18-Wheeler Overturns In Cantonment
August 17, 2018
An 18-wheeler overturned on Muscogee Road at Highway 29 in Cantonment Friday, causing traffic delays for over five hours.
There were no other vehicles involved in the 1:11 p.m. accident. The driver of the truck, 38-year old Darryl Harlow of Foley was able to crawl out of the cab and was not injured.
The Florida Highway Patrol said Harlow failed to maintain control the semi as he turned let on Muscogee Road from Highway 29 northbound.
The truck was hauling paper and weighed over 70,000 pounds, according to the FHP.
Harlow was cited for careless driving.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Century Budget: Gas Department Facing Big Loss; Mayor Wants Employee Raises
August 17, 2018
Century’s gas department is expected to lose over $200,000 next fiscal year, and the mayor is proposing a 3 percent raise for employees. Those were just two of the items discussed Thursday afternoon during a Town of Century budget workshop.
Gas Department Losses
The town’s gas tentative gas department budget is projecting a loss of $214,000 as the town works to figure out where the gas they purchase from their supplier is going because much of it is not being billed to customers.
Gas Superintendent Wally Kellett said it’s certain the gas is not leaking because that would be very obvious. The problem, he said, is either with customer meters, meter reading and billing, or a discrepancy between the amount billed by the town’s supplier and the quantity actually delivered.
The town plans to install a “gate station” meter to measure and verify the amount of gas received from the supplier, and they are considering about $50,000 for new meters for all customers because current meters are decades old. The system currently servers 498 customer accounts in and around the town. There were 520 gas customers just a few weeks ago.
“It’s hard to say how much of a difference it will make, but it will be tremendous,” Kellet said the increased revenue expectorated from new, more accurate gas meters.
About $160,000 in gas revenue was lost this year because, according to town officials, a meter reader was not properly reading meters. That meter reader is no longer employed by the town.
“The biggest unknown right now for the gas department is how much are we going to bill (next fiscal year),” accountant Robert Hudson said. “”We are seeing problems with the gas department as far as billing versus purchases.”
The proposed budget moves administrative salaries out of the gas department in order to curtail losses. The gas fund had typically paid a portion of the the salaries of the mayor, town council and administrative clerks. An $18,000 budgeted rent the gas department had paid the general fund has also been eliminated to improve the balance sheet.
Employee Raises
Mayor Henry Hawkins has requested a 3 percent cost of living adjustment (COLA) across the board for employees. The current COLA as set by the Social Security Administration is 2 percent, according to Town Clerk Kim Godwin.
The town’s total personnel costs, including salaries and benefits, is budgeted at $1.045 million.
Not Final Yet
The budget discussed Thursday is not yet final and no formal actions were taken. A preliminary budget draft will be presented during a council workshop at 1 p.m. on Friday, August 24.
ECSO: Walnut Hill Man Burglarizes Neighbor, Caught With Items In His Vehicle
August 17, 2018
A Walnut Hill man was arrested for burglarizing his neighbor Tuesday after deputies caught him with the stolen items in his vehicle, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
James Sean Brooks, 19, was charged with three felony counts of burglary, grand theft and criminal mischief with property damage. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $21,000.
A resident of Highway 97 near North Highway 99 reported a 55-inch television worth $800 missing from a mother-in-law suite directly behind his home. Rods and reels valued at $2,800 and a $450 chainsaw were reported stolen from a storage shed, and the victim said cash from his wallet and Nexium pills were stolen from his truck.
The victim stated that he had located one of his custom saltwater fishing rods on the ground in front of his storage shed, a long with a fishing lure and weight that appeared to have been dropped as they items were being stolen from his shed.
The victim told deputies that he believed Brooks had taken the items.
As the victim was talking to deputies, a black Chevrolet Equinox drove by twice at a slow rate of speed, and the victim advised the vehicle belonged to Brooks.
A deputy followed the vehicle and could see fishing rods sticking up in the back of the Equinox and conducted a traffic stop on Highway 97 near Mason Road. During the traffic stop, multiple rods and reels were located matching those taken from the victim, along with a 55-inch television and a Roku.
A female with Brooks told deputies that he woke her up between 2:00 and 3:00 a.m. and told her he had found the items in his vehicle.
The female with Brooks was charged as a juvenile and transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice. Her name has not been released.
Early Voting Begins Saturday
August 17, 2018
Early voting for the Primary Election in Escambia County begins Saturday and continues for eight consecutive days at eight locations for 9 hours each day throughout the county:
- Supervisor of Elections Office, 213 Palafox Place, Second Floor (8 a.m. – 5 p.m.)
