Cantonment Man Charged With Threatening Texts To Girlfriend, Killing Her Dog
December 10, 2015
A Cantonment man has been charged with sending threatening texts to his girlfriend and her family, and killing her dog.
Jaymon Brown-Walker, 18, was living with his girlfriend and her family in Cantonment.
Brown-Walker allegedly sent texts to his 18-year old girlfriend while she and family members were at the movies. The texts were sent through a service that displayed a phone number his girlfriend did not recognize.
In multiple texts over a one hour and 40 minute period, he allegedly said he had been watching her for weeks, threatened to kill her and threatened to rape the victim, her mother and her little sister. He also advised he was in her backyard, along with texts that said he was in the movie theater.
At the family home, the family’s dog was discovered outside with a severe laceration across its back and a stab wound to the abdomen. The dog did not survive.
Deputies were able to serve a search warrant on the company providing the texting service to obtain Brown-Walker identity. He was charged with felony aggravated stalking and animal cruelty.
Traffic: Paving Operations Planned For Nine Mile Near Navy Federal
December 10, 2015
East and westbound traffic on Nine Mile Road will encounter lane closures west of Interstate 10, near Heritage Oaks Drive and Navy Federal Credit Union, in Escambia County from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Thursday through Sunday, December 13, as crews perform construction activities. Drivers are reminded to use caution, especially at night, when traveling through a work zone.
Construction activities are weather dependent and may be rescheduled in the event of inclement weather. If temperatures fall below 50 degrees during nighttime hours, paving operations will take place from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, December 12, and Sunday December 13.
No Serious Injuries When Driver Flips SUV Into Building
December 10, 2015
One person was injured when a SUV flipped into a building Wednesday evening.
The driver of Ford Expedition lost control in the 10000 block of Chemstrand Road and overturned into the parking lot of Southern Bingo. The SUV caused minor damage to the building. There was not word on the condition of the driver, but their injuries were not considered life threatening.
The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol; further details have not been released.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Price, click to enlarge.
Two Children Drink Acid At Meth House; Two Arrested
December 10, 2015
Two young children are recovering in the hospital after ingesting acid from a Santa Rosa County meth lab.
A three-year old and another young child were transported to an area hospital with injuries related to the ingestion of a liquid, according to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office. They said the chemical was consistent with the manufacturing of methamphetamine.
A search warrant was executed at their home on Fleetwood Drive, with deputies recovering numerous items that indicated meth was being produced.
Amber Nicole Cooley, 24, and Kyle Joseph Cooley 27,. were charged with child neglect with great bodily harm, manufacture of methamphetamines with children present, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, possession of drug equipment and possession of listed chemicals. Both are being held without bond.
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office has not released the condition of the children.
Man Gets 20 Years For Beating Baby
December 10, 2015
A Santa Rosa County man is headed to prison for the next two decades for beating a baby.
Joseph Shawn Walker, 28, of Milton, was convicted of a aggravated child abuse and sentencedto 20 years in state prison followed by five year probation by Judge John F. Simon.
On June 3, 2014, Walker committed acts of physical abuse against a six-month old child. Walker fractured the baby’s skull, caused extensive bruising to both sides of her head and the orbits of both eyes, as well bruising to her lip, jaw, ears, chest and abdomen.
Walker initially told Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office investigators that the child was injured when a baby swing fell on her. However, Walker later admitted that he struck the child and injured her when he became irate because she was irritable. The child has improved and is continuing to receive physical therapy as a result of the injuries she sustained.
Chamber Announced Legislative Priorities At Annual Luncheon
December 10, 2015
The Greater Pensacola Chamber – along with the Gulf Breeze Area Chamber of Commerce, Gulf Coast African American Chamber of Commerce, Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce, Perdido Key Chamber of Commerce and Santa Rosa County Legislative Coalition – held its Legislative Luncheon in front of 250 community, business, state and regional representatives in downtown Pensacola Wednesday.
The Greater Pensacola Chamber released its priorities for the 2016 legislative year, which are broken into three categories: Creating a Better Business Environment, Cutting the Cost of Doing Business and Hometown Heroes.
