Investigator To Look Into Deaths At Escambia Animal Shelter
March 21, 2014
An investigation is being launched into animal deaths at the Escambia County Animal Shelter.
Sharyn Berg of Cantonment, co-founder of a group called Escambia Animal Activists, told the Escambia County Commission that an unusually large number of animals had died from surgical complications during the tenure of the last veterinarian at the shelter, Dr. Alphonso Steward.
“Animals died while he was at the shelter through routine spay and neuter surgery. There were handfuls of other issues with his surgeries that had to be fixed by him and other vets,” she said, claiming that 10 animals had died under Steward’s surgical care in the last three months. She also alleged that Steward’s hiring process was inappropriate.
Interim Escambia County Administrator Larry Newsom said the county is bringing in an independent, third party veterinarian from out of town to look at the animal deaths, and the county will look into any issues with the hiring of Steward.
Last August, Director of Animal Services Delfi Messinger resigned due to pubic outcry after a family dog was mistakenly euthanized. A second dog was mistakenly put down in October, a month before newly hired veterinarian Dr. Melissa Adkison resigned. Steward resigned last month.
In an interview with the Pensacola Independent News, Steward blamed animal deaths on shelter staff and claimed staff members were involved in a social media campaign to tarnish his reputation. To read that interview, click here.
NC Man Convicted Of Murdering Of Former Molino Resident
March 21, 2014
A North Carolina man was convicted Thursday of the brutal murder of a former Molino resident.
It took a jury in Cherokee County, SC, about two hours to find 43-year Joey Clark guilty of the 2010 murder of his ex-girlfriend Winter Delane Wingard. Clark was sentenced to 45 years, which he must serve day for day without parole.
The 26-year old’s nude body was found on the side of a rural road near Gaffney, SC, a town of about 13,000 people about 20 miles northeast of Spartanburg. She died after being severely beaten in the head and neck and strangled. In addition, the coroner said Wingard sustained 13 stab wounds to the neck.
Winter Wingard formerly lived with her family on Molino Road. She attended Molino Elementary, Ransom Middle and Tate High before completing her education online.
After Fiery Debate, ‘Warning Shot’ Bill Passes Florida House
March 21, 2014
After a nearly two-hour debate that focused on Florida’s controversial “stand your ground” law, the state House on Thursday easily passed a bill that would expand the self-defense law to include threatened use of force — including showing a gun or firing a warning shot.
The measure (HB 89) by Rep. Neil Combee, R-Polk City, would extend immunity to people who threaten to use force in self-defense — the same immunity already in law for those who actually shoot people in response to perceived threats.
It passed in a 93-24 vote after a floor debate filled with the names of people associated with gun-related crimes that sparked public outrage in Florida, especially Marissa Alexander, a Jacksonville woman who faces the possibility of 60 years in prison for firing a shot into the wall during a domestic dispute.
The proposal has become known as the “warning shot” bill, although Combee said Thursday that people who call it that “do a terrible disservice to the general public if they put the notion out that this bill somehow or other authorizes or encourages warning shots, because it does not. We specifically did not put ‘warning shot’ in the bill.”
The omission of those words bothered Rep. Kionne McGhee, D-Miami, who questioned how HB 89 would have helped Alexander.
Most of the debate Thursday, however, centered on an amendment by House Minority Leader Perry Thurston, D-Fort Lauderdale, that sought to repeal the “stand your ground” law. While Democrats and Republicans went back and forth about the law, few of the arguments were new.
“I thought we had this settled,” said Rep. Dennis Baxley, an Ocala Republican who sponsored the House version of “stand your ground” in 2005. The House Criminal Justice Subcommittee in November rejected a bill (HB 4003) by Rep. Alan Williams to repeal “stand your ground.”
Thurston filed the amendment, he said in an email before the vote, because under the law, “Innocent people have been killed and the perpetrators have been able to walk away. … ‘Stand your ground’ encourages citizens to use force if they ‘feel’ threatened even if no real threat exists.”
Rep. Reggie Fullwood, D-Jacksonville, pointed to black mothers who warn their teenage sons, “Be careful, because a black boy’s life is not as valuable.”
The law “may work for your community, but it’s not working for ours,” Fullwood, an African American, said to other House members.
But Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, who famously vowed that “not one damn comma” of the law would be changed, took issue with such arguments by the law’s opponents.
“In 90 percent of the cases where there is an African American decedent, the shooter — or killer — is also African American,” Gaetz said. “While African Americans constitute about 17 percent of the population in the state of Florida, they account for over 31 percent of assertions of the ’stand your ground’ defense. …And African Americans are 8 percent more likely to prevail when asserting a ’stand your ground’ defense than Caucasians.”
