Century Man Found Incompetent To Stand Trial In Child Neglect Case Now Facing Felony Weapons Charges
August 3, 2023
A Century man found incompetent to stand trial on three counts of felony child neglect in connection with a child sexual abuse case is now facing charges for after allegedly shooting over the head of a man found on his property last week.
Norman Tracy Tedder, 57, was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and one count of discharging a firearm in a public or residential area. He remained in the Escambia County Jail Thursday morning with bond set at $18,500.
Tedder returned to his home on Old Flomaton Road in Century and found a pickup truck parked next to his vehicle. He allegedly armed himself with a shotgun and fired warning shots into the air before later firing a warning shot over the head of man.
About and hour and a half later as it was getting dark, he observed an unknown person with a flashlight walking through the edge of the woods and saying “if he’s here, I’ve got something for him in my pocket”, according to arrest report.
Still armed with a shotgun, Tedder ordered the individual to stop where he was.
The man advised that his truck was broke down, and he said he was related to Tedder’s wife Tabitha Tedder, who is now in prison in the child abuse case,. Tedder held the man at gunpoint until he removed a rifle from the truck, the report states.
Tedder told deputies he helped the man fix his truck, and he drove away.
Tedder reported that he found items missing from his vehicle, including the shotgun, a tool box and socket set worth $300, and another socket set valued at $197.
“Tedder was not in present , imminent, and impending peril of death or serious bodily injury, or reasonably believed himself or others to be in such danger,” the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office report states. “Tedder had a reasonable alternative to possessing the shotgun which should have been to call 911 from the security of his residence…The trespass of (the man) was not more egregious than the possession of a Firearm by a convicted felon and aggravated assault.”
Tedder previously pleaded guilty and was convicted of dealing in stolen property in 1998. He was sentenced to one year and six months probation.
According to the ECSO, the man who was on Tedder’s property will be charged with armed burglary of a vehicle, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, grand theft firearm, and petit theft.
Child Sexual Abuse Case
Tedder’s wife was sentenced in January 2023 to eight years in prison after several children that had been sexually abused were found living in squalor in two campers.
Tabitha Ann Tedder was sentenced to four years concurrently on three counts of child neglect without great bodily harm, and four additional years on a felony charge of failure to report child abuse.
Norman Tedder was found incompetent to stand trial and sent to Lakeview for “competency training”. He was due back in court in November.
In October 2022, Michael Tracy Tedder was sentenced to 30 years in state prison for child sexual battery and designated as a lifetime sexual offender after he pleaded to multiple counts of sexual battery by a person in familian authority and lewd and lascivious exhibition in the presence of a minor.
Michael Tracy Tedder’s wife Elizabeth Mae Dennis was previously convicted of two counts of child neglect and sentenced to 19.5 months in state prison, with credit for 116 days served, to be followed by 18 months probation.
Some readers may find the following details disturbing. Reader discretion is advised.
On October 20, 2021, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to a local elementary school after a victim disclosed sexual abuse to a school counselor. The victim disclosed at school that she had been raped by Tedder. She stated that it hurt, and about the time she healed, he would do it again. The abuse occurred between January 1, 2020, and October 20, 2021.
During the course of the investigation, it was determined that Michael Tracy Tedder had sexually abused additional victims between January 1, 2020, and October 20, 2021. He was the only family member charged with a sexual offense.
“This defendant preyed on children that should have been able to trust him,” Carrie Gilmer, prosecuting attorney, said.
When the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office went to Michael Tedder’s home to investigate the sexual battery allegations, deputies found him and three others living in squalor with six children in two campers.
One camper was “extremely dirty”, with “raw sewage coming from the back side of the camper and flowing underneath the camper causing an unbearable foul odor”, and “hundreds of roaches”, according to an arrest report. The roaches were in the food cabinet, running over the food, on the stove, on the sink and on the counter.
A deputy further described the camper as having roaches inside the shower and toilet area, pots with old food in them on the kitchen counter, a sink filled with dirty dishes and a refrigerator he called “extremely nasty”. There was one full size bed, a let-down bed with roaches crawling on it, and a baby crib in the camper. Two cats and two dogs were inside, and there were power cords running through the camper and by the kitchen sink, the report states.
“The camper had a foul odor inside and out that was unbearable,” the deputy wrote in his report.
