Escambia Man Gets 20 Years On Burglary Charges
August 6, 2017
An Escambia County man is headed to prison on burglary charges.
Willie Dixon, Jr., was sentenced by Circuit Judge Gary L. Bergosh to 20 years in state prison after entered a plea in five criminal cases.
His charges included dealing in stolen property, grand theft, felony petit theft, and criminal mischief entered a plea to four counts of burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, six counts of dealing in stolen property by trafficking, and two counts of criminal mischief.
Dixon’s charges stemmed from multiple burglaries he committed in Escambia County during May and June of 2016. Dixon burglarized several homes–two of which were the property of Loaves and Fishes. During the burglaries, Dixon stole televisions, DVD players, other electronics, a bicycle, and several other items.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Beginning Again
August 6, 2017
Spring is usually the season for renewal, but new beginnings for state government are underway in the heat of summer.
Some are cyclical, like the earliest legislative proposals being filed for the session that begins in January. The claim bills — filed for people who have been harmed by the government in some ways — are usually the first concrete steps toward lawmakers’ annual gathering in Tallahassee.
Meanwhile, Visit Florida’s boss began a swing across the state, with the aim of helping rebuild the tourism marketer’s reputation after this year’s legislative session, which saw the organization serve as a pinata for House Speaker Richard Corcoran.
Also, the state’s new death-penalty regime moved one step closer to a fateful decision that could clear the way for Florida’s first execution in more than 18 months. Some starts are unpleasant.
But the hope is that most new beginnings will be for the better and that the improvement will last until the next one comes along.
PENALTIES AND PAIN
It is virtually inevitable, when a state introduces a new drug mix for its lethal injections, that a legal challenge will soon follow. The case of Mark James Asay, a Death Row prisoner scheduled to be put to death Aug. 24, is following the pattern.
After losing the first round of the legal battle, Asay’s lawyer has gone to the Florida Supreme Court, asking justices to review the new drug protocol that would be used on Asay. It would mark the first execution in Florida since the state’s death-penalty regime was tied up by months of wrangling over the role of juries in imposing capital punishment.
Gov. Rick Scott originally set Asay’s execution for early 2016, before the legal battles put things on hold. After those issues were resolved, Scott moved the date to August; but by then, the Florida Department of Corrections had introduced its new drug mix.
Now, the state plans to use etomidate instead of midazolam as the critical first drug, used to sedate prisoners before injecting them with a paralytic and then a drug used to stop prisoners’ hearts.
Asay argues that the state failed to provide him notice of the revamped lethal injection protocol, essentially keeping his lawyer, Marty McClain, from having enough time to present evidence at a circuit court hearing last week. Ultimately, Duval County Circuit Judge Tatiana Salvador ruled that Asay failed to prove that the new three-drug protocol is unconstitutional.
McClain argues that, instead of the new drug protocol, corrections officials should use the three-drug lethal injection procedure involving midazolam, vecuronium bromide and potassium chloride that was in effect when Asay’s original death warrant was signed last year, or a single-drug protocol adopted by some other death-penalty states.
Despite numerous challenges to the use of midazolam as the first drug in the lethal injection process, courts have repeatedly upheld its use, McClain wrote. But etomidate is another matter.
“It carries a risk of pain and a risk of seizure-like movements as Mr. Asay dies. This raises Eighth Amendment bases to challenge both the substantial risk of pain and the undignified manner of death,” he wrote.
The change in the protocol has come as states have scrambled to obtain lethal-injection drugs because manufacturers have refused to sell the substances to corrections agencies for execution purposes.
In a 65-page response, Assistant Attorney General Charmaine Millsaps referenced Salvador’s ruling.
Etomidate, also known by the brand name “Amidate,” is a short-acting anesthetic that renders patients unconscious. Twenty percent of people experience mild to moderate pain after being injected with the drug, but only for “tens of seconds” at the longest, the Duval County judge noted.
