Bratt Elementary School Names Students Of The Month
December 16, 2016
The following students (pictured above) were named Students of the Month for December at Bratt Elementary School.
Cade Hare
Emma Southard
Parker Marsh (not pictured)
Owen Blanton
Sophia Ikner
Maybree Johnson
Madalynn Pittman
Keylashia Randle
Jamarreai Davison (not pictured)
Sawyer Gilmore
Lori Hall
Lexi Bingham
Emma Holder
Zakhel Clemmons
Max Mason
Emily Jarvis
Kaleb Nicholson
Jonathon Stillwell
Zakyla Smith
Hannah Smith
Hadyn Baker
Ava Gurganus
Rabekah Abbott
Zykuria Fountain
The students pictured below, Lexi Bingham and Zakhel Clemmons, were chosen to represent Bratt Elementary School as Escambia County Students of the Month for December.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Chamber Holds Christmas Open House Event
December 16, 2016
The Century Chamber of Commerce held its annual Christmas Open House Thursday afternoon. Chamber members, prospective members and area residents had the opportunity to network and learn more about what the Century Chamber offers, all while enjoying light refreshments.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
EREC Awarded $159K For Walnut Hill, Bratt Water Improvements
December 15, 2016
The Northwest Florida er Management District’s Governing Board has awarded a $159,559 to Escambia River Electric Cooperative (EREC) for water system improvements.
The grant will be used for distribution and pipe improvements, including the replacement of a aging water line and to interconnect the Walnut Hill Water Works system with the Bratt-Davisville Water System. Both water systems are owned and operated by EREC.
The funds were part of $974,000 in Northwest Florida Water Management District grant funding for water supply projects across Northwest Florida.
The funding was awarded as part of a competitive grant program to help local governments and non-profit utilities address local water supply challenges and meet regional water supply protection and management needs.
Since 2013, the District has awarded approximately $20.6 million in grant funding to boost the infrastructure, economic, and public health needs of northwest Florida communities by addressing regional water resource and supply development priorities.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Atmore Paving Project Causing Delays At State Line
December 15, 2016
Drivers traveling into Alabama at Atmore can expect delays for a resurfacing project. Highway 21 is being resurfaced from the Florida state line north to Magnolia Street in Atmore with ongoing lane closures. Work started Wednesday at the state line, with traffic backed up into Florida on Highway 97. The project is expected to last for several days; the Alabama Department of Transportation was unable to provide an estimated completion date. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia Woman Gets 30 Years Prison After High Speed Chase
December 15, 2016
An Escambia County woman has been sentenced to 30 years in state prison after a high speed chase during which she crashed into a deputy.
Charmaine Brown was convicted of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer with lights and siren activated at high speed, grand theft auto, grand theft of a firearm, criminal mischief and resisting an officer without violence. She was sentenced this week by Judge Judge Gary Bergosh to minimum mandatory sentence of 30 years in state prison as a prison releasee reoffender. This means that she will serve the 30 year sentence day for day with no gain time.
On July 30, 2015, Brown was at the home of an elderly gentleman. She was caught by the victim rummaging through his personal belongings. The victim confronted Brown with a firearm, a struggle ensued and the gun was discharged. The victim was unharmed and Brown fled with the gun and in the victim’s car with another individual. Law enforcement arriving on the scene, saw the car leave at high speed. Officers pursued, believing that the elderly gentleman may have been kidnapped.
During the pursuit, Brown nearly struck an occupied law enforcement officer’s vehicle that was blocking traffic. The chase began in the area of the Barrancas Bridge and terminated in Perdido after the defendant crashed into another law enforcement officer’s occupied vehicle. During the course of the chase, Brown drove erratically and at speeds in excess of 100 mph. Charmaine Brown was taken into custody without incident.
FWC Law Enforcement Report
December 15, 2016
The Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement reported the following activity during the week ending December 8 in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
Lieutenant Hahr was patrolling the Perdido River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) when he observed a truck pulling into the Pipes after legal access hours. When he approached the truck, he observed the adult male driver and juvenile female passenger scrambling to hide a glass pipe and small box. After securing the occupants, he located a container of methamphetamine and various other drug paraphernalia. The man was arrested for possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and accessing the management area after hours and booked into jail. The young woman was charged with possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia and turned over to the Department of Juvenile Justice.
Officers Long and Manning were at a local seafood dealer looking for a suspect that had an active warrant for failure to appear for commercial fishing violations. They had information that he was currently performing maintenance on his vessel. The officers boarded the vessel and located the subject hiding in a small compartment and transported him to jail for the warrant. He was also charged with possession of cannabis.
Officers Long and Manning conducted wholesale and retail license inspections at numerous fish markets and retail establishments. A total of five notice to appear citations and two written warnings were issued.
Lieutenant Hahr was patrolling the Perdido River WMA when he observed a vehicle enter an area after legal access hours. He pulled up to the truck and smelled a strong odor of cannabis coming from the interior. The occupants were two 16‑year‑old juveniles and one 15‑year‑old juvenile. Three types of alcoholic beverages were also found in the truck. The three juveniles admitted to smoking cannabis and the two passengers admitted to drinking. All three were charged with possession of alcoholic beverages, possession of not more than 20 grams of cannabis and possession of drug paraphernalia.
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
Officer Hutchinson received a call from a deputy who informed him that he observed a vehicle shining a spotlight in several fields late at night. The deputy stopped the vehicle and made contact with the driver. While speaking with the driver, he discovered a loaded hunting rifle inside of the vehicle. Officer Hutchinson responded to the location and made contact with the driver. The driver admitted to looking for deer while shining the light. After further investigation, Officer Hutchinson discovered fresh deer blood on a rack attached to the back of the vehicle. The subject informed Officer Hutchinson that his uncle shot the deer in Alabama while they were hunting together on the previous day. The subject then admitted to taking the deer and throwing the deer over a bridge into the water because he didn’t want to clean the deer. After further investigation, Officer Hutchinson discovered that the subject did not possess a Florida or Alabama hunting license. Officer Hutchinson made contact with the subject’s uncle who denied shooting the deer. The subject was issued a notice to appear citation for night hunting.
After the night-hunting case, Officer Hutchinson was approached by a truck with the passenger window rolled down. The driver of the vehicle asked Officer Hutchinson if everything was alright. While speaking to the subject, Officer Hutchinson could smell a strong odor of cannabis coming from the inside of the vehicle. He asked the driver to step out of the vehicle and questioned him about the cannabis. The subject admitted to having cannabis inside of the vehicle and turned it over to the officer. The male subject was issued a notice to appear citation for possession of cannabis under 20 grams.
Officer Ramos discovered signs of illegal placement of bait in the Eglin WMA. Over the course of several weeks, he conducted patrol and surveillance in the area where the corn was placed. Early one morning he returned to check on the location and found a previously identified suspect hunting from a tree facing the bait. After interviewing the suspect, the man admitted to placing bait in the WMA and was charged accordingly. In addition to several criminal charges, the suspect’s hunting and fishing privileges in Eglin WMA were revoked for one year.
While on patrol near Escambia River, Officer Ramos stopped to check a person fishing. The person said he had a valid fishing license, but then provided a false date of birth that did not match his name according to Dispatch. Officer Ramos escorted the man back to his vehicle to retrieve his driver license. When the subject opened his vehicle door, Officer Ramos smelled and saw an unburned marijuana cigarette in the ashtray. After further questioning, the man also admitted to possessing a weighing scale, which contained marijuana residue. Officer Ramos discovered additional drug paraphernalia and seized it for evidence and lab testing. The person was charged with possession of the marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and failure to have a valid fishing license.
