Two Escambia County, AL, Work Release Inmates Escape
January 11, 2019
For an update to this story, click here.
Authorities are searching for two Alabama escapees.
Work release inmates Chrisopher Ladale Pugh, age 27 of McGougin Road, Brewton, and Christopher Blake Moye, age 27 of Moye Drive, Brewton, escaped from the barracks at the Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Office on Friday.
Pugh was jailed for violation of probation, receiving stolen property and burglary. Moye was jailed on charges of violation of probation and theft of property.
Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office in Brewton at (251) 809-0741.
Escambia Planning Board Approves New General Retail Store Fronting Muscogee Road
January 11, 2019
The Escambia County Planning Board has approved rezoning for a new general retail store for Cantonment.
The rezoning proposal will now go before the Escambia County Commission on February 7. It must be approved before any permits are issued.
Terramore Development, as agent for owners Steven and Carrin Buttrick, are seeking to rezone a portion of the property at 149 Highway 97 South from low density residential to a commercial district. The parcel is at the intersection of Highway 97 and Muscogee Road, with most of the frontage on Muscogee Road.
Cantonment resident Josh Womack told the Planning Board that he does not want the business to be another “big box” store like the Dollar General on Highway 29 at Neal Road in Cantonment. Instead, he said, he wants something more attractive as the surrounding community seeks to recover from its blighted status.
“I want it to be a beautiful area, because Cantonment is my home,” Womack said. “I want it attractive, and a really would like to make sure that we have it on the record that somebody is concerned about the look of this area.”
The rezoning application does not reveal what business might be opened at the location. But according to their website, Terramore Development of Thomasville, GA, is “a preferred developer for Dollar General along with developing for other national tenants such as Publix Supermarkets, Vitamin Shoppe, Dunkin Donuts, Chipotle and AT&T” in the southeastern United States.
Pictured top: Looking from Muscogee Road toward the property. Pictured below: The red outline indicates an area developer wants rezoned for a new retail development. Pictured below: The development was approved by the Escambia County Planning Board.
Escambia Firefighter’s Union President Says Department Needs More Funding
January 11, 2019
Thursday, the president of the Escambia County Professional Firefighters union told the Escambia County Commission that there are Escambia County Fire Rescue funding issues that need to be addressed.
“What are we going to do about the financial problems of the fire department? How are we going to maintain funding and stop eating ourselves from within and continue to grow? We are we going to do to empower the fire chief that we brought in from outside the area to fix this place, so to speak, and help us grow and become the department of the 21st century that we’ve all boasted that we want it to be,” Nick Gradia asked commissioners during a public forum meeting.
“It seems like until it is an emergency, it’s a crisis, until four kids die in a house fire….then we will decide to fix a problem. We are sick and tired of it. Sick and tire of it. So I’d like an answer.”
Gradia said he sent letter to each commissioner about two week ago outlining the problems, but he says the commission has not responded.
He said there is a definite problem with firefighter recruitment and retention due to pay constraints.
Due to ongoing collective bargaining talks between the firefighters and the county, commissioners were limited in the responses they could provide to Gradia in reference to salaries. Commissioners held an executive session Thursday morning to discuss firefighter pay.
Alison Rogers, county attorney, reminded commissioners during Thursday’s public forum meeting that were not allowed to negotiate in any manner outside the bargaining process.
“Speaking for myself, we are very concerned about all of our public safety employees, and so those issues will be addressed,” BOCC Chairman Lumon May said.
“I brought 30 guys here today,” Gradia said. “These folks are worried about their jobs. They are worried about their futures.
Pictured: Escambia County Professional Firefighters President Nick Gradia addresses the Escambia County Commission during a public forum Thursday with about 30 firefighters in the audience. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
ECSO Still Searching For Man On The Run Since November Molino Manhunt
January 11, 2019
UPDATE: Colby Chase Myrick has been arrested. Click here for details.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is continuing their search for a Cantonment man that was the focus of a manhunt two months ago in Molino.
Colby Chase Myrick, 27, has active warrants for two counts of possession of a weapon or ammunition by a convicted felon, carrying a concealed firearm, vehicle theft, damage to property, larceny and a probation violation.
On November 12, an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant got behind a white pickup truck pulling a utility trailer with no tag. Before the deputy initiated a traffic stop, the vehicle pulled into the yard of a residence on Molino Road just east of Nicholson Drive. A few minutes later, the resident called the Sheriff’s Office to report that a male had ran from the truck toward a wooded area.
Deputies responded and a female that was in the vehicle identified the male as Myrick.
Escambia County deputies and a K-9 team from the Century Correctional Institution searched the area south of Molino Road and east of Highway 95A for several hours. Their search continued well into the afternoon and progressed at least as far south as Meharg Road.
During the search, deputies located a gun in the woods that they believe Myrick left behind, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Anyone with information on Myrick’s whereabouts is asked to contact the ECSO at (850) 436-9620 or to remain anonymous call Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP. Crime Stoppers callers can be eligible for a reward of up to $3,000.
Century Cancels Personnel Policy Workshop
January 11, 2019
The Town of Century canceled a personnel policy workshop that had been planned for Thursday afternoon. No reason for he cancellation was provided in an email sent Thursday afternoon to council members and the media. There was no date provided for a rescheduled meeting.
NorthEscambia.com photo.
Council On Aging Needs Heaters For Elder Adults
January 11, 2019
As temperatures drop, elder adults without dependable sources of adequate heating are vulnerable to extreme discomfort and health complications. Each year, Council on Aging of West Florida provides brand-new space heaters to these individuals to keep them warm during the colder Florida months of December, January and February. This year, Council on Aging has distributed more space heaters than ever before, but the agency still receives several calls a day desperate for relief from the cold.
“We don’t often think of Florida being bitterly cold during the winter, but temperatures can often drop below freezing,” said John Clark, president/CEO of Council on Aging of West Florida. “It is not unusual for homes with poor insulation to reach 50 degrees at night. This can constrict blood supply, impede cognitive function and slow metabolism, not to mention how uncomfortable it is. Our seniors deserve better.”
Those interested in helping these senior adults should purchase new space heaters of any size from area stores or donate online at http://www.coawfla.org/donate-to-council-on-aging/. The Council on Aging cannot accept donations of used heaters, because the agency cannot verify the safety of used appliances. Safety information is distributed with each space heater.
Individuals age 60 and over that are suffering in the cold should call (850) 432-1475 to request a space heater and verify heaters in stock before picking one up from 875 Royce Street in Pensacola. They are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis and based on need.
Sunny Friday, Rain Moves Into Weekend Forecast
January 11, 2019
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 58. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 42. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph after midnight.
Saturday: A 50 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 64. East wind around 5 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
Saturday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49. South wind around 5 mph becoming northwest after midnight.
Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 61. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 39. North wind around 5 mph.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 54. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 35. North wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 56.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 36.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 61.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 43.
Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 65.
Pictured: The sun sets Thursday over a pond in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Hill Files ‘Fetal Heartbeat’ Abortion Bill In Florida House
January 11, 2019
Rep. Mike Hill, R-Pensacola filed a proposal Thursday that would block physicians from performing abortions if fetal heartbeats have been detected.
Hill filed the measure for consideration during the legislative session that starts March 5.
The proposal would lead to third-degree felony charges for any “person who knowingly or purposefully performs or induces an abortion on a pregnant woman with the specific intent of causing or abetting the termination of the life of the unborn human being whose fetal heartbeat has been detected,” though it would include limited exceptions in situations such as when a woman’s life is in danger.
So-called “fetal heartbeat” legislation has drawn heavy debate in other states and, in some cases, has led to legal battles about whether it violates abortion rights. For example, Iowa lawmakers last spring passed a fetal-heartbeat bill, and a judge heard arguments in December about its constitutionality, according to numerous news reports.
No Injuries In Crash That Shut Down Highway 97 Thursday Afternoon
January 10, 2019
There were no injuries in a two vehicle crash about 4:15 p.m. Thursday afternoon on Highway 97 at Howell Road in Walnut Hill. The wreck did shut down Highway 97 for a brief period of time.
Troopers are investigating.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS also responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Century’s Mayor Says Escambia Commissioner Is ‘A Lie’
January 10, 2019
Century’s mayor called Escambia County Commissioner Steven Barry “a lie” over the purchase of airline tickets for about $1,600 that Hawkins claimed was to be reimbursed using county economic development funds.
Mayor Henry Hawkins said the tickets were purchased for “economic development” and to bring “some folks” to Century to discuss a potential business in the town.
Hawkins said he received permission from Commissioner Steven Barry to buy the airline tickets for reimbursement by the county. Escambia County committed $105,000 for economic development in the Century area this fiscal year. Proposals for the money are presented to Barry who in turn seeks approval of the entire commission at a regular meeting. So far, the commission has approved only $24,500 to the University of West Florida Haas Center for a market analysis.
“I spoke with Mr. Barry, and he told me it was good,” the mayor said of the ticket purchase at the most recent town council meeting.
Last month, NorthEscambia.com published a story in which Barry said he never even spoke to the mayor about the purchase of airline tickets.
“Unfortunately, I have not had any conversation with anyone related to the use of the Escambia County dollars allocated for economic development in the Town of Century, other than the formal request the town submitted and the county approved for the implementation of the first phase of the Haas Center study,” Barry said in a statement to NorthEscambia.com. “Based on my commitment to our board, I need to bring any additional expenditures of those dollars to one of our board meetings for approval.”
This week, Barry said he was sticking by his statement.
“I read what he said,” Hawkins said of the NorthEscambia.com article, and he provided an affirmative “yes” to a question from Brooks asking again if Barry gave prior approval for the expenditures. “That’s why I did it.”
She replied, “So you are saying that Mr. Barry is not telling the truth?”
“Just like he called me a lie, I’ll call him a lie,” Hawkins responded.
Brooks said that since the mayor’s spending authority is limited to $200 under the town charter, the council should have approved the expenditures.
“We are the ones that are supposed to approve the spending, not Mr. Barry,” she said.
NorthEscambia.com will continue to follow this story.
Pictured: Century Mayor Henry Hawkins listens to Century Council President Ann Brooks. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.