Molino Man Arrested For Two Counts Of Attempted Murder
March 2, 2015
A Molino man has been arrest on two counts of attempted murder for a shooting in Pensacola last December.
Johnny Walker, Jr., age 23 of Barth Road, was charged with two capital counts of attempted first degree premeditated homicide, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, reckless or negligent discharge of a weapon, firing a weapon into a vehicle and two counts of robbery with a firearm. He is being held in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $1.4 million.
On December 23, 2014, Pensacola Police officers found 22-year old Markquise Wallace and 28-year old Terry Crenshaw shot multiple times while in vehicle in a parking lot in the area of Sanchez Court. Both were reportedly robbed of about $300-$400 in cash and valuables. A third victim was later located who had been the vehicle at the time of the shooting. They were allegedly shot by two assailants. One, Kieshjuan Abrams, was arrested shortly after the shooting, while Walker was later identified as the second suspect and warrants issued for his arrest.
Wallace, who suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his chest and arm, told police that he remembered Walker from a time in 2013 that both were incarcerated in the Escambia County Road Prison.
Kidnapping Charges Dropped In Century Shooting Death Case
March 2, 2015
A Century man remains jailed for January 31 shooting death in Century , but some of the charges against him have been dropped because prosecutors says part of the story told by witnesses was not true.
Jaran Britt Myles, 20, remains jailed without bond on charges of negligent manslaughter and aggravated assault for the shooting death 20-year old Jonathan Wilson. But two counts of kidnapping against Myles have been dropped.
Investigators said Myles shot Wilson in the head about 8:00 that Saturday night inside a residence in the 1000 block of Backwoods Road.
One witness told deputies that “Run Run”, later identified as Myles, pulled out a gun and asked him if he was scared of it before taking the magazine out of the weapon and pointing it him. Myles then pulled the trigger of the gun, without the magazine, but it “dry fired”, he said.
The witness said Myles then pointed the gun to Wilson’s head after loading the magazine back into the gun. Wilson then adjusted the height of the gun to his head, “correcting the placement of the gun pointed at him,” an arrest report states. The witness said when Wilson let go of the gun, Myles pulled the trigger and shot Wilson in the head.
Witness first told investigators that Myles then stuck the gun in a witness’ ribs then pointed it at a second witness, ordering the witness to drive him home. But that part of the witness’ story did not occur, Assistant State Attorney James Parker said, leading prosecutors to drop the kidnapping charges. The two witnesses did drive Myles away from the shooting scene to his nearby residence on Backwoods Road, but Myles never pointed a gun at them or forced them, Parker said.
The State Attorney’s Office reached its conclusion after further interviews with witnesses, Parker said. At this point, there are no plans to file any charges against the witnesses.
Myles has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Dense Fog Advisory
March 2, 2015
There is dense fog advisory in effect. Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight A 20 percent chance of showers before midnight. Widespread fog. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 59. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Tuesday A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 75. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Tuesday Night A 20 percent chance of showers. Areas of fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 60. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Wednesday A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 76. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Wednesday Night A chance of showers and thunderstorms before midnight, then a chance of rain after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46. South wind around 10 mph becoming northwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
- Thursday A 40 percent chance of rain, mainly before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 49. North wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
- Thursday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 32. North wind 10 to 15 mph.
- Friday Partly sunny, with a high near 51. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Friday Night A 20 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
- Saturday A 20 percent chance of rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 60.
- Saturday Night A 20 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45.
- Sunday A 30 percent chance of rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 61.
- Sunday Night A 20 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47.
- Monday A 20 percent chance of rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 62.
Learn About Century Business Challenge At Tuesday Workshop
March 2, 2015
Orientation and workshops for the upcoming Century Business Challenge begin Tuesday from the University of West Florida Haas Center and the Florida SBDC at UWF.
The business challenge is a business plan competition in which the winning company will receive a prize package valued at more than $25,000. The Pensacola-based Studer Institute and the Haas Center are sponsoring the competition in partnership with the Florida SBDC at UWF, which is providing business planning software and conducting orientation and workshop sessions for participants.
“I am very excited about our involvement with the Century Business Challenge,” said Kelly Massey, regional director of the Florida SBDC at UWF. “Growth business consultant Carl Quesinberry is leading our team on this project. We have assisted competitors in many business plan competitions before.”