Officer Ramos was on patrol in the Garcon Point area when he observed two men tonging oysters nearby. He conducted a vessel and resource inspection and chose a random bag of oysters for inspection. Florida law allows for an undersized tolerance of 5% per bag of oysters. The bag measured by Officer Ramos contained 75% undersized oysters. After interviewing the subjects, they admitted to having additional oysters inside their truck at the boat ramp. Officer Ramos found three partial sacks of oysters that were not on ice in the vehicle and one that was on ice. When all the oysters were properly measured, the men were found to be in excess of the daily bag limit of two bags (one extra full bag of oysters). Appropriate criminal charges were filed for the undersized oysters and over the bag limit violations.
While on patrol in the Robert’s Pond Unit of the Eglin WMA, Officer Ramos discovered a large 4×4 truck stuck in a wet-weather pond. Two men were actively attempting to get the truck out of the mud. There were large muddy ruts throughout the area and multiple deep holes where two different trucks had bogged down and destroyed sensitive habitat. The subjects admitted to off-roading in the closed area the previous night and one truck was unable to get back to the main road. Each person was issued a citation for operating a vehicle off the named and numbered road and a criminal citation for destruction of public lands by motor vehicle. Eglin Range Patrol police arrived and revoked the men’s access to the Eglin WMA for two years.
During the predawn hours, Officers Jones and Tolbert conducted foot patrol on the Eglin WMA near the community of Holley to locate an individual who had outstanding warrants for his arrest. The wanted person had fled from deputies on a four-wheeler ATV when they had previously attempted to arrest him. The officers believed the suspect was in the area. They located a campsite and arrested the individual without incident. A female who was with the subject was also detained and later released. The subject was booked into Santa Rosa County Jail. A notice to appear was issued to both individuals for trespass on Eglin property after legal hours.
Officer Cushing was working in the Blackwater WMA when he observed several dog hunters rushing to a certain area. He followed and checked the first hunter he encountered. While talking to him, he heard seven shots and a person state, “I got him,” over the radio. He located the source of the shots, but the hunters stated that they had missed. Lieutenant Hahr and Officer Jernigan arrived to assist and located where the hunter had been parked down a closed road. Officer Hutchinson contacted one of the hunters and obtained a confession. The hunter stated that he thought the deer was bigger but it was not a legal buck. He returned to the scene and showed the officers the location of the deer. He was issued a notice to appear for taking a buck without three points on one side or a 10‑inch main beam.
Officer Jernigan checked a hunter as he was leaving a WMA and determined that he did not have a hunting license or quota permit. He also discovered that the subject’s driver license had been suspended and there was a warrant out for his arrest. He booked the man on the warrant and driving with license suspended or revoked and issued the appropriate citations for the other offenses.
Officer Jernigan responded to a complaint of trespass on a private hunting club. The leaseholder found two subjects sitting in one of his tree stands. The subjects stated that they had been hunting and camping on the river and had walked to the private property and decided to hunt. The leaseholder wished to prosecute the subjects and charges will be pending after discussion with the state attorney’s office.
Officers from Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties conducted a detail for the opening weekend of general gun season. They patrolled the high-activity areas within Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties, including the Blackwater State Forest. They checked several hunters to ensure compliance of the established hunting rules in each area. They met with landowners who live in these high activity hunting areas and conducted patrols near their properties. The officers issued several warnings and citations for hunting and traffic violations.
This report represents some events the FWC handled over the past week; however, it does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement. Information provided by FWC.
Molino Park Elementary Students Donate To Council On Aging
December 15, 2016
After learning about elderly residents in need, the staff and fifth graders at Molino Park Elementary School decided to help. They collected items that were donated to the Escambia County on Aging. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Abortion Law Face Another Court Challenge
December 15, 2016
Citing First Amendment and privacy rights, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida has filed a federal lawsuit challenging part of a sweeping abortion law that has already had other provisions blocked by a judge.
The lawsuit, filed Monday in Tallahassee on behalf of clergy members and abortion-rights proponents, targets part of the law dealing with individuals or organizations that provide advice to women considering abortions.
The law requires anyone who counsels women about abortions to provide an explanation about the procedure, including alternatives, before making referrals or assisting in obtaining abortions.
“It compels private, noncommercial speakers without medical expertise to deliver a state-mandated speech before aiding a woman seeking an abortion in violation of the speaker’s First Amendment right to decide for him- or herself what not to say,” the complaint said.
The lawsuit — the latest legal challenge to the Republican-dominated Legislature’s attempts to impose new restrictions on abortion — will be handled by U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle, who this summer sided with abortion providers in a challenge to other parts of the law, passed during the 2016 legislative session and signed by Gov. Rick Scott.
Hinkle permanently blocked from going into effect key provisions that would have barred abortion providers from receiving public funds for other services and required a dramatic increase in inspections of abortion records by health officials.
In a separate case, the Florida Supreme Court last month heard arguments in a challenge to a 2015 law requiring 24-hour waiting periods before woman can obtain abortions.
This week’s challenge focused on provisions in the 2016 law dealing with an “abortion referral or counseling agency,” defined as “any person, group, or organization, whether funded publicly or privately, that provides advice or help to persons in obtaining abortions.”
The law requires abortion referral or counseling agencies to furnish “a full and detailed explanation of abortion, including the effects of and alternatives to abortion” before making a referral or aiding a person in obtaining an abortion. Violations of the law can result in a misdemeanor.
“This ill-conceived law criminalizes the intimate conversations a woman has with her support network,” ACLU of Florida Legal Director Nancy Abudu said in a statement.
The law “clearly intends to bully and intimidate women’s trusted advisors with a vague and complicated bureaucratic process, under the threat of criminal charges,” Abudu said.
The plaintiffs — including three rabbis, three ministers, two non-profit organizations that provide abortion funding for low-income women and the Palm Beach County chapter of the National Organization for Women — contend they don’t have any medical training and aren’t qualified to offer the information, which isn’t spelled out in the law.
“The challenged provisions burden, restrict, and interfere with the spiritual, privileged communications between a member of the clergy and the person seeking his or her spiritual guidance,” West Palm Beach lawyer James K. Green and other attorneys wrote in the 36-page complaint.
The plaintiffs are also challenging a provision that requires counselors to inform minors’ parents if the minors discuss abortions. The plaintiffs claim the provision violates the right of privacy guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment by forcing members of the clergy and others to betray the confidentiality of “the most personal and intimate of discussions.”
The lawsuit also maintains that the law would require clergy members or others to register with the state and pay a $200 fee and is an unconstitutional violation of the equal protection clause because it imposes a “discriminatory licensure and fee requirement that targets those who provide advice or seek to help women in obtaining abortions, while not imposing a similar licensure and fee requirement on others who provide counseling on other types of medical procedures.”
The lawsuit asks Hinkle to block provisions of the law from going into effect Jan. 1.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Prison For Man Caught Taking Picture Of Boy In Church Bathroom
December 15, 2016
A man is headed to prison after taking picture of a young child in a church bathroom.
Circuit Judge Scott Duncan sentenced Korey Holt, age 26, to eight years in state prison to be followed by four years of probation for one count of video voyeurism. Holt was also designated a sexual offender and will be required to register as a sexual offender and comply with all statutory requirements.
On April 24, 2016, Holt took a photograph of the victim, a young child, while the child was using the bathroom at a local church. The child told his parents, and the incident was reported to the Pensacola Police Department. Based on the child’s description and further investigation, Holt was developed as a suspect. Holt was interviewed by investigators and admitted to taking photographs of the young child in the bathroom.
Ernest Ward Names Students Of The Month
December 15, 2016
Ernest Ward Middle School recently announced Students of the Month for October. They are Libby Pugh, eighth grade; Kaitlin Gafford, seventh grade; and Blake Yoder, sixth grade. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.