The other camper, described as being “extremely small,” was also roach infested, dirty and piled full of clothes and other items making it impossible to enter, the report states.
According to the ECSO, there was no electrical service on the property; the campers were powered by numerous electrical cords strung together to a nearby home. Some of the cords had bare wires in places and junctions exposed to the weather.
“The parents smelled as if they had not bathed in several days,” a deputy wrote in his report.
The Department of Children and Families removed the children.
New Tate Aggies Video Scoreboard Is Up And Running
August 3, 2023
The new video scoreboard at Tate High School is up and running at Carl Madison Field in Pete Gindl Stadium.
In addition to scores and game information, the board can be used to display hype videos before the games, senior interviews and more.
The Aggies will host Washington in kickoff classic on Thursday, August 17 at 7 p.m.
The video board was privately funded by football boosters.
Pictured: The new Tate Aggies video scoreboard is operational. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Federal Jury Finds Man Guilty Of Attempted Robbery Of Sports Bar
August 3, 2023
After a three-day trial, a federal jury in Pensacola found Quinton Laterral Pete guilty of attempted robbery and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Just before 4 a.m. on March 9, 2022, two employees at Coyote’s Sports Bar next to Cordova Mall were shot at point blank range by Pete, 34, during an attempted robbery of the business.
The victims were not able to identify the shooter at the time because of their wounds, but they provided a general description to law enforcement. Law enforcement obtained surveillance videos from surrounding businesses and identified a white Jeep Grand Cherokee in the area at the time of the crime.
Pete was apprehended the next day in Dallas driving a matching vehicle registered in his name. Pete was in possession of the firearm that was used in the commission of the robbery, as later identified by ballistics comparison. Pete’s phone location also placed him in the area at the time he committed the crime.
Pete has prior felony convictions for burglary of a dwelling with a firearm, grand theft, and shooting at within or into a dwelling, and was released from prison just seven months before the Coyote’s shooting.
Pete faces a maximum of 30 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on October 26.
Local District Is The Deadliest In The State For Opioid Overdoses
August 3, 2023
The Pensacola medical district is now the deadliest in the entire state for opioid-related deaths.
“The national opioid crisis, bolstered by deadly fentanyl from Mexico and China, continues to claim lives in Florida—with the Pensacola Medical Examiner District being hit the hardest on a per capita basis,” Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said Wednesday at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Pensacola Regional Operations Center. “Today, I joined local law enforcement leaders to urge everyone to never use illicit substances.”
The medical district includes Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties.
In the district, the death rate from opioids is double that per capita of any other district in Florida.
“The opioid epidemic has hit every community in our country. We have been working tirelessly to create a plan of attack to address this deadly substance head-on,” Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons said. “This plan combines a robust enforcement strategy and a partnership with our public health colleagues and Attorney General Moody in order to fully combat this epidemic. We look to reduce and disrupt the illicit supply chain while working with public health to provide services to those vulnerable to opioid effects.”
The state average per capita opioid-related death rate is 21 deaths per 100,000 residents. In the Pensacola district, the per capita opioid-related death rate is 42 deaths per 100,000. Of the 349 opioid-related deaths in the district, 60% involved fentanyl.
While the Pensacola Medical Examiner District ranks first in per capita opioid-related deaths, it is second only to Daytona Beach District in for fentanyl deaths per capita. Hydrocodone and morphine also pose threats to the Pensacola District with death rates propelling the panhandle counties to the top of those lists.
FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass said, “I thank Attorney General Moody for her commitment to law enforcement and the safety of our citizens. I’ve been to the Southern border and seen the drugs and crime that comes into our nation firsthand. I’m proud of our FDLE agents and analysts proactively investigating these crimes disrupting drug trafficking organizations and intercepting these drugs.”
Moody encouraged anyone struggling with substance abuse issues should visit DoseOfRealityFL.com, a statewide resource with information combating drug abuse.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Pensacola Pounds 21 Hits In 12-9 Win Over Shuckers
August 3, 2023
The sun was still bright, the crowd just settled and game still fresh when the Blue Wahoos batted Wednesday in the second inning.
Thirteen batters, 10 hits, eight runs and 25 minutes later, it foreshadowed how this game would evolve.