He said a wider sample size, not a handful of cases that have attracted attention, would show no racial disparity under the law.
Thurston’s amendment failed in an 83-31 vote.
The final version of Combee’s bill contained an amendment, passed Wednesday, that would limit access to court records in self-defense cases. The amendment, filed by Gaetz, would allow people found to have used justifiable force in a “stand your ground” hearing to have their court records expunged.
The Senate version of the bill (SB 448) could be approved next week.
While Combee’s bill drew heavy debate, another gun-related bill with a distinctive nickname — the “Pop-Tart” bill — passed in minutes by a vote of 98-17. Sponsored by Baxley, the proposal (HB 7029) would prevent children from being disciplined for simulating guns while playing or for wearing clothes that depict firearms. It draws its nickname from a widely reported news story about a Maryland 7-year-old who was suspended from school last year for chewing his breakfast pastry into the shape of a gun.
The bill attracted bipartisan support in the House from Democrats, who are often critical of “zero tolerance” school discipline policies, and from gun-friendly Republicans.
Pictured: A bill by Rep Neil Combee and Rep. Matt Gaetz (handshake, center) passed the Florida House Thursday to strengthen the ‘Stand Your Ground’ law. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Sex Offender Gets Life For Violating Probation
March 21, 2014
A convicted sex offender was sentenced to life in prison Thursday for violating his probation.
In 1989, Timothy Richard Jordan was convicted of sexual Battery, robbery with a weapon, and attempted murder of a student at UWF. He was sentenced to 40 years state prison to be followed by 10 years of probation. Jordan was released in 2007. In July 2013, Jordan violated his probation by resisting an officer without violence and failure to comply with sexual offender regulations.
Judge Linda Nobles sentenced Jordan to life in prison.
Lane Closures This Afternoon On Hwy 97A At Boggy Creek Bridge
March 21, 2014
Drivers can expect delays this afternoon at the newly constructed bridge on Highway 97A over Boggy Creek near Enon. Crews will be paving the final asphalt surface on the approaches to the bridge.
The work will require alternating lane closures over the bridge from noon until 5 p.m. All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or re-scheduled in the event of inclement weather.
The bridge construction was a $1.5 million Florida Department of Transportation project.
Pictured: The bridge on Highway 97A over Boggy Creek near Enon just after it opened to traffic early this month. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Clerk Injured During Flomaton Armed Robbery
March 21, 2014
A store clerk suffered minor injuries during an armed robbery Thursday night in Flomaton.
Two black males armed with handguns rushed into the Dollar General on Sidney Manning Boulevard (Highway 29) in Flomaton at the store’s 10 p.m. closing time, according to Flomaton Police Chief Bryan Davis. The suspects escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash.
The suspects fled the scene on foot southward toward Roosevelt Street where it is believed they got into a vehicle.
No shots were fired, but Davis said one store clerk was injured during the incident.
The suspects were dressed in all black, including black hoodies, black pants and shoes. They had bandanas — one described as blue with small white pattern like snowflakes — on their faces. One was carrying a red bag that he demanded be filled with cash.
“We are looking for tips from anyone that may have seen someone matching the suspect’s description at any of the surrounding businesses before the robbery,” Davis said.
Anyone with information should contact the Flomaton Police Department at (251) 296-5811 or call their local law enforcement agency.
Former Gov. Askew Returned To Pensacola For Graveside Service
March 21, 2014
Former Florida Governor Reubin Askew, who died last Thursday at age 85, was escorted back to his hometown of Pensacola Thursday afternoon.
He was returned to lie in repose Thursday evening f at this former home church, the First Presbyterian Church on East Gregory Street. Askew will be buried with full military honors Friday at Bayview Memorial Park, 3351 Scenic Highway, Pensacola. The graveside service will begin at 11 a.m. and is open to the public.
Askew is survived by his wife Donna Lou; a son, Kevin and a daughter, Angela White; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that donations be made to the Children’s Home Society of Florida, Lafayette Presbyterian Church in Tallahassee, or the charity of the donor’s choice.
Pictured top: The body of former Florida Governor Reubin Askew is escorted through downtown Pensacola Thursday afternoon. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Supreme Court: Pensacola Beach Residents Should Pay Property Taxes
March 21, 2014
The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously ruled that homes and condominiums in Navarre Beach and Pensacola Beach should be subject to property taxes, though they were built on land leased from Santa Rosa and Escambia counties.
Justices upheld 2011 appeals-court rulings in favor of the Santa Rosa and Escambia property appraisers and tax collectors.
The cases centered on long-term leases that the Northwest Florida counties approved for the development of homes and condominiums on the land. Plaintiffs in the cases contended that residences in the area should not be subject to property taxes, known as “ad valorem” taxes, and instead should face intangible personal property taxes. The Supreme Court noted that government-owned property usually is not subject to property taxes.
But it agreed with the 1st District Court of Appeal that the plaintiffs are the “equitable owners” of the properties and should pay the taxes.
“Here, for ad valorem tax purposes, the ‘owner’ of the property is not a governmental entity,” said the 19-page Navarre Beach opinion, written by Justice Charles Canady.
Navarre Wins Aggie Classic (With Final Standings, Thursday Scores)
March 21, 2014
The Navarre Raiders won the 24-team Aggie Classic hosted by Tate High Thursday night with a 5-1 win over the Christ Presbyterian Lions. The West Florida Jaguars finished fourth, the Milton Panthers fifth, the Escambia Gators ninth, and the Tate Aggies rounded out the top 10.
Here are final standings in the 2014 Aggie Classic:
- Navarre Raiders
- Christ Presbyterian Lions
- South-Doyle Cherokees
- West Florida Jaguars
- Milton Panthers
- Brentwood Bruins
- Knoxville Catholic Irish
- Washington Hornets
- Escambia Gators
- Tate Aggies
- Ponte Vedra Sharks
- Second Baptist School
- Davidson Academy Bears
- Sallisaw Black Diamonds
- Edmond North Huskies
- Niceville Eagles
- Washington Wildcats
- Brentwwod Academy Eagles
- Pryor Tigers
- Claremore Zebras
- Tulsa Union Redskins
- Sapulpa Chieftains
- Gibson Tigers
- Jay Bulldogs
Thursday scores were as follows:
Washington Hornets 6. Brentwood Academy Eagles 5
Knoxville Catholic Irish 8, Pryor Tigers 3
Davidson Academy Bears 13, Jay Bulldogs 2
Ponte Vedra Sharks 5, Niceville Eagles 2
Sallisaw Black Diamonds 7, Milton Panthers 4
Christ Presbyterian Lions 7, Second Baptist School 6
Brentwwod Bruins 6, Claremore Zebras 3
South-Doyle Cherokees 6, Escambia Gators 2
Tate Aggies 9, Sapulpa Chieftains 1
Navarre Raiders 5, Tulsa Union Redskins 2
Edmond North Huskies 6, Washington Wildcats 2
West Florida Jaguars 12, Ft.Gibson Tigers 0
Brentwood Bruins 9, Milton Panthers 3
Ft.Gibson Tigers 9, Sapulpa Chieftains 5
Second Baptist School 6, Ponte Vedra Sharks 0
Tate Aggies 8, Knoxville Catholic Irish 7
South-Doyle Cherokees 3, West Florida Jaguars 2
Davidson Academy Bears 8, Sallisaw Black Diamonds 6
Washington Hornets 3, Escambia Gators 2
Claremore Zebras 13, Washington Wildcats 6
Tulsa Union Redskins 15, Niceville Eagles 10
Navarre Raiders 5, Christ Presbyterian Lions 1
Pryor Tigers 12, Jay Bulldogs 0
Edmond North Huskies 0, Brentwwod Academy Eagles 0
Elgia Uriah Petty
March 21, 2014
Mr. Elgia Uriah Petty, 74, passed away on Saturday, March 1, 2014, in Navy Ship, Saipan.
Mr. Petty was a native of Pensacola and was a resident of Navy Ship, Saipan. Mr. Petty was a U.S. Marine and Veteran of the Vietnam War. He was a millwright and worked in the oil fields for various oil companies around the Flomaton and Jay area. He was a graduate of Century High School, where he was star athlete. His parents, Dr. Bill and Nell Petty; two daughters, Tina Petty and Anita Petty and Prentiss mother, Julia Lowery Petty, precede him in death.
Survivors include his daughter, Prentiss (David) Greene of Sylvester, GA; two brothers, Basil (Myung Ja) Petty of Warrior, AL and Joe M. Petty of Bogia; two sisters, Marion (Ronnie) Stedmen of Flomaton and Donna Fillmore of Flomaton; five grandchildren, Nichole (Ryan) Walker of Ellaville, GA, Shawn Greene of Albany, GA, Allison Green of Atlanta, GA, Samuel Colbert of Monroeville and Ashley Green of Sylvester, GA and one great-great grandchild, Julia Suzanne Walker of Ellaville, GA.
Memorial services will be held Saturday, March 22, 2014, at 10 a.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with Bro. Harlan Spencer officiating.
Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes is in charge of all arrangements.