Man Charged With 35 Child Porn Counts
May 15, 2015
An Escambia County man has been arrested on nearly three dozen child porn charges.
Brian Mattew Swauger, 35, was charged with 35 counts of possession of obscene material. On May 3, a cellphone was found which contained videos and photos of children engaged in sexual activities, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators were able to identify Swauger from the photographs on the phone.
He was booked into the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $350,000.
Scott Signs 27 Bills Into Law
May 15, 2015
Gov. Rick Scott signed 27 bills into law Thursday, including measures that target speed traps, take aim at “revenge porn, and allow “growlers”.
Scott signed what has become known as the beer “growler” bill (SB 186), which will allow half-gallon containers to be filled at breweries, as can be done with other sized bottles.
But don’t rush out to fill-er-up just yet, as the law doesn’t go into effect until July 1. Scott said in signing the measure that he was “eliminating another burdensome regulation.”
The sudsy topic had been a heavily lobbied issue in the Capitol the past few years because of objections from large beer distributors.
Among the other bills signed Thursday is an effort to prevent local police from using traffic-ticket quotas.
The law (SB 264), which also goes into effect July 1, stems from a longstanding speed trap in the small Alachua County town of Waldo, which is along U.S. 301. The town’s police department disbanded last year, at least in part because officers disclosed they had been placed under a ticket quota. State law-enforcement agencies are already barred from using ticket quotas, but restrictions on cities and counties have not been so clear.
Another new law (SB 538), going into place Oct. 1, is known as the “revenge porn” bill. It provides penalties for uploading to the Internet sexually explicit images without the consent of the person in the picture.
Scott also signed a measure (SB 766), which starting July 1 will prohibit the use of aerial drones to capture images that could infringe on the privacy of property owners or occupants.
Also, he signed a bill (HB 593) that allows residents in the Wakulla County fishing village of Panacea — population 816 — to decide if they want to incorporate as a city. The name of the community, located 28 miles south of Tallahassee, comes from small sulfurous mineral springs in the area that were purported to have healing properties.
Scott also signed two bills Thursday that will provide public-records exemptions for email addresses held by county tax collectors and the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. One of the bills (SB 200), sponsored by Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, will provide an exemption for taxpayers’ email addresses obtained by tax collectors in the process of sending tax notices. Similarly, the other bill (SB 7040) will apply to email addresses that the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles collects related to driver’s licenses and motor-vehicle records.
Pictured: Gov. Rick Scott signed 27 bills into law Thursday. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate’s Worley Inks With Jeff Davis
May 15, 2015
Tate High School senior Hunter Worley signed Thursday to play baseball for Jefferson Davis Community College in Brewton, AL. The senior third baseman had a productive year at the bat hitting .388 with 22 RBI’s, and a .517 OBP. Photo courtesy Tate baseball for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Local Students Shine At Sunshine Math Competition
May 15, 2015
Over 600 third, fourth and fifth grades took part in the recent Sunshine Math Competition in Escambia County. Winners of the event held at Washington High School were:
Individual Competition Winners
3rd Grade
- 1st Place: Grayson Jackson—Jim Allen Elementary School
- 2nd Place: Sierra Knight—Hellen Caro Elementary School
- 3rd Place: Nicholas Khan—Hellen Caro Elementary School
4th Grade
- 1st Place: Drake Salter—NB Cook Elementary School
- 2nd Place: Leila Owens—Pine Meadow Elementary School
- 3rd Place: Nina Burt—Brentwood Elementary School
5th Grade
- 1st Place: Wassim Khabou—Cordova Park Elementary School
- 2nd Place: Isaac Batz—Hellen Caro Elementary School
- 3rd Place: Michael Hall—McArthur Elementary School
Team Competition Winners
3rd Grade
- 1st Place: Cordova Park Elementary School- Team 2
- Aubrey Miller, Tony Lipnicky, Ava DeJong, William Westerheim
- 2nd Place: Bratt Elementary School—Team 1
- Raegan Abbott, Carsyn Dortch, Mason Edwards, Jacob Spence
