10-Year Old Bicyclist Dies After Being Hit By SUV
May 19, 2017
A child airlifted to the hospital after being struck by a vehicle Thursday morning has died.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 10-year-old Delilgha Rosa-Clark of Pensacola died at Sacred Heart Hospital from injuries she received after being hit by a SUV on Merlin Road at Oak View Drive. She was riding her bicycle to school without a helmet, according to troopers.
According to the FHP, 47-year old Frederick Kelly Wilder of Pensacola was in his 2015 Ford Edge approaching the intersection when he failed to observe and yield the right of way to Rosa-Clark on her bicycle. The girl was within a marked bicycle lane on the way to Hellen Caro Elementary School, troopers said.
The FHP said any charges against Wilder are pending the results of their traffic homicide investigation.
Counselors will be on hand at Hellen Caro Elementary on Friday to help students and staff death with the tragic death.
Walk-Off Double For O’Grady As The Wahoos Beat Mobile
May 19, 2017
Pensacola Blue Wahoos center fielder Brian O’Grady knew going up to bat that the Mobile BayBears reliever Michael Dimock likes to throw sliders.
He ripped a slider that didn’t slide for a walk-off double to right field that drove in both left fielder Gabriel Guerrero and shortstop Blake Trahan for a, 3-2, victory Thursday in front of 4,889 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
It was the third walk-off for Pensacola this season, which had a team record 12 last year. The players have nicknamed the walk-offs the “Wahoo Way.”
“In the dugout, we were joking about the Wahoo Way,” O’Grady said. “It’s not giving up until the game is over. The pressure really is on them. We’re just out there battling. It’s definitely a good feeling.”
Blue Wahoos manager Pat Kelly said because Pensacola has had walk-offs so often the past two seasons, the team now expects it.
“You win as many games as we have and you start to believe it,” Kelly said. “They’re still talking about the Wahoo Way.”
O’Grady’s walk-off was set up by an amazing sacrifice bunt by Pensacola catcher Joe Hudson on an inside pitch. It moved Guerrero and Trahan to third and second base.
Kelly called it “tremendous.” O’Grady added: “Without that bunt right there, the walk-off is not possible.”
Pensacola improved to 7-8 in one run games this season and is 23-18 on the season to remain in first place in the Southern League South Division.
After earning just three hits and striking out eight times over the first seven innings, the Blue Wahoos sprung to life. Pensacola right fielder Aristides Aquino launched a ball deep to center field that bounced off the top of the wall 400-feet away for a triple with two outs. It drove in third baseman Josh VanMeter. The score pulled Pensacola within one run heading into the ninth, 2-1.
Aquino is 11-38, or .289, in his last 11 games with three homers and 13 RBIs. He also narrowly missed throwing Mobile right fielder Forrestt Allday, who scored Mobile’s second run, out at home with a strike in the fifth inning. Then in the sixth inning, Aquino threw to first base to almost get center fielder Michael Hermosillo out.
“Guys like him are so extraordinary to watch,” Kelly said.
Pensacola Blue Wahoos starter Tyler Mahle wasn’t so perfect against the Mobile BayBears in his second meeting against them. He allowed 12 runners on base in his six innings of work. When Mahle faced the BayBears on April 22, the 22-year-old right-hander tossed a perfect nine-inning game.
He gave up seven hits, walked three, hit a batter and gave up a fielder’s choice and allowed two earned runs Thursday.
In the third inning, he faced six batters, walking the leadoff batter and giving up two singles. Mobile left fielder Zach Gibbons line drive hit to center field scored first baseman Luis Tejada for a 1-0 lead.
In the fifth inning, the 22-year-old right-hander walked a batter, hit another with a pitch and gave up a single. Mobile added another run when Allday, who has reached base in 23 straight games, scored on a sacrifice fly to Aquino in right field to put the BayBears up, 2-0.
It appeared Mobile would score again off Pensacola’s Mahle in the sixth inning when they loaded the bases with one out. But he got Tejada to pop out to second and struck out shortstop Alberto Triunfel to get out of the jam.
