High Winds Topple 18-Wheeler, Cause Extensive Damage To Farm, Barns
February 21, 2014
Early morning storms left damage south of Walnut Hill early Friday morning, including an estimated $100,000 in damage to one local farm.
At a home and surrounding farm at the end of Mason Road just off Highway 97, there was extensive damage to multiple metal barns, storage sheds and farm equipment. Roofs were ripped from barns, barn doors were ripped open, farm equipment was tossed about and tractors were damaged by debris. The roof was lifted from a cottage, and large oak trees were splintered and uprooted.
Several items that did not belong to the farm were in a pasture, including a baby mattress and a Salter’s Lake Road street sign. The origin of the street sign was not immediately known….there did not appear to be any missing signs on Salter’s Lake Road near Century this morning, and there was no storm damage in that area.
An 18-wheeler parked at the intersection of Highway 97 and Tungoil road was flipped onto its side and into a field. Power lines in the area were twisted around power poles and downed across the highway. Street signs were knocked over, and several pine trees in the area were snapped off several feet into the air.
At least three other homes between Tungoil and Mason Roads had damage…including downed trees and damaged outdoor sheds.
The exact time the damage occurred was not known; however a tornado warning was issued for the area. At 2:57 a.m. National Weather Service Doppler Radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado about 10 miles northwest of Molino…very near the Highway 97 and Tungoil Road area. But officials said late Friday afternoon that the damage appeared to be from powerful straight-line winds and possibly a microburst.
Hundreds of EREC and Gulf Power customers lost power in the storm. In the largest outage, Gulf Power reported about 420 customers along and near Highway 97 from Gibson Road south across Highway 29 without power.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Woman Gets 11 Years For I-10 DUI Hit And Run
February 21, 2014
A Milton woman was sentenced Thursday to just over 11.5 years in prison for the DUI manslaughter traffic death of a Pace man last April on I-10.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 26-year old Brianna Lynn Strum of Milton was charged with DUI manslaughter, DUI serious injury, DUI property damage, leaving the scene of a crash with death and leaving the scene of a crash with serious injury following the 3 a.m. April 28, 2013, wreck on I-10 near Scenic Highway.
Strum was traveling east on I-10 in a 2007 Honda Odyssey when she failed to see a 2013 Dodge Charger in front of her. She did not slow down or change lanes, but instead rear-ended the Dodge, causing it to enter the grass median and overturn several times, the FHP said.
A passenger in the Dodge Charger, 33-year old Robert Michael Hall Roy of Pace, was ejected and died from the injuries he received in the crash. The driver of the Charger, 30-year old Miguel Antonio Bonet of Whiting Field and front seat passenger Michael J. Edwards of Whiting Field, both received minor injuries. Another passenger, 24-year old Bernard Ulgalde of Milton, was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in serious condition.
Pictured: One person died and three others were injured when this Dodge Charger was rear-ended by a Brianna Lynn Strum on I-10 last April. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Burglar Shot In The Act Fails To Show For Sentencing Hearing
February 21, 2014
A burglar shot last summer by a Walnut Hill homeowner failed to appear in court Thursday at his sentencing hearing, and a warrant for his arrest was issued.
On January 21, 34-year old Ricky DeWayne Taylor of Century pleaded no contest to the charges against him, including burglary and grand theft. Judge Michael Allen allowed Taylor to stay free on bond until his February 20 sentencing hearing.
On May 17, 2013, Taylor broke into the victim’s home on Rockaway Creek Road and began removing items. The victim unexpectedly returned and caught Taylor and co-defendant Teresa Sunday in the act. Sunday, who was acquainted with the victim, had called him earlier that day to lure him away from the home to meet her at a local pool hall.
The victim held them at gunpoint with a .38 caliber revolver and contacted the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. As the victim was speaking with dispatchers, Taylor lunged toward him. The homeowner fired a .38 caliber revolver, striking Taylor in the leg and grazing Sunday on the left cheek. Taylor was alert and conscious when he was transferred to LifeFlight to be airlifted to Baptist Hospital in Pensacola. He was charged with burglary, larceny, criminal mischief property damage and battery.
Sunday, age 35 of Century, pleaded guilty to charges of burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and grand theft of a dwelling. In January, she was sentenced by Judge Michael Allen to five years in state prison.
Taylor was also charged with burglary and grand theft on Klondike Road on May 10, 2013. Deputies say he parked his Lincoln Town Car with Alabama plates near a home in the 8000 block of Klondike. He then allegedly took a duffel bag, five extension cords and a five gallon gas can from a barn and placed them outside, according to an arrest report.
The resident walked outside and confronted Taylor near the duffle bag outside of his barn. Taylor ran and the victim gave chase but was unable to keep up. The victim noticed the out of place Lincoln Town Car in the neighborhood and photographed the tag. After the victim returned home, he drove around in an attempt to located the suspect and passed the Lincoln, being driven by the man he chased from his yard.
Deputies were able to trace the Lincoln to Taylor from the tag photo, and the victim positively identified Taylor from a photo lineup.
Pictured: The scene on May17, 2013, at a burglary victim’s home on Rockaway Creek Road in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Man Arrested For Promotion And Possession Of Child Pornography
February 21, 2014
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement Pensacola Regional Operations Center and Homeland Security Investigations arrested Joshua Keller Herrin, 35, of Pace on three counts of promotion of child pornography and 12 counts of possession of child pornography, both second degree felonies.
FDLE began its investigation in early February. Thursday, FDLE Agents, Homeland Security Investigations and the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Herrin’s residence at 4040 Tiburon Boulevard in Pace. During the search, agents located multiple computers and mass media devices containing several hundred videos of child pornography.
Herrin was booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail and is being held without bond.
Annual Walnut Hill Ruritan Farm Auction Is Saturday
February 21, 2014
The Annual Walnut Hill Ruritan Club Farm Equipment Auction will be held this Saturday, February 22 beginning at 9:30 a.m.
The auction includes not only farm equipment, but also household items like tools and small equipment, lawn and garden items, antiques and more. There will be a 10 percent sale fee with a $5 minimum and a $500 maximum. Settlement must be made the dale of the sale; unknown buyers must have cash, cashier’s check or a letter of credit from their bank.
Concessions will be available all day from the Ruritan Club.
The sale will be located at the Walnut Hill Community Center on Highway 97 just north of Ernest Ward Middle School.
For more information or consignments, call (850) 384-5761 or (850) 777-1084.
Pictured: Hundreds attended the annual Walnut Hill Ruritan Club farm equipment auction last year in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Baseball: Northview, Tate, Flomaton
February 21, 2014
Here are select high school baseball scores from around the area Thursday:
Northview
The junior varsity Northview Chiefs beat Baker, 4-3. The the varsity Chiefs earned their first district win over the Baker Gators 12-5. For the varsity, Brannon Freeman was 4-4 with four runs scored; Thomas More was 1-4 with one run; Aaron McDonald was 2-5; Kevin Barrow was 2-2 with two run scored; Brett Weeks was 2-2 with two runs scored; Roman Manning was 1-2 with one run. Daulton Tullis earned the win in seven innings, allowing three hits, five runs, one error, nine strikeouts and a double.
The varsity Chiefs (3-0, 1-0) will travel to Washington High in Pensacola on Saturday at 1:00. The JV Chiefs will head to Tate Friday night for a 6:00 game.
Tate
The junior varsity Tate Aggies beat Pace 6-3 Thursday, while the varsity Aggies fell to Pace 5-0. The junior varsity is now 2-2-1, while the varsity Aggies are 2-2. The junior varsity Aggies will host Northview Friday at 6:00, and the varsity Aggies will host Washington next Tuesday at 7 p.m..
Flomaton
J.U. Blacksher defeated the Flomaton Hurricanes 10-4. The next game for Flomaton is Friday at 5 p.m. against Escambia County (Atmore) High School in the W.S. Neal tournament.
Pictured top: Pitcher Josh Neese earned the win for the JV Northview Chiefs Thursday against the Gators in Baker. Picture inset and below: Northview’s varsit and junior varsity beat Baker Thursday in Baker. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
ECSO: More Charges Against Burglary Suspect
February 21, 2014
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday that a man arrested for burglary earlier in the week is also responsible for at least five other crimes in Escambia County.
According to ECSO Investigators. Craig Warren Jackson, 35, has charges pending in connection with a string of burglaries, including:
- On January 31 a house burglary in the 2000 block of Southern Oaks Drive in which jewelry was stolen
- On February 3 a house burglary in the 2000 block of Southern Oaks Drive in which jewelry was stole
- On February 5 a house burglary in the 9000 block of Woodrun Road: a number of items, including electronics, weapons and jewelrywere stolen
- On February 14 a house burglary in the 1800 block of Filly Road, in which a safe, weapons and jewelry were stolen
- On February 18 a house burglary in the 10000 block of Tanager Circle, a safe and jewelry were stolen
ECSO Investigators are still working the case and said other charges may follow.
For an earlier story, click here.
DOJ Launches Investigation Into ‘Anything For A Buck’ Operation
February 21, 2014
The U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has launched an investigation into four ATF storefront stings around the country, including “Operation Anything For A Buck” in Escambia County, Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz said Thursday.
One of the key findings made by the OIG in its 2012 report, A Review of Operation Fast and Furious and Related Matters, was that ATF had failed to exercise sufficient oversight over activities that posed a danger to the public or otherwise presented special risks. As a result, the ATF established the Monitored Case Program in July 2011.
Following more recent allegations regarding ATF’s use of storefront operations, the OIG has learned that four such operations – in Milwaukee, Pensacola, St. Louis, and Wichita — continued or began after the inception of the Monitored Case Program, the agency said. T
The investigations center around ATF activities in the undercover operations; the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office nor any another local agency is being investigated.
The OIG has now initiated a separate review that will examine these four operations for possible systemic deficiencies in ATF’s storefront operations policies, and evaluate the effectiveness of the Monitored Case Program as an oversight tool in these operations.
The investigation was launched following a detailed Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation that, according to the newspaper, “exposed foul-ups and failures in undercover government operations across the country”.
The newspaper’s investigation found “the ATF used mentally disabled people to promote operations and then arrested them for their work; opened storefronts close to schools and churches, increasing arrest numbers and penalties; and attracted juveniles with free video games and alcohol.”
One Operation Anything for Buck Escambia County case investigated by the newspaper was that of mentally retarded 24-year old Jeremy Lee Norris who lived in poverty with his parents and fiancee. His IQ, according to court documents was just 76, and he was often further impaired by drug use.
“He is naive, but charming, and completely dependent on his fiancee and family to help him navigate through life. In short, Jeremy Norris was no match for the team of undercover law enforcement officers who injected themselves into his life in the spring of 2011,” his attorney, Jennifer Hart, wrote in federal court documents.
Videotapes show Norris always assisted by a family member, even led around by the back of his shirt by his fiancee.
Norris place an ad in local Pensacola newspaper The Shopper advertising a handgun and shotgun for sale. The ad was answered by ATF agents who had established pawn shop “Anything for a Buck” operated by ATF agents and deputies from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The operation was lauded as being successful, with hundreds of firearms taken off the streets and dozens of defendants facing criminal charges.
Guns were purchased by felon Gary Renaud at the Escambia County storefront, which would result in charges if the person selling the gun knew he was a convicted felon.
Court documents show Norris did not know Renaud was felon when he sold his first gun, but Renaud told him before he sold subsequent weapons. Anything for a Buck was paying so much for weapons that Norris, his fiancee and his parents would buy firearms at other gun stores and resell them at a profit to undercover officers.
Due to his low IQ, Norris was sentenced only to probation.
To read the full Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation click here.
Pictured: “Operation Anything for a Buck” is announced during November 2011 during a joint press conference at the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Pictured below (courtesy WEAR): The “Anything for a Buck” storefront in Brownsville following the undercover operation. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Today Is Deadline For Registering Barnyard Animals In Century
February 21, 2014
Today is the deadline for Century residents to register their non-conforming barnyard animals with Town Hall.
As of December 23, it became illegal to keep a horse, mule, donkey, goat, sheep, or cow within the town limits except in areas that are zoned agricultural or rural residential. Hogs were already prohibited in all areas of the town.
One horse or cow is now allowed for every two acres, one donkey or mule per acre and one goat or sheep per one-half acre. The animals and their pens must be 200 feet or greater from a dwelling or property line.
Anyone with the regulated animals in an area not zoned agricultural or rural residential within the town limits, was required toregister their animals at the Century Town Hall withing 60 days from the passage of the ordinance. Anyone with nonconforming animals must apply for and be granted a variance from the town council within six months or get rid of their animals.
Pictured inset: Council member Jacke Johnston reads the new animal control ordinance during a December 23 meeting. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
New Members Inducted Into National Beta Club At Northview
February 21, 2014
Almost two dozen new members were inducted into the National Beta Club Thursday afternoon at Northview High School. The new sophomore members are: (front, L-R) Niki Coleman, Brittney Ward, Madison Weber, Jadlyn Agerton, Bethany Reynolds, Savanna Roux, Lawrence Douglas, (middle) Tyler Houston, Harmoni Till, Jacob Dunsford, Jordan Taylor, Moriah McGahan, Haylee Weaver, Courtney Weekley, (back) Jason Perritt, Trevor Levins, Bradley Van Pelt, Leah Fischer, Jessica Amerson, Abbie Johnson and Jordan Helmken. Not pictured: Ben Preston and David Thorpe. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.