Led by Griffin Conine and José Devers, both of whom went 4-for-5 and drove in two runs apiece, the Blue Wahoos clubbed 21 hits – second-most in franchise history – in a 12-9 victory against the Biloxi Shuckers.
A crowd of 3,657 at Blue Wahoos Stadium watched the Blue Wahoos jump to an 8-1 lead, following that second-inning explosion, then saw Biloxi trim big deficits three times into three runs.
In a game that lasted 3 hours and 2 minutes, the teams combined for 33 hits, 41 baserunners, 21 runs and eight pitchers. The outcome was not sealed until Zach McCambley retired the last three batters he faced following a pair of ninth-inning runs from Biloxi.
Appropriately, this game was followed by the final Wednesday fireworks display of the season, provided by Pensacola’s Hiles-McLeod Insurance company. The Blue Wahoos stage mid-week shows during the time when area schools are out for summer break.
Conine, who has etched his name in Blue Wahoos history with a variety of hitting records, produced his first 4-hit game since 2019 when he was playing for the Lansing (Mich.) Lugnuts as a Toronto Blue Jays prospect. His line drive to the mound in the eighth inning was caught to thwart a 5-for-5 night.
But it was a good sign for Conine, his 20th multi-hit game, and Devers with his hot bat, on a night where the Blue Wahoos needed a pinball game-like performance to hold off the Shuckers.
Biloxi entered averaging 8.1 runs per-game in the 16 games they played since mid-July. The Shuckers, the Milwaukee Brewers affiliate, lead all Double-A during that stretch with a .303 team batting average.
After five innings Wednesday, the Blue Wahoos already had 15 hits. By then, every batter in their lineup had at least one hit. Five had two hits.
With exception of Nasim Nuñez, everyone had scored at least one run.
They first blew open the scoreboard with eight consecutive hits in the second inning. Will Banfield led off with single and scored a run, then came back up and clubbed a 3-run homer. He went 3-for-5. Conine and Devers both had RBI hits in the inning, along with newcomer Jacob Berry, who was among three others – Nuñez and Dalvy Rosaro – with multiple hits.
Evan Fitterer made his 16th start on the mound this season for the Blue Wahoos. The righthander had an 8-1 lead in the fifth inning but missed a chance to get the win after loading the bases with a pair of walks, then giving up a grand slam to Wes Clarke. He was lifted for Austin Roberts, who provided a pair of hitless innings to quell the Shuckers’ momentum.
The series with Biloxi continues on Thursday with “Mullet Thursday” featuring the Blue Wahoos in their alternate identity as the Pensacola Mullets.
by Bill Vilona, photo Nino Mendez / Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Planning Board Denies Rezoning Request To Agriculture; Residents Make Strong Allegations About Their Neighbors
August 2, 2023
Tuesday, the Escambia County Planning Board unanimously denied a resident’s request to rezone their property to agricultural so that they could maintain farm animals in a vote that came after several neighbors made strong allegations.
Applicant Mitchell Hazelbaker said he has a farming background and moved from Indiana to the recently purchased property at 890 Old Novak Road.
“We come down here basically to start over and kind of homestead here,” he said. “When we purchased this, we were told we could have animals. We looked around and we saw animals in the neighborhood and everything. We purchased the property, found out the zoning, the future land use, was wrong. We are here requesting that it be reverted back to agriculture like it was prior to the sale for us to continue.”
Hazelbaker described the property as the “old Tate Farm”, built for the school teacher when the Spanish settled here. “If it’s not the oldest schoolhouse in Escambia County, it’s one of,” he claimed. He said Andrew Jackson was there three times.
“There’s a lot of historical value,” he added. Escambia County Property Appraiser records show the house was constructed in 1920.
Hazelbaker said he is not trying to run a “big” farming operation, but just maintain his horses and cattle and “live off the land”.
“Farming has taught me an awful lot,” made me who I am. I want to bring that to my grandchildren. That’s what I want, what I want with this 20 acres.”
According to the county, the property was never zoned agricultural.
Hazelbaker submitted a small-scale request to go from a future land use of mixed used suburban to agricultural. Like the surrounding properties, it’s currently zoned as low density residential which does not allow farm animals, other than chickens, and provides for up to four dwelling units per acre. Growing food for personal use is allowed, but not commercially.
The request, according to a county staff analysis, is not consistent with surrounding property.
