Man Charged With Murder Of Driver Beaten Following Fatal Pedestrian Crash In Atmore
September 22, 2023
An Atmore man was arrested Friday morning for murder in connection with the beating death of a driver following a fatal pedestrian crash in Atmore last August.
Kendrell Madison, 39, was booked into the Escambia County (AL) Detention Center following a traffic stop in Atmore about 5:40 a.m. Friday.
Alabama State Troopers said Kenneth Elbert Harrison of Silverhill, Alabama, was driving a 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe that struck 24-year old Hannah Annette Martin on Highway 31 at The Tavern of Atmore about 11:50 p.m. on August 5. The Atmore Police Department said they arrived to find Martin with severe injuries. She was transported to the hospital where she was pronounced deceased.
Harrison stopped his vehicle in the Tavern parking lot.
Police originally said Harrison was beaten by an angry mob, but now says Madison was solely responsible for the murder.
“While on the scene, the responding officers discovered Harrison laying on his stomach in the parking lot of the Tavern unconscious. When the officers rolled him over, they discovered that Harrison had severe injuries to his face that disfigured his facial features. Due to his extensive injuries the officers thought at the time that Harrison may have been assaulted by one or more people,” Atmore Police Sgt. Darrell McMann said Friday morning.
Harrison was transported by ambulance to Atmore Community Hospital and then airlifted to a Mobile hospital where he later died.
Police said the assault was not caught on nearby security cameras, but “valuable” audio recordings were captured.
“The investigation revealed that Harrison sustained the injuries when he was forcefully driven into the pavement and the impact caused the injuries. The assault occurred as everyone’s attention was focused on Martin. Harrison was not assaulted with a weapon nor was he assaulted by more than one person. Investigators developed a person of interest but continued to seek witnesses and await the results of search warrants that had been obtained during the investigation which led to the delay in making an arrest,” McMann said.
Atmore Police said the decision to charge Madison with murder was made in consultation with the Escambia County (AL) District Attorney’s Office.
Former Flomaton Cop Arrested Gets 10 Years For Trafficking Meth
September 22, 2023
A former Flomaton Police Department lieutenant has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking after an investigation involving law enforcement from two states and the DEA culminated in Molino.
Lopez entered a straight up plea to Judge Coleman Robison to one count of trafficking in methamphetamine 28 to 200 grams and unlawful use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony.
Lopez faced a maximum of 30 years in state prison, plus fines totaling $105,000.
Lopez arranged a narcotics deal for methamphetamine from an Escambia County (FL) Sheriff’s Office investigator by phone and text messages. An arrest report states he arrived on December 7, 2020, at a predetermined location near the ECSO precinct in Molino and accepted the two ounces of methamphetamine from the undercover officer. He was then taken into custody by deputies and the SWAT team.
The cellphone used by Lopez to arrange the meth deal belonged to the Town of Flomaton, according to Escambia County (AL) Sheriff Health Jackson. As a result, Lopez was charged in Alabama for felony use of official position or office for personal gain.
Lopez was terminated from the Flomaton Police Department.
ECSO Using Van, Cameras To Watch Nuisance Homes 24/7
September 22, 2023
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has repurposed an aging van with over 200,000 miles as their new “Nuisance Abatement Module”.
Equipped with six cameras that provide real time feed directly to the ECSO.
“Many times, a single residence becomes a nuisance and is a drain on Sheriff’s Office resources. Our hope is that this Nuisance Abatement Module will help alleviate this drain. This module is the first of three such platforms the Sheriff’s Office will roll out as needed,” the ECSO said.
Thursday, the van was parked outside a house on North V Street where the ECSO says they have responded to more than 70 complaints in three months.
Third Candidate Prefiles For Escambia School Board District 5
September 22, 2023
A Cantonment man is the third person to prefile for the District 5 seat on the Escambia County School Board.
Jim “Andy” Taylor prefiled Thursday with the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections.
Joshua Matthew Luther and Scott Taylor previously prefiled.
The Escambia County School Board is a nonpartisan office on the 2024 ballot.
Pensacola Blue Wahoos Advance To Southern League Championship
September 22, 2023
The explosion of joy, from the Blue Wahoos dugout to the party on the mound, reflected pure exhilaration.
With their fans standing and celebrating, Pensacola did it again, reaching the Southern League Championship Series with a 5-1 victory Thursday night against the Montgomery Biscuits at Blue Wahoos Stadium, clinching the divisional series in a two-game sweep.
For a team that posted so many feats this season, including the best winning percentage in club history, a record 10-game win streak, plus six new batting records, this latest one was the biggest one.
They will now face the Tennessee Smokies for a second time in the Championship Series, beginning Sunday at Tennessee. Game Two and Game Three, if necessary, will be played in Pensacola on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Blue Wahoos won the league title a year ago on the road in Tennessee.
“We have something special in this clubhouse, this group of guys,” said lefthander Patrick Monteverde, who delivered a sensational starting performance, working into the seventh inning without allowing a run. “Everybody on the roster … we are one big family, one big brotherhood.”
The special element began with Monteverde.
In his five previous starts against the Biscuits, all were quality. He was 3-0 with only two earned runs allowed in 31.2 innings. On Thursday, considering the stakes and the pressure, Monteverde was at his best.
He allowed just one hit and two baserunners in the first three innings. In the fourth inning, he worked out of a two-on, two-out situation. He finished working 6.1 innings, allowing five hits, just one walk and striking out eight batters. He threw 103 pitches in a gritty, memorable effort.
“Last year when I got here (to Pensacola) those guys (Biscuits) got me pretty good in my first Double-A outing,” said Monteverde, a Pittsburgh, Pa. native who is rated the No. 16 prospect in the Miami Marlins organization. “I take it personal, and I just didn’t want to have that feeling again against these guys.
“They have a really good offense and I knew I had to be dialed in.”
He worked efficiently with his array of breaking pitches and his fastball. Only once did Montgomery have multiple baserunners against him.
“You could tell right from the start he was on his A-game and he had his stuff and I’m super happy for him,” said Blue Wahoos first baseman Bennett Hostetler.
The Blue Wahoos jumped to a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning. Will Banfield and Victor Mesa Jr. both walked to start the rally. With runners on first and third, Jake Thompson drove in the first run with a double. Hostetler, the star of the Game 1 win with two homers and three RBI, followed with a clutch two-run single.
The Blue Wahoos made it 4-0 in the fifth inning on Paul McIntosh’s single to score Nasim Nuñez. In the seventh, Cody Morissette blasted a home run into the right field berm for a 5-0 lead.
Every Blue Wahoos hitter reached base. Seven players in the lineup had a hit.
“This is a special group of players and special group of coaches,” Nuñez said. “I believe in every one of them. I wouldn’t want to be out there with anyone else.”
Zach McCambley relieved Monteverde and produced three strikeouts in 1.2 spotless innings. In the ninth, Jefry Yan retired the first two batters and gave up a run on a two-out double before striking out the final batter, Carson Wiliams. He leaped with excitement as the players rushed him on the mound.
The on-field celebration included ice baths and drink dousing in a scene full of happiness as fans stayed and cheered.
“It is a special feeling,” Hostetler said. “Working the whole season, the goal is to get to the playoffs and when you get to the playoffs, the goal is to win.
“We are super happy for each other and super happy for Pensacola to see another Championship Series.”
Before the game, the Blue Wahoos honored 10-year employees from the Studer Family of Companies, which encompasses the Blue Wahoos. Each received a commemorative gift, and had photos taken on the field with players.
In addition, there was a fourth-inning check presentation for $42,000 for the Pensacola chapter of Habitat for Humanity for its season of community partnership with the Blue Wahoos.
This is the Blue Wahoos’ seventh time making the playoffs in the past eight seasons. The Blue Wahoos were co-league champions in 2017 in a playoff round shortened by a hurricane threat. They won their first outright title last year.
Sunday’s game is at 4:30 p.m. at Tennessee. Game 2 on Tuesday is at 6:05 in Pensacola, followed by Game 3 if necessary at 6:05 p.m. on Wednesday in Pensacola.
by Bill Vilona, photo Nino Mendez / Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Cantonment Man Charged With Felony For Allegedly Throwing Rocks At His Neighbor
September 22, 2023
A Cantonment man was arrested for allegedly throwing rocks at his neighbor.
Justin Thomas Brojanac, 40, was charged with felony aggravated assault and misdemeanor violation of a protection order.
The victim told deputies that she was in her backyard with her kids when something hit the roof of her house and fell down on her head. She said she then watched as Brojanac threw two other rocks at her that missed due to a bush, according to an arrest report.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said the woman suffered a small contusion on her head but did not seek medical attention.
Deputies attempted to make contact with Brojanac, but his wife advised that he only came home for his lunch break, the report states. A warrant was then issued for his arrest.
Brojanac remained in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $6,000.