“Given that lethal injection protocols use needles to deliver the drugs, all such protocols involve some pain. But executions are not required to be totally painless,” Millsaps wrote. “Rather, the risk of pain from the protocol must be sure or very likely to cause ‘needless suffering.’ ”
Both of the state’s experts testified that, even though the medical literature refers to a 20 percent chance of patients experiencing some pain from etomidate, “neither had actually seen a patient experience any pain,” Millsaps added.
TAKING THEIR OWN ADVICE
Visit Florida is usually just the name of the state’s tourism-marketing agency — not an action plan. But Ken Lawson, president and CEO of the public-private organization, said this week he would indeed visit Florida.
After months of negative press and new rules that ended partnerships with a number of local tourism organizations, Lawson has started traveling the state to try to rebuild trust with industry officials.
He wrote Wednesday on the corporate blog “Sunshine Matters” that he has started to “humbly” reach out to different groups across the state.
“I want to earn your trust and learn from you first hand,” Lawson wrote. “This has been a hard year for all of us.”
Visit Florida this year had to fight to keep its state funding from being cut by two-thirds. Also, it dropped the sponsorship of an auto racing team and recently did not continue sponsorship of the British football club Fulham.
The tourism-marketing agency ultimately avoided major funding cuts. But with lawmakers approving new disclosure rules tied to the state funding, the agency has lost partnerships with 12 local organizations. That doesn’t necessarily mean the regional organizations have severed ties with Visit Florida.
“We will continue to evaluate sales and marketing opportunities, on a case-by-case basis, for possible integration within our destination marketing plan,” Jorge Pesquera, president & CEO of Discover The Palm Beaches, said Thursday.
Even with the change, 46 tourism organizations have agreed to continue partnering with Visit Florida.
Lawson acknowledged in the blog that the “battle” to maintain funding “was hard and messy.”
“It is now time to heal and come together,” Lawson wrote. “As part of this process, I am humbly reaching out to you to hear your story, learn about your challenges, and determine how Visit Florida can help with your future success.”
Meanwhile, the fallout from changes at another economic development agency continued. The board of the South Florida Water Management District decided to promote Ernie Marks to serve as executive director, taking over for Pete Antonacci.
Antonacci left the district to take over Enterprise Florida, the state’s business-recruitment agency.
Board members said they looked to Marks, director of Everglades policy and coordination, in part to avoid disruptions in ongoing water projects throughout the district’s 16-county region, which stretches from Orlando to the Florida Keys.
“We have a lot of projects that are critical, that we are on the cusp of completing, and having a seamless transition in that leadership is very, very important,” board member Brandon Tucker said. “I think those relationships that Mr. Marks has with our partnering agencies, and all these things we have going on, I believe he’ll do a tremendous job.”
CLAIMING THE INITIATIVE
As a percentage of money that the state spends every year, claim bills amount to a tiny sliver of the budget. For those affected by them, it’s another matter. And in any case, the legislative calendar pretty much dictates that the bills are first out of the chute.
Claim bills filed in the Senate for the 2018 session include addressing a woman who died as a result of a Florida Highway Patrol officer using a Taser and a Tampa chef left disabled after a crash with a city water truck.
Claim bills stem from people who are injured or die because of the actions of government agencies or employees. A legal concept known as “sovereign immunity” typically shields agencies from paying large amounts in lawsuits. But claim bills, if passed, direct agencies to pay more than sovereign-immunity caps, which are often $200,000 or $300,000.
The measures filed Tuesday totaled more than $50 million, but many of the proposals have previously been introduced in the Capitol and have struggled to advance.
Among the bigger-ticket proposals, Sen. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, filed a bill (SB 46) that would direct the city of Tampa to pay $17.8 million to chef Ramiro Companioni.
In 1996, Companioni suffered “catastrophic” injuries when the motorcycle he was riding was involved in a crash with a city of Tampa water truck that had crossed three lanes of traffic, the bill said.
Sen. Audrey Gibson, D-Jacksonville, proposed directing money to the estate of Danielle Maudsley, who in 2011 was critically injured and later died after a Florida Highway Patrol officer used a Taser on her.