The first orientation session will be open to the public on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Century Community Center on West Highway 4 at Industrial Boulevard. The meeting is an orientation for anyone wising to compete in the Century Business Challenge. The second public meeting will be a business concept workshop on Tuesday, March 17. Additional workshops, closed to the public, will be held for participants on April 7, 8 and 9.
“The Florida SBDC and UWF are seeking to make our services more convenient and accessible for those in Century and the surrounding area,” Massey said. “We will provide three training sessions and mentoring services for the competitors at no cost. The Century Business Challenge is a win for everyone.”
Those interested in participating in the business challenge must apply by the end of March. Applications and more information about the business challenge can be found at its website, www.CenturyBusinessChallenge.com.
Prizes for the winner of the Century Business Challenge include space at the Century Business Center on Pond Street at a lease rate of $1 per year, with the possibility of an extension of that rate for two more years based on the company’s performance.
Pensacola philanthropists Quint and Rishy Studer will donate $25,000 in financial support to the winner of the competition.
The Century Business Challenge is part of an economic development partnership of the Haas Center, the Town of Century and the Studer Institute.
Those interested in attending orientation or the workshops are encouraged to RSVP by emailing Allison Tyler at atyler1@uwf.edu
Driver Misses Curve, Hits Power Pole In Walnut Hill
March 2, 2015
There were no injuries when the driver of a vehicle missed a 90-degree curve on Kansas Road and destroyed a power pole Sunday night in Walnut Hill.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 24-year old Austin Reimer of Ringwood, OK, was northbound on Kansas Road in a 2014 Ford Expedition when he failed to negotiate the curve and struck the utility pole. The vehicle eventually came to rest in a grassy field. Reimer and his three passengers ages 18-22 and all from Ringwood, OK, were not injured.
The accident happened just north of Arthur Brown Road about 9 p.m., causing a small number of Escambia River Electric Cooperative customers in the Kansas Road area to lose power for about two hours. The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Ag Saves Workshop Series – Securing Your Farm’s Financial Future
March 2, 2015
Escambia County Extension and the University of Florida IFAS will host an Ag Saves Workshop Series beginning Tuesday, March 24. This four-session series of interactive workshops will focus on the basics of securing your farm’s financial future and will be offered locally at the Walnut Hill Community Center on Highway 97. In addition to learning from featured speakers, participants will receive a Farm Journal Legacy Project Workbook to help walk their family through the succession planning process.
The four workshop sessions, held from 6 to 7:30 p.m., will cover the following topics:
- Tuesday, March 24 – Preparing for retirement and other goals
- Tuesday, June 23 – Trimming the fat, how to manage and reduce your debt
- Tuesday, July 21 – Securing your family’s and your farm’s future, part 1
- Tuesday, August 18 – Securing your family’s and your farm’s future, part 2
The cost of the class is $55 per family (up to four members) and pre-registration is required by Tuesday, March 10. For more information or to register contact Libbie Johnson or Dorothy Lee at Escambia County Extension (850) 475-5230. or visit bit.ly/AgSavesSeries.
Northview Cheerleader Parent Meeting
March 2, 2015
Anyone interested in trying out for the Northview High School cheerleading team for the 2015-2016 school year should attend a parent meeting on Tuesday, March 3 at 5:30 p.m. in the Northview Media Center.
New ECAT Bus Stop Shelters Being Installed
March 2, 2015
Escambia County is installing or relocating bus benches and shelters across the county. Pictured is the new Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) bus stop shelter at the Billy G. Ward Courthouse in Century. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Lawmakers To Consider Expunging Juvenile Records
March 2, 2015
As Florida’s legislative session gets underway next week, some lawmakers are calling for measures to help teens move on after paying their dues in the juvenile-justice system.
Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, joined children’s advocates on Thursday in Jacksonville, saying he would support efforts to give kids a “second chance.” Sen. Darren Soto, D-Orlando, is sponsoring a bill (SB 1316) that would allow the expunging of records for minors who commit nonviolent misdemeanors and go on to complete diversion programs.
Senate Minority Leader Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa, and Rep. Mia Jones, D-Jacksonville, are sponsoring a proposal (SB 334, HB 205) that would shorten the length of time juvenile offenses stay on the record for minors who aren’t serious or habitual offenders.
The problem, said Dina Sarver, 22, a medical scribe in Port St. Lucie, is that a juvenile record can lock young people out of jobs, colleges, housing and the military — for the rest of their lives.
