourth; Cortrez Sims, fourth;
Sherwood Elementary — Makayla Amante, second; Joshua Rumpff, second;
Suter Elementary — Margaret Adair, first; Austin Doidge, first;
Weis Elementary — Jacques Brewington, second; Jaynisha Howard, second;
MIDDLE SCHOOLS
Bailey Middle — Riley Annabel, sixth;Julie Percle, seventh; Aniya Gaines, eighth;
Bellview Middle — Tineka Benjamin, eighth; Benjamin Northcutt, eighth;
Brown Barge Middle — Sarina Paolini, eighth; Erick Lopez, eighth;
Ernest Ward Middle — Jessica Stacey, eighth; Cody Kite, seventh; Lexxi Baggett sixth,
Ferry Pass Middle — Darius Anderson, seventh;
Ransom Middle — Justin Schubeck, seventh; Maggie Sharritt, seventh;
Warrington Middle — Zayda Sepulveda, sixth;Ty’asia Knight sixth,
Workman Middle — Samar Aalshareef, eighth; Majad Alqassim, eighth;
HIGH SCHOOLS
Escambia High — Marissa Magill, 10th; Allison Nicholas, 12th;ohnie Sublett, 12th;
Northview High — Dustin Parker, 12th; Courtney Peebles, 10th;
Tate High — Lacie Walker, 11th; John Pendleton, 12th;
West Florida High — Delaney Anderson, 10th; Samuel Skinner, 12th;
SPECIAL CENTERS
Escambia Westgate — Diamond Whitesell, third; Amaya Katumba, first; Whitney Brown, eighth; Timothy Fink, seventh;
Escambia Westgate — Justin Matthews, 10th; Alexis Fredericks, 10th;
Beulah Academy — Dallon Burgess, eighth; Hayley Lester, seventh.
Meeting Monday To Discuss Drilling In Blackwater River State Forest
February 25, 2013
Despite withdrawing a bill this session that would have allowed drilling in the Blackwater River State Forest, Rep. Doug Broxson will still hold a Blackwater drilling public forum Monday evening in Jay.
“Since filing HB 431, our office has received many emails and phone calls, both in support and opposition to this bill, but very few people seem to have a sense of what the bill actually does,” Broxson said Wednesday afternoon. “I believe that we should have further discussion about how the leases in Blackwater are determined and managed.”
The town hall meeting will take place from 5:30 until 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Jay Community Center at 5259 Booker Street. The meeting will include representatives from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the Florida Forrest Service, who will provide information and answer questions regarding the issue of oil drilling on state lands.
Broxson said drilling in the Blackwater River State Forest could have created hundreds of new jobs and tens of millions in new revenue for the state.
Northview To Hold Baseball Camp This Saturday
February 25, 2013
The Northview Chiefs will hold a Baseball Camp this Saturday, March 2.
The camp is open to all machine pitch through senior league players wanting to sharpen their baseball skills. Players can get valuable, specialized training from the Northview
Chief’s Varsity Baseball Team.
Under the supervision and direction of Northview’s Head Coach Marty Lister, players will be taught the necessary skills to become a better player. All aspects of the games will be covered such as, base running, stealing bases, pick-off moves for both pitchers and catchers, batting and throwing.
All camp participants will get one-on-one instruction from the Northview players.
The camp, sponsored by the Northview Diamond Club, will be held Saturday, March 2 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Registration time is 8:30; registration is $20 per player.
For complete information (including preregistration information), click here (pdf).
Pictured: Last year’s Diamond Club Baseball Camp at Northview High School. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.