The bill (SB 14), which would carry out a $1.95 million settlement, said the 20-year-old Maudsley was taken in September 2011 to a Florida Highway Patrol substation in Pinellas Park for processing after being arrested on traffic charges.
While handcuffed, Maudsley ran from the substation. In the parking lot, a trooper used a Taser, causing her to collapse and fall, leading to a traumatic brain injury. She died two years later.
STORY OF THE WEEK: The battle over the state’s new death-penalty protocol moved to the Florida Supreme Court, the next stage in a months-long fight about how the state carries out the ultimate punishment.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “This case, however, is a classic example of how inflexible mandatory minimum sentences may result in injustices within the legal system that should not be tolerated. I, therefore, recommend that appellant apply for executive clemency … and that the governor and Cabinet act favorably upon this request.”—1st District Court of Appeal Judge James Wolf, in a concurring opinion upholding the conviction and 20-year sentence of Eric Patrick Wright. Wright was found guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in the 2013 incident in Duval County.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Escambia County Employees Complete CPM Program
August 6, 2017
Several Escambia County employees recently completed the Certified Public Manager program, a nationally-recognized program for training and developing public managers and supervisors. They were among 350 participants to graduate this summer from the program, which has a primary goal of professionalizing public management and improving organizational efficiency and effectiveness.
Escambia County CPM graduates are:
- Shawn Fletcher, Information Technology Director
- Julie Gonzalez, Waste Services Administrative Supervisor
- Felix Hotard, West Florida Public Libraries Network System Engineer
- Pat Johnson, Waste Services Director
- Chris Karp, Information Technology Manager
- Scott MacDonald, Information Technology Manager
- Leon Salter, Emergency Medical Services Deputy Chief
- Brent Schneider, PE, Waste Services Engineering and Environmental Manager
- Paul Williams, Escambia County Fire Rescue Deputy Fire Chief
The eight-level course took two years to complete, with the first seven levels taking place at the Escambia County Public Safety Building and the final level taking place in Tallahassee. Florida has one of the largest CPM programs in the country, with nearly 5,500 graduates from more than 100 agencies. Florida’s CPM Program is administered by the Florida Center for Public Management, which is part of the Askew School of Public Administration at Florida State University.
Other participating agencies that attended in Escambia County included the Escambia County Tax Collector, Santa Rosa County Tax Collector, Florida Department of Children and Families, Florida Department of Revenue, First Judicial Circuit Court Administration and the Okaloosa County Clerk of Courts.
FDOT: Weekly Traffic Alerts
August 6, 2017
Drivers will encounter traffic variations on the following state roads in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities.
Escambia County
· U.S. 98 Routine Maintenance from the Lillian Bridge to Dog Track Road- Eastbound intermittent lane restrictions from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 5 as crews trim trees along the roadway.
· State Road (S.R.) 298 Lillian Highway Routine Maintenance from Dog Track Road to Blue Angel Parkway- Eastbound intermittent lane restrictions from noon until 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5 as crews trim trees.
· Interstate 10 (I-10)/U.S. 29 Interchange Improvements Phase I- Drivers will encounter the following traffic impacts on I-10 near the U.S. 29 interchange (Exits 10A and 10B) from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 6 through Thursday, Aug. 10.
· Alternating lane closures on I-10 and on U.S. 29.
· Intermittent closure of the U.S. 29 south to I-10 eastbound ramp and the U.S. 29 north to I-10 eastbound ramp. Traffic will be detoured on U.S. 29 to access I-10 eastbound.
· Intermittent closure of the I-10 westbound to U.S. 29 south ramp (Exit 10A) and the I-10 westbound to U.S 29 north ramp (Exit 10B). Traffic will be detoured to the open ramp to access U.S. 29.
