DeSantis Appoints Local Attorney To Replace Escambia County Judge That Resigned

June 6, 2019

Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed a Pensacola attorney to replace an Escambia County judge that recently resigned.

DeSantis appointed Charles Young to the Escambia County Court.

Young, 58, of Pensacola, has been an attorney at Clark Partington & Hart since 2018. He formerly served as a civics teacher before attending law school. He received his bachelor’s degree from Florida Atlantic University and his law degree from Florida State University. Young fills the vacancy created by the resignation of Judge Joyce Williams.

Melanie Kinman Owens

June 6, 2019

Mrs. Melanie Kinman Owens, age 46, passed away Sunday, June 2, 2019, in Atmore, Alabama.

Mrs. Owens was a native and lifelong resident of Atmore, AL. She was a devoted wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt and niece. She was a member of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, the Atmore Apostolic Church, loved music, travel and the beach. She is preceded in death by her mother, Myrtis McGhee Kinman; paternal grandparents, Quincy and Elizabeth Kinman and maternal grandparents, Levi and Treacy McGhee.

She is survived by her father, David L. Kinman of Atmore, AL; husband, Wesley K. Owens of Atmore, AL; two sons, Logan Dewayne Boatwright of Marianna, FL and Jacob Keith Owens of Killen, AL; one daughter, Madelyn Hope Boatwright of Atmore, AL; one brother, David Allen (Jessica Ramsey) Kinman of Atmore, AL; one niece, Kendall Izabella Kinman of Atmore, AL and one nephew, Hayden Connor Kinman of Atmore, AL.

Funeral services were held Thursday, June 6, 2019, at the Atmore Apostolic Church with Rev. Tim James and Bro. Hunter Richardson officiating.

Burial was at the New Home Cemetery.

Pallbearers were Arthur Mothershed, Kevin McGhee, Derrick McGhee, Darren McGhee, Allen Smith and Douglas “Nosh” Bennamon.

Honorary Pallbearers were Anthony Peebles, Quincy Kinman, Jr., Rev. Kelvin Williams, Jeremy Dewise, Joseph McGhee, James Ross Railey, Scott Jackson, Steven McGhee, Greg McGhee, Ryan Exum, James Roberson, Josh Burkett, Rodney Exum, Drummon Sadler and Wayne Williams.

Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Homes is in charge of all arrangements.

All-Star Baseball, Softball Games Rescheduled (With Rosters)

June 6, 2019

The 20018-19 Subway High School All-Star Series baseball and softball games have been rescheduled for June 19 at University of West Florida’s Jim Spooner Field and Softball Complex in Pensacola.

The head coaches for the west teams, comprised of Escambia County schools, are Northview’s Amy Holland coaching softball and Brett McCullough of Pine Forest High School coaching baseball.

Okaloosa and Santa Rosa County Schools make up the east team.  Brian Watson of Jay High School will lead the east softball team while Fort Walton Beach’s Brian McDaniel will coach the east baseball team.

New at this year’s event, Pensacola Sports is holding an equipment drive.  Fans are encouraged to bring used / new baseball and softball equipment to be donated to the Miracle League of Pensacola.

Donations can include balls, bats, gloves, bags, cleats, catchers gear, trainings aids, etc.  Miracle League of Pensacola officials will be on-site collecting the equipment.  Miracle League of Pensacola will also gladly accept donations of monetary value.

Rosters are as follows:

WEST SOFTBALL

Catholic – Casey Durant
Catholic – Josie Madison
Escambia – Hailey Sedig
Escambia – Shelby Ullrich
Northview – Aubree Love
Northview – Makayla Jeneske
Northview – Lydia Smith
Northview – Valen Shelly
Northview – Tori Herrigton
Northview – Kendall Enfinger
Pine Forest – Crystal Hendrickson
Tate – Shelby McLean
Tate – Gabby Locke
Tate — Amber Decoux
Washington- Sumayah Fuavai
West Florida – Kenzi Wiley
West Florida – Amanda Klemm
West Florida – Meredith Morgan
West Florida Mackenzie McBride

EAST SOFTBALL

Baker - Shelby Sloan
Baker - Alyson Watson
Central - Skylair Fortner
Central - Malarie Foster
Choctaw - Alicyn Grete
Choctaw - Peyton Coots
Crestview - Caitlin Black
FWB Heidi Santos
Jay - Alyssa Baxley
Jay - Avarie Jackson
Milton - Kiahna Connell
Milton - Caroline Worrell
Milton - Alyssa Hudson
Navarre - Kallie Anderson
Navarre - Emily Cannington
Navarre - Lakin Grindland
Niceville - Katie Lightfoot
Pace - Ryleigh Baker -
Rocky Bayou - Madison Stubblefield
Rocky Bayou - Haley Nelson
Rocky Bayou - Rominey Willner
Rocky Bayou - Hayden Edelman

WEST BASEBALL

Catholic – Dustin Chabot
Catholic – Robert Black
Catholic – David Stafford
Escambia – William Browne
Escambia – Avery McNair
Escambia – Jayden Baesman
Northview – Seth Killam
PCA – Greg Clark
Pensacola – Jair Green
Pine Forest – Nolan Rigby
Pine Forest – Christian Munoz
Tate – Trey LaFleur
Tate – Hunter McLean
Tate – Easton Sidner
Washington – Sam Jackson
Washington – Colby Livingston
West Florida – Graham Holland
West Florida – Will Hackett
West Florida – John Leland
West Florida – Gavin Coles
West Florida – Derrick Town
West Florida – Dylan Reaves

EAST BASEBALL

Baker - Payton Rockwell
Central - Daryl Peek
Choctaw - Jared Gornto
Choctaw - Kairee Stocker
Choctaw - Brady Peters
Crestview - Coby Aguilar
Crestview - John Gillis
Crestview – Cooper Martin
FWB - Cameron Gagliano
FWB - Alex Holz
FWB - Karsun Barrett
Gulf Breeze Nick Deweese
Gulf Breeze Bryson Smith
Gulf Breeze Enoch Rycroft
Jay - Trevor Flowers
Laurel Hill - Tyler Southard
Milton - Tylor Patterson
Navarre - Cameron Terrian
Navarre - Eric Anderson
Navarre - Kaleb Hellard
Niceville - Connor Walsh
Pace - Aidan Gilroy
Pace - Brandon Sproat
Pace - Ty Kirchharr
Rocky Bayou - Cole Embey

Groundbreaking Held For New Hotel On Nine Mile Road In Beulah

June 6, 2019

A groundbreaking was held Wednesday for a new hotel on Nine Mile Road at I-10.

The 124 room, six-story Courtyard by Marriott-Pensacola West will be the first hotel in Florida as traffic comes into the state along I-10. It is a short distance from the Navy Federal Credit Union campus and is expected to open in the fall of 2020.

The hotel is under development by Southern Ventures of Fort Walton Beach.

Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Mosquito Fogging Planned In Part Of North Escambia Area (With Maps)

June 5, 2019

Escambia County Mosquito Control planned to conduct fogging missions in District 5 Wednesday night.

Mission hours vary, but typically occur in the evening hours from 6-9:30 p.m.

The area is generally between Nine Mile Road and Muscogee Road and east of Highway 29. Click maps to enlarge to see specific boundaries.

When possible, pre-application and post-application surveillance is performed to ensure fogging is warranted. Methods used to determine need include dry ice-baited light traps, landing rate counts and service requests received from the public.

Molino Man Facing Additional Child Porn Charge; FDLE Says 140 Illegal Images Found On His Phone

June 5, 2019

A Molino man free that was free on bond awaiting trial in a 2018 child pornography case is now facing an additional child porn charge.

In 2018, Steven Ryan Godwin, now  37, was charged with 20 counts of possession of child pornography for images allegedly found on his cellphone.  He was booked into the Escambia County Jail Tuesday on one count of transmitting child pornography stemming from the same investigation.

In August, Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) agents received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that a suspect was uploading child porn to another user on Facebook. Authorities were able to trace the uploads to a residence in the 3500 block of Highway 97 in Molino.

Agents obtained a search warrant that was served at Godwin’s residence in September 2018. When the occupants of the home were exiting, Godwin continued to reach towards his waistband before dropping a LG cell phone, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.  The phone was seized and contained child pornography images featuring children under the age of 10, with multiple images including children younger than two years old, according to FDLE.

The transmitting child pornography charge Godwin was arrested for Tuesday is for a file he allegedly sent via Facebook Messenger in 2018. According to an arrest report, it depicted an exposed 11-13 year old nude female sitting against a wall.

Analysis of the phone included the image allegedly sent via Facebook Messenger and 140 child pornography images, the arrest report states.

SRSO: Escambia Man Stopped In Jay Before Drugs, Phones Were Smuggled Into Century Prison

June 5, 2019

A Pensacola man has been arrested for his plan to smuggle “an incredible amount” of drugs and other contraband into the Century Correctional Institution, according to Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson.

Leonard Troutman, 47, was arrested April 30 at the post office in Jay as a habitual suspended license offender.  He was later charged with trafficking in methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine 14 grams or over, marijuana possession with intent to sell and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.

A Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office deputy watched as vehicle pulled behind the Jay post office and its lights were turned off. The deputy also heard a thud. When the vehicle pulled away, the deputy conducted the traffic stop that resulted in the license violation arrest.

The deputy discovered an antifreeze bottle behind the post office that obviously did not contain a liquid. He cut it open to find 44 grams of methamphetamine, 20 Ecstasy pills, 7.6 grams of marijuana, 34.6 grams of synthetic marijuana (spice), 22 individual rolled baggies containing hand-rolled cigarettes and chewing tobacco, and several mini cellphones, according to Johnson.

Johnson said Troutman was dropping the package off so someone could pick it up later and smuggle it into the Century prison.

Ascend: No Harm From Liquid Ammonia Release; Some Employees Told To Stay Home

June 5, 2019

A brief release of ammonia in discharge water caused the Ascend Performance Materials Plant in Cantonment to exceed permitted limits and keep some employees at home Tuesday, but company officials said there was no harm to people or the environment.

For a short time Tuesday, the average pH of water leaving Ascend exceeded the permitted limit by about 0.1 for 10 minutes, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The incident was caused by the release of an estimated 10-20 pounds of aqueous ammonia.

“No harm to human health or the environment was observed,” Ascend’s Vice President Global Communications & External Affairs Alison Jahn told NorthEscambia.com.

The incident did lead to the plant notifying some workers to stay home.

“We alerted our non-essential personnel to remain at home since we had to restore our site’s self-contained water system,” Jahn said.

NorthEscambia.com photo.

Former Deputy Sentenced To 25 Years On Child Porn Charges

June 5, 2019

A former Santa Rosa County deputy was sentenced to state prison on child pornography charges.

Jeffrey Perkins pleaded no contest to 18 counts of child pornography and was sentenced to 25 years to be followed by 15 years probation. Once released, he will be required to register as a sexual offender.

Perkins still faces two outstanding charges of lewd and lascivious molestation and is scheduled to be back in court on July 2.

He was a sergeant at the time of his arrest and had served for nine years. The child pornography was found on his cellphone.

Photo courtesy WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Several Inches Of Rain Expected Into The Weekend

June 5, 2019

We many finally get relief from the heat and the dry weather.

A significant rain event is setting up for the weekend with several inches of rain possible. The usual storm issues like high winds, hail and tornadoes are not expected.

Rain chances are on the rise the next few days, which will keep our daytime high temperatures a little cooler (think 80s instead of 90s-100s). Scattered rain showers and storms on forecast for Wednesday, with periods of heavy rain possible late in the week through the weekend. In total, we’re looking at a widespread 4-6 inches of rain north of I-10 through early this weekend, with 6-8 inches closer to the coast . Some areas likely to see higher rain totals.

Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:

Today: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 88. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Tonight: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Thursday: Showers and thunderstorms. High near 81. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.

Thursday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Cloudy, with a low around 72. Southeast wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Friday: Showers and thunderstorms. High near 81. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Friday Night: Showers and thunderstorms. Low around 73. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Cloudy, with a high near 85. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Saturday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Sunday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 86. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Sunday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Monday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 87. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 87.

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