Man Convicted In Walnut Hill Murder, Attempted Murder; Faces Up To Life In Prison
September 21, 2023
A 2018 Walnut Hill double shooting murder suspect has been convicted.
Christopher Alan Stacey was convicted of lesser charges of second degree murder and attempted second degree murder. He was originally indicted for first degree premeditated murder and attempted first degree premeditated murder. He faces a minimum of 25 years to a maximum of life in prison when he is sentenced in January.
After his arrest, Stacey claimed the shootings were self defense. Court motions and denied appeals from the Florida First District Court of Appeals delayed the trial, but all of Stacey’s self defense motions were eventually denied.
In June 2018, Dalton Davis was found dead in a truck in Brushy Creek on Deere Creek Road near Atmore. Troy Dewayne Boutwell was found in critical condition near the road after crawling from the truck but survived his injuries. They were shot nine miles away at a home on Highway 164 near Walnut Hill (pictured bottom), according to investigators.
His ex-wife, Jessica Nicole Thomas, was charged with accessory after the fact to first degree premeditated murder and accessory after the fact to attempted first degree premeditated murder for the shooting at her home on Highway 164. Stacey’s son, Christopher James Logan Stacey, and Alexis Ileene Shiffner Cain were also both charged with accessory after the fact to first degree premeditated murder and accessory after the fact to attempted first degree premeditated murder.
Thomas and Shiffner Cain pleaded guilty while Christopher James Logan Stacey pleaded no contest in 2019. All three are awaiting sentencing and face up to 30 years in prison. A sentencing date has not been set.
Alabama detectives learned that Boutwell had been at his friend’s house in the 5900 block of Highway 164, just east of Highway 97 in Walnut Hill. Deputies responded to find the suspects in the home.
An Escambia County, FL, investigator was contacted by Atmore Police to relay information on the shooting location. He instructed deputies to respond to the home where they found a couch burning in the backyard (photo below). Deputies extinguished the fire. Victim Boutwell later said he was shot on the couch in the living room of the home, which is about nine miles from where the men were found with the truck.
According to the report, an AR-15 was found in one of the bedrooms and a 12 gauge shotgun was found in another bedroom. The report does not specify if either was the murder weapon. A bullet hole was found in an interior wall.
Christopher Alan Stacey was seated on a bucket across the road from the residence watching as investigators processed the crime scene, while his son sat ina wooden chair in front of a neighboring home (both pictured below). Cain and Jessica Thomas were placed in the back of ECSO patrol vehicles as investigators worked.
Florida investigators also responded to the truck at Brushy Creek on Deere Creek Road in Alabama to process that crime scene with Alabama agencies. The straight-line location of the truck was about 1,000 feet north of the Alabama-Florida State line.
Christopher Alan Stacey, resides with Thomas at the home on Highway 164. Boutwell told law enforcement that he was shot because of an argument with her ex-husband. The son, Christopher James Logan Stacey, also resides in the home, the report states.
Boutwell, the victim that survived the July 2018 shooting, was killed in a single vehicle wreck on March 13, 2021, on Highway 4A about three miles west of Century. He was pronounced deceased at the scene; there were no passengers in the vehicle. [Read more...]
Pictured below: Christopher Alan Stacey was seated on a bucket across the road from the residence watching as investigators processed the crime scene, while his son James Logan Stacey sat on a wooden chair in front of a neighboring home. Pictured middle below: A deputy questions Jessica Thomas as she sits inside a patrol vehicle in Walnut Hill. Pictured bottom: Investigators say two men were shot inside this home on Highway 164 in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
D.R. Horton Withdraws Offer For OLF-8 Property
September 21, 2023
Developer D.R. Horton has withdrawn their multi-million dollar offer for the county-owned OLF-8 property on Nine Mile Road.
“D.R. Horton has been looking at multiple scenarios in an effort to make this project work, both for the residents of Escambia County and for Horton from a financial perspective. Unfortunately, Horton has come to the conclusion that there are too many obstacles to overcome in the limited amount of time being granted. Horton believes that the engineering, due diligence and governmental approvals necessary to make this project feasible cannot be accomplished within the County’s desired timeframe,” Attorney Chris Gill wrote in an email on behalf of homebuilder D.R. Horton.
“From Horton’s perspective, the current Master Plan that exists for the property does not allow for Horton to pursue a financially viable development. The changes to the Master Plan and other associated approvals and entitlements (both at the local and state levels) that would be necessary to convert this project into something that can be developed for commercial and residential purposes and in an economically viable manner pose more risk and uncertainty than Horton is willing to bear at this time,” Gill wrote.
D.R. Horton had offered $42 million for over 500 acres before dropping that offer in July to 24.1 million for 297 acres because Escambia County is holding back 241 acres for job creation near the Navy Federal Credit Union campus.
D.R. Horton’s proposal included 99 acres for commercial use including restaurants, retail, offices, medical and a town center. Their plan also showed 170 acres with 1,133 residential units, including 360 townhomes and 336 apartments.
Gill said if the county changes their plans, the company might be interested in becoming involved again.
“Horton believes that Escambia County, and especially the Beulah and Cantonment submarkets, are vital to the continued success of Northwest Florida, and the OLF-8 property is by far the most valuable location in this market. If the County were willing to entertain changes to the Master Plan that Horton believes are needed, Horton would very much be interested in participating in the future development of this site,” he wrote.
In August, Escambia County received a $40 million offer for the OLF-8 site from a Tampa real estate firm. The offer would need to be retooled because it was for the full acreage including the 250 acres that the commission now intends to hold back for economic development.
Pictured: The now withdrawn D.R. Horton preliminary design for the OLF-8 property.
Ernest Ward Middle Names Students Of The Month
September 21, 2023
Ernest Ward Middle School recently named their August Students of the Month. They are Brody Hall, eighth grade; Lillyth Dekker, seventh grade; and Nevaeh Tidd, sixth grade. They are pictured with Principal Tyvanna Boulanger. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Approves $40,000 For New Christmas Decorations In Late Vote
September 21, 2023
Late Tuesday evening, town of Century approved buying up to $40,000 in Christmas decorations before the end of the month.
The approval came about 9:40 p.m. during the public forum of a meeting that started at 7 p.m. Most of the public had left the meeting by that time, and the item was not on the agenda for consideration.
Superintendent Kevin Merchant asked the council for direction on ordering 48 lighted Christmas decorations for 48 utility poles along North Century Boulevard.
“If you want to spend say $10,000 by the end of the month on Christmas lights, Kevin can do it,” Town Clerk Leslie Howington said. “We have like $300,000 to spend by September 30.” She was referring to American Rescue Plan funds the town has that will otherwise roll over to the next fiscal year on October 1.
“I just don’t want to hang the same crap on the poles this year,” Merchant said. “We get talked about bad out there when we are hanging this stuff up.”
“Right, right, I’m with you,” Town Council President Dynette Lewis replied.
It was suggested that decoration designs be taken to each council member’s home to poll them on their favorites.
Later, interim Mayor Luis Gomez, Jr. said, “We can get it to their houses, everybody knows where they live”.
“We can’t get them to make a decision in the shade,” Howington interjected, referring to Sunshine Law requirements that the council make decisions in an open meeting. “We need you to empower somebody to make a decision.”
“Why can’t we say that we trust staff to choose some really nice decorations?”, council member Alicia Johnson asked.
“Listen, we’ve reached out to a thousand people,” Howington responded when asked about the town’s required bid process. When asked for the 1,000 bid requests, Howington replied, “I may need to amend my statement.”
On a motion by Johnson, the council voted 5-0 to spend up to $40,000 on decorations.
The town’s current 24-inch wreath pole decorations were purchased in 2012 for $15,047 along with bows from a local business for $3,918. Another $2,734 was spent to have Gulf Power wire three poles that previously did not have electricity for three of the wreaths.
Previous Discussions
For years, the council has discussed options upgrading aging pole decorations along North Century Boulevard. A December 2021 discussion ended after then-council member James Lewis disagreed.
“It’ll be great to have the city lit up and looking beautiful,” Smith said. “But we don’t need to be spending a lot of money on that. There’s way too much in Century that needs to be fixed up…getting more businesses in the town, and as the town continues to grow, then we can have the finances to make the town look good. What’s the point in making it lit up when there’s not a whole lot around to be seen?”
In December 2022, the town discussed using ARPA funds for Christmas decorations and took no action. In June 2023, the council approved spending up to $1,800 for new garland for a Santa Claus decoration that stands annually in the Nadine McCaw Park. Also in June, they discussed $33,600 for new pole decorations but did not take a vote.
Pictured top: Century’s Christmas light display at Nadine McCaw Park. Pictured top inset and below: The other major decorations in the park are old, donated by the City of Pensacola years ago. Upgrading these decorations was not part of $40,000 approved Tuesday night. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
