Human Remains Found Near McDavid During Search For Missing Flomaton Man
May 30, 2015
Human remains have been found in a remote area off Pine Barren Road near McDavid today during an ongoing search for a missing former Memphis, TN, police officer.
The remains were found during a multiple-agency search near where the vehicle of 35-year old John Douglas Oswalt of Flomaton was found back on May 5. Oswalt had last communicated with family members on May 3. The remains were found about 500 feet off Pine Barren Road, about a half mile south of where Oswalt’s vehicle was discovered.
The exact identification of the remains must be determined through DNA and dental records and may take some time. Authorities have declined to say the remains are those of Oswalt pending the outcome of that further investigation.
“We are continuing to work with Escambia County (FL) as we have since the beginning,” Flomaton Police Chief Bryan Davis said. “While we await positive identification of the remains that were found, Mr. Oswalt is still officially listed as ‘missing’ in our system.”
Friday’s search involved 14 members of Escambia Search and Rescue and KlaasKIDS, along with five canines and numerous support personnel. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and the Flomaton Police Department were involved in the investigation.
The K-9 search began at 8:45 Friday morning, with the remains found by 10:20 a.m.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
FWC Law Enforcement Report
May 30, 2015
The Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement reported the following activity during the weekly period ending May 28 in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
Investigator Goley was working at the Navy Point Boat Ramp when he observed an individual having trouble attempting to dock his vessel. After the vessel was loaded on the trailer, Investigator Goley approached the subject and performed a safety inspection on the vessel. While speaking to the subject, Investigator Goley noticed signs of impairment. The subject agreed to submit to several field sobriety tasks and performed poorly on them. Investigator Goley arrested the subject for BUI and transported him to the Escambia County Jail. He refused to submit to a breath test.
Officers Livesay and Miller assisted a multi-agency task force in apprehending a sexual predator earlier this week. The subject was living on a sailboat in Pensacola Bay. He planned via the internet and thought he was meeting a 14‑year‑old girl at a local marina. Officers Livesay and Miller along with a task force member shadowed the sailboat until it docked at the marina. The subject met with an undercover officer and was arrested. The subject’s computers and sailboat were seized and he was transported to the Escambia County Jail.
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
The patrol vessel FinCat was on patrol in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico during the Memorial Day weekend. Due to high seas, the crew was limited to one patrol. During that patrol, four of the nine vessels boarded were in violation. Violations included possession of red snapper during the closed federal season, undersized cobia, and possession of gag grouper during the closed season. Five federal citations were issued.
This report represents some events the FWC handled over the past week;however, it does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement. Information provided by FWC.
New Daycare Opens In Century
May 30, 2015
An open house and ribbon cutting was held Friday afternoon for the Abundant Life Children of Hope Center, a new daycare, in Century. The project is actually in the running for the $25,000 Century Business Challenge but is already a reality, regardless of the contest outcome to be announced next month.
In December, the Century Business Challenge was announced by Quint and Rishy Studer, with $25,000 and a possible location in the Century Business Center. The church has applied for the challenge, but decided to go ahead and open the Abundant Life Children of Hope Center on June 1. The daycare will begin with space for 29 children from 6 weeks old to Pre-K…allowing their mothers, or fathers, the chance to go to work or school.
“I saw the need for Century, director Heather Smith said. “We see the need. We want to be a blessing to the community.”
A recent economic development plan created by the University of West Florida Haas Center identified the need for a daycare in Century.
“A daycare is something that Century really needed,” Mayor Freddie McCall said. “I’m really glad to see them opening; this will allow people to be able to get jobs.”
Open enrollment is underway now. Applications can be picked up from the church on North Century Boulevard Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Daycare hours will be 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For more information, call (850) 256-5227. The daycare will officially open Monday with space for 29 children from 6-weeks old to Pre-K.
Pictured: The grand opening of the Abundant Life Children of Hope Center daycare in Century late Friday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia Man Pleads Guility To Distributing Child Porn
May 30, 2015
An Escambia County man pled guilty this week to receipt and distribution of child pornography.