1. To help create a better business environment, the Greater Pensacola Chamber recommends that state and local government officials act diligently when making economic development decisions and to streamline permitting and regulatory processes that sometimes hinder business opportunities. The Chamber also asks the Florida Legislature to be prepared to respond to any adverse judicial decision that might cause workers’ compensation rates in Florida to rise.
2. The Greater Pensacola Chamber endorses the entirety of Governor Rick Scott’s $1 billion tax cut proposal. Specifically, the Chamber calls for a 1 percent cut in the Florida Business Rent Tax, as well as elimination of the Income Tax on Manufacturing and Retail Businesses and the Sales Tax on Manufacturing Machinery and Equipment. The Chamber also fully supports the proposed increase in the amount of income exempt from the Florida Corporate Income Tax from $50,000 to $75,000.
3. To help improve the lives of our hometown heroes, the Greater Pensacola Chamber announces its support for two pieces of pro-veteran legislation. The Chamber urges the passage of HB 269, which would require the Florida Department of Children and Families to establish the Florida Combat Veterans Care Coordination Program. This program would provide combat veterans and their families with behavioral healthcare referral and care coordination services. The Chamber also supports SB 404, which would create the Veterans Employment Small Business Grant Program within the Department of Veterans Affairs. This program would offer small businesses in Florida a one-time grant of $3,000 for each veteran hired, or $5,000 for each disabled veteran hired.
“The Greater Pensacola Chamber supports these common sense proposals that will help grow our local businesses while creating a better quality of life for our hometown heroes,” said Todd Thomson, Executive Director of Public Affairs for the Greater Pensacola Chamber.
Pictured top: Rep. Clay Ingram kicks offs questions with the Legislative Delegation. Pictured below: The chamber luncheon. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Byrneville Students Enjoy Story Time At Century Library; Santa Visits Next Week
December 10, 2015
Kindergarten students from Byrneville Elementary School visited the Century Branch Library for a special Christmas story time. They also had the opportunity to learn about the parts of a book, and enjoy the different parts of the library. Santa will make a special appearance at the Century Branch Library on Tuesday, December 15 at 5 p.m. Santa will also be at the Molino Branch Library on Monday, December 14 at 6 p.m. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Above Average Fall Temperatures Continue
December 10, 2015
Pictured top: A colorful tree showing its fall colors on the lawn of the Atmore City Hall. NorthEscambia.com photo.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Thursday Night: Patchy fog after 9pm. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. South wind around 5 mph.
Friday: Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 76. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: Patchy fog after 9pm. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 60. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday: Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 76. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63. Southeast wind around 10 mph.
Sunday: A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 76. South wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Sunday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Cloudy, with a low around 54. South wind 10 to 15 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 64.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 45.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 67.
Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52.
Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 70.
Florida’s Orange Crop In ‘Free Fall’
December 10, 2015
The outlook for production of Florida oranges, the state’s signature crop, continues to drop.
For the second consecutive month, the Florida orange-harvest forecast for the 2015-2016 growing season was adjusted down Wednesday by the National Agricultural Statistics Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“It’s essentially in free fall,” Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said Wednesday while outlining some of his priorities for the 2016 legislative session.
Among those priorities, Putnam reaffirmed a request that state lawmakers invest $8.5 million to research citrus diseases that are impacting Florida’s crops. He also continued to push for the federal government to provide additional research funding.
Putnam said the federal funding is appropriate because different diseases that have impacted the agricultural industry —citrus greening, citrus canker, Asian citrus psyllid and laurel wilt fungus — were able to enter the state through federal checkpoints.
“The ports of entry, the gateway areas was where the breakdown occurred,” Putnam said.
Some members of Congress have taken steps to try to address the issues.
U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., and U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Fla., introduced legislation last month that would provide tax incentives to farmers who cannot afford to replace trees affected by citrus greening.
If the citrus forecast holds, Florida orange production will be down nearly 30 percent over last season, the Florida Department of Citrus said in a release.
“It is still early in the season and we have learned that forecasts can be fluid,” Department of Citrus Executive Director Shannon Shepp said.
The season’s outlook was already dire when the initial forecast was made for the growing season.
In mid-October, the USDA service predicted Florida’s orange crop would fill 80 million 90-pound boxes, a 17 percent drop from 96.8 million boxes filled in the prior season.
A month ago the forecast was lowered to 74 million boxes. On Wednesday that figure was dropped to 69 million boxes.
The USDA service noted that the forecast season would be the worst for Florida since 1963-1964.
Seasonal production peaked in the 1997-1998 season when 244 million boxes were filled.
The USDA service has also decreased the projection for grapefruit production in Florida from 12.2 million boxes in November to 11.5 million boxes.
The state Department of Citrus said the grapefruit production reflects what officials are hearing from farmers.
“As peak season approaches, growers continue to be very happy with the eating quality of this year’s grapefruit crop and the department remains dedicated to promoting their signature product to consumers around the world,” Michael Schadler, the department’s director of international marketing, said in a prepared statement.
Before the 2015 legislative session, Putnam, who grew up in the citrus and cattle industry in Polk County, asked the Legislature for $18 million to address the citrus industry’s needs, which included growing clean citrus stock and planting new trees where diseased trees had been removed.
Lawmakers responded by giving him $8 million, which was an increase from the $4 million in 2014.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Pot Copter Saves The Day For Nursery
December 10, 2015
In what sounds like a line out of a Jimmy Buffett song, one of the state’s soon-to-be medical marijuana purveyors used a helicopter and a landing at a golf course to squeak in minutes before a 5 p.m. deadline Wednesday to prove he had nailed down a requisite $5 million bond.
Bruce Knox, an owner of Lake Mary-based Knox Nursery, was the last of the five cannabis dispensing organizations — picked by a Department of Health panel late last month — to post a surety bond required by state law for licenses to go into effect.
Knox delivered the necessary paperwork to health officials at 4:58 p.m., the nursery’s lobbyist, Jorge Chamizo, told The News Service of Florida shortly afterwards.
Department of Health spokeswoman Mara Gambineri confirmed Wednesday evening that all of the five licensees, including Central Florida region winner Knox, had met the deadline to prove they had the bonds. The other four applicants had filed their paperwork by Monday evening.
Knox boarded a friend’s helicopter in Lake Mary, where the nursery is located and where he and his family live, late Wednesday afternoon after a delay in securing the bond.
The helicopter landed at a golf course and Knox jumped into a waiting car to rush the documents to the nearby Department of Health headquarters as the clock ran down.
“They zipped over to the department, and he handed it in there to Christian and thanked them for their patience and did a big exhale,” Chamizo said.
Christian Bax is the executive director of the health department’s Office of Compassionate Use, which last month chose the five winning dispensing organizations from more than two dozen applicants hoping to grow, process and distribute non-euphoric marijuana legalized last year.
Under the 2014 law, nurseries that have been in operation for at least 30 consecutive years in Florida and grow a minimum of 400,000 plants at the time they applied were eligible to seek the coveted licenses.
Challenges to the law and the rules implementing it delayed the awarding of the licenses. Some nursery owners — and their teams of pot and investors — spent millions of dollars preparing lengthy applications, acquiring equipment and securing dispensing facilities to start growing types of marijuana low in euphoria-inducing tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, and high in cannabadiol, or CBD. Parents of children with severe forms of epilepsy pushed for the law, believing the low-THC marijuana can end or dramatically reduce life-threatening seizures. Doctors can order the treatment for patients with severe muscle spasms or cancer.
But even after beating out the competition for the licenses, acquiring the requisite bonds proved sticky for some of the dispensing organizations, spurring the last-minute filing by Knox.
Knox’s bonding company required 100 percent collateralization, Chamizo said, meaning the nursery had to come up with $5 million in collateral before 5 p.m. Wednesday.
“The issue was with the different investors. They were trying to renegotiate some of the terms of the deal at the last minute,” Chamizo said.
It was unclear whether the Lake Mary nursery owner would get in before the clock ran out, Chamizo said.
“I was freaking out. To have gotten this far and not be able to get it because you miss a deadline that would have been huge,” Chamizo said, sighing deeply. “I’m ready for a glass of wine.”
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida