Woman That Allegedly Kidnapped Two Kids In Louisiana Is Now In Santa Rosa Jail
March 6, 2021
The woman that allegedly kidnapped her two young children from Louisiana Tuesday afternoon was arrested Friday night.
Shawntel Nicole Heck was booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail without bond as a fugitive from justice. She has multiple charges pending in Louisiana.
Heck was arrested after contacting a deputy stating she was tired of running and wanted to turn herself in.
An Amber Alert was issued after she allegedly drove away with the children, ages 4 and 8, from their father’s home in Ponchatoula, Louisiana, according to Louisiana authorities. The boys were found safe Wednesday afternoon near Munson in Santa Rosa County, but authorities were unable to immediately locate Heck after a K-9 search.
A Cool Low Saturday Night In The Upper 30s
March 6, 2021
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 38. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 66. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 37. North wind around 5 mph.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 69. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 41. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 69. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 48. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 73. Southeast wind 5 to 15 mph.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 53. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 76.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 79.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 58.
Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 78.
Tate Aggies Take Fifth Inning Lead To Beat Pace (With Gallery)
March 6, 2021
The Tate Aggies beat the Pace Patriots 8-4 Friday night at Tate.
The game was tied AT three when Jackson Penton doubled on a 2-1 count for the go ahead run in the bottom of the fifth. Drew Reaves and Jordan Jarman had two hits each for the Aggies. Penton, Zak Licastro and Dalton Bowen had one hit each.
Josiah Glodfelter started for the Aggies on the mound. He went six and a third innings, striking out 12 and allowing three runs on four hits.
Photos by Laura Glodfelter for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Records Three New COVID-19 Deaths, Another 60 Cases
March 6, 2021
THIS IS AN ARCHIVED STORY. SEE NORTHESCAMBIA.COM FOR THE LATEST DATA.
There were 60 new COVID-19 cases and three additional deaths in Escambia County reported Friday by the Florida Department of Health.
Here is the latest data:
Escambia County cases:
Total cases: 34,019 (+60)
Non-Florida residents: 3,513
Recovered: 33,139*
Total deaths: 638 (+3)
Long-term care facility deaths: 271
Current hospitalizations: 73 (-8)
Number of tests reported last day: 1,280
Percent positive reported last day: 3.8%
Percent positive reported last week: 6.0%
Escambia County cases by location*:
Pensacola: 25,307 (+52)
Cantonment: 3,068 (+5)
Century: 1,164 (+5)
—-including 774 Century prison inmates
Molino: 482 (+1)
McDavid: 202 (+1)
Bellview: 56
Walnut Hill: 51
Perdido Key: 21
Gonzalez: 13
Santa Rosa County cases:
Total cases: 17,276 (+24)
Non-Florida residents: 218
Total deaths: 267
Long-term care facility deaths: 79
Cumulative Hospitalizations: 806*
Number of tests reported last day: 478
Percent positive reported last day: 5.2%
Santa Rosa County cases by location*:
Milton: 8,252 (+6)
Navarre: 3,551 (+7)
Gulf Breeze: 3,215 (+2)
Pace: 1,372 (+3)
Jay: 536 (+5)
Bagdad: 32
Florida cases:
Total cases: 1,936,207
Florida residents: 1,900,598
Deaths: 31,522
Hospitalizations: 80,632*
*“Hospitalizations” in the statewide and Santa Rosa County totals is a count of all laboratory confirmed cases in which an inpatient hospitalization occurred at any time during the course of illness. Most of these people are longer be hospitalized. The FDOH does not provide a count of patients currently hospitalized. The Escambia County number is current data compiled each day from the local hospitals.
**On cases by location, the city is based upon zip code and is not always received as part of the initial notification. There may be a delay in reporting locations, and locations will not total the daily case increase as a result.
***The Florida Department of Health does not have a clear standard or definition of “recovered” and does not report a number of recovered individuals. Escambia County is reporting an approximate recovery number defined as the total cases prior to last month, minus deaths. In other words, anyone that tested positive more than a month ago is presumed to have recovered by Escambia County.
**Data Sources: Florida Department of Health, Escambia County, City of Pensacola, local hospitals.
Gregory Scott Nolen
March 6, 2021
Mr. Gregory Scott Nolen age 57 of Walling Road, Milton, Florida passed away Wednesday March 3, 2021 in a Pensacola, Florida hospital after a brief illness. He was a native of Century, Florida and a life long resident of Santa Rosa and Escambia County, Florida. Mr. Nolen was a member of the Cornerstone Community Church, a 1983 graduate of Century High School, and he worked in the oil and gas industry for over 30 years. He began in the Jay area and worked his way up to facility operations. He retired in 2015 from the Flomaton plant as a senior control room operator. Greg loved hunting, fishing, going to the beach with family, coaching youth sports. He was a loving husband, father, son, brother, uncle and friend. He loved life and loved making memories with his family. His greatest accomplishment in life was earning the title of father and watching his little boy grow into the amazing young man he is today.
Survivors:
Mother- Jeane Kight Nolen of Byrneville, Florida
Wife- Denise Phillips Nolen of Jay, Florida
Son- Seth Xander Nolen of Jay, Florida
(2) Brothers- Jeff Nolen of Century, Florida
Tony (Sue) Nolen of Byrneville, Florida
Several Nieces and Nephews
***Preceded in death by: Father- Robert “Bobby” Leon Nolen
Paternal Grandparents- Leroy Ray Nolen of Bluff Springs
Bertie Mae (Cannon) Nolen Peterson of Bluff Springs
Step-Paternal- Allen R. “Pete” Peterson of Bluff Springs
Maternal Grandparents- William R. Kight of Bluff Springs
Lilly G. (Dyal) Kight Gentry of Bluff Springs
William H. Gentry of Bluff Springs
Visitation will be held Sunday afternoon March 7, 2021 from 1:00 P.M. until 3:00 P.M. at the Cornerstone Community Church, Jay, Florida.
Funeral Services are scheduled for Sunday afternoon March 7, 2021 at 3:00 P.M. at the Cornerstone Community Church with Pastor Frederick Barrows and Pastor Robert Gandy officiating. Interment will follow at Walling Cemetery, Milton, Florida.
Pedestrian Struck And Killed In Century
March 5, 2021
A pedestrian was struck and killed Friday afternoon in Century.
It happened on North Century Boulevard just north of Pond Street. The Florida Highway Patrol said a 71-year old Century man was attempting to walk across the roadway when he was struck by a 28-year old female driver that was unable to avoid a collision.
The man was transported from the scene by Escambia County EMS but was pronounced deceased. The Hyundai Sonata driver and her 10-year old passenger were not injured.
The Florida Highway Patrol is continuing their investigation. FHP no longer releases the names of traffic crash victims.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Louisiana Woman That Kidnapped Two Kids Is Believed To Still Be In The Area; Kids Found Safe In Munson
March 5, 2021
THIS SUSPECT HAS BEEN CAPTURES. CLICK HERE FOR AN UPDATE.
The woman that allegedly kidnapped her two young children from Louisiana Tuesday afternoon is still on the run.
Shawntel Nicole Heck is wanted by multiple agencies with extensive charges for her role in the kidnapping. An Amber Alert was issued after she allegedly drove away with the children, ages 4 and 8, from their father’s home in Ponchatoula, Louisiana, according to Louisiana authorities.
The boys were found found safe Wednesday afternoon near Munson in Santa Rosa County, but authorities were unable to locate Heck after a K-9 search.
Heck is a white female, approximately 5′6″ and 120 pounds with blonde hair and blue eyes. She is a former resident of Santa Rosa County and is believed to still be in the Milton area.
If you know Heck’s whereabouts and would like to remain anonymous, call Santa Rosa Crime Stoppers at (850) 437-STOP (7867). A reward of up to $3,000 is being offered for information.
Doug Underhill Won’t Seek Third Term On The Escambia County Commission
March 5, 2021
District 2 Escambia County Commissioner Doug Underhill announced Friday that he will not seek a third term.
“I want to thank my supporters who have worked so hard in the campaigns and in reforming this government. I am humbled that so many of you are pressing me to run for a third term. My supporters sent me here on a message of reform, and their continued support is the best indication that I have lived up to that expectation and have not succumbed to the constant pressure to do things ‘the way they’ve always been done’. That is precisely why I will not be seeking a third term,” Underhill said in a prepared statement.
“I have always opposed term limits because a free people should never ask the government to do for them what they can do for themselves. I admire the example set by our nation’s first executive, who set the gentlemen’s standard of two terms in an office. There are exceptional men and women in our community who could serve District 2 and Escambia County in this seat; only a selfish man believes that his incumbency is more important than the good of the community.”
There will be two Escambia County Commission seats on the 2022 ballot. In addition to Underhill’s seat, the District 4 seat held currently by Robert Bender will also be up for election. Bender announced last week that he will seek a second term.
“I am making this announcement at this time to enable those future public servants to begin their efforts to serve. The work of reform is never done, and it is certainly not done in Escambia County. For the next 20 months, I will continue to work towards making our government a truer reflection of the priorities and morality of the people we serve, and that work will continue aggressively long after I leave this office.”
Three people had pre-filed as of Friday to seek Underhill’s seat — Republicans Chance Walsh and Steven Stroberger and NPA candidate Melissa “Mel” Pino.
‘Brown Out’ Plan Might Temporarily Close Two Fire Stations; Commissioners Disagree Over Firefighter Pay, Volunteer Value
March 5, 2021
The Escambia County Commission learned about a draft “brown out” plan Thursday that might temporarily close two fire stations due to reduced staffing, as two commissioners disagreed over low firefighter pay and the need for volunteers.
Escambia Fire Rescue operates 21 fire stations. Thirteen stations are staffed 24 hours a day with career, seven are volunteer only, and the Century fire station has a daytime career crew weekdays and volunteer staffing at other times.
If department-wide career firefighter staffing falls below 47 when Century’s crew is on duty, or 43 after hours and weekends, a firehouse will brown out — shut down with an remaining crew members reassigned to other stations. The draft plan calls for the Warrington station to be the first to brown out, followed by Bellview if necessary.
“This is a contingency plan. This is a last-ditch effort. This is a Hail Mary,” interim Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore told commissioners. “This is in case we do go below minimum staffing levels, and we’ve got processes in place to keep us from getting there.”
“If we had COVID hit an entire house and took all those members out of the house, then we would have major problems,” Gilmore said. “We’ve got administration that’s going to step up and run those trucks, down to the interim fire chief stepping up and running the trucks. So, this is in case we get to those minimum levels that are unforeseen, or things happen or we lose additional staff. So that’s what this plan is. It is a last-ditch effort…There are things we’ll do. We’ll pull volunteers from other houses; we’ll stand up a volunteer house. So from administration to the volunteers, we’ll do everything we can to get to that point.”
“You have to do this because we have been on a long trajectory underfunding the public safety. You have to do this, the same way as if you’re crash landing an airplane; you still have to through an emergency landing check,” Commissioner Doug Underhill told Gilmore at a Thursday morning commission session. “When you’re losing airspeed and altitude, every single minute, you’re crashing. We are losing airspeed and altitude with regard to fire safety in this county, and we have been for a long time. You are undermanned. You told me in my office that our pay rates are not competitive for firefighters in this area.”
“That is correct. We are lowest in the Panhandle; we are lowest,” Gilmore responded. “We have lost members to surrounding departments because of that.”
Underhill said with a low pay rate, Escambia County is training “great cops and great firefighters” to go serve at other departments. He said that if Escambia County still has staffing problems, equipment breaking down, and a brown out plan, the commission did not give the department adequate funding.
“There are firefighters right now in Escambia County making six figures, lieutenants making over six figures,” Bergosh challenged. “It’s a tough job. It’s a challenging job. But if you work a career there, you retire in your late 40s or early 50s with a full pension, and you make tremendous money for this area. So, I think we do need to raise starting pay, and, of course, I’m going to support that.”
“But the other thing we need to do is treat our volunteers better. We haven’t been treating them well. They have been wholesale run out of many firehouses, and I’m working against that. That’s a big problem,” Bergosh continued. “Volunteers work for a $400 a month stipend, Doug. It’s a lot cheaper to do that than pay a fully loaded career (firefighter) a 50, 60, 70, a 100 (thousand). We need to recruit volunteers. There are many out there that want to serve. Many firehouses are run 100% volunteer…I support all firefighters.”
“We need to embrace a culture of volunteers. Instead of running them out, strangling from getting the training they need so they can’t serve. We’ve also had a tremendous leadership vacuum, two years without a fire chief,” added Bergosh. “But the knee-jerk isn’t do what Doug Underhill says. The knee-jerk isn’t let’s go raise taxes. I will tell you, Doug, it’s not always about how much you get paid, it’s about where you work, the community you live in, and other factors. It’s not always about money. You want to be a firefighter in Escambia County, you can make tremendous money doing it.”
District 1 Commissioner Bergosh continued, “God bless them. They do great work. I want to pay them good money, but I also want to get our volunteers back into all the firehouses, and I want them to be treated well.”
Underhill replied that in the “built-up” part of the county, which he defined as south of I-10, the volunteer service failed to achieve objectives.
“Volunteer service is an augmentation to professional service, but every single citizen in my district deserves to have a professionally trained, professional outfitted fire team arrive at their home in their time of need,” Underhill said. “I love the bit of Americana that is the volunteer fire service, it is perfectly appropriate in rural areas.”
Gilmore told NorthEscambia.com that volunteer firefighters in Escambia County are issued the same equipment as career firefighters, and the volunteers also have state certification in order to perform in their capacity as firefighters.
Cantonment Man Charged After Drugs, Weapons, Cash Found During Search Warrant Service
March 5, 2021
A Cantonment man is facing multiple drug charges after law enforcement found drugs and weapons after executing a search warrant.
Larry Clay, 22, is charged with trafficking in oxycodone, possession of hydrocodone and violation of probation.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit, SWAT team and High Intensity Patrol Unit served a search warrant in the 60 block Calloway Street in Cantonment. Inside the home, they discovered 11.55 ounces of methamphetamine, 13.8 grams of powdered cocaine, 9.6 grams of crack cocaine, 20.5 grams of oxycodone, 22.1 grams of hydrocodone, $11,172 in cash, along with four pistols, a shotgun and a rifle.
Clay remained in the Escambia County Jail without bond.