During his plea, 35-year old Kandel Markie Whiting admitted that between October 2014 and January 2015, he used the social media applications Twitter and Kik to share images of minors engaged in sex acts. In January 2015, Whiting’s Twitter account was reported to law enforcement for containing images of child pornography. When agents executed a federal search warrant at Whiting’s residence and seized his cellular phone, they quickly located the illicit material within his social media applications. Whiting then admitted to sharing child pornography online using Twitter and Kik.
Additionally, a forensic review of Whiting’s digital media revealed numerous child pornographic images and videos.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 17 before Chief United States District Judge M. Casey Rodgers at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola, Florida. Whiting faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years in prison and maximums of 20 years in prison, life on supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Saying Goodbye: Eighth Grade Walk At Ernest Ward Middle
May 30, 2015
The first eighth grade class to attend the newly rebuilt Ernest Ward Middle School in Walnut Hill ended their middle school careers Friday with smiles, shouts and tears. The students, many headed to different high schools next fall, said goodbye to friends, teachers and middle school during the traditional “Eighth Grade Walk” on the last day of school.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Century’s Showalter Celebrates 400th Win With The Orioles
May 30, 2015
Former Century resident Buck Showalter celebrated his 400th win as manager of the Baltimore Orioles Friday night. The Orioles beat the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1 in Baltimore.
Showalter’s family moved to Century in the late 1950’s. His father served as a teacher, coach and principal at Century High School for 23 years. Buck Showalter played Little League ball in a thriving program in Century, and he graduated from Century High School. Century’s modern day Showalter Park is named after him.
Pictured: Buck Showalter celebrated his 400th win as manager of the Baltimore Orioles Friday night. Photo courtesy Baltimore Orioles for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia County High Seniors Graduate With Over $1 Million In Scholarships
May 30, 2015
The Escambia County High School Class of 2015 graduated Friday evening in Atmore. Class members collectively earned over $1 million in scholarships. Submitted photos by Alisa Hart for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Court Backs Slot Machines At Poarch Creek Racetrack
May 30, 2015
In what could be a game changer in Florida’s gambling arena, an appeals court Friday ordered state regulators to allow slot machines at a Gadsden County racetrack operated by the Poarch Creek Indians.
The 2-1 decision issued by the 1st District Court of Appeal could have statewide implications in counties where voters have approved allowing slot machines at local pari-mutuels.
Gambling regulators at the Department of Business and Professional Regulation rejected Gretna Racing’s request for slot machines late in 2013, relying in part on an opinion issued by Attorney General Pam Bondi, whose office represented the agency in the lawsuit.
Gadsden County voters in 2012 overwhelmingly approved a referendum authorizing slots at the track, which also made history after receiving the country’s first pari-mutuel license for rodeo-style barrel racing. A court later ruled that state regulators had issued that permit in error.
Voters in five other counties — Brevard, Hamilton, Lee, Palm Beach and Washington — have given a thumbs-up to slots at local horse or dog tracks. Only the tracks in Gadsden and Palm Beach counties, however, have applied for slot-machine licenses thus far. Palm Beach Kennel Club’s application for a slots machine license was also denied.
The Gretna slots case hinged on a semantic analysis of a 2009 law establishing eligibility for slot machines at pari-mutuels. The 2009 law, which went into effect the following year, was an expansion of a 2004 voter-approved constitutional amendment that authorized slot machines at seven existing horse and dog tracks and jai-alai frontons in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
The 2009 change allowed a Hialeah track, which wasn’t operating at the time the amendment was approved, to also operate the lucrative slots. The statute in question consists of three clauses, including one that deals with counties outside of Broward and Miami-Dade.
Echoing Bondi’s opinion, which was not legally binding, state regulators argued that the Department of Business and Professional Regulation denied the racetrack a license because it “is not authorized to issue a slot machine license to a pari-mutuel facility in a county which … holds a countywide referendum to approve such machines, absent a statutory or constitutional provision enacted after July 1, 2010, authorizing such a referendum.”
