New Pavilion Installed At Carver Park In Cantonment
April 29, 2016
Escambia County Parks and Recreation has installed a new covered pavilion at Carver Park in Cantonment. The two acre neighborhood park also has a playground, basketball courts, security lights, benches and picnic area. The park also has a small community building and some of the most historic oak trees in Escambia County. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Suspect Named In Store Clerk’s Murder; Reward Offered
April 29, 2016
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[UPDATED} The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has named a suspect in the shooting death of a store owner Tuesday night.
Investigators are searching for 39-year old Raymond Jerome Pruitt. He now has an active arrest warrant for the robbery of A&E Food Mart and homicide of of store owner Chung Lun Chiang also known as “Alan”. He was last seen driving a light colored Hyundai Tucson.
Investigators say Pruitt robbed the A&E Food Mart on Pace Boulevard about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. During the robbery, he shot and killed Chiang, 53, as he worked behind the counter.
Pruitt’s crime spree began on April 5 in Montgomery when he stabbed his girlfriend and shot her with her own pistol as she tried to escape. Pruitt has since been identified as the prime suspect in five armed robberies occurring in Montgomery, Ozark, Troy, and Prattville, AL.
Raymond Pruitt is 5-foot-3 weighing approximately 170 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.
Authorities advice if you see Pruitt, do not approach him; he is considered armed and dangerous. Instead, call 911. Anyone with information on Pruitt’s whereabouts is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
The U.S. Marshals are offering a reward up to $10,000 and Central Alabama Crime Stoppers are providing $1,000 for information leading to his arrest.
Rep. Jeff Miller Endorses Trump For President
April 29, 2016
Thursday, House Veterans Affairs’ Committee Chairman Jeff Miller (FL-01) endorsed Donald Trump for president.
Miller has represented Florida’s 1st Congressional District since 2001. Prior to being elected to represent the people of Northwest Florida in Washington, he served in the Florida State House. Since 2011, Miller has served as chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and in 2014, he negotiated a sweeping VA reform law that included his proposal to provide accountability by empowering the VA secretary to fire poorly performing managers.
“Donald Trump is the only person who has what it takes to shake up the status quo and entrenched bureaucrats in Washington D.C.,” Miller said. “I am more and more convinced that he has the ability to reach in and right the wrongs in the Department of Veterans Affairs once and for all.
“America needs Donald Trump and his conservative agenda to shore up and secure our borders and to rebuild our military,” added Miller. “I stand today with Donald Trump, and l support his candidacy for President.”
“Miller is the kind of results-oriented person we need more of in Congress,” said Trump. “He has uncovered scandals within the VA and the poor treatment of our veterans, and I applaud those efforts. But our veterans deserve better than an agency that has failed them, and I look forward to working with Jeff to make sure every veteran gets the kind of care they have earned and the kind of care they deserve.”
Couple Arrested For Multi-State Crime Spree
April 29, 2016
A man and woman who were on a multi-state crime spree have been taken into custody after racking up charges locally and in several other states.
The pair were arrested in Montgomery County, TX, said Detective Shannan Briarton. They were wanted locally for purse snatching incidents that occurred last week at businesses in Pensacola and Santa Rosa County. They were taken into custody in Texas after a deputy found them sleeping in a car that had been stolen in Santa Rosa County.
The suspects – Timmie Sawyer, 25, of Oklahoma City, OK and Justin Turner 25, of Edmond, OK– have each been charged by the Pensacola Police Department with grand theft, fraudulently using credit cards more than two times, and robbery.
The first incident occurred around 2 p.m. April 16 when the suspects drove up to a woman in the parking lot of Walmart, 2650 Creighton Road. Sawyer tried to steal the woman’s purse but the woman, who was in her 20s, struggled with Sawyer and the couple left without the purse. The victim was not hurt.
The second incident occurred around 11 p.m. April 18 when Sawyer entered the Walmart in Pace, stole a 75-year-old woman’s purse out of a shopping cart and left the store, but not before Sawyer pushed a 64-year-old woman who tried to stop her from leaving. The woman fell but wasn’t injured.
Turner was waiting outside the Pace Walmart in a car that had been stolen from Oklahoma. The pair left the area, but returned a short time later and stole the 75-year-old woman’s car, which they located by using the key fob.
Briarton said the suspects have been linked to similar crimes in Niceville, Destin and Escambia County in addition to Mississippi, Texas and Oklahoma. The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office is also in the process of filing charges. The investigation is continuing and they may be tied to additional crimes elsewhere.
