Century Correctional Officer Assaulted By Inmate
December 13, 2019
A correctional officer was recently assaulted at Century Correctional Institution, according to information released Tuesday by the Florida Department of Corrections.
On December 7, inmate Deondre Jackson assaulted an officer by striking them in the abdomen area, according to the FDC.
“Staff responded appropriately, and the inmate was subdued,” the department said.
Jackson remains at Century CI, serving a five year and seven month sentence for a 2016 conviction for heroin and cocaine sales and a weapons violation from Palm Beach County.
UWF Will Travel To Ferris State In National Semifinal on Saturday
December 13, 2019
The 20th-ranked UWF football team will travel to Ferris State in the 2019 NCAA Division II National Semifinals as announced by the NCAA.
The game will kickoff at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time at Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids, Michigan. It will be televised on ESPN3 and the ESPN app, and carried by the UWF Sports Network, ESPN Pensacola 1330 AM/99.1 FM.
For photos and game action recap from Saturday’s win over Ferris State, click here.
UWF (11-2) is making its second appearance in the NCAA Playoffs after reaching the national championship game in 2017. The program is 33-17 all-time after starting in 2016. The Argonauts are 7-1 in postseason games and with all seven victories coming on the road.
UWF claimed the Super Region 2 title with road wins over No. 16 Wingate (38-17), No. 1 and defending national champion Valdosta State (38-35) and No. 6 Lenoir-Rhyne (43-38) this past Saturday. The wins over the Blazers and Bears ended the two longest home field winning streaks in Division 2.
Ferris State (12-0) is ranked second in the country and has won 12-consecutive games after falling to VSU in last year’s national title game. The Bulldogs are one of three teams at any level of college football to have won at least 11 games each of the last six seasons (Ohio State & North Dakota State) and have also won 14-straight at home.
The other semifinal game has No. 4 Minnesota State (13-0) at No. 8 Slippery Rock (13-0).
Former Tate Coach Ronnie Douglas Named New Pine Forest Football Head Coach
December 13, 2019
Former Tate High School coach Ronnie Douglas has been hired as the new head football coach at Pine Forest High School.
Douglas takes over at Pine Forest from Jason McDonald, who earned consecutive district titles the past two years and amassed a 21-13 record in his three years with the Eagles.
Douglas was head coach at Tate in 2013 and 2014, going 17-6. He took over the helm of an Aggie team that was a disappointing 4-26 in the three seasons prior to his arrival.
He led the Aggies on two trips to the playoffs in his two seasons with a 8-3 record in his first season and a 9-3 record in his second season. The back-to-back playoff appearances were the first for the Tate Aggies since the 1976 and 1977 seasons. FloridaHighSchoolFootball.com also named Douglas as the All-Panhandle Coach of the Year.
When Douglas announced his departure from Tate in March 2015, he said needed to spend more time on his outside car wash business. He returned to Tate since, serving as defensive coordinator.
NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Tate High School Placed On Lockdown Thursday Morning Due To An “Unspecified Threat”
December 12, 2019
Tate High School was placed on lockdown Thursday morning due to an “unspecified threat”. The lockdown has since been lifted.
A student took a threat they discovered on social media to the school resource officer, according to ECSO Maj. Andrew Hobbs. He said the school was placed on lockdown as deputies and school officials worked to determine if the threat was legitimate and who made the threat.
Hobbs was unable to provide more specifics about type of threat, but said it has since been removed from social media. Deputies have a screenshot of the threat and are working to determine the owner of the social media account involved.
Tate was also placed on lockdown Tuesday morning after the Sheriff’s Office attempted to serve a battery domestic violence arrest warrant on an individual in the area near the campus when the suspect fled. The suspect did not enter the campus, and there was a manhunt in an area outside the school campus.
Pictured: An Escambia County deputy on the perimeter of a manhunt area Tuesday morning near Tate High School. NorthEscambia.com photo by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Early Morning Fire Heavily Damages Byrneville Home
December 12, 2019
An early morning fire heavily damaged a home in Byrneville on Thursday.
The fire was reported at 4:14 a.m. in the 1500 block of West Highway 4, about a half mile east of Byrneville Road. The concrete block home was reported to be fully involved when firefighters arrived on scene.
Everyone in the home was able to escape the blaze; there were no injuries reported. The cause of the fire was not immediately known and is under investigation by the Florida State Fire Marshals Office.
The fire is at least the fifth residential fire of December and the fifth red bulb in Escambia County’s annual Keep The Wreath Green fire safety campaign.
The Century, McDavid and Walnut Hill stations of Escambia Fire Rescue, Flomaton Fire Department, Jay Fire Department and Escambia County EMS responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Highway 4 Bridge Narrowed After Bad Wooden Support Found
December 12, 2019
One lane of a county bridge on Highway 4 has been narrowed after an inspection found a compromised timber support under the bridge.
Wednesday, multiple barrels were placed adjacent to the guardrail on the eastbound side of the Highway 4 bridge over Canoe Creek to prevent drivers from traveling over the bad support.
Escambia County said repair work will begin as soon as possible.
Electronic warning signs have been place on both approaches to the bridge warning of the narrowed bridge and reduced speed limits.
The bridge is located along Highway 4 between Bratt and Byrneville.
