AG: Two Ensley Assisted Living Caregivers Abandoned Elderly Resident Along Road, Stole ID, Debit Card
August 3, 2021
Two Ensley assisted living facility caregivers are accused of stealing identification and a debit card from an elderly resident before abandoning them on the side of the road on a “particularly hot day” in 2019.
Following an investigation by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, Tavetta Lavetta Jones and Tekera Levine were arrested over the weekend on charges related to abuse and exploitation of a senior.
As employees of Whispering Pines Assisted Living Facility on Jo Jo Road in Ensley, Jones and Levine were supposed to transfer the victim to sign bond paperwork. Instead, Jones and Levine, Jones’s manager, abandoned the victim on the side of a road and took the victim’s identification card and debit card. Jones is charged with exploitation of an elderly person or disabled adult, and criminal use of personal identification information. Levine faces a charge of accessory after the fact.
“The scheme concocted and carried out by these two caregivers is horrifying—the women abused their positions to steal a patient’s ID and debit card, then abandoned the senior victim on the side of the road. Thankfully, following an investigation by my Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, these suspects have been arrested and will face serious charges for this criminal scheme,” AG Moody said.
The state investigation revealed that Jones, an employee of Whispering Pines, abandoned an elderly resident on Antioch Cemetery Road in Walton County on September 3, 2019. The elderly victim identified Jones and Levine as the facility employees who orchestrated the abandonment and identified a black Volkswagen as the vehicle Jones was driving while abandoning the victim. Jones and Levine left the victim without a phone, water, money or identification on a “particularly hot day”, according to the state.
Levine, the manager of Whispering Pines, gave varying accounts about the occurrence of the abuse and Jones’s involvement. Phone records placed both Jones and Levine in Walton County near the time law enforcement responded to a 911 call by residents on Antioch Cemetery Road. Phone records also place Jones in the vicinity of ATMs where the victim’s debit card and personal identification number were used to gain access to the victim’s bank account during August and September 2019. Video footage places a black Volkswagen or similar vehicle at the ATMs during the transactions involving the victim’s debit card and PIN.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jones on one count of exploitation of an elderly person, a third-degree felony; one count of criminal use of personal identification information of a person over 60 years of age and one count of criminal use of personal identification information over $5,000, both second-degree felonies. If convicted on all counts, Jones faces a possible sentence of up to 35 years in state prison. She was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $5,000 bond.
ECSO arrested Levine on one count of accessory after the fact, a third-degree felony. If convicted, Levine faces a possible sentence of up to five years in state prison. She was also released from jail on a $5,000 bond.
The cases will be prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Christi Hankins of MFCU through an agreement with Ginger Bowden Madden, State Attorney for the First Judicial Circuit of Florida.
ECFR: Smoke Alarms Did Not Function Properly In Gonzalez Apartment Fire
August 3, 2021
Escambia Fire Rescue said smoke alarms were present but did not function properly in an apartment fire early Saturday morning in Gonzalez.
ECFR responded to the 1100 block of Lake Drive, off Old Chemstrand Road, about 1:40 a.m. There was nothing showing upon their arrival at the triplex, but they found a working kitchen fire in the rear of the building.
Crews brought the fire under control by 1:53 a.m. The kitchen sustained moderate damage. The cause of the fire was classified as a cooking mishap.
The Cantonment, Ensley. Brent, Ferry Pass and Myrtle Grove stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded. The American Red Cross provided temporary assistance to the displaced residents.
Photos courtesy ECFR for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Johnnie Ruth Thomley Creighton
August 3, 2021
Johnnie Ruth Thomley Creighton of Pensacola, FL born June 25, 1943 went to rest in the arms of her Lord on August 1, 2021.
Johnnie loved the Lord and her family more than life. They were her World! She enjoyed family gatherings at her home where she made sure you had plenty to eat, and if you left hungry, well that was your fault. She was so full of love that she shined. Always had a smile and open arms to welcome you in. Johnnie will be truly missed for she was loved by so many. This is not goodbye, but a “see you in a little while”.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Ira and Evelyn Thomley; husband, Elton Creighton, Brother I.J. Thomley; and son, Donnell Patterson.
Johnnie is survived by her sons, Dwayne (Cynthia) Patterson and Sebastian Patterson; brother, J.W. (Mary) Thomley; sister, Betty Ruth Enfinger; and numerous grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces, nephews and loving friends.
The family would like to thank Baptist Hospital SINU and Comfort Care for the love and help they provided for Johnnie.
Funeral services will be held at 2PM on Thursday, August 5, 2021 at New Beginnings Church of God, Molino Road, Molino, FL with Pastors Robbie Kolb and Alvin Kolb officiating. Johnnie will be laid to rest at Pilgrim’s Rest Cemetery.
The family will receive friends at 1PM prior to services.
Pallbearers will be Dwayne Patterson, Sebastian Patterson, Tommy Carter, Bo Bibby, and Roger Gill.
The Bill Is In The Mail? USPS Returns Mail To Sender Six Years Later
August 3, 2021
An employee at Century Water Works received a few unexpected surprises in the mail.
Central Water Works mailed the pictured water bill to a local address on September 16, 2015.
Monday, almost six years later, the bill arrived back at the water company on Byrneville Road with a yellow U.S. Postal Service “Return to sender” sticker dated July 31, 2021.
It was one six pieces of mail addressed by Central Water Works to the same person over a three-month period in 2015 that were all just returned by the post office.