“One of the components of the Comprehensive Plan and the Land Development Code is to preserve the existing character of existing neighborhoods,” said Escambia County Development Service director.
“From what they present — the facts they are not adding up,” he told the planning board..
“In speaking with them, there is some type of a commercial operation that they are planning on, that they are doing. So that will require a site planning review,” Jones said. “We’ve just got to make sure that provisions of the law are provided equally and across the board.”
“I just find this refreshing quite frankly because it’s always the opposite argument,” planning board at-large member Tim Pyle said, adding that current zoning would allow some 60 or more homes on the property. “I would sell it. I would think there’s probably a line of guys that would want to buy this to build on that piece of property. Just guessing.”
Two people addressed the planning board making strong allegations against their neighbors.
Caroline Bramblett of Kathleen Avenue said Hazelbaker has brought trouble to the neighborhood.
Bramblett said Bobbie Lei Sales, who was recently charged by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement with allegedly impersonating a FDLE agent on Pauline Street, lives on the Old Novak property with Hazelbaker.
According to a court document and a FDLE arrest warrant, the last known address for Sales is the 890 Old Novak Road, the subject of the planning board request. However, she is not listed as owner of the property, and she was not a party to the rezoning request.
“She is a pathological liar, Bramblett told the planning board, saying that Sales claims ownership of multiple parcels in the area. “She is a pathological liar. You saw her probably in all of the arrest stuff yesterday.”
Planning Board vice chair Walker Wilson attempted to steer Bramblett on the topic of zoning and away from personal attacks.
Bramblett continued, saying that Sales trespasses on neighboring properties and mentioned code enforcement complaints.
“Nothing that they do is ethical; this is how they live,” she claimed. “This is what they brought into the neighborhood.”
Kim Smith of Kathleen Avenue claimed that many of the horses on the property were bought locally, not brought from Indiana.
“They do not take care of them; they do not have shelter. There’s a large majority of them that have mysteriously died,” Smith said. “His daughter has been posting where they plan to do hunting, camping, fishing retreats on that land. That’s why they brought that cabin in. They plan to make a business out of it.”
“The last year that they have lived there has been terrible. They have harassed everyone for a mile each direction,” Smith continued. “It’s unbelievable the problems that they have caused….they have already messed up everything since they’ve been there. So please don’t give them anymore leeway in making a mess out of where we live.”
Hazelbaker said two bulls purchased from a cattle barn in Atmore had a disease that infected the entire herd despite veterinary care.
There are two pending Escambia County Code Enforcement complaints against Hazelbaker — one for the farm animals and one for an unpermitted structure.
Escambia County Code Enforcement Office Lynn Butler told the planning board that a structure near Hazelbaker’s pond was not permitted, nor were horses, goats and cattle. Butler said they have not been allowed onto the gated property, so they have not been able to confirm all of the animals are actually present.
In the event the property were rezoned to agriculture, the animal complaint would go away but a case over the unpermitted structure would remain.
A May 5 notice of violation posted at the property advised Hazelbaker to “remove the goats, horses, cows, pigs and donkeys from the property. You may keep 1 rooster and up to 8 chickens”.
In a May 1 application to the Florida Department of Revenue for agricultural classification of the land, Hazelbaker stated tfhere are 10 livestock animals on the property, two acres used for “poultry, swine or bee yards”, and one acre of aquaponics. The application stated that he had a cattle income of $2,600, but lost $2,200 on cattle in 2022.
Hazelbaker told the planning board that there are less than a dozen cows on the property which are raised and sold as freezer beef “if we ever venture to get into it that far”.
Other residents of the area spoke in favor of the agricultural zoning, while others thought farm animals would be just too much.
“It’s going to affect me with the runoff, and the smell, the sounds of agriculture,” Kathleen Avenue resident Dorothy Johnson said.
“As far as the horses and cows and stuff, I grew up with them. I don’t want that noise anymore. I can listen to the roosters crowing,” Charles Johnson said. “It’s going to change what is going on in our neighborhood. ”
Janice King of Candy Lane said there has been no problem with smells or annoyances from the property and enjoys visiting the animals. She said Hazelbaker has started working with the Boys Club to teach agriculture.
“I’d like for it (the zoning) to go back to what it was for them to be able to continue that stuff for kids,” King said. “I just want to get it where he would be able to do things with kids, future stuff for America for the kids.”
