FWC Law Enforcement Report
September 28, 2017
The Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement reported the following activity during the weekly period ending September 21 in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
No report received for Escambia County.
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
Officer Hutchinson obtained information that a deer had been taken illegally by a subject in the Munson area. Officer Hutchinson and Lieutenant Hahr went to the suspect’s residence and located several suspects around their barn. While Officer Hutchinson interviewed suspects, Lieutenant Hahr obtained permission to look in the barn and located a cooler containing two freshly killed deer. One of the suspects admitted to killing a “nice 7-point buck” in velvet and another admitted to killing a spike. Since both deer were killed in Alabama, the officers and two suspects met with Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources officers at the state line. The two men were charged with possession of a freshly killed deer out of season in Florida and taking deer at night in Alabama. Two deer and two firearms were seized as evidence.
Officer Jones was responding to a complaint when he observed a vehicle driving erratically in Navarre. While following this vehicle, he observed the vehicle swerving and partially running off the road. Officer Jones contacted the driver, after the driver suddenly stopped on the roadside. After completing an interview and subsequent field sobriety tasks, Officer Jones suspected the driver to be impaired. The driver was placed under arrest for DUI and transported to the Santa Rosa County Jail. The subject provided a breath sample which was four times the legal limit.
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.
NorthEscambia.com photo.
Inmate Serving Life Bites Century Correctional Officer
September 28, 2017
A correctional officer was recently assaulted at Century Correctional Institution.
Inmate George L. Strickland assaulted the officer, according to the Florida Department of Corrections. Strickland became combative and bit the officer in the leg. Staff responded appropriately, and the inmate was subdued, according to the FDOC.
Medical staff examined the officer and noted injuries. Strickland will receive a disciplinary report for this assault.
Strickland was serving a life sentence out of Orange County for a burglary with an assault. He has a long criminal record that includes multiple burglary convictions, robbery, aggravated battery and grand theft.
Byrneville Elementary Board Talks Hold On Building Plans, Pay Raises, New Board Member
September 28, 2017
The Byrneville Elementary School Board of Directors has hit a few minor bumps in the road in their plans to construct a new building.
But none of those bumps are set to halt plans, rather just to slow them down according to Principal Dee Wolfe-Sullivan during a board meeting Wednesday afternoon at the school.
The board is awaiting answers from the state about about capital outlay funding before moving forward with plans to acquire their school property from the Escambia County School District in order to continue with any construction plans.
The charter school is considering the construction of a new multi-million dollar modern building containing 8-10 classrooms, likely a cafetorium and possibly even a small gym. The largest building on the current Byrneville campus was build in 1941 and contains five classrooms, plus offices and a cafeteria.
Also Wednesday, the Byrneville board decided to align their educational support personnel pay scale with that of the Escambia County School District. Once the plans are finalized and approved at an upcoming board meeting, the pay changes will be retroactive for the school year. The change will result in a slight pay raise for the support employees.
And a new member of the board was approved Wednesday. Chris Hawkins was appointed to the board as a community member. Hawkins is employed as a nurse and is the pastor at Byrneville United Methodist Church. He will replace Michelle Driskell who resigned recently after four years on the board.
Pictured: Byrneville Elementary School Principal Dee Wolfe-Sullivan address board members Melanie Killam and Jeremy Hawsey Wednesday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Gilmore Promoted To Pensacola Fire Department Captain
September 28, 2017
North Escambia resident Ben Gilmore was promoted Wednesday to the rank of captain with the Pensacola Fire Department. Gilmore has been with the Pensacola Fire Department since August 2006. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Open House Saturday At Roy Hyatt Environmental Center
September 28, 2017
The annual open house will be held Saturday at the Roy Hyatt Environmental Center in Cantonment.
Visitors will have the opportunity to stroll through the center’s butterfly garden, hike the many nature trails, climb aboard the bird bus to do some bird watching, visit the resident reptiles, meet beautiful birds of prey with the Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida, peer at the daytime sky through telescopes with the the Escambia Amateur Astronomy Assoc., and learn about bats with UF/IFAS Escambia County Extension agents.
There will also be a silent auction, and hotdogs, chips, water and baked goods will be available for a smaller donation.
The Roy Hyatt Environmental Center is at 1300 Tobias Road, Cantonment. The events and open house will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call (850) 937-2117.
Industry Group Backs Seven Day Limit On Opiod Prescriptions
September 28, 2017
As Gov. Rick Scott and legislative leaders start to move forward with plans to address the state’s opioid epidemic, a major pharmaceutical-industry group said Wednesday it would support a seven-day limit on initial prescriptions of pain medications.
Scott said Tuesday he will seek a change in state law that would place a three-day limit on opioid prescriptions, though the prescriptions could be up to seven days under some conditions.