“It could have been six or seven to nothing,” Kelly said. “They could have easily blown the game open. I’ve got to credit Mahle for going out there, not having his best stuff, and keeping his team in the ball game.”
Century Man Sentenced To Life Without Parole For Shooting Two People
May 18, 2017
A Century man will spend the rest of his life in prison after opening fire on two people inside a vehicle in Century during October 2015.
Akino Jama Jackson was found guilty of attempted first degree murder, attempted second degree murder and shooting into an occupied vehicle. Circuit Judge Scott Duncan sentenced Jackson to life in prison. As a prison releasee reoffender, he will not be eligible for parole and will actually spend his entire life in prison.
On October 7, 2015, Jackson armed himself with a firearm and fired eight times into a Dodge Charger, shooting Roosevelt Dixon in the back four times causing serious injuries. Dixon’s girlfriend, Amanda Conner, was in the front passenger seat at the time the shots were fired. She suffered injuries from broken glass but did not seek medical treatment.
Conner told investigators that she and Dixon were at his mother’s residence on Ivey Street in Century, and they had noticed a car in the area that Dixon was concerned about.
She said they left the mother’s trailer, eventually turning onto Old Flomaton Road. She said they traveled a short distance when she heard a loud noise followed by a another loud noise during which glass shattered. Dixon told Conner that he had been shot. At this point, they turned the car around, still not seeing the vehicle from which the shots were fired, and headed back to Ivey Street where Dixon got out of the Dodge Charger.
Conner then headed toward the Century Sheriff’s Precinct on Highway 29 in the Charger, stopping along the way at the Century Whataburger where she observed a deputy on a traffic stop.
Conner had received threatening text messages from Jackson in the days leading up to the shooting. Roosevelt Dixon was able to identify Jackson as the shooter.
Pictured top: The scene at Whataburger in Century on October 7, 2015. Pictured below: Numbers and trajectory rods show bullet holes in a Dodge Charger that was occupied by two people. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Florida’s SRO Of The Year, Ronnie Gill, Retires From Ernest Ward Middle
May 18, 2017
Ernest Ward Middle School, Northview High School, and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office celebrated the retirement of Senior Deputy Ronnie Gill Wednesday morning.
Gill retired March 30 from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office after 15 years with the agency. The school resource officer has volunteered his time as a reserve deputy since March 30 to continue his service at Ernest Ward Middle School until the end of the school year.
The Ernest Ward Middle School staff presented Gill with a Canon DSLR camera for his retirement and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office presented him with a plaque and watch. On behalf of several students, NorthEscambia.com presented Gill with a few needed accessories for his new camera.
His law enforcement career spans nearly 40 years. He joined the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office in 2002 and joined the school resource officer program over 12 years ago.
Last year, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Florida Association of School Resource Officers Monday named Gill as the 2016 School Resource Officer of the Year for Florida.
“Deputy Gill goes above and beyond to not only ensure the safety of students at the school he serves, but to also provide guidance to the youth in his community,” Bondi said at the time. “Resource officers play a vital role in the lives of students on a daily basis.”
Bondi and the FASRO present the School Resource Officer of the Year award annually to a Florida officer who demonstrates dedication and tireless work ethic to enhance the lives of the students they serve.
Gill was also awarded the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Meritorious Service Medal for the crucial role he plays in breaking down the barriers between law enforcement and youth.
Senior Deputy Gill not only worked hard protecting the students and faculty within Ernest Ward, he also gave selflessly of his time to mentor and help students in need. Whether it was counseling students, leading the Ernest Ward “Teens for Christ” group, or showing up at community sporting events to work security on his own time, Gill built a reputation within the student population as not just a law enforcement officer, but a person they can look up to and approach.
Gill also gave selflessly of his finances. He opened his own lunch account with the school and would transfer money into needy student’s accounts on a regular basis. He has been known to provide funds for students that cannot afford trip fees and club dues. He has also taken students shopping for Christmas and has even paid a high school senior’s graduation fees. Whenever there is a need that has been identified, Senior Deputy Gill would step up and fulfill that need.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Corrections Department Honors Employees Who Died In Line In Duty
May 18, 2017
With department Secretary Julie Jones saying each name “represents a hero,” the Florida Department of Corrections on Wednesday held an annual wreath-laying ceremony to honor fallen officers and employees.