Pictured: The Highway 4 bridge over Canoe Creek was narrowed Wednesday after compromised timber support was located. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Woman Busted In Century Drug House Sentenced To Jail
December 12, 2019
A woman arrested inside a Century drug house has been sentenced to just under a year in the county jail.
Sharnice LaBraishia Spears, 21 pleaded no contest and was found guilty by Judge Jan Shackelford on all counts against her. She was sentenced to 11 months and 30 days in the county jail plus fines and costs for cocaine trafficking, possession of marijuana with intent to sell, manufacture or deliver within 1,000 feet of a worship center, possession of a controlled substance (hydrocodone) with intent to sell, manufacture or deliver within 1,000 feet of a worship center, keeping a public nuisance structure for drug activity and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit and SWAT team executed a search warrant on Hudson Hill Road July 3, 2019, as part of an ongoing narcotics investigation.
Deputies reported locating a cache of drugs in a safe including 16.2 grams of powder cocaine, 18.1 grams of crack cocaine, 24 grams of marijuana, hydrocodone pills, an iPhone and $5,466 in cash.
Spears’ boyfriend at the time, Kendrick Jamar Washington, was also in the home at the time of the search warrant. He is awaiting trial on the same charges plus possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.
Century Approves Garbage Rate Increase, Mayor Disputes Balance Sheet
December 12, 2019
The Century Town Council unanimously approved a rate increase for garbage service Tuesday night, as the mayor disputed the town’s own balance sheet showing a profit for the garbage department.
The town currently pays Republic Services $14 per resident per month for a single 95 gallon can pick up per week, plus varying fees for commercial customers. The town tacks $2.98 onto the $14 charged by Republic to cover administrative costs including billing, and adds $6.21 for debris pick up for a total rate of $23.19 per month.
Republic has exercised a provision of their contact that allows them to increase the rates they charged the town by 3.1% to match the Consumer Price Index. The council voted to pass the 3.1% Republic increase along to residents, increasing the monthly rate by 44 cents from $23.19 to $23.63 for single can pickup.
In an article published Tuesday, NorthEscambia.com reported the town’s garbage department showed a profit of $50,927.33. Of that, $41,000 was transferred to the troubled gas fund, leaving a positive balance of $9,927.33 in the gas fund at the end of the fiscal year. The numbers are clearly indicated on the town’s year end financial statement (pictured below).
Mayor Henry Hawkins took issue with the article, saying the financial statement created by the town’s accountant was wrong. He said the $6.21 debris pickup charges, amounting to roughly $40,000 last year, should have been shown in the general fund. That’s because, Hawkins said, the debris pickup is done by the street department that is operated from the town’s general fund. Then, he said, the $41,000 transfer to the gas fund should have come from the general fund.
If the $6.21 per customer per month had been recorded in the general fund ($6.21 x 12 months x 553 customers = $41,210), the garbage fund would have still shown a profit of over $9,000.
Pictured top: A special Century council meeting Wednesday. Pictured below: A condensed version of the year end financial statement for the Town of Century’s garbage fund. Click the image to see the full version. NorthEscambia.com photo/image, click to enlarge.
Atmore Armed Robbery Suspect Now Named One Of Two Suspects In Escambia Florida Robbery
December 12, 2019
An Atmore man has been arrested for a weekend convenience store armed robbery in Atmore, and he has now been named a suspect in a December 4 robbery in Escambia County, FL.
Thomas Darrelle McNeal, 25, was charged by Atmore Police with robbery first degree and booked into the Escambia County (AL) Detention Center in Brewton. McNeal allegedly walked into the Circle K at 901 West Nashville Avenue at 2:07 Saturday morning, asked about the price of the cigarettes and then robbed the store at gunpoint.
McNeal remains in the Escambia County (AL) Detention Center.
Thursday, the Escambia County (FL) Sheriff’s Office named McNeal as one of two suspects in the December 4 armed robbery of a Dollar General at 4818 Mobile Highway. Donald Lamar May was also named a suspect, and he is considered armed and dangerous.
Investigators say McNeal and May fled in a silver color sedan, possibly a Nissan or Honda.
If you have any information about the Mobile Highway incident or the whereabouts of May, call the ECSO at (850) 436-9620.
Pictured top: The robbery of an Atmore convenience store. Pictured below: Mobile Highway Dollar General suspects.
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Florida Now A Member Of Voter Security Partnership
December 12, 2019
Wednesday, Governor Ron DeSantis and Secretary of State Laurel Lee announced that Florida has been accepted for membership, along with 29 other members, into the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a multi-state partnership that uses a sophisticated data-matching tool to enhance the accuracy of voter registration systems.
“My administration is committed to protecting the integrity of Florida’s voter rolls and preventing election fraud,” said DeSantis. “As a member of ERIC, Florida is now equipped with more tools to further ensure accurate voter rolls, make voting easier and reduce costs to taxpayers.”
Through ERIC, member states can share information from voter registration systems, motor vehicle databases, social security death records, and U.S. Post Office records. This data-sharing agreement will help identify voters who have moved to another state, passed away, or changed their name in Florida.
In addition to enhancing the accuracy of voter rolls, ERIC also improves voter registration by providing information for member states to contact potentially eligible but unregistered voters with instructions on how to register to vote. Prior to the 2020 general election, Florida will spend $1.3 million to contact potentially eligible voter who are not registered to vote. This outreach is conducted every two years ahead of federal general elections.