Let The Tate Band Do All Of Your Gift Wrapping
December 21, 2019
The Tate Showband of the South will be wrapping gifts for donations at Walmart on Highway 29 in Ensley through Christmas Eve.
The schedule is as follows:
- Monday from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m.
- Christmas Eve from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Inmates Work Toward Their CDL Behind Bars
December 21, 2019
Inmates behind bars at one area prison are working toward heir commercial driver’s licenses.
A graduation ceremony was held Friday for 45 inmates who have completed the Santa Rosa Correctional Institution Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Program. Graduates have shown proficiency in vehicle safety, vehicle operating regulations, trip planning and have demonstrated vehicle driving skills through the use of on-site simulators.
Through the CDL program at Santa Rosa Correctional Institution, inmates earn industry-recognized certifications through coursework and driving simulators. This training assists them in obtaining a commercial vehicle operator license upon release. Upon release, inmates are paired with potential employers to assist with employment opportunities.
Florida Department of Corrections Secretary Mark Inch took part in the graduation event Friday.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
ECSO: Former Employee Robbed Piggly Wiggly At Gunpoint
December 20, 2019
More details have been released in the armed robbery of the Piggly Wiggly in Davisville.
Former Piggly Wiggly employee Maurice Montraye Ervin, 26, is facing charges of robbery with a firearm and first degree felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He is also charged with felony grand theft for an earlier incident caught on camera. He remains in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $130,000.
Ervin allegedly entered the Piggly Wiggly December 4 at 9:51 p.m., just before the store closed. He was armed with a small silver and black semi-automatic handgun, according to an arrest report. He approached the clerk and pointed the gun at a female employee as he ordered her not to move or talk.
He took $6,686.66 from the safe before fleeing the store, according to investigators. The victim told deputies that she recognized the voice of the robber as Ervin, but she did not see his face because he was wearing a mask.
Shortly after the robbery, Ervin was located in the 300 block of Sunset Drive in Atmore and taken into custody by Atmore Police on an outstanding failure to appear warrant. Atmore Police found a firearm matching the exact description of the one used in the robbery inside the 12-foot travel trailer in which Ervin was living.
After interviewing Ervin at the Escambia County Detention Center in Brewton, investigators from the Escambia County (FL) Sheriff’s Office and the Atmore Police Department searched an old shed with no doors near Ervin’s camper. Cash money totaling $81.00 was located on the ground inside the shed.
A witness told investigators that Ervin asked for a ride to the Piggly Wiggly to see someone, and he was dropped off on the north end of the shopping center. He said Ervin told him to go buy scratch off lottery tickets, so he drove to the Davisville Marathon store. It was closed so the witness drove back to the Grey Goose to buy the lottery tickets. He said Ervin then called him saying he was ready to be picked up. The man told deputies Ervin had a bag full of money, and he freaked out and did not know what to do. The man drove Ervin back to Atmore and dropped him off at his camper.
Ervin was also charged with grand theft for allegedly taking $941.91 from the Piggly Wiggly on October 29. Erwin was an employee at the time he was seen on video taking the cash from store’s office, according to an arrest report.
Clouds Increase Friday; Weekend Looks Like A Washout
December 20, 2019
Clouds will increase on Friday headed into a weekend washout. Rain totals are expected to be 2-4 inches or more across the area through Sunday.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Friday: Increasing clouds, with a high near 58. Wind chill values between 25 and 35 early. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of rain after midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 45. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Rain. High near 55. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Saturday Night: Rain. Low around 47. Northeast wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Sunday: Rain. High near 56. Northeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Sunday Night: Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46. North wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 62. North wind around 10 mph.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 45. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 67.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 46.
Christmas Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 70.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 48.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 70.
WWE Superstar Wrestler ‘Jimmy Uso’ Found Not Guilty Of Cantonment DUI
December 20, 2019
WWE superstar wrestler Jonathan Solofa Fatu of Cantonment, whose ring name is Jimmy Uso, has been found not guilty of driving under the influence.
Fatu was arrested on a DUI in July on Highway 297A An Escambia County deputy parked at Publix said observed a vehicle turn from Pine Forest Road onto Highway 297A, rapidly accelerate, and come very close to another vehicle. The vehicle’s speed was verified by radar at 86 mph in a 45 mph zone.