The event, held at Wakulla Correctional Institution south of Tallahassee, included adding Sgt. Jorge Ramos and Karan Smith, a systems project consultant, to the names of 47 others from the Department of Corrections who have died in the line of duty over the years.
Ramos, who worked at the South Florida Reception Center in Miami-Dade County, died in May 2016 during a department training event. Smith died of a heart attack last July while on the job at the Reception and Medical Center in Union County.
“Each name represents a hero, a member who bravely took an oath to serve the people of the state of Florida, and they died in the line of duty,” Jones said. “Today we proudly honor them, and we also never forget them.”
by The News Service of Florida
Jim Allen Elementary School Names Students Of The Month
May 18, 2017
Jim Allen Elementary School has named Students of the Month for May. They are Clotee Williamson (left) and Marabelle Hamilton. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Nokomis and Meadows Stop Sign To Be Relocated
May 18, 2017
Effective Tuesday, June 6 the stop sign at the intersection of Nokomis Road and Meadows Lane near Davisville will change to improve safety, according to Escambia County.
Currently, there is a single stop sign on the westbound lane of Nokomis Road. On June 6, the stop sign will be moved to the southbound lane of Meadows Lane.
Motorists are advised to use caution when navigating the intersection during the transition period.
Northview Softball’s Jamia Newton Signs With Coastal Alabama
May 18, 2017
Northview High School senior Jamia Newton has signed to play softball with Coastal Alabama Community College in Monroeville, AL. She is pictured at a signing ceremony Wednesday afternoon at Northview with family, friends and fellow Northview Chiefs players. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
ECFR Installing Free Smoke Detectors Saturday In Harvesters Homes
May 18, 2017
Escambia County Fire Rescue will be installing free smoke detectors Saturday during a neighborhood canvas in the Harvesters Homes subdivision off Muscogee Road in Cantonment. ECFR will be going door to door starting at 8 a.m., walking the neighborhood and offering to install the free smoke detectors.
Smoke detectors that are properly installed and maintained play a vital role in reducing fire deaths and injuries. According to the National Fire Protection Association, a working smoke detector cuts the chances of dying in a reported fire in half. The Escambia County Board of County Commissioners and Escambia County Fire Rescue are continuing to work toward their goal of having a working smoke detector in every home in the county.
For more information, contact Escambia County Fire Rescue at (850) 475-5530 or fire@myescambia.com. For information about obtaining a home smoke detector, call 850-595-HERO (4376).
When Will The Molino Road Bridge Reopen?
May 17, 2017
When will the Molino Road bridge reopen? That was the hot question at a community town hall meeting Tuesday night with District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry.
“It’s been about three and a half weeks with any visible work on it,” local resident Bonnie Exner said. “The frustration is the lack of activity.”
The project, Escambia County Public Works Director Wes Moreno said, is funded by the Florida Department of Transportation and is outside direct county control. He said the contractor has until September to complete the bridge replacement under their contract with FDOT.
Numerous residents at the public meeting expressed their displeasure with the lack of signage on Molino Road near Highway 29 warning of the road closure.
“That’s something we can and will take care of,” Barry said, adding that the county will approach FDOT and the contractor for additional signs like a variable message board. If not, he said, the county will place their own message board warning of the closure.
The replacement of the Molino Road bridge over Penasula Creek, just east of Sunshine Hill Road, started in early January.
The project is expected to be completed in approximately 265 calendar days.
The old wood piling supported bridge was constructed in 1958 had reached a level of deterioration to warrant replacement and was next on the list of the FDOT’s Five-Year Work Plan. The project is being funded and the construction work will be performed under contract for the Florida Department of Transportation. After completion of the structure, Escambia County will be responsible for the maintenance of the bridge.
Pictured: Construction on the Molino Road bridge over over Penasula Creek as seen late Tuesday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