We’ve reached out to the U. S. Postal Service (by email, not postal mail) for any possible explanation, and we’ll let you know what they say.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia County (AL) High School Coach Dies In Mobile Wreck
August 2, 2021
A local high school coach died in a wreck Monday in Mobile.
The Mobile Police Department said 39-year old Kasuan D. Bullard was pronounced deceased at the scene of a traffic crash Monday morning on the Cochran Causeway. Bullard was a football and basketball coach at Escambia County High School in Atmore.
Bullard was attempting to make a U-turn when his vehicle collided with a dump truck, according to Mobile Police.
The driver of truck was transported to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life threatening.
Monday Armed Robbery Of Pine Forest Road Dollar General Under Investigation
August 2, 2021
The search continues for a suspect in the Monday armed morning robbery of an Dollar General store on Pine Forest Road.
A white male armed with a gun walked into the Dollar General on Pine Forest just north of Highway 297A about 9:23 Monday morning and asked the clerk for $5. He fled in a yellow car with “small amount” of cash, according to Amber Southard, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
No additional information was available. We will post an update if surveillance images or additional details are released.
File photo.
Central Water Works Temporarily Closes Business Office After COVID-19 Exposure
August 2, 2021
Century Water Works has temporarily closed their business office to the public due to staff exposure to COVID-19.
The office is expected to remain closed until at least August 9.
Central Water Works serves about 1,000 members in the McDavid, Byrneville, Century and Flomaton areas from their business office on Byrneville Road.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Staffing Issues Temporarily Close Century Work Camp; Inmates Moved To Main Prison
August 2, 2021
The Century Work Camp has been temporarily shut down due to staffing issues.
About 60 inmates have been moved from the Century CI Work Camp into the main unit at Century Correctional Institution, Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) Press Secretary Paul Walker told NorthEscambia.com.
“Staff recruitment and retention is a top agency priority,” Walker said.
Century Correctional Institution is one of several facilities across the state currently offering $1,000 hiring bonuses for newly certified correctional officers.
“Currently, a large number of FDC’s major institutions are at or below critical staffing levels. FDC is working through various measures to mitigate this staffing crisis, including the temporary suspension of some work squads. Work squads will resume when staffing levels allow them to operate while also adequately staffing the institution,” Walker said.
Some of the measures FDC is implementing to address critical staffing at institutions across the state include:
- Transitioning correctional institutions from 12-hour shifts to 8.5-hour shifts, as recommended by national experts and strongly supported through data analysis of safety trends and attrition rates
- Offering $1,000 hiring bonuses at institutions with 10% or more staff vacancy rate
- Offering $1,000 hiring bonus for returning certified staff
- Increased rate of pay to $33,500 for (noncertified) correctional officer trainees
- Opened positions for part-time OPS Certified Correctional Officers
- Reduced the wait time for Correctional Officer Trainees to enter the academy for certification
- Changed the framework of correctional officer academies to allow for mid-course entry
- Temporarily closing dorms
- Suspended FDC-supervised work squads
- Consolidating some work camps and annexes into main institutions
The Century Work Camp is located on Tedder Road, just west of Century Correctional Institution.
Pictured: The Florida Department of Corrections Century Work Camp. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Man Takes The Chess Challenge To Homeless Camp Under I-110
August 2, 2021
Rafael Lopez of Cantonment loves the game of chess, and he is passionate about sharing that love.
Sunday, he set up his oversized chess board in what might seem like a very unlikely place — a homeless camp under I-110 in Pensacola.
Lopez was met by a large group of men and women that call the tent city home. It was hot, almost noon, when Lopez arrived.
“You could see the mood change instantly when we pulled up. Curiously at first, then once they knew we were there for good, many of them assisted me with putting the board together,” he said.
He supplied the pizza, doughnuts and water. And he gave away about 20 chess boards to those who wanted to play in the future.
“They asked me if I was going to come back and it’s hard for me to turn down a game of chess with anyone, so I agreed to another Sunday at the end of the month,” he said.
“The Chess Challenge” is Lopez’s charity. He said it will help the community by teaching better decisions through chess. He wants to create a “chess culture” in Escambia County and will fund a competitive tournament that will award a scholarship, cash or prizes.
“We brought a bunch of strangers at a homeless encampment together, and they were united through chess,” Lopez said.
Anyone that wants to help Lopez or participate in his next event can contact Lopez at RILopez818@gmail.com or call (850) 208-1996.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
UPDATE: Pensacola State College Reverses Course On Excused COVID-19 Absences For Unvaccinated, Rescinds Mask Mandate
August 2, 2021
Pensacola State College has rescinded a previously announced mask mandate that was set to begin Monday August 2, and the college has reversed course on not allowing excused abscesses related to COVID-19 for the unvaccinated.
The mask policy would have applied to vaccinated and unvaccinated students, faculty, employees and visitors indoors on a PSC campus.
In an email to students on Sunday (pictured below), PSC President Ed Meadows rescinded that policy, announcing instead that mask are only recommended, especially for unvaccinated persons. He also announced that only those who are vaccinated or exempted for medical reasons will be excused for any absences due to COVID-19 infections or quarantines.
Late Monday afternoon, the college announced that COVID-19 absences will may excused for any student or employee (emails below).
“COVID related absences are now being treated as all other illness related absences. Excused absences for COVID-19 are not guaranteed and students should work with their instructors regarding the possibility of making up missed assignment,” Meadows said in an email.
Here is the full text of the email from Meadows on Sunday:
Here is the full text of emails sent to students and employees on Monday:
