Stock Broker Convicted In ‘Complex” Scam That Took $1 Million From Widow
December 14, 2017
An Escambia County stock broker was convicted Tuesday of a complex white collar crime that defrauded multiple people, including a widow that lost over $1 million.
In a jury trail that lasted over a week, Ronald Clark Ball was convicted of nine felony charges, including three counts of grand theft, two counts of money laundering, two counts of racketeering, and one count of criminal solicitation. He faces a minimum of 16.7 years with a maximum of 160 years in state prison when sentenced next month by Circuit Judge Thomas Dannheisser.
The prosecutor, Assistant State Attorney Russell Edgar, said the case was a complex white collar crime matter involving multiple victims and thousands of financial transactions.
The case was investigated by the Office of State Attorney based on a complaint referred by the FBI that Ball had defrauded a physician’s widow of more than $1 million of life insurance proceeds.
Prosecutors presented testimony and evidence that showed Ball, a suspended stock broker, obtained the widow’s money under the pretense he would invest life insurance proceeds for her benefit. Instead he used sham companies, to misappropriate the victim’s money, laundered it through multiple brokerage and bank accounts and then used more than $800 thousand for himself.
Using the same sham companies, Ball obtained more than $300 thousand from credit card companies, an auto finance company, a bank, and a mortgage loan company under false pretenses.
After his arrest, Ball sent a threatening text to the physician’s widow and tried to hide evidence of his actions from investigators. Ball solicited his brother to remove a laptop, e-drive, cell phone and papers from Ball’s house. Investigators discovered Ball’s plan, obtained a warrant, and seized items before they could be removed. Investigators testified they found multiple incriminating items of evidence in Ball’s house, including forged and altered business documents and computer images of the widow’s signature.
Hiring Event Friday At Santa Rosa Correctional Institution
December 14, 2017
The Florida Department of Corrections will host a recruitment event Friday at Santa Rosa Correctional Institution.
The Florida Department of Corrections is seeking qualified individuals. Applicants should have a driver’s license, legible copy of birth certificate, social security card, high school diploma, GED or college transcripts and any name change documents (if applicable), such as a marriage certificate. Veterans and current reservists/Guardsmen should bring a copy of their DD-214 or military ID, respectively. To take the Criminal Justice Abilities Test (required for employment), have a money order in the amount of $12 made payable to the Florida Department of Corrections.
The event will be held at the Santa Rosa Correctional Institution – Training Building at 9 a.m. on Friday, but applications should arrive no later than 8:30 a.m.
For more information, contact Recruitment Officer Christy Padgett at (850) 983-5909 or email Christy.Padgett@fdc.myflorida.com.
Habitual Runaway Teen From Molino Located
December 14, 2017
UPDATE: This mising teen has been located, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help is locating a habitual runaway teen from Molino.
Faith Gabrielle Smith, 14, went missing from her home in Molino between 9:30 p.m. Tuesday and 7:30 a.m. Wednesday. She was last seen with an aqua-colored backpack with the initials “FGS” on it.
Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Doug Jones Wins Alabama Senate Race
December 13, 2017
The eyes of the nation were on Alabama Tuesday as Democrat Doug Jones defeated Republican Roy Moore in a special Senate election.
Jones received 49.92 percent (671,151) votes, while Moore was close behind with 48.38 percent (650,436) votes. The remainder of the votes, 1.69 percent (22.780) were for write-ins.
The victory for Jones was seen by many as a setback to the Republican Party and a stinging rebuke to President Donald Trump, who urgently endorsed embattled Republican candidate Roy Moore despite a chorus of sexual misconduct allegations.
The result means that in January when Jones is sworn in, the Republican majority in the 100-seat Senate will shrink to 51-49 and make it tougher for Trump and his agenda.
“We have shown not just around the state of Alabama, but we have shown the country the way, that we can be unified,” Jones told cheering supporters in a victory speech Tuesday night. He said the Senate has a lot of work to do on important issues facing the country, including health care, jobs and the economy.
Moore, at his own rally, did not concede the election to Jones.
“It’s not over. It’s going to take some time,” he said.
His campaign pointed to Alabama laws concerning recounts, including a provision that calls for an automatic recount of votes if the margin of victory is less than one-half of one percent.
peaking to CNN, Alabama’s Secretary of State John Merrill said he would find it “highly unlikely” that Jones will not be declared the winner when the vote tally is certified in the coming week. He said there are “not a whole lot of mistakes that are made” during the initial vote-counting process.
Moore had the backing of Trump, but faced opposition from other Republican leaders. He has been accused of sexual misconduct in the 1970s when his female accusers were teenagers and he was in his 30s.
Moore has consistently denied the allegations, but he initially admitted dating young women when he was an attorney general, before denying ever knowing any of his accusers.
Some Republicans, including Alabama’s other senator, Richard Shelby, opted to use write-in votes rather than support Moore. The number of total write-ins was about the same as the margin of victory for Jones.
Trump used Twitter to congratulate Jones while looking ahead to the next election for the Senate seat in 2020.
“The write-in votes played a very big factor, but a win is a win. The people of Alabama are great, and the Republicans will have another shot at this seat in a very short period of time,” Trump wrote.
Jones is the first Democrat from Alabama to win a Senate seat since 1992 and will serve out the roughly three years remaining in the term Jeff Sessions won in 2014 before stepping down to serve as Trump’s attorney general.
Escambia County (AL) voters trended Republican, with 57.22 percent voting for Moore, 41.78 percent for Jones and 1 percent, 87 votes, for write-in candidates.
Turnout was much higher than expected. Secretary of State John Merrill had estimated turnout would be about 25 percent. But the numbers from Tuesday showed that of the 3.3 million registered voters in Alabama, over 1.3 million, or almost 40.5 percent, voted. Of the 24,627 registered voters in Escambia County, there were 8,715 ballots cast for a turnout of 35.39 percent.
Pictured top and upper inset: Voters cast their ballot at the Atmore City Hall on Tuesday. NorthEscambia.com photos by Ditto Gorme, click to enlarge. Pictured lower inset: Doug Jones, courtesy WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
VOA contributed to this report.
Aunterio “Anika” Minor Named Mr. NHS In Womanless Pageant
December 13, 2017
Aunterio “Anika” Minor was name Mr. NHS during the 2017 Mr. NHS Winter Wonderland Womanless Beauty Pageant Tuesday night at Northview High School. He was awarded a “golden” football.
Other winners in the football team fundraiser were:
Best Legs — “Diamond Kiser” Rayvon Bush
Best Personality — “Patricia” Matthew Caine
Mr. Last Place – “Ty’Keisha” Tyler Ray
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Alabama Man Arrested On Child Sexual Abuse, Drug Charges
December 13, 2017
An Escambia County, AL, man has been charged with child sexual abuse.
George Newton Pettis, 57, was arrested after the Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Office received a complaint that he had inappropriate sexual contact with minor children. The complaint was investigated by the Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Office, the Alabama Department of Human Resources and the Escambia County Child Advocacy Center.
He was charged with sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12, enticing of a child for immoral purposes and first degree sodomy. During his arrest, deputies reported finding a glass pipe and a cylinder that contained a white crystal substance that field tested positive for crystal methamphetamine. As a result, Pettis was also charged with possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.
Pettis was booked into the Escambia County (AL) Detention Center in Brewton with bond set at one quarter million dollars.
Photos: How the Penguins Saved Christmas At Molino Park
December 13, 2017
Molino Park Elementary School’s first and second grade students performed the holiday musical “How the Penguins Saved Christmas” Tuesday night in the school cafeteria.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Bratt Elementary Names Students Of The Month
December 13, 2017
The following students were named Students of the Month for November at Bratt Elementary School.
Pre-K
Emma Snyder
Shaleigh Wesley
Kindergarten
Lucas Daniel
Linley Dunn
Anniston Salter
Angel Whisenton
Trevor Knighten
First Grade
Alexa Beasley
Kintley Flowers
Kyndal Hadley
Alexa Hardy
Second Grade
Makenzie McGhee
Emmalee Grimes
Braxton Dinc
Logan DIller
Camden Jacobson
Third Grade
Avery Stuckey
Logan Morris
Raleigh Warr
Fourth Grade
Samantha Minchew
Braylan Shelly
Tristan Johnson
Emily Jarvis
Fifth Grade
Noah Faulkner
Zakyla Smith
Callie Davis
Troy Ard
Emmalee Grimes and Callie Davis have been selected to represent Bratt Elementary as Students of the Month for Escambia County.
Take A Journey To Bethlehem In Bratt
December 13, 2017
Everyone is invited to take a journey to Bethlehem Saturday night in Bratt.
Journey to Bethlehem at First Baptist Church Bratt
The First Baptist Church of Bratt will hold their second annual “Journey to Bethlehem”, Saturday, December 16, from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. The church is located at 4570 Highway 4 in Bratt. Everyone is welcome.
Pictured top: A preview of “Night in Bethlehem” to be held tonight at Highland Baptist Church in Molino. Pictured below: A scene from last year’s “Journey to Bethlehem” last year at the First Baptist Church of Bratt. Courtesy and NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
.
Frank White Campaign Raises Another $195K In AG’s Race
December 13, 2017
In the contest to replace Attorney General Pam Bondi, state Rep. Frank White, R-Pensacola, touted he had brought in nearly $195,000 in November.
White, chief financial officer and general counsel for the Sansing Dealer Group, which runs auto dealerships in Florida, Alabama and Mississippi, raised $143,980 for his campaign account, which had nearly $1.88 million on hand, while his political committee United Conservatives added $52,000 in November and started December with $76,000 on hand.
White has put $1.5 million of his own money into the contest.
Big November contributions included $20,000 from the Florida Jobs PAC and $10,000 from Gulf Power Co.
Meanwhile, Ashley Moody, a former Hillsborough County circuit judge who has the backing of Bondi, rolled out a statewide finance committee that included former House Speaker Dean Cannon, influential lobbyists Brian Ballard and Michael Corcoran, and former U.S. Senator George LeMieux before posting her sixth consecutive month of contributions stretching six-figures.
Moody’s personal campaign picked up $106,371 in November while the committee Friends of Ashley Moody picked up a single $10,000 contribution in November, from the Chamber of Commerce’s Florida Jobs PAC.
She began December with just under $1.23 million available in the two accounts.
Another attorney general candidate, state Rep. Jay Fant, R-Jacksonville, started December with just under $945,000 in his campaign account and an associated political committee known as Pledge This Day. He raised $36,810 last month.
Fant’s war chest included $750,000 of his own money that he put up in September.
State Rep. Ross Spano, a Dover Republican who entered the race for attorney general in mid-November, reported picking up $8,860 through his campaign account. Combined with past contributions for his House re-election effort, Spano had just over $51,000 in the account to start December.
Spano’s political committee, Liberty and Justice for All, picked up $12,694 in its first month of activity.
Ryan Torrens, an attorney from Hillsborough County, is the only Democrat who has opened a campaign account for the race. He picked up $9,158 in November. But while he’s raised $58,264 since entering the contest in May, he started December with less than $4,000 in the bank.