Anyone having information on the suspects is asked to contact Detective Shannan Briarton at (850) 435-1978, by email at sbriarton@cityofpensacola.com or the Pensacola Police Department at (850) 435-1900.
Florida Legal Bills Mount In Gambling Dispute
April 29, 2016
Florida has paid more than $260,000 to private law firms in gambling lawsuits involving the Seminole Tribe of Florida, with the likelihood of hundreds of thousands of dollars more on the horizon.
The Seminoles and the state are fighting over the tribe’s “exclusive” right to operate banked card games, including blackjack, at five of the tribe’s seven casinos. The $260,000 tab for taxpayers started building shortly before two dueling lawsuits were filed by the Seminoles and the state in October and does not include legal bills that likely will pile up before the consolidated cases go to trial.
The state Department of Business and Professional Regulation has hired two law firms to work with agency attorneys on the case, overseen in Tallahassee by U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle. A trial, originally slated for this summer, was recently postponed until October, at the request of both sides.
The agency, which oversees gambling, in August hired Detroit-based Dickinson Wright, a law firm with offices throughout the country, including in Nevada and Washington, D.C., to represent the state “in the mediation required” between the Seminoles and Florida regarding a 2010 agreement, called a “compact,” at the heart of the dispute.
The state has agreed to pay three of the firm’s lawyers — Robert Stocker, Dennis Whittlesey and Jonathan Secrest — $350 an hour, as well as paying hourly rates of between $195 and $275 for three other lawyers. State regulators originally agreed to pay the firm $45,000 for legal work, but the contract, amended several times, now totals $250,000. As of this week, the agency had paid Dickinson Wright $217,876.61, according to documents provided to The News Service of Florida.
In December, gambling regulators hired Bush Ross, a law firm based in Tampa, to also advise the agency on the compact. The agency initially agreed to pay the firm $50,000, but the amended contract is now worth $100,000. Under the contract, the state agreed to pay lawyers J. Carter Andersen and Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe $300 an hour, other lawyers $200 an hour, and an hourly rate of $100 for work done by paralegals. Thus far, the state has paid $43,118.83 to the firm.
According to court documents, much of the legal wrangling in the case has involved where the dispute would be heard. The two sides still have to go through a time-consuming information “discovery” process, and the Seminoles have just started taking depositions. Motions for summary judgment have not yet been filed, meaning the state is likely on the hook for a much bigger legal tab in the months to come, especially if the case goes to trial in October, as scheduled.
Since 2010, the Seminoles have had exclusive rights to offer the banked card games. In exchange, the tribe promised to pay the state a minimum of $1 billion over five years, an amount which it has exceeded. But the agreement regarding the cards — part of a larger, 20-year deal — expired on July 31. The terms of the compact gave the Seminoles a 90-day “grace period” after the agreement expired to continue operating the banked card games.
But, after mediation — brokered by a lawyer whose past clients included Mick Jagger and Leona Helmsley — failed, the tribe filed a lawsuit against the state, alleging that Florida officials had failed to negotiate in “good faith” on a new deal.
The lawsuit also alleges that the state breached the compact by allowing pari-mutuel facilities to offer what are known as “player-banked” card games in which “the bank” is another player instead of “the house.” The tribe contends that allowing such games violated its rights to exclusivity in operating banked card games, which typically involve players betting against the house instead of each other.
Less than a week after the tribe filed its lawsuit, the state filed a separate suit in Tampa seeking to stop the banked card games at Seminole casinos.
The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act requires states to negotiate in good faith with tribes seeking gambling authority. Florida argued that the federal law only requires states to negotiate initial compacts but not to renegotiate deals when they expire.
“The contention is plainly wrong,” Hinkle wrote in January, rejecting Attorney General Pam Bondi’s request that the tribe’s lawsuit be dismissed. At the time, Hinkle also consolidated the tribe’s lawsuit and the state’s lawsuit in federal court in Tallahassee.
Gov. Rick Scott and tribal leader James Billie in December signed a proposed 20-year compact in which the tribe pledged to pay the state $3 billion over seven years in exchange for being able to add craps and roulette to its casino operations. Lawmakers failed to approve the proposed deal, however, during the legislative session that ended in March.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Fire Damages Atmore Apartment
April 29, 2016
Fire damaged an apartment in the 100 block of 6th Avenue in Atmore Thursday afternoon. There was no word of any injuries or the cause of the fire. The Atmore and Poarch Fire Departments responded. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Barons Beat The Wahoos
April 29, 2016
The Birmingham Barons won the opening game of its five-game series, 4-0, with Pensacola by limiting the Blue Wahoos lineup to three hits in the game at Regions Field.
