Details Released In Century Counterfeit Cash Arrest; Deputies Search For Suspect
August 16, 2018
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is continuing their search for a man they say passed counterfeit cash in Century, a week after another suspect was arrested.
Montaio Dearies Mitchell was booked into the Escambia County Jail last Thursday night and released on a $2,500 bond.
An employee of Odom’s Bar on North Century Boulevard reported the counterfeit $100 was passed to her at the business’s drive-thru window when Mitchell requested a 99-cent bottle of orange juice.
When the employee told him the bill was counterfeit, Mitchell told her to return it to him, and he paid for the orange juice with a $1 bill, according to an arrest report.
The same day, deputies responded to Odom’s Bar where counterfeit bills were allegedly passed by Antonio Demetrius Ewing. Ewing fled from deputies on foot and was not pursued, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Ewing is wanted for fleeing and eluding law enforcement, driving with a suspended license and vehicle theft. If you have any information on Ewing’s whereabouts, call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP or the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620.
DUI Driver Pleads Guilty In Pace Crash That Left Two Sisters Dead
August 16, 2018
A Santa Rosa County man has entered a guilty plea to 14 charges in connection with the DUI manslaughter death of two girls in Pace.
Kailen Kelly, age 35 of Pace, was traveling at a high rate of speed May 6 when he crossed into another lane on Woodbine Road and slammed his 2008 Ford pickup head-on into a 2010 Buick driven by 39-year old Melanie Harrell of Pace. . Stormie P. Harrell, 7, and Michaela D. Sidney, 17, were killed. Melanie Harrell and 18-year old McKenzie Murphy were injured.
Kelly’s license was suspended until April 2018 — reinstated just days before the crash — after he refused to submit to a DUI test in Okaloosa County in 2017. His past includes threatening a person with a firearm and discharging a firearm in Escambia County and two prior DUI convictions.
He had a blood alcohol level of .149, had marijuana in his system and refused a breath test after the double fatal crash May 6, according to testimony. He showed no remorse, and a 12 pack of beer was found in his truck.
Kelly was charged with two counts of DUI-vehicular manslaughter, DUI with serious bodily injury to another, refusing to submit to a DUI test after license suspension, reckless driving, fleeing/eluding police and other traffic offenses.
Pictured top: Kelly’s vehicle following a double fatal crash. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate’s Decoux Commits To Coastal Alabama North
August 16, 2018
Amber Decoux, member of the Tate High School Class of 2019, has verbally committed to further her education and play softball at Coastal Alabama North in Monroeville, AL. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Jacksonville Beats The Wahoos
August 16, 2018
Nick Neidert (W, 11-6) shut down the Wahoos offense on Wednesday and earned his league-leading 11th win of the season as the Jumbo Shrimp rolled to a 9-2 win at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Pensacola found themselves trailing 1-0 after MLB-rehabber Lewis Brinson homered on Vladimir Gutierrez’s (L, 9-10) first pitch of the game. After that pitch, Gutierrez struck out the next two batters and induced Joe Dunand into a weak groundout to end the first. The Cuban right-hander picked up seven strikeouts through 3.2 innings, but surrendered two more runs in the fourth. He finished the night after six innings and yielded five runs (four earned) with no walks allowed.
The Blue Wahoos took the lead in the third inning when Chris Okey belted a two-run homer off Neidert to give the Wahoos a 2-1 lead. However, the offense was held in check for the rest of the night. Neidert went seven innings and held the Wahoos to four hits while also striking out seven. Pensacola finished with just five hits, which was their lowest hit total since July 27.
Jacksonville put the game out of reach in the seventh inning with a four-run rally. Already 5-2, Justin Twine delivered a two-run single off Alejandro Chacin before Dunand launched a two-run homer to make it 9-2. For Dunand, it was his second homer of the night.
Trump Support Propels DeSantis In Governor’s Race
August 16, 2018
The Republican primary for governor may come down to an occasional Florida resident who is not even a registered voter in the state.
But President Donald Trump, who owns and frequents the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, has had a huge impact in the Aug. 28 GOP primary. And the beneficiary has been U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, a three-term Republican congressman from Northeast Florida.
Trump, who is intervening in a number of local and state races across the country, has been talking up DeSantis’ prospects as the next governor since last year. He issued an endorsement tweet on June 22.
“Ron is strong on Borders, tough on Crime & big on Cutting Taxes – Loves our Military & our Vets,” Trump tweeted, while also noting DeSantis’ Ivy League education credentials.
On July 31, Trump made it personal, endorsing DeSantis, who turns 40 next month, at a political rally in Tampa before a raucous crowd of some 10,000 supporters. It provided a bright presidential spotlight for a once-obscure congressman in the state’s largest media market.
“He’s going to be an incredible governor,” Trump said.
DeSantis, a lawyer and U.S. Navy veteran who has carved out a record as one of the most conservative members of Florida’s congressional delegation, has fully embraced Trump’s support. He has melded that with frequent appearances on Fox News, where he has defended the president, as well Trump’s efforts in Congress.
On the morning of his first primary debate with Republican rival Adam Putnam in late June, DeSantis was in Washington, D.C., where as a member of the House Judiciary Committee, he led questioning of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein about the “anti-Trump bias” in an investigation of the president.
The next day, DeSantis told party activists gathered at a summit in Kissimmee that there are clear differences between himself and Putnam, whom he has labeled as a “career politician.” Putnam is finishing his second term as state agriculture commissioner and previously served in Congress and the Legislature.
“Do you want somebody who has been in politics their whole life and is more of a transactional Republican? Or do you want a conservative, Iraq veteran endorsed by President Donald Trump?” DeSantis told the crowd. “That’s a great contrast. You guys pick.”
Independent polls have shown the strategy has given DeSantis, who flirted with a U.S. Senate bid in 2016, the momentum in the primary, despite the fact that Putnam had raised $37 million for his campaign and political committee through Aug. 3, while DeSantis had raised $16 million.
The trajectory was predicted in an April memo from Brad Herold, DeSantis’ campaign manager, noting that nearly nine of every 10 primary voters approved of Trump and that they were “more likely” to support a candidate that had his endorsement.
“Meaning, as we get closer to the primary election, more of these voters will naturally gravitate to Ron DeSantis as long as we have the resources to inform them of the president’s support,” Herold wrote.
DeSantis’ Washington-centric campaign has drawn harsh criticism from Putnam and his supporters, who charge the congressman has failed to tell voters what he would do as governor.
In their final debate in Jacksonville, Putnam likened DeSantis’ campaign to the television show “Seinfeld,” which was famously a comedy “about nothing.”
“But, unlike Seinfeld, it’s not funny,” Putnam said about DeSantis’ campaign. “Floridians deserve better than to have a candidate that makes it all about themselves and not about the future of Florida.”
DeSantis’ supporters liken Putnam’s campaign to another long-time Florida politician, former Attorney General Bill McCollum, who lost to a political newcomer, Rick Scott, in the 2010 GOP gubernatorial primary. Using his personal wealth, Scott was able to align his successful campaign with the rise of tea party conservatives.
“I think he is this year’s Rick Scott in terms of his ability to articulate an outside message to Republicans who are tired of long-time, career politicians,” former state Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, said before an Aug. 2 political rally for his son, U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz that also included DeSantis and Donald Trump Jr.
The elder Gaetz said he would like to see more discussion about critical state issues, but he also said DeSantis was responding to a GOP electorate that is interested in national issues like immigration, the economy and the U.S. military.
“That’s what is on people’s minds,” Gaetz said. “In that sense, DeSantis is made for the moment because he’s a candidate with a national understanding. But he certainly has the capacity and the experience to be the governor of Florida.”
Ronald Dion DeSantis was born Sept. 14, 1978 in Jacksonville. But he grew up in what he described as a blue-collar environment in Dunedin with his parents, Ronald and Karen, and a sister. DeSantis had an early brush with fame when his local baseball team made it to the Little League World Series in 1991.
DeSantis’ performance as a student at Dunedin High School helped him win admission to Yale University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in history. He was also the captain of the school’s baseball team.
He went on to earn a law degree from Harvard University in 2005 and joined the U.S. Navy’s Judge Advocate General Corps. As a military lawyer, DeSantis was assigned to duties at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, which houses suspected terrorists.
In 2007, he was assigned to a SEAL team that was deployed to Iraq, and he served as a legal adviser. He returned to the United States in 2008 and left active military service in 2010.
In 2009, he married Casey Black, a Jacksonville television personality. The couple has two young children, with a son born in March and a daughter born in November 2016.
DeSantis reported a net worth of $311,000 in 2017, with his largest asset being a $400,000 home in Ponte Vedra Beach, a seaside community in St. Johns County south of Jacksonville.
DeSantis won election in 2012 to an open congressional seat, which after redistricting now includes Volusia and Flagler counties and portions of St. Johns and Lake counties. He was re-elected in 2014 and 2016.
In Congress, DeSantis was one of the founding members of the Freedom Caucus, a hardline conservative faction that has pushed for reductions in federal spending, advocated for tougher immigration measures and called for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act.
How DeSantis will apply those conservative principles to his role as governor is largely unknown because of the dearth of detailed policy statements from the candidate.
He has repeatedly talked about appointing “conservative constitutionalists” as judges, noting three new state Supreme Court justices will be appointed in January.
DeSantis said he wants to emphasize the teaching of the U.S. Constitution in Florida classrooms in “a big way.”
He has also vowed to confront the issue of toxic algae in waterways in Southeast and Southwest Florida and to back the use of an electronic verification system to determine the immigration status of workers.
But a recurring theme in all of DeSantis’ campaign speeches has been his relationship with Trump. It was exemplified by his concluding remarks to party activists in Kissimmee in June.
“I have compiled a record of conservative leadership that is second to none, and I am endorsed by the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump,” DeSantis said, before reading a portion of a December tweet where the president called him “a brilliant young leader” who would make “a great governor.”
by Lloyd Dunkelberger, The News Service of Florida
FHP Looking For Cantonment Man That Fled Hospital After Nine Mile Crash
August 15, 2018
The Florida Highway Patrol is searching for a Cantonment man that fled from the hospital following a Nine Mile Road crash Wednesday morning.
Brandon Joseph Levy, 35, was traveling north on Old Palafox near Nine Mile Road fleeing the scene of a previous hit and run wreck in a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu when he caused another crash involving four other vehicles, according to the FHP.
Four other drivers – Charles Scott Swenson, 76, of Pensacola, Margaret Louise Voorhees, 86, of Cantonment, Amanda A. Tidwell, 82, of Cantonment, and Marcus Alan Greene, 53, of Pensacola – were not injured.
Levy was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital where he fled on foot and could not be located. He is wanted on charges of hit and run, reckless driving and resisting without violence.
Anyone that knows the whereabouts of Levy is asked to call Trooper Knowles at *FHP, email constanceknowles@flhsmv.gov or call Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-TIPS or (877) 433-TIPS.
Pictured: Brandon Joseph Levy of Cantonment in a 2016 photo.
ECSO Identifies Suspect That Caused Tate High Campus To Go Into Lockdown
August 15, 2018
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has identified a suspect that caused the Tate High School campus to go into lockdown Tuesday afternoon.
Deputies responded to a call of a suspicious person armed with a firearm near the school. They said James Edward Jordan, Jr., fled and hid under a mobile home in before being taken into custody on nearby railroad tracks.
Jordan, 34, was charged with obstruction of justice, resisting arrest without violence and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. He remained in the Escambia County Jail Wednesday with bond set at $3,000.
The Tate High lockdown was after dismissal time, but was a precaution due to students on campus for extra-curricular activities.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Century Accepts Natural Gas Franchise Renewal, Dispute With Pensacola Continues
August 15, 2018
As a deadline approached, Century has officially notified Escambia County that the town will accept the terms of a natural gas franchise renewal.
The City of Pensacola and Pensacola Energy have objected to the franchise renewal as they claimed much of the franchise area as their own.
The Escambia County Commission granted the gas franchise agreement on April 17, giving Century 120 days — until August 15 — to approve. The acceptance period was extended from the standard 60 days in order to give Century and Pensacola Energy time to work out a solution to an ongoing dispute over the franchise territory.
“The Town and the City have indeed been discussing possible means for resolving the territorial dispute, but have not as yet reached an agreement,” Matt Dannheisser, attorney for Century, said in an email. “However, it is my understanding that discussions are ongoing.”
The Century Town Council formally accepted the franchise renewal on May 7, but did not notify the county at that time. “We had held off filing the acceptance in hopes that a resolution with Pensacola would be reached before the acceptance deadline,” Dannheisser wrote.
The Town of Century filed a letter from Mayor Henry Hawkins late last week notifying the county that the town council voted May 7 to accept the agreement. The letter was dated May 3, four days before the council’s actual vote.
“We are are hopeful that a resolution will be reached in short order,” the attorney said.
In 1968, the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners granted the Town of Century (then known as the Town of South Flomaton) a franchise to provide natural gas services to citizens in the Century area. The present franchise expires this year.
The commission adopted a new franchise ordinance that provides the Town with the same rights and responsibilities as other county franchises, including payment of a five percent franchise fee. This new franchise will not extend beyond the franchise area previously designated in the 1968 franchise agreement. The renewed franchise will expire in 2048.
But an attorney for the City of Pensacola spoke out against the exclusive franchise before the Escambia County Commission, making a claim that Pensacola Energy already has an exclusive natural gas franchise in North Escambia.
“Since 1993, the City of Pensacola has been providing natural gas service to customers within some of the areas that are in the proposed ordinance that will become an exclusive franchise area for the Town of Century,” attorney Charlie Guyton said. He said Pensacola Energy serves 46 customers within the Century franchise area, adding that service to these customers began after Pensacola in 1992 purchased gas facilities that belonged to the Escambia County Utilities Authorities (now known and the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority) for $1.1 million.
Guyton said ECUA issued an exclusive franchise to the City of Pensacola in “all of Escambia County, Florida, north of 10 Mile Road… other than in the Town of Century and for the benefit of the State of Florida prison system. The City of Pensacola has an exclusive franchise to serve the areas where it has been serving.”
Guyton claimed the Town of Century currently only has a license or a permit, but not a franchise to provide natural gas service.. “It does not have a franchise. If you look at the document, there is no mention of a franchise. It does refer to a permit or license. But more importantly, the rights granted under that document are non-exclusive,” he said.
Pensacola’s attorney also pointed out that Pensacola has paid, and Escambia County has accepted, an estimated $150,000 in franchise fees from the disputed area.
“In 1968, well before ECUA even existed…you (Escambia County) had granted an exclusive franchise to the Town of Century for this territory,”Dannheisser told the county commission in April. “But somehow in 1993, without notice to us, without asking our permission, they started taking our customers.”
He said Century does have a franchise, which is the same as a permit or license.
“They want us to pay them over a half million dollars to buy back the customers that we should already have,” Danneheisser said, customers he contends are paying Pensacola Energy 35 t0 40 percent more than the rate charged by the Town of Century’s gas department.
Guyton said that approval of the exclusive franchise would lead to a territorial dispute that would likely go to the Florida Public Service Commission.
“And it won’t be just an issue of the franchise, but of who has the better ability to serve. And I think that comparison is going to work in favor of the City of Pensacola,” he said.
With the renewal, Century will continue to hold franchise rights from Escambia County to provide natural gas service from the Escambia River westward to almost the Perdido River and from the Alabama state line southward to near Bogia. The franchise area includes Century, Bogia, Byrneville, Bratt, Oak Grove, Walnut Hill and McDavid. Century currently provides gas service only in a portion of their franchise area — near the town limits, south along Highway 29 to and including a portion of Highway 164, west into Byrneville and an area of Bratt.
Pictured top: A “natural gas gate station” that serves the Town of Century, located just off Highway 168 on Poplar Dell Road. Pictured bottom inset: A Pensacola natural gas valve station in Bratt. Pictured below: A map of Century’s natural gas franchise area. NorthEscambia.com photos and courtesy images, click to enlarge.
New Fire Chief Named Acting Deputy Public Safety Director
August 15, 2018
New Fire Chief Rusty Nail is now acting as deputy public safety director for Escambia County. He will be responsible for the direction of both Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS rather than a chief over each division.
“Both fire and EMS work together pretty much collectively, so instead of multiple people in charge, it will go through a single person to increase our efficiencies,” Public Safety Director Mike Weaver said Tuesday.
“Over the next several months we will be taking a deeper look at how we are organized to ensure that we have the best structure for lines of authority, responsibility, accountability and formal communication,” Weaver said, who notes the growth of Escambia County’s fire and EMS over the past few years.” He said many Escambia Fire-Rescue and EMS personnel will be involved in the evaluations and discussions.
Weaver added that combination paid and volunteer fire department remains a good model for Escambia County, and volunteers will remain in the department’s future.
Nail was named fire chief in April and started work in May. He joine Escambia County with over 26 years of experience as an accomplished chief fire officer including more than 12 years of supervisory and nine years of command-level experience, mostly in a fast-paced, large metropolitan fire department of 17 stations, with over 500 personnel and a budget of up to $100 million.
Nail joined Escambia County from Palm Bay, FL, where he served as the City of Palm Bay Fire Rescue fire chief and emergency manager and previously served as a battalion chief. Nail graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in fire and emergency services management and from Brevard Community College with an Associate of Arts in general studies and Associate of Science in fire science technology.
Prior to his tenure at Palm Bay, Nail worked for the City of Orlando Fire Department for more than 20 years, serving as assistant fire chief, assistant chief of planning, district chief and retiring as the deputy chief. Nail’s experience also includes working as a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician.
Escambia County’s EMS director resigned at the end of June.
High School Football Ticket Prices Increase
August 15, 2018
Football ticket prices are going up this year for school in Escambia County.
“Tickets for a regular season home game will be increased this year by one dollar to $7,” said Escambia County School District Athletic Director Roger Mayo. It’s the first increase in at least 13 years, despite increased costs to host games.
“Our families are used to paying more at away games and have often asked why we didn’t increase our tickets to match. While we have tried to keep the price down, the reality is, we need this increase to protect our schools from potential financial losses,” Mayo said.
Schools maintain the option of offering pre-sale tickets at the $6 rate.