- 3rd Place: McArthur Elementary School—Team 1
- Tyler Zobel, Eric Banagan, Kloey Bradley, Clay Philley
4th Grade
- 1st Place: Molino Park Elementary School—Team 1
- Alyssa Jackson, Brycelyn Woodward, Karson Brown, Ethan Collier
- 2nd Place: Pine Meadow Elementary School—Team 1
- Audra Davis, Kali Hurst, Leila Owens, Jacob Young
- 3rd Place: Pine Meadow Elementary School—Team 2
- Max Fina, Ian Delay, Katherine Bradshaw, Marina Deubler
5th Grade
- 1st Place: Hellen Caro Elementary School—Team 1
- Lauren LaCour, Alexis Orr, Christian Hall, Isaac Batz
- 2nd Place: Jim Allen Elementary School—Team 1
- Alyssa Daniels, Ryan Dykes, Christian Meadows, Jaxson Stafford
- 3rd Place: A.K. Suter Elementary School—Team 1
- Tommy Bucco, Maria Grissett, Ibby Green, Gavin McKeon
Pictured top: The Molino Park Elementary School 4th Grade Math Team earned first place in the Escambia County Sunshine Math competition. Pictured are: (L-R) Alyssa Jackson, Brycelyn Woodward, Karson Brown and Ethan Collier. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Take Third Straight From Jacksonville
May 15, 2015
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos won its third straight game against the Jacksonville Suns, 5-2, Thursday.
The Blue Wahoos got 10 hits to support starter Daniel Wright with his first win of the year (1-4), as he allowed nine hits, two runs, one earned, two walks and five strikeouts.
Wright allowed two runs to Jacksonville in the first inning after giving up four in the first to Tennessee Smokies in his last start. Both times Pensacola came back to win those games.
Jacksonville center fielder Kenny Wilson and third baseman Zach Cox scored for Jacksonville in the first.
Pensacola then got a homer by Kyle Waldrop in the second inning, his team-leading fifth of the season to cut the lead, 2-1. Center fielder Beau Amaral tied the game at, 2-2, when he singled in shortstop Zach Vincej.
The Blue Wahoos’ game-winning run came in the sixth inning when Seth Mejias-Brean singled to left field to score first baseman Marquez Smith for a 3-2 lead. Pensacola scored two more insurance runs in the seventh inning when Daniel Wright drove in Vincej and then Wright scored on a fielding error on a Smith grounder to third base.
Waldrop’s homer was his second in two games and extended his hitting streak to seven games. He’s batting .444 in those games with 12 hits in 27 at-bats. He leads the team with a .299 batting average this year.
One Hospitalized After Escambia County Drive-by Shooting
May 14, 2015
One person was hospitalized after a drive-by shooting last Wednesday night in the 5100 block of Saratoga Avenue.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to the call about 10:20 p.m. Three people in a dark green Ford F-150 stopped in front of the house, one of them shooting toward the home. A resident of the home came out and shot back. The pickup then fled in an unknown direction of travel.
One resident was transported by Escambia County EMS to a local hospital where they underwent surgery; their condition was not available.
Further details have not yet been released by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Any with information on the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Cantonment Woman Charged With Food Stamp, Medicaid Fraud
May 14, 2015
A Cantonment woman is facing two felony charges for allegedly collection public assistance while a household member was employed.
Kathleen A. Leavis, 39, was charged with felony fraud for failing to disclose facts for public aid.
According to an investigator with the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Public Assistance Fraud, Leavis applied for public assistance benefits indicating that no one was employed, when in fact a household member gross $80,350 while benefits were received from August 2010 to December 2012.
The investigator said Leavis received food stamp and medicaid benefits for the employed household member and their mutual children during the time period. The state reported that she received $11,910.46 in wrongful public assistance.
Leavis was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $3,000 bond.
Ribbon Cutting Planned For Improved Carver Park
May 14, 2015
A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held next Monday at Carver Park in Cantonment.
Improvements to Carver Park include a renovated community resource center, enlarged parking lot, volleyball court and re-striped basketball court. The park will also soon feature a new pavilion for family and local events. The improvements began in 2014 and were funded to Local Option Sale Tax dollars.
The Escambia County Parks and Recreation Department will host the ribbon cutting at 4 p.m. on Monday, May 18 at Carver Park, 208 Webb Street. The event is free and open to the public; food and beverages will be provided.
Pictured: Work earlier this year to prepare a new community resource center at Carver Park in Cantonment. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Former Gov. Askew, From Pensacola, Named To Civil Rights Hall Of Fame
May 14, 2015
Former Gov. Reubin Askew of Pensacola was inducted Wednesday into the Florida Civil Rights Hall of Fame.
Askew, who died last year, was elected governor in 1970 and served two terms. He was named to the hall of fame in part because of his support for desegregation and his appointments of top black officials.
As governor, Askew supported school and busing desegregation and fought for fairer legislative representation in urban counties. He appointed the first African-American Justice to the State Supreme Court, the first African-American woman to head a state agency, and the first African-American to hold a cabinet level office in Florida. The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University rated him one of the country’s top ten governors of the 20th century
Askew’s widow, Donna Lou, accepted the honor on the late governor’s behalf.
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.
Rules Outlined For Return Of Bear Hunting
May 14, 2015
Rules for the state’s first bear hunt in more than 20 years have been published as the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is expected next month to give final approval to the hunt.
The posting of the rules came as the Humane Society has reached out to Gov. Rick Scott to halt the pending hunt because the commission has yet to determine how many bears are in Florida.
“This is very premature,” said Kate MacFall, the Humane Society’s Florida director. “They haven’t even finished the count. They don’t even know about the bear population.”
The society has not heard back from Scott.
The proposed rules were published Tuesday in the Florida Administrative Register and outline how the hunt is expected to occur in four regions of the state starting Oct. 24.
The hunt is considered one way to control the bear population as Florida has seen a growing number of bear and human conflicts.
The wildlife commission on April 15 gave tentative approval to the hunt and is expected to take a final vote the week of June 22 in Sarasota.
The proposed rules were issued after two black bears, both estimated to weigh more than 400 pounds, were killed this month in separate collisions with cars outside Micanopy and Hawthorne, both in Alachua County.
Opponents of the proposed hunt have argued the state should consider relocating problem bears and that people need to be held more responsible for leaving out unsecured food and trash that attracts bears.
“It’s a trash problem,” MacFall said. “The bears are attracted to trash, and that is where the focus should be, large-scale trash management.”
State lawmakers this spring approved a bill (HB 7021) that would in part increase penalties for people charged a fourth time with feeding bears and alligators not in captivity. The charge would be a third-degree felony. Currently, a fourth offense of illegally feeding wildlife within a 10-year period is a first-degree misdemeanor.
The bill has yet to be sent to Scott.
The hunt, meanwhile, is expected to last from two to six days, depending on when quotas are reached in the different regions — the eastern Panhandle, Northeast Florida, east-central Florida and South Florida.
Diane Eggeman, director of the commission’s Division of Hunting and Game Management, said the agency expects to have hunt quota numbers ready for the commission to approve in September.
“We should have the new estimates from the South and Central bear management units sometime this summer,” Eggeman said. “There is a chance that they’ll be ready by the June meeting, but that is unlikely.”
The hunt will target less than 20 percent of the population in the four bear-management areas.
Black bears were placed on the state’s threatened list in 1974, when there were between 300 and 500 across Florida. At the time, hunting black bear was limited to three counties. In 1994, the hunting season was closed statewide.
In moving forward with the plans for the hunt, the state commission has used 2002 numbers, which estimate there are a combined 2,500 black bears in the four regions.
Under the proposed rules, the cost of the hunt would be $100 for Floridians and $300 for non-Floridians. There had been talk by commissioners of lowering the fee for Florida residents to $50, as it is unknown how many will pay to join the hunt.
Each hunter would be limited to one bear, and the kill would have to be registered and tagged within 12 hours.
Also, hunters would be prohibited from killing bears within 100 yards of active game-feeding stations.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida