Cantonment Man Charged With Child Cruelty, Burglary With Assault, Battery On Officer

May 5, 2020

A Cantonment man is facing a list of charges after allegedly breaking into a woman’s home, injuring a child and threatening to kill a woman before picking up an Escambia County deputy, throwing him to the ground and hitting him.

Jacob Ryan Foust, 39, is charged with burglary with assault and battery, battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest with violence, child cruelty, child neglect, drug possession, possession of drug paraphernalia and property damage.

The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to a burglary in progress call at a location redacted from his arrest report. The victim told deputies after she returned home Foust walked into her home carrying a log and threatened to kill her. He also allegedly broke the rear-view mirror off her vehicle.

When deputies arrived, Foust had been allegedly rambling about guns and ammunition while heavily intoxicated. He picked up a deputy and threw him on the ground and hit the deputy in the face before he was tased, according to the arrest report.

After he was taken into custody, a witness said children were located next to the roadway on Highway 29.

Deputies found the children by the road. They said Foust sent them there to look for Jessica Marie Carroll, according to an arrest report. One said they had been left alone for about 20 minutes. Carroll, age 32 of Cantonment, was charged with child negligence in connection with the incident.

During the investigation, deputies located a leafy substance that field tested positive for spice along with a metal grinder. One of the children told deputies, “that’s my dad’s weed” and attempted to grab the bag of spice, the report states.

Foust remained in the Escambia County jail with bond set at $16,500.

Century Parks To Remain Closed, Mayor Says COVID-19 Is Coming Into Rural Areas; Flomaton Parks Now Open

May 5, 2020

Public parks in Century will remain closed to the public at the recommendation of the  mayor as parks in nearby Flomaton reopened Tuesday with restrictions.

Century Parks

“The county has opened up their parks but watching the news this morning they stated that the COVID-19 is now coming into the rural areas. I recommend that we keep our parks closed until further notice,” Century Mayor Henry Hawkins said.

Escambia County parks never closed at any point in the COVID-19 pandemic, but the county did recommend that playgrounds and other hard touch surfaces not be used.

Hawkins did not elaborate on any details about the news report he watched about the virus coming into rural areas.  The first COVID-19 case in the Century zip code was reported on April 1 and the second on April 22, according to the Florida Department of Health. No additional cases have been reported in Century.

Council member Luis Gomez asked for park closures be reconsidered at the next council meeting.

“I’ve been following the COVID pretty close and I’m quite sure everybody else is,” Gomez said. “Usually it takes 2-3 weeks for good accurate status of the virus because they just opened up the beaches and a lot of stuff in Florida and the Cordova Mall is opening today. We should have a pretty good eye on the direction this thing is going in 2-3 weeks.”

The council voted 5-0 to keep Century’s parks closed.

Flomaton Parks

Parks and creek access in the Town of Flomaton reopened Tuesday at 1 p.m. with a few restrictions.

Baseball and basketball courts and tennis courts remained closed. Playgrounds are also closed.

Walking trails, the town’s fishing lake, Flomaton Landing and the the Big Escambia Creek access under Highway 31 are all open.

Bathrooms will be open at Hurricane Park, Oaks Common Park, and Abernathy Park. Bathrooms will be sanitized three times per day during the week only. The pavilions at Oaks Common Park and the Flomaton Community Center will be open.

Batting cages are open with a limit of two participants per cage.

All parks and areas are subject to social distancing guidelines with a six foot distance required between non-family members and no groups larger than 10 people.

Pictured: The playground at Showalter Park in Century. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.

Maybe A Shower For Tuesday Night With A Passing Cold Front

May 5, 2020

Clouds will increase into the evening with an approaching cold front, and there may be a few showers Tuesday night. The front it will lower daytime highs a few degrees and send us back down near 50 degrees by Wednesday night.

Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:

Tonight: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms between 7pm and 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 81. North wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Wednesday Night: Clear, with a low around 49. North wind 5 to 15 mph.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 77. North wind around 5 mph.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 54. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.

Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. South wind 5 to 15 mph.

Friday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. Southwest wind around 10 mph becoming north after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 72. North wind around 10 mph.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49. Northeast wind around 5 mph.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 80.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 54.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 83.

Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 56.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 85.

Century Council Seeks Grant From LGBTQ Focused Non-Profit For ‘Harmony Park’

May 5, 2020

The Century Town Council voted Monday night to seek a grant from Sunday’s Child, a Pensacola LGBTQ-focused philanthropic non-profit, for a “Harmony Park” in Century.

A Harmony Park is an accessible park with outdoor percussion musical instruments that do not require electricity to use.

“…We believe that the Harmony Park would be a great asset for our community and our youth,” Century Mayor Henry Hawkins said in a letter to Sunday’s Child.

The town council voted Monday night to pour up to $1,500 in concrete, assist in unloading the equipment and ongoing maintenance of the park if they are awarded and accept the $25,000 park grant from Sunday’s Child. The council discussed seeking sponsors to cover the $1,500 if they are approved.

The exact location of the park has not been decided.

Sunday’s Child funds initiatives and projects that promote diversity of the LGBTQ community and inspire inclusion throughout Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

NWF Water Management Reopens Recreation Sites Include The Pipes, Fillingim Landing

May 5, 2020

The Northwest Florida Water Management District has reopened most of its day-use recreation sites, including the The Pipes and Fillingim Landing along the Pedido River.

Both The Pipes and Fillingim Landing will have limited available parking, but paddle craft landings are open. Visitors to the day-use recreation sites must adhere to CDC guidelines on social distancing and group size.

All reservable camp sites at Northwest Florida Water Management District facilities remain closed.

For a complete list of site openings and closures, visit www.nwfwater.com/Lands/Recreation/Recreation-Site-Closures.

Pictured: The Pipes along the Perdido River off Old Bridge Road. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Escambia County (AL) Students Can Have Free Meal Boxes Delivered To Their Homes. Applications End Friday.

May 5, 2020

The USDA “Meals-to-You” program will deliver free meals to the homes of students enrolled in schools in Escambia County, Alabama.

Each child will receive a box containing 20 shelf stable meals – 10 breakfasts and 10 lunches – every two weeks while the child’s school is closed. The meals will be delivered by the U.S. Postal Service or FedEx.

The deadline to apply is Friday, May 8 at MealsToYou.org/emergency-meals-to-you-application/.

For more information, parents of Escambia County, Alabama, students can call Susanne Boutwell at (251) 368-1920.

Lane Closures This Week On Nine Mile Road

May 5, 2020

Drivers can expect intermittent and alternating lane closures this week as crews perform paving operations for the Nine Mile Road widening project in Escambia County.

Initially, drivers can expect intermittent and alternating lane closures at the Nine Mile Road-Beulah Road intersection between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. These lane closures are required to place asphalt overbuild at this intersection.

Later this week, drivers can expect intermittent and alternating Nine Mile Road eastbound travel lane closures from Beulah Middle School to the I-10/Nine Mile Road interchange between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. These lane closures are required to allow crews to place the second layer of structural asphalt for an upcoming shift, the work is expected to be complete in one week.

Traffic flaggers will be on site to safely direct drivers through the work zones. Access to businesses will be maintained at all times.

All construction activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or re-scheduled in the event of inclement weather.

Limited Visitation Now Allowed At Baptist, Gulf Breeze Hospitals; No Visitors At Jay Hospital

May 5, 2020

Baptist Hospital is now allowing limited visitation at their main location and Gulf Breeze Hospital, while visitation is not allowed at their Jay Hospital location.

Here is the latest information from Baptist Hospital:

Baptist Hospital and Gulf Breeze Hospital Only

  • One visitor at a time will be allowed to visit a hospital inpatient.
  • No visitors will be allowed who have COVID-19 symptoms, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
  • Visitors will be provided a visitor badge which must be displayed and visible during the entirety of the visit.
  • No children under the age of 18 are permitted to visit.

At the discretion of the hospital staff, a visitor may be asked to leave as the situation warrants.

Behavioral Medicine Center (Behavioral Health Inpatient Departments Only)
Per state of Florida guidelines, there is no visitation allowed to adult mental health treatment facilities at this time. Youth visitation is limited to parents/guardians only. No siblings or anyone under the age of 18 are allowed to visit.

Jay Hospital
Because of Jay Hospital’s designation to provide skilled nursing care, more rigid visitation requirements apply. Therefore, a no visitation policy will remain in place.

EXCEPTIONS

A visitor whose presence is essential to the care of a patient may be allowed to visit. “Essential” is defined as one or more of the following:

  • Patients who may be impaired and require a support person to care for them
  • Patients with disruptive behavior in which a support person is key to their care
  • Patients who have altered mental status or developmental delays (in which support person is key to their safe care)
  • Patients under the age of 18 must be accompanied by parent or legal guardian.
  • For patients receiving end of life care, our team will arrange visitation times with loved ones. During such times, your questions and concerns will be addressed.

Escambia, Santa Rosa Coronavirus Cases Up By Just Three On Monday

May 4, 2020

THIS STORY IS OUTDATED. CLICK HERE FOR AN UPDATE.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties increased by just three in the Monday report from the Florida Department of Health.

Escambia County cases were up two to 595 with 13 total deaths, nine of which where in long-term care facilities. On Sunday, Escambia County reported an additional 55 cases.

Santa Rosa county’s count  was up one from Sunday to Monday at 158. There have been eight deaths in Santa Rosa County.

Statewide, there were 36,897 cases including 35,969  Florida residents. There have been 6,119 hospitalizations and 1,399 deaths.

  • Total cases — 595 (+2 since Sunday)
  • Pensacola — 456
  • Cantonment — 41
  • Bellview — 6
  • Perdido Key — 1
  • McDavid/Walnut Hill — 1
  • Molino – 4
  • Century — 2
  • Hospitalizations:  46*
  • Deaths — 13
  • Male — 219
  • Female — 296
  • Youngest — 0
  • Oldest — 105

Santa Rosa County cases:

  • Total cases — 158 (+1 since Sunday)
  • Milton — 84
  • Navarre — 32
  • Gulf Breeze — 24
  • Pace — 15
  • Jay — 2
  • Residents: 129
  • Nonresidents — 1
  • Hospitalizations — 22*
  • Deaths — 8
  • Male — 105
  • Female — 52
  • Youngest — 2 months
  • Oldest — 94

Florida cases:

  • Total cases — 36,897
  • Florida residents — 35,969
  • Deaths — 1.399
  • Hospitalizations — 6,119*

*“Hospitalizations” is a count of all laboratory confirmed cases in which an inpatient hospitalization occurred at any time during the course of illness. These people may no longer be hospitalized. This number does not represent the number of COVID-19 positive persons currently hospitalized. The FDOH does not provide a count of patients currently hospitalized.

One Injured In Highway 29 Rollover Crash

May 4, 2020

One person was injured in a single vehicle rollover crash Monday morning on Highway 29 next Duxbury Avenue in Molino.

The person was briefly trapped in the overturned vehicle before being freed by firefighters.

The Florida Highway Patrol investigated.

The Molino, Cantonment and McDavid stations of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded, along with Escambia County EMS.

NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.

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