“When he moved from Indiana, he should have researched that prior to this,” Sheryl Norton of Candy Lane told the planning board about Hazelbaker’s zoning problems. “If it was his desire to put animals on this piece of land, he should have looked at the zoning…I feel like they need to go north and buy land there if that’s their heart’s desire.”
The planning vote’s denial vote will now go to the Escambia County Commission for a final determination.
Work To Start On $7 Million Highway 89 Resurfacing In Santa Rosa County
August 2, 2023
The Florida Department of Transportation will begin work in August on a $7 million resurfacing project on Highway 89 from north of Highway 87 to Spanish Trail north of Allentown.
This 13-mile project also includes turnout widening, drainage improvements, new guardrail, new signage and pavement markings.
When Santa Rosa County Schools are in session, no lane closures will be permitted between Sweet Memory Lane and Calvary Church Road from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., or from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Access to adjacent commercial and residential properties will be maintained at all times.
This project is scheduled for completion in spring 2024. All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather.
File photo.
Century Council President Questions Why Accountant Has Missed Meetings For Three Months
August 2, 2023
Century’s town council president wants to know why the town’s accountant has been a no-show at recent meetings.
Accountant Robert Hudson provides monthly financial reports to the council and is scheduled to attend at least one meeting a month to present those reports and answer questions. The reports were distributed at Tuesday night’s meeting, but Hudson did not attend. No explanation was provided by town staff.
“Somebody make a note to find out what is going on with our financial advisor,” council president Luis Gomez, Jr. said. “He’s not made any of these meetings in the last three months.”
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Escambia School Board Approves Tentative Budget, Lower Millage Rate
August 2, 2023
The Escambia County school board approved a tentative millage rate and budget during a special meeting Tuesday.
The board approved a total tentative millage rate of 5.144. It’s a rate lower than the current year rate of 5.274 mills, but due to rising home values, it will generally cost many taxpayers more.
Due to increased property values, the total tax collected will increase. The total millage rate to be levied exceeds the roll-back rate by 9.60%, A lower rolled-back rate is the tax rate that would generate the same amount of property tax revenue as approved for the prior year. A millage rate higher than the rolled-back rate is defined by the State of Florida as a tax increase and must be advertised as such.
The board will vote on approving the final millage rate and budget at a meeting in September.
The district’s total budget is set at almost $740 million.
Pictured: Escambia County School Board District 5 member Bill Slayton makes a millage motion during a special meeting Tuesday. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Adam Harrison Selected As Escambia County Interim Fire Chief
August 2, 2023
Escambia County Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Adam Harrison has been named interim Fire Chief, effective August 12.
Harrison began his tenure with ECFR in 1993 as a volunteer firefighter on Pensacola Beach. He became a certified firefighter in 1996, eventually advancing to a full-time role with ECFR in 2001. After a series of promotions, including becoming a lieutenant in 2004 and a battalion chief of logistics in 2014, Chief Harrison was promoted to battalion chief on “B Watch” over the northern half of Escambia County in 2017.
“It is a privilege to promote Adam Harrison to the interim fire chief role for Escambia County Fire Rescue,” said Escambia County Administrator Wes Moreno. “Chief Harrison has spent several years with ECFR and has displayed a tremendous work ethic and leadership capabilities. I’m excited to see Chief Harrison succeed as he leads the largest fire department in the panhandle.”
“I’m very excited to name Chief Adam Harrison as the interim fire chief for Escambia County Fire Rescue,” said Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore. “He is a natural leader who has served the citizens of Escambia County dutifully, and I’m confident in his abilities to lead this department.”
Harrison’s duties as interim fire chief will include supervising fire rescue staff, providing oversight and directing the implementation of internal operations, managing expenditures to the approved annual budget, developing goals and objectives, and ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
Harrison has served during numerous disasters, both natural and man-made. He served during local hurricane disasters for Hurricanes Opal, Ivan, Dennis and Sally. Additionally, he served deployments during the aftermath of Hurricanes Charley, Katrina, Michael, and Ian, and provided on-scene assistance following the NAS Pensacola terrorist attack on December 6, 2019.
Harrison has served on numerous teams with ECFR, including as the Urban Search and Rescue Task Force leader during deployments and as the Fireground Survival and Rapid Intervention Team instructor. He also has served as an instructor for USAR and live fire training.