Barons pitcher Tyler Danish, who’s in his second year in Double-A with the White Sox organization, gave up a hit in the second inning to Blue Wahoos left fielder Tony Renda and in the third inning to second baseman Alex Blandino, who ended up stranded at third base.
In the ninth inning, Renda hit a two-out triple off of Danish and was 2-4 on the night improving his batting average to .275.
Danish, the No. 11 prospect, pitched a complete game, giving up just three hits, walking two and striking out six. He improved to 2-2 on the season with a 3.56 earned-run average.
Pensacola pitcher Sal Romano gave up all four Baron runs in six innings, walked two and struck out seven.
Romano fell to 0-1 and his ERA increased to 4.09. He gave up a two-out home run to Birmingham’s Richmond in the second inning and a homer to first baseman Nicky Delmonico in the fourth inning.
After hitting .289 against the Jackson Generals in its home stand, Pensacola went 3-29 against the Baron’s Danish. The Blue Wahoos left 11 runners on base for the game.
The Barons added two more runs in the seventh inning to go up, 4-0. Delmonico scored on a single by DH Josh Richmond. Next, Birmingham third baseman Trey Michalczewski crossed the plate on a catcher Josh Dowdy single to right field.
New K-12 Private School For Learning Disabled To Open In Century
April 28, 2016
Student registration is now open for Century Academy, a new private non-profit K-12 school in Century. The school will open in August for the 2016-17 school year.
The school will specialize in teaching children diagnosed with autism and other related learning disabilities and will be located in the old Carver/Century K-8 School on Hecker Road.
“We are starting to register students for the fast approaching 2016-2017 school year beginning in August. The registration and application process must be completed as early as possible in order to process and determine eligibility for available scholarships designated for Florida students with learning disabilities,” says Barbara Barber, director of Century Academy.
There are two types of scholarships available for students, the John McKay Scholarship and the Gardiner Scholarship. These scholarships generally cover the cost of tuition for a student attending a private school. These scholarships have deadlines that must be followed in order to meet their requirements.
“We identified approximately 100 children living in and around the Century area that have a learning disability. Currently, these children are being bused long distances to provide for their educational services they need. We are thrilled to soon be offering these Century citizens an opportunity to remain within their own community while learning and growing in a safe, nurturing environment,” says Barber.
Parents are being encouraged to schedule an appointment with Barber at (850) 437-5560 to begin the application process as soon as possible. Appointments can be scheduled to meet in person in downtown Pensacola at 635 West Garden Street during weekdays and on Saturday mornings in Century at the “Century Business Center” located on Pond Street.
Century Academy is a subsidiary of East Hill Academy in Pensacola.
East Hill and Century Academies were $20,000 winners in last year’s Century Business Challenge. The Century Business Challenge was part of an economic development partnership of the Haas Center, the Town of Century and the Studer Institute. The Studer Institute provided a total of $25,000 in prize money.
Pictured: Classrooms at East Hill Academy in Pensacola. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Byrneville Elementary Celebrates Principal Beating Cancer
April 28, 2016
Byrneville Elementary School Principal Dee Wolfe-Sullivan had a really good day Wednesday. Less than 24 hours before arriving for work, she successfully completed breast cancer treatment.
Despite the daily radiation treatments, she never missed a day of school; she would come to work before leaving for her treatments.
Wednesday morning, she arrived to find her staff and students wearing pink in her honor.
And, like the family Byrneville Elementary School is, they celebrated victory against cancer together.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
FHP Seeks Clues In Ensley Hit And Run Crash
April 28, 2016
The Florida Highway Patrol is looking for clues in a hit and run accident Wednesday afternoon in Ensley.
According to the FHP, the driver of a Toyota Camry ran a stop sign at Hannah Street and Palafox Street, hitting a 2004 Nissan Titan driven by 29-year old Isai Chino Clemente of Pensacola. The Camry continued on past the collision, striking a fence.
Clemente was transported to West Florida Hospital with minor injuries.
The driver and passenger of the Camry fled the scene east on Hannah Street. Both were described as black males in their late teens to early 20’s.
Anyone with information on the crash is asked to call (850) 484-5000 ext. 330 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.