But two of the appellate judges agreed with lawyers for the Gretna horsetrack, who argued that the statute does not contain the word “enacted.”
The judges also rejected the state’s argument that counties outside of Miami-Dade and Broward would have to get authorization from the Legislature or a constitutional change in order to be able to have slot machines.
That was already the case before the 2009 law, Judge Robert T. Benton wrote in the 22-page majority opinion, which was joined by Judge Nikki Ann Clark.
“There was no need or purpose in enacting a statutory provision to state the obvious,” Benton wrote.
But in a 28-page dissent, Judge Scott Makar argued that lawmakers can create statutes that will have an impact on future activities.
“Nothing prohibits legislation that has a contingency that makes a statute effective only upon some triggering event. … And nothing prohibits the Legislature from enacting a statute that operates as a restraint on society with a stated understanding about how that restraint might be eliminated in the future,” Makar wrote. “Not all statutes are blossoms; some are only seeds.”
State regulators and Bondi’s office said they were reviewing the opinion. Marc Dunbar, an attorney who represents Gretna and is also a part-owner of the facility, was unavailable for comment. Gadsden County is a largely rural county west of Tallahassee.
The highly-anticipated opinion sent ripples throughout Florida’s gambling community Friday afternoon.
The ruling, if it stands, could have implications on a $1 billion deal the state has with the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Under the agreement, the tribe can stop its payments to the state if pari-mutuels outside of Broward and Miami-Dade counties start operating slots.
The decision comes as lawmakers are negotiating another part of the deal, called a “compact,” that gives the Seminoles exclusive rights to operate banked card games such as blackjack at most of its facilities. The card portion of the compact expires in July unless the Legislature reauthorizes it or strikes a new pact.
Legislative leaders and the tribe failed to reach an agreement on a new deal before the regular legislative session ended in May, and the issue is not expected to be addressed during a special session on the budget that begins Monday.
Palm Beach Kennel Club lobbyist Brian Ballard hailed Friday’s ruling.
“This absolutely strengthens our hand with regard to the upcoming negotiations on the gaming bill, vis a vis the compact. It’s exactly what we were told we were getting five years ago by the Senate. The court agrees with that. So we’re optimistic,” Ballard said.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Joyce C. Little
May 30, 2015
Joyce C. Little, 74, of Jay, died May 30, 2015 at her home due to the effects of cancer.
Mrs. Little was born July 23,1940 in Pensacola, Fla., to Crawford and Alice Myers-Carnley of Jay. Mrs. Little, who was raised in the Ebenezer community, graduated from Jay High School in 1958. During high school, Mrs. Little began working as a bookkeeper at Griffin Tractor Company in Jay and then moved on to Monsanto in Pensacola, where she worked for two years before starting a family. Later in life she would go on to work in several Bible bookstores and eventually retired as the secretary of Jay First Baptist Church in 2000. During all this time, Mrs. Little served faithfully as a pastor’s wife in three Southern Baptist churches located in Louisiana and Florida. Her joy came from working with children in each church teaching them God’s word and directing children choirs, sometimes traveling to other churches with them to perform musicals. Mrs. Little was a member of Cora Baptist Church, in Jay, where she spent many years teaching children’s Sunday school classes, VBS and leading in children’s choir. She was also a member of the adult choir and the Women on Missions group.
Mrs. Little loved many things in life – her husband, children, grandchildren and her brothers and sisters being her heart. She loved cooking for her family and friends and spent countless hours in the kitchen teaching each of her grandchildren to cook. The only thing she loved more was being in the outdoors, working in her yard planting and transplanting flowers and plants of all kind. She was independent and active every day of her life touching so many people in the process by sharing God’s love.
Mrs. Little is survived by her devoted husband of 55 years, the Rev. Thomas Little, Jr., of Jay; two sons, Gilbert (Deb) Little of Ft. Worth, Texas and Jeffrey Little of Pensacola; one daughter, Janet Little Cooper of Jay; four brothers, Earl (Edna) Carnley of Pensacola, Ray (Anne) Carnley of Milton, Jimmy (Karen) Carnley of Pace and Ricky (Shelly) Carnley of DeFuniak Springs; two sisters, Dorothy (Joe) Botts of Milton and Linda (Randy) Tarleton of Lakeland, Fla.; two brothers-in-law, Charles Walsingham of Milton and Skip Warren of Milton; two sisters-in-law, Frances G. Carnley of Lakeland and Betty (Lamar) White of Atmore; three grandchildren, Meredith Little of Ft. Worth, Texas, Austin Cooper and Bryant Cooper, both of Jay; and many nephews and nieces.
Mrs. Little was preceded in death by her parents; her in-laws, Thomas and Susie Nelson Little of Jay; granddaughter, Reagan Reid Little; one brother, the Rev. Jack Carnley of Lakeland; and two sisters, Bonnie C. Walsingham of Milton and Judy C. Warren of Pace.
A visitation will be held on Monday, June 1, 2015, from 3-5 p.m. at Cora Baptist Church in Jay. Funeral services will begin at 5:00 p.m. with the Rev. LaDon Hall and the Rev. Delbert Redditt officiating.
The deacons of Cora Baptist Church will serve as pallbearers.
The family would like to thank Dr. C. David Smith of Jay who discovered Mrs. Little’s cancer three years ago and referred her to doctors, Stephen Theis and David Fiveash at UAB and the use of the Joe Lee Griffin Hope Lodge while she received treatment in Birmingham. A special thank you is extended to Sharon Murell of Century, for her devotion, sacrifice, compassion and love shown to Mrs. Little as her caretaker and to Summer Stuckey with Hospice, for taking excellent care of Mrs. Little in the nursing home and then again at home.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions can be made to the Joe Lee Griffin Hope Lodge in Birmingham at 1104 Ireland Way, Birmingham, AL 35205.
Jay Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Braves Win Pitchers’ Duel Over Blue Wahoos
May 30, 2015
Friday night’s contest in Mississippi ended with a score of 1-0 as the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (21-27) lost a pitching battle to the Mississippi Braves (26-21).
Wahoos starter Robert Stephenson pitched 7.0 scoreless innings with ten strikeouts while allowing only three hits and one walk in what was undoubtedly his best performance of the season. He was unable to earn the victory due another great effort from his counterpart, Jake Brigham (4-2). Brigham went 8.0 scoreless innings, allowing three hits, striking out five and walking no one.
Wahoos reliever Kevin Shackelford (0-3) earned the loss as he gave up the only run of the game in the bottom of the eighth. Braves reliever Tyler Jones earned his third save of the season, as he was able to get out of a jam in the top of the ninth.
The Blue Wahoos were led at the plate by shortstop Juan Perez, who went 3-3 with a triple to extend his hit streak to six games. Perez had three of the team’s five hits, with the others coming from Beau Amaral and Jesse Winker, both on singles in the ninth inning.
The first threat of a run came in the bottom of the fourth as Kevin Ahrens drew a two-out walk and Corban Joseph singled, reaching second on the throw. Stephenson, however, was able to get out of the jam with a strikeout of Rio Ruiz on a breaking pitch.
The Blue Wahoos posed a real threat to break the tie in the eight when Perez tripled with one out. Cam Maron was then called out on strikes, and pinch-hitter Ray Chang was robbed of an RBI when the third baseman Ruiz made a great stab on a hard-hit ball to end the frame.
Matt Lipka began the bottom of the eighth with an infield single and then moved to third on a single from Eric Garcia. Lipka would score on a fielder’s choice after contact from Mallex Smith to break the tie, as the throw from the infield was not in time.
Pensacola threatened to tie or potentially take the lead in the top half of the ninth as Beau Amaral led off the inning with a single to left field. After a Ryan Wright sacrifice bunt, Winker flared one into shallow left field to put runners at the corners with one out. Unfortunately for the Wahoos, a double play ended the game on the next at-bat.