Trial Postponed For Molino Murder Suspect
November 21, 2014
Trial has been delayed for on Molino murder suspect, while another suspect awaits sentencing next month.
Zachary Greer, 24, was due in court this week, but his next court appearance was continued at the prosecution’s request to late December. He is charged with first degree murder in the 2013 death of Harvey Ray Smith.
His co-defendant, 24-year old Debra Burge, has pleaded no contest in September to a lesser charge of second degree murder charge in the death of Harvey Ray Smith. She will be sentenced in December.
The body of Smith, age 43 of Pace, was found stuffed into a trunk behind a Motel 6 on Davis Highway on the morning of May4, 2013. Smith had been reported missing in Santa Rosa County. Family members located his vehicle at the motel and then discovered the body.
Reports state Burge and Greer conspired to rob Smith. Burge allegedly lured Smith, her acquaintance, to her home in the 3900 block of Highway 97 in Molino. She told deputies she went inside while Smith and Greer remained outside. When she later exited the home, she found Smith on the ground of the Molino home bleeding. She told Sheriff’s investigators that Greer told her he stabbed Smith and put his body in the trunk of the car that was later driven to the Motel 6 on Davis Highway in Pensacola.
Escambia Man Indicted For Insurance Fraud Scheme
November 21, 2014
An Escambia County man has been indicted on federal charges for an insurance fraud scheme. Kevin D. Webster, 44, was indicted for 11 felony counts of wire fraud.
The indictment alleges that Webster, an insurance agent licensed in Florida and other states, defrauded high profile clients and their financial advisors by falsely representing to them via
email that he had secured umbrella insurance policies for them when, in fact, he had not. According to the indictment, between 2008 and 2011, Webster accepted approximately $140,000 meant for umbrella insurance policy premiums for policies that Webster never secured or even attempted to secure.
Webster pled not guilty, and his trial is scheduled for Monday, January 12, 2015, before Senior United States District Judge Roger Vinson. The charges result from an investigation by the Florida Department of Financial Services and the FBI.
Escambia Heath Department Encourages Flu Vaccine For Residents
November 21, 2014
The Florida Department of Health in Escambia County is encouraging residents to get vaccinated against the flu.
Seasonal flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat and lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness and can sometimes lead to death. The flu season usually begins in early October and lasts until May, peaking in January and February in Escambia County.
Pregnant women are especially encouraged to get vaccinated. Pregnancy’s effect on the immune system can cause a more severe infection leading to poor outcomes for both mother and baby. Others who should get vaccinated include caregivers of infants younger than 6 months, infants and children older than 6 months, and adults 65 and older. It is also important for those with chronic health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, and heart or lung disease to get vaccinated.
Flu vaccine may be given as a shot or a nasal spray. The flu shot is approved for use in people 6 months of age and older, including people with chronic medical conditions and pregnant women. The nasal spray is approved for use in people 2 through 49 years of age who do not have underlying medical conditions and are not pregnant. Flu vaccines are available at many physicians’ offices, clinics, and local pharmacies. The vaccine takes approximately two weeks to become fully effective.
Symptoms of the flu may include cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue, and fever. Some people may also experience diarrhea and vomiting. Health officials advise individuals who are at risk of complications from influenza to contact their physician immediately if flu symptoms appear. Individuals should see a physician early, as antiviral medications may be effective in reducing the severity of symptoms or the length of the illness.
Individuals can protect themselves and their families from the flu by practicing preventive behaviors. While the best way to prevent the flu is by getting vaccinated every year, frequent hand washing is another important key to prevention. Other healthy behaviors such as avoiding close contact with those who are sick, getting plenty of sleep, being physically active, and eating nutritious food can also help to prevent getting the flu.
Individuals can spread the flu to others before they even know they are sick. The most effective ways to avoid spreading the flu are by covering coughs and sneezes with the elbow rather than the hand and by staying home when sick.
State Asks Court To Continue Gay Marriage Ban
November 21, 2014
Attorney General Pam Bondi this week asked a federal appeals court to at least temporarily keep in place Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage, pointing in part to another court’s decision that upheld similar bans in four states.
Bondi’s request to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals came about three months after U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle ruled in two combined cases that Florida’s ban was unconstitutional.
Hinkle, however, placed a stay on his ruling to allow time for an appeal. That stay is scheduled to expire January 5. Bondi asked the appeals court this week to keep the stay in place until appeals are complete.
“This court should extend the stay because, on balance, it is in the public’s best interest to wait for an appellate decision before implementing an order of this significance,” Bondi argued in a document filed this week. Several appeals courts have struck down bans on same-sex marriage, and the U.S. Supreme Court has declined to take up appeals of those rulings.
But Bondi pointed to a decision this month by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld bans in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. She said appeals of that decision have been filed in the Supreme Court.
Grand Jury Finds Insufficient Evidence Of Any Criminal Wrongdoing In Jail Explosion
November 21, 2014
An Escambia County Grand Jury has found that there was insufficient evidence to establish an criminal charges in connection with the April 2014 explosion at the Escambia County Jail.
According to the grand jury’s findings, gas clothes dryers are seen on video pulling away from a wall in the flooded basement of the jail. At about the same time, natural gas records show a substantial spike in the amount of natural gas flowing into the Central Booking and Detention Center. The spike continued through the day and night of April 30.
During this time, both jail staff and inmates reported the smell of natural gas to jails supervisors and maintenance employees. A maintenance employee located what he thought was a leak at a propane tank farm located north of the facility. He cut off a valve which he believed stopped the leak. But reading taken from the tanks show the same level of propane before and after the flood; the grand jury found that the propane tanks were in no way responsible for the odor of gas within the jail.
At 11:15 p.m. on April 3, a spark from an unknown source ignited the natural gas causing an explosion.
Two inmates were killed and hundreds of staff and inmates were injured in the blast.
The grand jury recommended that:
- The Central Booking and Detention Center and the main jail be returned to the supervision of the sheriff for the most efficient operation of the facilities. The corrections facilities are currently under the control of the Escambia County Commission.
- No future jail be built on the current site of the Central Booking and Detention Center.
- Improvements be made in safety procedures. Employees believed they were limited in making emergency reports only to their immediate supervisors. It was recommended that a safety officer be appointed or designated on each shift.
- The basement area of the Central Booking and Detention Center should have never been rebuilt following a 2012 flood. “We recommend that Escambia County make a full disclosure as to how this decision was made,” the grand jury’s report states.
- Escambia County concentrate on storm water control measures, first on county owned facilities, then on Escambia County as a whole.
- Pensacola Energy should review and locate any cut-off valves so that they are located outside flood prone areas. In addition, main gas lines should be marked to allow immediate access in case of an emergency.
The grand jury report concluded by commending the corrections officers and staff of the Central Booking and Detention Center for the outstanding job they did during the flood and subsequent explosion.
West All-Stars Beat The East In All-Star Volleyball
November 21, 2014
The West All-Stars defeated the East in the Subway High School All-Star Volleyball game Thursday night at the University of West Florida Field House.
Under the leadership of Heach Coach Erika Burkett of Tate High School, the West took the series in seven games 25-16, 23-25, 23-25, 23-25, 25-16, 25-17 and 15-9.
The West All-Star included the top seniors from Escambia County, while the East was comprised of the top senior players from Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties.
Team members were (with North Escambia area players in bold):
WEST
Head Coach: Erika Burkett, Tate
Assistant Coach: Kelly Comerford, Washington
- Sina Faulk — Catholic
- Emily Emmons — Catholic
- Tru Viray — Escambia
- Emily Enriquez — Escambia
- Kyndall Hall — Northview
- Elisabeth Larson — PCA
- Yenny Wu — Pensacola
- Anna Legassey — Pine Forest
- Olivia Veith — Pine Forest
- Regine Simmons — Tate
- Jordan White — Tate
- Carissa Carroll — Tate
- Mallory Lurate — Washington
- Morgan Pearson — Washington
- Lauren Childers — Washington
- Sydney Barrow — Washington
- Melisa Izonritei — West Florida
- Isabelle Strohl — West Florida
EAST
Head Coach: Waynn Sellers, Gulf Breeze
Assistant Coach: Amy Walls, Navarre
- Hartley Moate — Baker
- Brittney Amey — Central
- Maya Smith — FWB
- Emily Radcliffe — Gulf Breeze
- Kathrin Hess — Gulf Breeze
- Kassie Oldham — Gulf Breeze
- Emily Russell — Jay
- Bridget Zessin — Laurel Hill
- Monica Foster — Navarre
- Sheila Faris — Navarre
- Abbey McLelland — Navarre
- Sami Mims — Niceville
- Michaela Dunn — Pace
- Emili McClure — Pace
- Laini Vermillion — Pace
- Caroline Mayne — Pace
Pictured top: Tate Aggie players Regine Simmons, Carissa Carroll and Jordan White, and Coach Erika Burkett of Tate High School on the West All-Star volleyball team. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida State Gunman Was Alum ‘In A State Of Crisis’
November 21, 2014
An attorney who graduated from Florida State University in 2005 was identified as the gunman who opened fire at the campus library early Thursday, injuring three people, including one critically, before he was killed by police.
But Tallahassee and university officials expressed relief that the shooting, which came as at least 450 students studied for exams shortly after midnight at Strozier Library, wasn’t a bigger tragedy.
Tallahassee police chief Michael DeLeo confirmed the identity of the shooter as Myron May, who died after university and Tallahassee police responded quickly to the scene.
“Mr. May was in a state of crisis,” DeLeo said. “We have not found any information at this time to indicate why he chose this morning to act, or why he chose the Strozier Library as the place for his actions. Based on all our evidence at this time, we continue to believe that Mr. May acted alone, and there is no further threat to the students, the university, the workers or the community.”
State Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Fort Walton Beach Republican and Florida State graduate, said on Twitter that May was an FSU student senator in 2002.
“Shocked that Myron May has been identified as the FSU shooter,” Gaetz tweeted. “I knew him in undergrad. He was so kind. This is just awful for everyone.”
University police chief David Perry said two students and one university employee were shot. One was treated and released, and two were being treated at local hospitals. He said their families had been notified but their names had not been released Thursday afternoon.
Classes were canceled Thursday, but will resume Friday. Perry said Strozier Library also will re-open Friday and that university President John Thrasher and Provost Garnett Stokes would be there — along with a beefed-up police force — “to welcome our students back to having some sense of being normal in a safe environment.”
“We are going to get back to normal tomorrow,” Thrasher said during an afternoon news conference. “We’re moving ahead and continuing to pray for the victims and Florida State University, but we are going to get through this with the great family we have.”
Thrasher thanked Gov. Rick Scott, who had visited the campus that morning. He also said supportive messages poured into Tallahassee from people all over the country.
Thrasher, DeLeo, Perry and Stokes were flanked by Tallahassee Mayor John Marks, Mayor-elect Andrew Gillum, city manager Anita Favors-Thompson and Allan Bense, chairman of the FSU Board of Trustees.
Perry praised the university’s emergency response system, which enabled 55,000 people to receive notifications within five minutes of the shooting. By then, the gunman was down.
“I think it’s appropriate to note that 13 days ago, the FSU Police Department conducted active-shooter training for situations just like this,” Perry said.
The law enforcement officials said May never got further into the library than the front desk, where he shot one person, then went outside and shot two more.
May, 31, had returned to Tallahassee in recent weeks from Texas, where he graduated from the law school at Texas Tech University in 2009 and practiced law. He’d shown up twice in FSU police records, Perry said, once on suspicion of using marijuana in 2002 and as the victim of a vehicle burglary in 2003.
But a journal May kept and his recent postings on Facebook showed that “Mr. May’s sense of being and place in our community was not what most people would refer to as a normal status,” DeLeo said. “He was in a sense of crisis, and he was searching for something.”
May’s Facebook posts included a number of Bible verses, a quote from the late Black Panther Bobby Seale and, on Veterans Day, a note of gratitude for the military service of his family members.
“IS OUR GOVERNMENT VIOLATING ORDINARY CITIZENS’ RIGHTS?” he demanded Saturday on Facebook. “UNFORTUNATELY, THE ANSWER IS YES!”
On November 7, May posted a comment about FSU’s star quarterback, Jameis Winston.
“Now, either Jameis is one of the most depraved people to ever play college football or someone is really out to get this fellow,” he wrote.
Hundreds of students held a prayer circle around the fountain on Landis Green, across from the library, on Thursday morning. Many prayed. At one point, they softly sang the FSU war chant.
Christian Guya, a freshman from Naples, said the shooting had brought the campus together.
“It’s really scary, because seeing the pictures and videos that were sent to me, it could have been any of us,” Guya said.
Keanu Jackson, a freshman from Fort Pierce, said he was in his dorm when he learned of the shooting.
“People weren’t responding to messages, and you worried that it could have been them that got hurt,” he said. “It was just a tense, tense night for everybody. I didn’t get to sleep until 5 a.m.”
Gillum, who will take office Friday, said the community was “extremely fortunate that the victims were kept to such a small number.”
“Obviously, any victim is a tragedy, but you can imagine the potential for great bodily harm to so many individuals were it not for the quick response time and the courage of the students who followed good instructions,” Gillum said.
by The News Service of Florida
Peanut Butter Drive Concludes Today
November 21, 2014
The Escambia County Extension office, Santa Rosa County Extension office along with the University of Florida Institute of Food & Agricultural Sciences and the Florida Peanut Producer Association are collecting peanut butter through today to help take a bite out of hunger.
The groups are accepting donations of unopened jars of peanut butter to be donated to local food pantries during Farm-City Week.
Unopened jars of peanut butter of any brand can be dropped off until this afternoon at any of the following locations:
Escambia County
- Escambia County Extension Office, 3740 Stefani Road, Cantonment
- Escambia County Farm Bureau, 153 Highway 97, Molino
- Escambia County Public Safety, 6575 North W Street
- Gilmore Services, 31 East Fairfield Drive
Santa Rosa County
- Jay Extension Office at 5259 Booker Lane, Jay
- Santa Rosa County Extension Office at 6263 Dogwood Drive, Milton
- South Santa Rosa Service Center, Master Gardener Help Desk at 5819 Gulf Breeze Parkway
- All Santa Rosa County Library locations
- Lowe’s Stores in Pace and Gulf Breeze
Peanut butter collected in Escambia County last year was donated to food pantries in Molino, Bratt and Century.
Pictured: The Godwins of Godwin Farms in Santa Rosa County, (L-R) Steven, Laryn, Valarie, Kylei, Rachael. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Driver Escapes Injury In Highway 29 McDavid Crash
November 20, 2014
An elderly female driver escaped injury when she lost control and ran into a wooded area on Highway 29 at Main Street in McDavid early Thursday afternoon. There were no other passengers or vehicles involved. The McDavid and Century stations of Escambia Fire Rescue, Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to the crash. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
10 Potential Sites For New Escambia Jail, Including Molino And Cantonment
November 20, 2014
Ten sites in Escambia County are being considered for possible locations for a new jail, including sites in Molino and Cantonment.
The Central Booking and Detention was damaged beyond repair during a natural gas explosion following flooding on April 30, forcing the county to find temporary housing for about 600 inmates. Now, the county is vetting 10 pieces of property as possible locations for a new detention facility.
As part of that vetting process, the county is looking at the drainage and flooding potential, zoning and traffic patterns for each site.
- Highway 29, just north of Barrineau Park Road. The 195 acre parcel sits west of Highway 29 between the neighborhoods on Duxbury Avenue to the north and Weeping Willow Court and Windham Drive off Barrineau Park Road to the south.
- Central Commerce Park, Phase II off Highway 29 in Cantonment. The 181 acres is within the park, accessible from Highway 29.
- Near Highway 29 and Becks Lake Road, with likely access from Beck’s Lake Road. Reviewers have noted that alternative access would be needed because of the potential of trains to block Becks Lake Road.
- Perdido Landfill Area, accessible from Beulah Road. Future access could be expanded by exit ramps from I-10 to Beulah Road.
- Old Soccer Complex, Highway 29 and W Street. Formerly owned by the county, the site now belongs to Gulf Power
- Old Palafox and Airport Boulevard. The site fronts both roadways.
- Old Jail Site, on Leonard Street. Stormwater concerns would be addressed.
- McDonald’s Shopping Center site on West Fairfield Drive.
- Superfund site on Palafox.
- Some 68 acres north of the Superfund site in the area of Beggs Lane and Spruce Street.
Discussion on a new site are in the preliminary stages on potential sites with no timetable for a final choice.