One Injured In Highway 95A, Kingsfield Crash
January 6, 2019
One person was injured in a two vehicle wreck Sunday just before 7 p.m. at Highway 95A and East Kingsfield Road. The crash is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Rare Redhorse Fish Found In The Escambia River
January 6, 2019
A rare fish not seen for over 40 years in Florida has been found in the Escambia River.
Researchers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation (FWC) Fish and Wildlife Research Institute captured a river redhorse during a night trawl, a fish not documented in the Escambia River since 1976. In Florida, the river redhorse is known only to exist in the Escambia River and is listed as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need.
The fish prefers large, clean rivers with sand or gravel bottoms and swift currents. The river redhorse was implanted with an acoustic tag and released. The movement of thefish will be monitored to estimate site occupancy and assess population trend, according to the FWC. The fish was found as freshwater biologists were working on imperiled species trawl survey in the Escambia River.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
FHP: Driver Threatens Family With A Gun; Arrest Made On I-10 Near Highway 29
January 6, 2019
A driver that allegedly threatened a family on the highway was arrested Saturday afternoon near the Highway 29 exit.
Gregory Welchel, age 57 of Panama City, was charged with aggravated assault and booked into the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $7,500.
At approximately 1:50 p.m., the Florida Highway Patrol Communication Center received a report of an individual driving a Black Cadillac Escalade towing a white box trailer brandishing a handgun and threatening a family traveling in a minivan.
After updated reports of the black Escalade traveling west on I-10 in Escambia County, several FHP troopers responded and canvassed the interstate. The Escalade was intercepted and stopped just west of Highway 29 where Welchel was taken into custody. The handgun was discovered in the driver’s door console, according to troopers.
Highway 29, Nine Mile Road Closures Planned
January 6, 2019
The following lane and road closures are scheduled for Highway 29 and Nine Mile Road from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday, January 6 through Tuesday, January. 8, as crews pour the deck for the new northbound bridge.
- Highway 29: The outside, northbound lane will be closed at the Nine Mile Road overpass to provide a safe work zone for bridge crews.
- Nine Mile Road: Eastbound Nine Mile Road traffic will be reduced to one lane, diverted to Highway 29 South, and able to make a U-turn at West Hood Drive to return to Nine Mile Road. Westbound traffic will utilize Highway 29 North and U-turn at West 9 1/2 Mile Road to return to Nine Mile Road. Traffic control officers will be on-site to help direct traffic.
- Additionally, Highway 29 traffic between Interstate 10 and 9 1/2 Mile Road may experience alternating lane closures as crews continue drainage and paving operations.
Construction activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather. Drivers should use caution, especially at night, when traveling through the work zone, and watch for construction workers and equipment entering and exiting the roadway.
Clear And Cool Tonight, Sunny On Monday
January 6, 2019
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 43. Calm wind.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 69. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the morning.
Monday Night: Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 53. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 68. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the morning.
Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46. West wind around 5 mph becoming north after midnight.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 57. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday Night: Clear, with a low around 34. North wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 52. North wind around 5 mph.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 35. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 56.
Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 42.
Saturday: A 40 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 56.
Saturday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44.
Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 58.
New Members Named To Escambia Extension Council
January 6, 2019
The Escambia County Commission has appointed several individuals to the Escambia County Extension Council.
Appointed for a two year-term:
Glenna Anderson, Molino
James E. Theisen, Cantonment
Jennifer Thorne, Cantonment
Sara E. Brake, Pensacola
Reappoinited for a two-year term:
Kevin Faircloth, McDavid
Shelby Johnson, Pensacola
Sonia Bush, Pensacola
Rotated off Extension Council:
Carla Gilmore, Molino
Tammy Penegar, Cantonment
Denise Mann, Pensacola
The individuals appointed were nominated by a committee and selected by the Escambia County Extension Council and reside in the zones for which they are nominated and are known to have an interest and concern for programs of Escambia County Extension. The persons appointed have an interest in and concern for the agricultural, family and consumer sciences (home economics), and youth programs of extension; in developing the rural and urban sections; and in developing the county and its resources.
Members may serve no more than two consecutive terms and be off the council for at least two years before becoming eligible to serve again.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: The Pitter-Patter Of Little Feet In The Governor’s Mansion
January 6, 2019
Tuxes and ball gowns are coming out of the closet. Custom-made boots are being buffed and shined. Babysitters’ calendars are blocked off.
Whether it’s a pizza party, prayer breakfast or posh gala, Tallahassee’s illuminati are preparing for a once-in-while glamfest known as an inauguration.
Two days of fetes will mark the advent of new administrations in the offices of governor, attorney general and agriculture commissioner.
Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis won’t take over as chief of the nation’s third-most populous state until Tuesday. But the former congressman, a Republican, this week continued to round out his brain trust, including naming some agency heads with ties to his predecessor, Gov. Rick Scott, who’s on his way to Washington after defeating U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson.
Next week’s pageantry sets the table for an administration headed by a fresh-faced governor who’s toting a crib to 700 North Adams Street.
DeSantis, 40, and his wife, Casey — a Jacksonville television personality — are the parents of a 2-year-old and an infant who won’t turn one until March.
Republicans will be celebrating with DeSantis, Attorney General-elect Ashley Moody and returning Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, but Democrats also will get a chance to kick up their heels. Haitian-born pop star Wyclef Jean will highlight an inaugural celebration for Agriculture Commissioner-elect Nikki Fried — the lone Democrat to win a statewide election in November.
Amid the pomp and circumstance, the Legislature is dusting itself off as lawmakers prepare to take on issues ranging from veggie gardens to school safety.
The state Senate this week also released details of a settlement that will close the books on a complaint related to the downfall of former legislative leader Jack Latvala, a Clearwater Republican who left office amid allegations of sexual harassment.
Rachel Perrin Rogers, the Senate staffer whose complaint of sexual misconduct led to Latvala’s exit from the upper chamber he loved so well, agreed to a $900,000 settlement in December. Perrin Rogers leaves the Senate after years as legislative aide privy to the closely held secrets of elected officials, lobbyists and other insiders.
Perrin Rogers signed off on her Senate career in a short resignation letter last month to her boss, Sen. Wilton Simpson.
“I feel an immense sadness that at this time I am no longer able to do this work for you in the Senate,” Perrin Rogers wrote to Simpson, a Trilby Republican slated to take over as Senate president in 2020. “Thank you for your unwavering support.”
SCHOOL SAFETY ON THE SLATE
Nearly a year after a deadly shooting at a Broward County high school, a state panel created to investigate the horrific event and come up with ways to prevent future tragedies released its initial recommendations this week.
The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission found that “personal and system failures” culminated in the mass shooting on Valentine’s Day that left 14 students and three faculty members dead and 17 people wounded at the Parkland school.
The months-long probe also revealed that many Florida schools remain vulnerable to attacks similar to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas attack by confessed killer Nikolas Cruz, a former student at the school who legally purchased the AR-15 assault weapon used in the massacre.
State lawmakers responded to the mass shooting, which occurred during the 2018 legislative session, by quickly passing a sweeping law that raised from 18 to 21 the age to buy long guns, such as the rifle Cruz legally purchased; banned so-called “bump stocks;” and imposed school-safety requirements and mental-health screenings for students.
The new law also required all schools to have at least one school safety officer and allowed districts to hire armed “guardians” — school personnel whose primary job duties are outside the classroom — to supplement the officers, who are usually deputies.
In its report Wednesday, the state panel recommended that classroom teachers also be allowed to act as armed “guardians,” even though that controversial idea created an impasse before the school-safety measure passed last year.
Allowing specially trained teachers with concealed-weapons licenses to bring guns to classrooms was among the many recommendations offered by the commission, which was created as part of the law. The only commission member to vote against the armed-teacher proposal was Max Schachter, whose 14-year-old son Alex was among the slain students.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday afternoon, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, chairman of the commission, defended the proposal.
“This isn’t about ideology. This is about reality, and this is about making sure that we can save kids’ lives,” Gualtieri said.
The report blamed the Broward County school system and sheriff’s office for being unprepared and for delays in responding to the volley of bullets from Cruz, who reloaded five times during the minutes-long assault at the high school.
“Anybody who thinks we’re going to get rid of guns is crazy. We’ve got to do something,” said Gualtieri, who at one time opposed allowing teachers to carry weapons but has since reversed his stance.
Teachers should undergo “an absolutely rigorous selection process” and training prior to getting permission to bring guns to schools, Gualtieri said, adding that Floridians “have to be realistic” about the threats schools are facing.
The “best possibility” to reduce the harm to students and faculty is to have someone trained with a gun on campus, he said.
“And that’s school staff,” he said.
OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE YOUNG
DeSantis will be Florida’s youngest governor in more than a century when he takes office on Tuesday.
DeSantis turned 40 about two weeks after he won the Aug. 28 Republican primary. He will be the youngest governor on Inauguration Day since Park Trammell took the oath of office on Jan. 7, 1913, as a 36-year-old former attorney general.
The former congressman will be Florida’s first “Generation X” governor, succeeding three “baby boomer” leaders, including Scott and former governors Charlie Crist and Jeb Bush.
“The election of Gov. DeSantis is a generational shift in Florida politics,” said former Senate President Don Gaetz, a Niceville Republican whose 36-year-old son, U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, is one of DeSantis’ closest advisers.
“I think he comes with a fresh perspective. He’s not hamstrung or tied up in a lot of the decisions and prejudices of my generation perhaps,” Don Gaetz added.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Tallahassee insiders are preparing for the inauguration of Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis and new Florida Cabinet members, who will be sworn into office Tuesday amid two days of celebration.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “The reality of this is that it is going to happen again. The question is where. The question is when.” — Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, referring to the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland that left 14 students and three faculty members dead and another 17 students and staff injured.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Troopers Find Meth, Spice, Cocaine And More During Highway 29 Traffic Stop
January 6, 2019
Florida Highway Patrol troopers found meth, spice, cocaine and more during a traffic stop Saturday morning on Highway 29.
Troopers said a white Cadillac sedan was stopped with a green traffic signal in the outside lane of Highway 29 at I-10. Traffic began to travel around the stopped vehicle at which time the trooper approached the vehicle and observed signs of criminal activity, according to a FHP report.
The trooper made contact with the driver, 33-year old Travis Montes Mitchell. The FHP said he began to resist and attempted to put the vehicle in drive. He was taken into custody with the assistance of backup law enforcement. A search of the vehicle found 5.2 grams of rock or powder cocaine, 56.3 grams of methamphetamine, 60 assorted pills, 62.4 grams of spice and additional drug paraphernalia.
Mitchell was charged with possession of cocaine with intent to sell, possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell, possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony, possession of a controlled substance, possession of a harmful new legend drug, marijuana possession, habitual driving without a license and resisting arrest.
He also received traffic citations for obstructing traffic, a seat belt violation, open container and a learners license violation.
Mitchell remained in the Escambia County Jail Sunday morning with bond set at $41,500.
David McCaskill Jr.
January 6, 2019
David McCaskill Jr., age 58, of Cantonment, FL. went home to be with the Lord Thursday, January 3, 2019.
David was an athlete and graduate of Tate High School and took an early retirement from Solutia to pursue a career in Real Estate. Later in life he worked for the Escambia County School District. David enjoyed hunting, fishing, farming, and anything outdoors. He was an avid Auburn fan and loved watching baseball. He coached his children in various sports throughout their childhoods. David was a member of Highland Baptist Church. He enjoyed listening to Christian music and watching Westerns and Civil War films on Television. His greatest joys in life were traveling and spending time with his family.
He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Dade and Ina Morrow McCaskill and G.V. and Emmer Seay Borders; as well as many aunts, uncles, and cousins.
David was survived by his wife of 35 years, Kristine Scott McCaskill; his children, Stephanie (Ahmed) McCaskill Elgamasy and Steven McCaskill; his parents David and Joan Borders McCaskill, Sr. ; and many other loved family members.
Pallbearers will be Ronnie Berry, Matthew Berry, JJ Travis, John Smith, Trent Tipton, Josh Webb, Andrew Manning and Danny Houston.
Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 6, 2019 at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North with Pastor Andy Scott and Pastor Brian Calhoun officiating. Interment will follow in Cottage Hill Community Cemetery.
Family will receive friends at 1:00 p.m. prior to services.
Drunk Driver That Slammed Into Deputy, Two State Troopers On Highway 29 Sentenced
January 5, 2019
A drunk driver has been sentenced to state prison after slamming into a deputy’s vehicle, two state troopers and another pedestrian on Highway 29 in Escambia County,
John Vincent Pluas of Pompano Beach was sentenced to five years in state prison, with credit for 574 days served while awaiting trial. He was ordered to pay $4,614.65 in restitution to the Florida Highway Patrol, plus fines and court costs. He was convicted of DUI with serious bodily injury, three counts of DUI damage to property or person, driving with a suspended license and no vehicle registration.
About 3 a.m. on May 27, 2017, Florida Highway Patrol trooper Sebastian Vo observed a vehicle traveling northbound in the southbound lanes of Highway 29 just south of Brent Lane. Trooper Vo initiated a traffic stop and pulled the suspect vehicle over. Trooper Chad Lynch and an Escambia County deputy arrived on scene to assist.
Trooper Vo and Trooper Lynch initiated a DUI investigation on the wrong way driver.
The unoccupied marked ECSO patrol car with emergency lights activated was occupying the center lane of Highway 29 when it was struck by a 2013 Chrysler 300 driven by Pluas. The ESCO vehicle was pushed into an FHP vehicle where Trooper Vo was working in the front seat. Trooper Lynch had just removed the wrong-way diver from his vehicle when both were hit by the ECSO vehicle.
Trooper Lynch and Trooper Vo were transported by EMS to Sacred Heart Hospital, where both troopers were treated and later released.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