“I appreciate the juvenile justice system,” Sarver said. “But after I’ve shown them the system can work, I’m constantly reminded of the crime I committed as a child. … I’m speaking for juveniles who have turned their lives around, proven that the juvenile-justice system is beneficial and want to get on with their lives.”
Her crime was grand-theft auto, committed when Sarver was 15 years old. She said she’d become a delinquent at 12, following her parents’ divorce and her mother’s relocation — along with 10 children — from the suburbs to government-subsidized housing. Sarver started working at age 13.
“I was very angry at the world,” she said. At 15, she was incarcerated. But when she had a baby the following year, Sarver said, she cleaned up her act. “I was like, OK, I need to be a better person for my son.”
Kelly Otte executive director of the PACE Center for Girls in Tallahassee, has heard many such stories.
“You’re 14 years old. You make a stupid decision to do something. You end up being in the juvenile justice system, and six years later it means nothing to you, what you did. You’re not even the same person,” Otte said.
Today, Sarver has a degree in health-care management from Indian River State College and plans to take the LSAT exam, for law school, in June. But she had to switch her major from the nursing program, to which she’d been accepted, when her record came to light. And she was nearly expelled a month before her eventual graduation, when her record became an issue again, over a key internship. Even now, she can’t chaperone the kids at her son’s school.
Currently, in Florida, most juvenile records aren’t expunged until the offender is 24, and for some crimes not until age 26. Since most job and college applications require disclosing an arrest, those with juvenile records often find the doors slammed — no matter what gains they’ve made in their lives.
What’s more, according to the Children’s Campaign and the Dolores Barr Weaver Policy Center, between 70 percent and 90 percent of girls in the juvenile system have experienced sexual violence, abuse and neglect in their homes. To escape the trauma, many girls run away from home — a crime if they’re under 18.
“The first thing that experts tell adult women in abusive situations to do is leave their homes to escape their abusers, yet doing so often puts girls on a fast track to being locked up,” Lawanda Ravoira, president and chief executive officer of the Delores Barr Weaver Policy Center, said in a statement.
Bean and Ravoira joined Children’s Lobby spokesman Roy Miller and Allison DeFoor, chairman of the Project on Accountable Justice, in Jacksonville on Thursday. They called for new laws that allow most juvenile records to remain confidential and to be retained only until the offender reaches 21. They also want to automatically expunge records upon completion of diversion programs or in cases where charges were dismissed or unsubstantiated.
Democrats have filed the bills that would accomplish much of that during the upcoming legislative session. But DeFoor pointed to the involvement of Bean, a Senate Republican, as a sign that the bills can succeed in the GOP-dominated Legislature.
“I don’t think it’s going to end up being a partisan issue,” DeFoor said. “It’s almost closer to a glitch bill than it is to a substantive change in policy.”
by Margie Menzel, The News Service of Florida
Billy Dortch
March 2, 2015
Billy Dortch passed away on Friday, February 27, 2015. He served in the U.S. Air Force for four years and has been employed with International Paper for the last 40 years. Billy had many joys in his life: his love for his family, Spring Lake ,deer hunting, fishing, cooking ,and sitting around the camp fire. Probably one of his most favorite things to do was riding around Spring Lake with his two best friends, Buddy and Smokey. Everyone was always welcome in his home.
He is preceded in death by his parents, J.C. Dortch and Martez Gilmore Dortch.
Billy is survived by his wife, Joanne Dortch; his son, Adam (Hayley) Dortch of Bratt; daughter, Heather (Rodney) White of Bratt; five grandchildren, Hillary Dortch, Ali Martin, Peighton Dortch, Cameron White and Carsyn Dortch; one great-granddaughter, Talise Gregson; sisters, June (Roberto) Valenzuela of Colorado; Kristy (Steve) Gibson of Bratt; brothers, Randy (Sue) Dortch of Bratt, Tim (Gabby) Dortch of Nokomis and Mark (Sheila) Dortch of Bratt; his longtime best friend, Buddy Plair; and his favorite companion, Smokey.
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday, March 5, 2015, at Faith Chapel Funeral Home with Pastor Ted Bridges officiating.
Burial will follow in Godwin Cemetery in Bratt.
Visitation will be held from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 4, 2015, at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North in Cantonment.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to The American Cancer Society, 5401 Corporate Woods Drive, Pensacola, FL 32504.
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North is in charge of arrangements.