House Speaker Richard Corcoran’s office said the proposal would apply to initial prescriptions of drugs such as OxyContin, Percocet and Vicodin. While not limited to Florida, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America announced Wednesday that it would support seven-day limits on initial supplies of “acute pain” opioid prescriptions, with doctors able to deviate in certain circumstances such as when treating cancer-related pain or when providing hospice care.
“We are taking this step because we believe the worsening opioid epidemic demands additional solutions, with new protections for patients,” Stephen J. Ubl, president & CEO of the industry group, said in a prepared statement. “Too often, individuals receive a 30-day supply of opioid medicines for minor treatments or short-term pain. Overprescribing and dispensing can lead to patients taking opioids longer than necessary or to excess pills falling into the wrong hands.”
The proposals announced Tuesday by Scott, including spending $50 million on programs such as drug treatment, are expected to be debated during the 2018 legislative session, which starts in January.
by The News Service of Florida
Senate Bill Filed To Name Part Of Hwy 4 The “Sen. Greg Evers Memorial Highway”
September 28, 2017
Mirroring a proposal in the House, Senate Appropriations Chairman Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, filed a bill Wednesday that would name a stretch of road in Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties as “Senator Greg Evers Memorial Highway.”
The bill, which is filed for the 2018 legislative session, comes after Evers, 62, died Aug. 21 in a single-vehicle accident near his home in Okaloosa County.
Evers, a Republican, served nine years in the Florida House before his election to the Senate in 2010. Evers left his Senate seat last year to make a bid for the U.S. House but lost the Republican primary to U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz.
The Latvala bill and the House version filed by Rep. Jayer Williamson, R-Pace (read more…), would provide the memorial designation to part of State Road 4 between Munson Highway and State Road 189 in Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties.
by The News Service of Florida
Hundreds Of Local Students Gather To Pray At The Pole
September 27, 2017
Hundreds of students gathered to pray at their schools across the area Wednesday morning during the annual See You at the Pole event.
Students gathered as school began to pray in the non-denominational event. See You at the Pole is a national student-initiated, student organized, and student-led event. Students prayed for their school, friends, teachers, government and the nation.
For a photo gallery from Northview High, Ernest Ward Middle and Byrneville Elementary, click here.
Pictured: See You At the Pole events at Northview High School (above), Ernest Ward Middle School (below) and Byrneville Elementary (bottom). NorthEscambia.com and reader submitted photos, click to enlarge.
County Approves Pay Raises For All; Sheriff Still Not Happy
September 27, 2017
All county employees will receive a pay raise under a budget approved Tuesday night on a 3-2 vote by the Escambia County Commission — including Sheriff’s deputies — but Sheriff David Morgan say he still plans to appeal his budget to Gov. Rick Scott.
The commission approved a $455.8 million 2017-2018 fiscal year budget, up 4.4 percent from last year. The budget included $3.7 million to provide a 3 percent across the board raise for all permanent employees of the Board of County Commissioners, the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, the Supervisor of Elections and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, including those employees capped at the top of their pay ranges.
The budget approval cane at the end of a long summer in which Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan fought for pay raises and changes in the pay structure in his department in order to retain deputies.
Even with the pay raise approval, Morgan said that he is going to appeal his budget to the to the governor.
“We’re going to Tallahassee,” Morgan said. “We knew that we would have to go. We’ve been at an impasse for a very, very long time so we look forward to putting this before those who think more rationally and I think we’ll prevail in Tallahassee.”
“Thank you for the pay raise. That doesn’t fix the problem. It only worsens the problem and now to get the compression fixed it’s going to cost more. Every year you kick this can down the road the worse it gets,” Morgan said.
Commissioners Doug Underhill and Grover Robinson voted against the budget, presenting their own options that failed to move forward.
Underhill had proposed to fully fund the Sheriff’s request plus user funds from the commissioners’ discretionary budget and about $400,000 from the Pensacola-Escambia Development Commission. Robinson proposed a middle of the road solution with a 2 percent across the board pay raise plus another $1.25 million for the Sheriff to use as desired for pay raises.
“Tonight completes the fifth budget since Commissioner Lumon May and I were elected, and I’m thrilled that it’s the fifth consecutive year of 3 percent raises for all Escambia County employees, including all constitutional officials’ offices and the Sheriff’s office,” Commissioner Steven Barry said. “As a thoughtful public servant, I believe the budget we’ve approved represents a fair and reasonable allocation of the resources entrusted to the board by all of our constituents.”
Sunny And Hot Today
September 27, 2017
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 92. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 69. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph in the morning.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 68. North wind around 5 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 89. North wind around 5 mph.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. North wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. East wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 82.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 63.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 82.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 65.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 83.