At 1:53 a.m., the deputy conducted a traffic stop on 33-year old Fatu in the area of Highway 297A and Brockwood Place, just south of Kingsfield Road in Cantonment. Fatu never took a sobriety test. He did not refuse but asked that his lawyer be present.
It took an Escambia County jury an hour to find Fatu not guilty.
“And that is what the jury system is for. A cop cannot convict you. A cop can arrest you but they cannot convict you and that’s why we took it to the next level and plead not guilty and set out for a case trial,,” Futu’s attorney Greg Whibbs said.
A speeding ticket Fatu received will stand.
Memorial Held For NAS Pensacola Victims, Their Families
December 20, 2019
The Navy held a memorial service Thursday for the three Sailors killed in the Dec. 6 shooting at Naval Aviation Schools Command (NASC) onboard NAS Pensacola, presenting posthumous awards to the fallen service members for their service.
Family members received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for heroism on behalf of Naval Aircrewman (Mechanical) 3rd Class Mohammed S. Haitham, 19, from St. Petersburg, Florida; Naval Aircrewman (Mechanical) 3rd Class Cameron S. Walters, 21, from Richmond Hill, Georgia; and Ensign Joshua K. Watson, 23, from Enterprise, Alabama. Haitham and Walters also were awarded the Good Conduct Medal, a recognition for enlisted Sailors. All three Sailors were serving as students at NASC.
Families, friends, NASC staff and students, shipmates, senior Navy leaders and local government officials came together for the service at the National Naval Aviation Museum onboard NAS Pensacola where Adm. Chris Grady, commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, presided over the ceremony.
“We can never know what will be demanded of us on any given day, and no one could have foreseen what would be demanded on December 6th, but these men answered the call,” Grady said. “Through their heroic acts, they saved lives by sacrificing their own and for that, we are forever grateful.”
The memorial service allowed the Navy to honor and pay respect to the victims and their families. The service included remarks from Capt. Vincent Segars, commanding officer of NASC, and a four-ship missing man flyover by the U.S. Navy’s flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels.
With NAS Pensacola known as “the cradle of naval aviation,” Segars described it as a special place where all naval aviators and aircrewmen start living their dreams of flying in service to their nation. Segars encouraged NASC students and shipmates of the fallen to always remember Dec. 6.
“One common theme from these heroic Sailors is their infectious spirit that sought to motivate and bring out the best in all they served with,” Segars said. “Let us honor their memory by achieving our dreams in earning the wings of gold, and wear them proudly as we assume the watch.”
On Dec. 10, Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly proclaimed Haitham and Walters as naval aircrewmen by awarding them their wings of gold. They were posthumously advanced to naval aircrewman mechanical 3rd class. Modly also proclaimed Watson as a naval aviator, and awarded him wings of gold as well.
“We owe them a debt that can never be repaid, and it is one that we will never forget,” said Grady. “These men have rightly been described as heroes, and that is how we will remember them.”
Pictured: The U.S. Navy Blue Angels in a missing man formation over NAS Pensacola Thursday to honor the victims of the December 6 shooting on the base. U.S. Navy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
1979 Ernest Ward High School State Championship Football Team Holds Reunion
December 20, 2019
The 1979 Ernest Ward High School state championship football team recently held their 40 year reunion. The reunion was held in the gymnasium of what is now Ernest Ward Middle School.
Under the leadership of head coach Steve McCord, the Ernest Ward Golden Eagles won the 1979 Class A state title with a 13-6 upset of the No. 1 ranked Benjamin High School Bucs of Palm Beach Gardens at Booster Stadium in Ocala.
The 1979 Ernest Ward-Benjamin game still holds the state record for the fewest two-team turnovers during a state final. Both teams were turnover free. The 1979 Golden Eagles were the only team in state football history to knock off three No. 1 ranked teams in the same season.
Ernest Ward High School and Century High School were combined to create Northview High School, which won the Class 1A state crown in 2012. The Century Blackcats with head coach Joe Cardwell fell short of a title by just one point back in 1986 with a 8-7 loss at home to Glades Day High of Belle Glade.
Pictured top: The 1979 Ernest Ward High School state championship football team (front, L-R) Tommy Van Pelt, Marion Cooper, Eric Sanders, Mike Dignam, David Bell, Byron Vaughn, Todd Wiggins, Bill Smith and Perry Byars; (back) Coach Steve McCord, Kevin Beck, Scott Ward, David Beck, Mike Solomon, Mark Hanks, Kenny Bryan, Todd Linam, Phillip Robbins, Glen Sharpless and Kevin Morgan. Pictured below: The 1979 Ernest Ward High School state championship football team. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
FWC Law Enforcement Report: Meth, Antlerless Deer, Failing To Report Deer
December 20, 2019
The Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement reported the following activity during the period ending December 5 in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
No report received for Escambia County.
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
Officer Roberson was on land patrol in the Escambia River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) near Keyser Landing when he saw a vehicle parked in the woods. Officer Roberson approached the vehicle and observed an individual with a lighter, heating up a clear pipe commonly used to cook drugs. Officer Roberson identified himself and observed another individual in the truck, along with a white substance in a clear plastic baggy in between the individuals. K-9 Officer Hutchinson arrived shortly after to assist. Both suspects were booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail for the possession of methamphetamines.
Officers Andrews and Allgood were conducting water patrol on opening morning of duck season in the Santa Rosa Sound and observed three male subjects in waist deep water near a camouflaged hunting blind. A resource and license inspection found an unplugged shotgun. The appropriate citation was issued.
Officer Specialist Lewis was on land patrol in Blackwater River State Forest on opening day of General Gun Season when he heard a shot at the final minutes of legal shooting hours for deer. The shot sounded like it originated on private property near his location. Officer Lewis located a hunter with an antlerless deer, which the hunter admitted to shooting on the property. Antlerless deer were not permitted to take on that day and the hunter was cited appropriately.
Officers Hutchinson and Hicks were on patrol near Blackwater State Forest when they observed a deer being cleaned behind a barn. They conducted a resource check and found that the deer had not been recorded on a harvest log. The person admitted to knowing he had to log the deer, but chose not to do so. The subject was issued a citation and a Santa Rosa County Court date for failure to report the deer.
Officers Hicks and Hutchinson were patrolling the Blackwater State Forest when they located three large piles of trash that had been dumped along one of the roads. They collected evidence from the trash piles that led them to a residence. Once at the residence they contacted three male subjects who all admitted to dumping the trash in the woods. The appropriate citations were issued with a court date and the men were instructed to remove the trash and properly dispose of it.
Officers Murphy and Hutchinson received a complaint of a subject who had shot a spotted fawn with his bow and left it to waste in the Blackwater State Forest. While conducting their investigation, Officer McVaney helped them identify the subject and confirm that he had already harvested and registered his yearly bag limit for antlerless deer. The subject was located and admitted to shooting the fawn and leaving it in the woods. An arrest warrant was filed through the State Attorney’s Office for the violations of taking a spotted fawn and taking over the yearly bag limit of antlerless deer.
This report represents some events the FWC handled during the time period; however, it does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement. Information provided by FWC.
NorthEscambia.com photo.
Escambia County High Principal Submits Resignation
December 20, 2019
Escambia County High School Principal Dennis Fuqua has submitted his resignation to accept a new position. His last day at the Atmore high school will be January 10.
Fuqua will become the director of the Coastal Alabama Community College Brewton Campus director.
He served as ECHS principal for seven years, and also worked as Flomaton High School principal and an ag instructor during his 16 years with the Escambia County (AL) School System.
Pictured: Principal Dennis Fuqua of Escambia County High School in Atmore has submitted his resignation. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Bicyclist, 77, Killed On Escambia Roadway
December 19, 2019
A 77-year old bicyclist lost his life on an Escambia county roadway Thursday morning.
The Florida Highway Patrol said Luvenia Boyd, 54, was traveling east on Fairfield Drive near Mission Road when bicyclist Willie Gaines entered the roadway directly in her path. Gaines was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The FHP said no charges were filed.