- Main Library, 239 Spring Street (9 a.m. – 6 p.m.)
- Molino Community Center, 6450-A Highway 95A, Molino (9 a.m. – 6 p.m.)
- Genealogy Branch Library, 5740 B, 9th Avenue (9 a.m. – 6 p.m.)
- Southwest Branch Library, 12248 Gulf Beach Highway (9 a.m. – 6 p.m.)
- Mobile Hwy/Pine Forest Rd Early Voting Center, 6675 Pine Forest Road (9 a.m. – 6 p.m.)
- Escambia County Extension, 3740 Stefani Road, Cantonment (9 a.m. – 6 p.m.)
- Brownsville Community Center, 3200 W. DeSoto Street (9 a.m. – 6 p.m.)
Early voting will be offered Saturday, August 18, through Saturday, August 25. Early voters cast paper ballots through our digital scanners and may choose any one of the eight sites. Each location is also equipped with an ExpressVote ballot marking device to assist persons with disabilities.
Another option for voters is to cast a vote-by-mail ballot, which can be requested through the online form at EscambiaVotes.com, or by e-mail (votebymail@escambiavotes.com), phone (850) 595-3900, mail, or fax (850) 595-3914. Requests must include the voter’s date of birth and address, and must be received no later than Wednesday, August 22. Voted ballots must be received in the Elections Office no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day and may not be returned to a polling location. The U.S. Postal Service recommends voters mail ballots at least one week before the due date. Vote-by-mail participants may track the status of their ballot at EscambiaVotes.com.
The third option for voters is to cast a ballot at their precinct on Election Day, Tuesday, August 28. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.
Florida holds closed primary elections. In partisan primary elections, you are only eligible to vote in primary contests for the party in which you are registered, unless it is a universal primary or nonpartisan contest. Voters are reminded to bring their photo and signature ID with them to the polls and are encouraged to visit EscambiaVotes.com for complete voting information or contact the Elections Office by phone or e-mail with any questions.
Fans Meet The Northview Chiefs; Kickoff Classic Is Tonight (With Photo Gallery)
August 17, 2018
Fans had a chance to meet the Northview Chiefs Thursday evening.
They were introduced to this year’s junior varsity football team and cheerleaders, varsity football team and cheerleaders, the Tribal Beat Band, the volleyball team, the Ernest Ward Middle School football team and local youth teams and cheerleaders.
The Chiefs will host Vernon at 7 p.m. in a preseason Kickoff Classic.
For a Meet the Chiefs photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Appeal Rejected In Escambia County Wrong Way DUI Manslaughter Conviction
August 17, 2018
A state appellate court Thursday rejected an appeal by a former Navy flight instructor who was sentenced to more than 13 years in prison in a DUI manslaughter case that included allegations he drove the wrong way on I-10 in Escambia County.
Robert Koroly, who served as a flight instructor at Naval Air Station Pensacola, entered a plea to the DUI manslaughter charge in the 2010 death of 54-year-old Johnny Robinson.
But after serving four years of a 13.25-year prison sentence, Koroly filed an appeal, arguing that he had received ineffective representation because his attorney had not retained an accident-reconstruction expert, according to Thursday’s ruling by a panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal.
The ruling said Koroly had a blood-alcohol level of more than twice the legal limit when he drove the wrong way on I-110 just south of Fairfield Drive and collided head-on with a vehicle driven by Robinson. Another vehicle then crashed into Robinson’s vehicle. Koroly’s blood alcohol level was .16.
In the appeal, Koroly argued that an accident-reconstruction expert could have provided information about improper signage and poor weather conditions. An Escambia County circuit judge turned down the arguments, and the appeals court followed suit.
“Had Koroly obtained a more comprehensive accident reconstruction, he argues he would have advanced a defense at trial that it was not his intoxicated driving that caused the crash, but rather the defective road signs and poor weather conditions that caused him to drive the wrong way onto the interstate. But evidence of poor road conditions and inadequate signage would have had very little probative value in light of the overwhelming evidence of Koroly’s intoxication and the extremely low threshold for proving causation under the DUI manslaughter statute,” said the 14-page opinion, written by appeals-court Judge Lori Rowe and joined fully by Judge M. Kemmerly Thomas. Chief Judge Brad Thomas concurred in the result but did not sign on to the opinion.
by The News Service of Florida
Ashton Brosnaham Park Selected As Youth Soccer Recreational Club Of The Year
August 17, 2018
Escambia County’s Ashton Brosnaham Athletic Park off 10 Mile Road and the Gulf Coast Texans youth soccer program have been awarded the 2018 Florida Youth Soccer Association Recreational Club of the Year, selected out of approximately 250 youth soccer associations in Florida.
The award was presented to the Gulf Coast Texans at the FYSA’s annual meeting Saturday, Aug. 11 in Orlando, Florida.
The Gulf Coast Texans use Ashton Brosnaham Athletic Park through a partnership with Escambia County Parks and Recreation, offering youth soccer for children 3 years old all the way through high school. The goal of the Gulf Coast Texans is to provide exposure of soccer in the community to youth for the purpose of promoting good health, sportsmanship, teamwork, competition and developing a love for the game of soccer.
When applying for the FYSA award, Gulf Coast Texans Recreational Commissioner Alain Espinosa said what makes the program special is that it is 100 percent volunteer-run, and all volunteers share the same philosophy of making sure that each player has the best environment to enjoy the game of soccer. The Gulf Coast Texans program encourages play at all skill levels and focuses on the enjoyment and development of soccer players without the emphasis on high-level pressure to win.
The recreational program of the Gulf Coast Texans has grown by 10 percent each year since 2014, averaging about 450 players each season.
Pictured: Gulf Coast Texans Recreational Commissioner Alain Espinosa, left, and Gulf Coast Texans President Mark Carr receive the FYSA Recreational Club of the Year award in Orlando, Florida. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Pensacola Battered By Shrimp, 9-1
August 17, 2018
Jose Siri’s 11th home run for the Blue Wahoos was the lone bright spot in Thursday’s 9-1 loss to Jacksonville.
Trailing 9-0 in the eighth, Siri snapped an 0-for-10 skid with a solo homer to left, which broke the franchise record for most homers in the second half of a season. Four players had previously hit 10 home runs in the second-half, with the most recent being third baseman and current top prospect in the Reds organization, Nick Senzel. Siri recorded only one homer with the Tortugas prior to his promotion; however, he was still recovering from an injury he sustained in February during Spring Training.
The homer was the only run Pensacola could muster against Jacksonville. Tony Santillan (L, 4-1) suffered his first loss of the season after struggling against the Jumbo Shrimp. He was lifted after three innings and was charged with a career-high eight runs (seven earned).
Robert Dugger (W, 5-5) pitched seven shutout innings for the Jumbo Shrimp and tied his season-high with nine strikeouts. Pensacola’s best chance came in the first inning when the Wahoos loaded the bases and two outs. However, Dugger struck out Taylor Featherston to neutralize the threat. Despite having baserunners on in every inning except the seventh, the Wahoos had a runner in scoring position only once after the first inning. Pensacola has now allowed nine runs in back-to-back games, and the team has surrendered at least eight in five of their last six contests.
The Wahoos will try to even the series against Jacksonville on Friday.
FHP: Driver Traveling Over 100 MPH Slams Into Vehicle On I-10
August 17, 2018
One person was injured in a high speed two vehicle accident on I-10 about four miles east of the state line Thursday evening.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 27-yaer old Tiffany Simpson of Saraland was westbound on I-10 at a high rate of speed when she slammed her 2015 Dodge Charger into a 2007 Toyota driven by 40-year old Kendra Marra of Beachwood, NJ. Multiple witnesses told troopers that Simpson was traveling in excess of 100 mph at that time of the crash.
The Toyota left the roadway and overturned into a wooded area about 200 feet from the point of impact. Simpson came to a stop about three-quarters of a mile away.
Simpson received minor injuries and was not transported to the hospital. A 2-year old restrained child in her vehicle was not injured. Marra was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital with minor injuries.
Simpson was charged with reckless driving by the FHP.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Violent Sexual Predator From Century Arrested For Sex Offense At Mall
August 16, 2018
A registered violent sexual predator from Century was arrested Tuesday at a Cordova Mall restaurant for allegedly exposing himself.
Anthony Darnall Goldsmith, age 60 of 153 East Pond Street, was charged with indecent exposure of sexual organs after the incident at Panera Bread.
The adult female victim told Pensacola Police that Goldsmith sat down at a table in a corner of the restaurant a few feet away and began eating food that he brought with him. She said when she looked back up, he was exposed and pleasuring himself.
The victim screamed, and Goldsmith ran from the restaurant. An employee told officers that he is often at the restaurant, and he would also frequently visit the McDonald’s a few blocks away on Airport Boulevard.
When police checked the area of the McDonald’s, they found Goldsmith walking near Washington High School.
Goldsmith was convicted of predatory sexual assault of a child in Cook County, IL, in 2005. He was also convicted of two sexual predator registration violations in Escambia County in 2008 and 2011.