· I-10 Widening from Davis Highway to the Escambia Bay Bridge- Alternating lane closures between Davis Highway (Exit 13) and Scenic Highway (Exit 17) from 7 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 6 through Thursday, Aug. 10 as crews widen the roadway. In addition, the outside lane of Scenic Highway north and southbound on the Scenic Highway overpass will be closed during this time as crews install new railing.
· S.R. 95 (U.S. 29) Widening from I-10 to Nine Mile Road- Drivers traveling U.S. 29 and Nine Mile Road will encounter traffic pattern changes from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. as crews perform drainage and bridge operations as follows:
· Beginning Sunday, Aug. 6 and continuing for several months east and westbound traffic on Nine Mile Road at the U.S. 29 overpass will be reduced to one lane from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Eastbound traffic will be shifted to the westbound, inside travel lane nightly as crews prepare the area for construction of the support column for the new center bridge deck. Traffic control officers will be on site to help direct traffic.
· Wednesday, Aug. 9 and Thursday, Aug. 10 northbound U.S. 29 south of the Nine Mile Road overpass will be reduced to one lane and detoured to the Nine Mile Road off ramp as crews install drainage. Off duty law enforcement will be located at the Nine Mile Road intersection to direct traffic.
· Drainage work continues on U.S. 29 between I-10 and 9 1/2 Mile Road. Alternating lane closures are in effect from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
· Pensacola Bay Bridge Replacement- Alternating east and westbound lane closures on U.S. 98 between 17th Avenue and the bridge from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday, Aug. 7 through Saturday, Aug. 12. Tuesday, Aug. 8 lane closures will be from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Crews will be clearing and grubbing in the state owned right-of-way, removing existing curb, placing temporary pavement, setting barrier wall, and installing crash cushions.
· Nine Mile Road (S.R. 10/U.S. 90A) Widening from Beulah Road to Pine Forest Road- Bell Ridge Drive near Nine Mile Road will be reduced to one lane from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 8 as crews relocate utilities. Traffic flaggers will be on site to safely direct drivers through the work zone.
· Creighton Road (S.R. 742) Construction Improvement Project from east of Davis Highway to Scenic Highway– Intermittent and alternating lane closures between Davis Highway and Scenic Highway from 8:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. continue as crews perform sidewalk repairs and Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades.
· Nine Mile Road (S.R. 10/U.S. 90A) Widening from Pine Forest Road to U.S. 29- Jack and bore operations continue on Untreiner Avenue. Drivers can expect alternating lane closures.
Santa Rosa County
- I-10 Widening from Escambia Bay Bridge to Avalon Boulevard (Exit 22) – The eastbound, right lane on I-10 is closed at Avalon Boulevard (Exit 22) from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 4 as crews perform emergency roadway repairs. Alternating lane closures on I-10 from the Escambia Bay Bridge to east of Avalon Boulevard (Exit 22), from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 6 through Thursday, Aug. 10 as crews work to widen the roadway. In addition, alternating lane closures on Avalon Boulevard, near the I-10 interchange, as crews reconstruct the Avalon Boulevard overpass.
· Pensacola Bay Bridge Replacement– Alternating east and westbound lane closures on the Gulf Breeze approaches to the bridge from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday, Aug. 7 through Saturday, Aug. 12. Crews will be clearing and grubbing in the state owned right-of-way and removing sidewalk. Westbound lane closures will only be in effect Tuesday, Aug. 8 from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.
· U.S. 90 Driveway Construction at Watkins Street in Pace- Westbound lane closure will be in effect from 8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 7 to 5 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 8 as crew construct a new driveway for Zaxby’s restaurant.
· S.R. 87 Multilane from Eglin AFB Boundary to Hickory Hammock Road – Traffic between County Road 184 (Hickory Hammock Road) and the Eglin AFB boundary is restricted to loads under 11-feet wide. The restriction will be in place through the completion of the project.
Drivers are reminded to use caution, especially at night, when traveling through the construction zone, and to pay attention for workers and equipment entering and exiting the work area. All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather.
Charles Winston Robbins
August 6, 2017
Charles Winston Robbins, 87, better known as Wink to all of his friends and family and Winkypa to his grandkids and great-grandkids, died Tuesday, August 1, 2017, at his home in Cantonment under hospice care following a battle with prostate cancer.
He leaves his wife of 67 years, Iva Fay (Wheeler) Robbins; his brother, Neil Robbins; his sons, Mark (Diane) Robbins and Phillip (Carol) Robbins; his daughters, Laura (Jim) Beck, Melinda (Greg) Stanford, and Lisa (Charles) Sullivan; 10 grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews and many close friends.
Mr. Robbins was preceded in death by his parents; one sister; five brothers; and one grandson.
He was born and raised in Conecuh County, Alabama, the son of Marvin and Ila (Williams) Robbins, he was a longtime resident of Cantonment. While serving in the Navy in San Francisco, CA, Wink met Fay Wheeler. After their wedding in Evergreen, AL on July 2, 1950, they returned to San Francisco. While in San Francisco four of their five children were born. In 1959 they moved to Cantonment where Mr. Robbins worked as a pressman with Gulf Cartons which was a part of the St. Regis Corporation. It was in Cantonment that their fifth child was born. Mr. Robbins served as a deacon at FBC Cantonment for many years and was a part of a group from First Baptist who started the Farm Hill Baptist Church. He has served at other churches in the area and is currently a member of the Plainview Baptist Church. Work took him to Tampa, Florida, Thomasville, Georgia and York, AL. They eventually returned to Cantonment where they have lived since retirement. He was an n avid golfer and longtime member of the George Snyder Golf Club in Cantonment.
Funeral services were held at Faith Chapel North on Friday, August 4, 2017. Reverend Bill Flannigan will be officiating.
Interment was at Barrancas National Cemetery.Reverend Bill Flannigan will be officiating.
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North is entrusted with the arrangements.
Elementary Students Can Meet Their Teachers On Monday
August 6, 2017
Escambia County Elementary Schools will provide parents and students a chance to meet their teachers on Monday, prior to the first day of school on Thursday:
Wahoos Fall To Smokies
August 6, 2017
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos lost its third straight game Saturday, losing 6-2, to Tennessee at Smokies Stadium.
The Smokies benefited from a two-run homer by right fielder Daniel Spingola and five scoreless innings from right-hander Steve Perakslis to take a 2-0 lead in the five-game series.
Pensacola had pulled within, 3-2, in the seventh inning when Spingola launched his fourth homer of the season in the bottom of the inning, which also scored left fielder Charcer Burkes, to put Tennessee ahead, 5-2.
Tennessee earned an insurance run in the eighth inning, when Ian Rice singled in first baseman Yasiel Balaguert, who had singled to start the inning, to extend its lead to 6-2.
Pensacola scored two runs in the seventh inning to trail Tennessee, 3-2. Blue Wahoos first baseman Gavin LaValley, who singled to start the inning, scored when catcher Chad Tromp grounded out to second base. Pensacola second baseman Josh VanMeter scored the Blue Wahoos second run with two outs when left fielder Brian O’Grady grounded to first base and reached on an error.
The Smokies went up, 3-0, on Pensacola when it scored two runs in the third inning when second baseman David Bote that drove in Burks and Spingola. It added another run in the fourth inning when center fielder Trey Martin hit a line drive to left field that drove in Balaguert.
Perakslis, who has made 19 relief appearances for the Smokies, made his first spot start of the season and worked five scoreless innings, allowing one hit, walking none and striking out nine. He improved to 4-1 and lowered his ERA to 2.60.
Pensacola shortstop Blake Trahan earned the only hit off Perakslis when he doubled to left field to start the game.
Blue Wahoos center fielder Gabriel Guerrero contributed two of the team’s five hits, going 2-4 to give him 31 multi-hit games this season.
Pensacola fell to 20-22 in the second half in the Southern League South Division. Pensacola is 60-52 overall and won the first half title. Tennessee improved to 22-20 in the North Division and is 58-53 overall.
Alvin L. Lay
August 6, 2017
Alvin “Frog” L. Lay, 61, of Cantonment, FL, passed away Wednesday, August 2, 2017. He was a service technician at Gulf Power Company. He love to fish and hunt.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Alton L. and Mary Charles Early Lay.
He is survived by his loving wife, Madonna Lay; daughter, Alisha Lay; son, Alex Lay; grandchildren, Savanna Woollen, Ross Woollen, William Lay, Gabe Lay, Samuel Lay and Bella Lay; sister, Theresa (Pike) Burgess Larkin of AL; and a brother, Teddy Lay (Ginger) of MS.
Memorials may be made to the Escambia Search and Rescue, 9530 Nims Lane, Pensacola, FL.
Funeral services were held Saturday, August 5, 2017 at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North will Reverend Fred Stallworth officiating.
Interment was at Lay Cemetery in Miflin, AL.
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North is entrusted with the arrangements.
Carnley Road Near Century Is Washed Out And Closed
August 5, 2017
Carnley Road near Century has washed out again just south of the Florida/Alabama state line and is closed. Repairs are expected early next week. The road also washed out in late June. Carnley Road is a short roadway just northeast of Century, between Fannie Road in Florida and Old Fannie Road in Alabama. Reader submitted photos by Cody Fowler for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Burglar Caught In The Act Headed To Prison
August 5, 2017
A burglar caught in the act in the home of a North Escambia woman and her child is headed to prison.
Vernon Lambeth of Century was sentenced by Circuit Judge Gary L. Bergosh to 17 years in prison with a mandatory minimum 10 year sentence. That means Lambeth will spend 17-years in state prison and will serve 10 years of his sentence day-for-day, according to State Attorney Bill Eddins.
Lambeth entered pleas in four cases on charges including burglary of an occupied dwelling, two counts of burglary of a dwelling while armed with a firearm with a mandatory 10-year sentence, two counts of grand theft, two counts of criminal mischief, introduction of contraband articles into a county detention facility and possession of methamphetamine.
Lambeth’s charges stemmed from multiple burglaries he committed in Escambia County during September and October of 2016. Prosecutors said Lambeth stole firearms, electronics and jewelry. During one of the burglaries, the resident returned home with her infant to find Lambeth inside her home outside Century.
In October 2016, the woman returned to her home on Highway 168 near Wawbeek Road in the Wawbeek community west of Century and found Lambeth inside.
“I noticed some things were out of place, and then there he was, standing in the hallway looking at me,” the victim told NorthEscambia.com on the day of the incident. She said she returned quickly to her child, who was outside in a vehicle. Lambeth ran outside with the woman giving chase in her vehicle until he entered a nearby wooded area.
A K-9 team from Century Correctional Institution was able to track the suspect down and take him into custody near Wawbeek Road, just south of the Alabama/Florida state line. Lambeth was charged with burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and larceny.
His alleged accomplice, later identified as 51-year old Curtis Matthew Capers, was seen leaving in the area in an older model green SUV with bullet holes. The vehicle was located in Alabama just north of the state line on Sam Jones Road, about two miles from the burglary. Capers was taken into custody in Alabama.
An additional K-9 team from Century Correctional was called to Highway 168 to search a wooded area for items that were taken during the burglary.
Lambeth’s charges also included the burglary of a home on Rockaway Creek Road in Escambia County, FL. He was linked to the burglary due to a story on NorthEscambia.com.
A photograph published on NorthEscambia.com after his arrest for the Wawbeek Road burglary showed Lambeth wearing a diamond ring. That ring was identified as one stolen during the Rockaway Creek Road burglary. Lambeth took items including the ring, firearms and currency valued at $3,180 from the home. Most of the items, according to court documents, were sold or traded from drugs at his home at 120 Front Street.
Lambeth was also charged with the burglary of a home on North Pineville Road where he took jewelry, firearms and money totaling $3,350.
NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge
