Motorcycle Crash On Pensacola Beach Kills Driver, Critically Injures Passenger
April 6, 2023
One person from Escambia County was killed and another was airlifted to the hospital following in motorcycle crash Wednesday evening on Pensacola Beach.
The 23-year old male driver lost control of his motorcycle in a curve and struck a curb on Fort Pickens Road near the Margaritaville Beach Hotel about 6:11 p.m. The Florida Highway Patrol said he was pronounced deceased at the scene. His 21-year old female passenger from Pensacola was flown to the hospital in critical condition.
FHP is continuing their investigation.
Tate High Names Students Of The Month
April 6, 2023
Tate High School recently announced their January Students of the Month. They are Makenzie Greene and Bray Touchstone. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Fields Of Faith: Community Worship Service Held
April 6, 2023
Northview High School’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes hosted a spring Fields of Faith Wednesday night in Tommy Weaver Memorial Stadium.
Fields of Faith is a national student-led initiative. “Students invite, pray for, share with, and challenge their peers to read the Bible and follow Jesus Christ. An athletic field provides a neutral, rally point where a community can come together,” according to national organizers.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Contractor Matt Banks Indicted On Four Felony Charges Including Racketeering
April 5, 2023
A grand jury has indicted Pensacola contractor Matthew Scott Banks has been indicted on four felonies.
“Matthew Banks, a local contractor, personally and through his business Banks Construction, engaged in a pattern of criminal activity and stole over $5 million in funds, materials and services from more than 150 victims. Yesterday, Matthew Banks was indicted by an Escambia County grand jury,” State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden announced Wednesday afternoon.
Banks, 39, was indicted for racketeering, aggravated white collar crime, organized fraud, and tampering with evidence. He surrendered at the Escambia County Jail and was released on a $150,000 bond nine minutes later.
The first three counts are first degree felonies and are each punishable by up to 30 years in prison, and the fourth count is punishable by up to five years in prison. A trial date has not yet been set.
“The defendant, in this case, has been charged and will be brought to justice for exploiting innocent victims who were trying to improve their lives for his personal gain,” said Madden. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold him accountable for taking advantage of people by stealing their money and robbing them of trust in businesses. This arrest proves he is not representative of our many reputable contractors.”
The case was investigated by the Office of State Attorney Division of Investigations, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Pensacola Police Department, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Department of Agriculture, and the Florida Department of Financial Services Division of Investigative and Forensic Services.
PSC Approves FPL Rate Decrease, But Rates Are Still Up Overall For 2023
April 5, 2023
Tuesday, the Florida Public Service Commission today approved a reduction of $494 million in 2023 fuel costs for Florida Power & Light. Of this amount, an approximate $379 million reduction will be applied from May to December 2023. The remaining $115 million will be included in FPL’s 2024 fuel cost recovery factors.
Beginning in May, FPL residential bills will reflect the reduced fuel charge. For FPL customers in Northwest Florida, the current monthly 1,000 kWh residential bill of $144.38 will change to $139.95, a decrease of $4.43, or approximately 3.1 percent.
For FPL customers in the rest of the state, a monthly bill of $144.38 will change to $139.95, a decrease of $4.43, or approximately 3.1 percent.
Utilities do not earn a profit on fuel charges. The fuel and capacity cost component of customers’ bills is set for each calendar year, but mid-course corrections are used when a utility’s costs increase or decrease significantly in the interim. Under Commission rules, a utility must notify the PSC when it expects an under- or over-recovery greater than 10 percent.
Northwest Florida FPL customers are still paying about $3 a month more for 1,000 kWh than in January, and they are still paying $1.3 billion due to Hurricanes Ian and Nicole over 12 months, beginning in April.
Our customers count on us to keep bills as low as possible – that’s especially important as we all deal with inflation and rising costs for food and rent and other basics,” said Armando Pimentel, president and CEO of FPL. “As fuel prices have moderated, we are pleased to pass through the savings to customers. Importantly, we continue to encourage customers to use FPL’s free tools to save energy and make their bill even lower.”
Molino Man Gets 11 Months In County Jail On Firearms Charge
April 5, 2023
A Molino man accused of firing a shotgun toward a man working on his neighbor’s home has been sentenced to 11 months in the Escambia County Jail.
Joseph Adam Greco, 50, was originally charged with aggravated assault with a firearm and discharging a firearm. He was convicted on a reduced misdemeanor count of improper exhibition of a firearm and found not guilty of discharging a firearm, according to court records.
In May 2022, Greco allegedly yelled obscenities at an individual working to remodel a neighboring home. The victim told deputies that he was working on the roof when he saw Greco at his front door pointing a shotgun at him. The victim said he saw a muzzle flash as Greco fired in his direction. Greco then went back inside his residence without saying anything, according to an arrest report.
The victim told deputies that a similar incident had occurred in the past, but he did not file a report.
The report states that there was an ongoing civil dispute between Greco and the victim. Deputies recovered a loaded shotgun and a spent shell casing at Greco’s home, the report continues.
Tate High Aggies Down The Navarre Raiders 9-3; Aggies JV Wins 7-1
April 5, 2023
Tate 9, Navarre 3
The Tate Aggies defeated the Navarre Raiders 9-3 Tuesday night at Tate.
The Aggies took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second.
For more photos, click or tap here.
Complete stats were not available at publication time early Wednesday morning.
Up next, the Aggies will travel to Tallahassee to take on Lincoln Friday night.
Tate 7, Navarre 1 (JV)
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Man Out On Bond With A GPS Monitor Accused Of $300K Burglary
April 5, 2023
An Escambia County man is accused of burglarizing his employer’s business — while wearing a court ordered GPS monitor from another case.
Lewis Hill, 39, was charged with burglary,vehicle theft, damaging property, larceny, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and obstructing justice.
The equipment allegedly stolen by Hill was valued at $300,000.
“He broke a window to the main office to get in. Once inside, Lewis stole a lot of stuff. He stole construction equipment, like the kind they use to saw into roadways. He also stole some fancy electronic equipment in big yellow containers,” the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said. He is also accused of stealing a utility truck, later found doused in gasoline on Chisholm Road. But it was not set on fire.
Deputies executed a search warrant at Hill’s home and recovered everything except the truck.
Lewis was out on bond on a previous charge of aggravated assault and was wearing a GPS ankle monitor as a condition of his bond.
“Yep, the GPS shows the monitor was at the business during the burglary and at the truck crash site, presumably attached to our burglar’s ankle,” the ECSO said.
Northview Varsity Beats Escambia; Chiefs JV Falls (With Gallery)
April 5, 2023
The Northview Chiefs split games with the Escambia Gators Tuesday in Bratt.
For a photo gallery from both varsity and junior varsity action, click or tap here.
Northview 6, Escambia 5
The Northview Chiefs beat the Escambia Gators 6-5.
Jamarkus Jefferson earned the win, giving up three hits and two runs while striking out six in three innings. Tyler Shaw opened on the mound for Northview, allowing three hits and three runs while striking out seven in four innings.
Jefferson, Trent Knighten, Wyatt Scruggs and Cason Burkett had one hit each for the Chiefs.
The Chiefs will host T.R. Miller from Brewton on Tuesday.
Escambia 4, Northview 0 (JV)
In junior varsity action Tuesday afternoon, Escambia got past Northview 4-0.
Brodie Rhodes pitched four innings for the JV Chiers, allowing three hits and four runs while walking four and striking out three. Kelan Jurey closed for an inning on the mound, allowing one hit and striking out one.
Jurey, Dane King and Robbie Bodiford each had one hit for Northview.
Pictured above and below: Northview’s JV takes on Navarre Tuesday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photos by William Reynolds. Northview varsity gallery pictures by Brystal Rhodes for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Our Investigation Reveals More Details About Highway 29 Crash That Claimed Northview Senior
April 5, 2023
It’s been over two weeks since a wrong way driver caused a wreck on Highway 29 near Quintette Road that claimed that driver, along with the life of a vibrant Northview High School senior.
The wrong way driver’s vehicle burned following the crash at 12:41 a.m. March 17. According to Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Jason King, the driver has not yet been positively identified by investigators due to the fire. It’s not known how long a positive identification will take. He said drivers are not positively identified by a tag number or vehicle identification number (VIN), because there’s no way to know the vehicle owner was the person behind the wheel. Positive identification,, he said, can take time.
The young woman killed by the at-fault has been identified as 18-year old Kara Santorelli of Molino. She was set to attend prom last Saturday night and graduate in May from Northview. Instead, her memorial service was held at sunrise March 25 on Pensacola Beach. Northview honored her by planting a tree in her memory and naming her prom queen last Saturday night.
In the days following the wreck, NorthEscambia.com learned that a 911 caller reported the wrong way driver in Molino just moments before the collision. But there was no time for anyone to stop the driver.
Toxicology results are not back yet on the wrong way driver, so it’s important to note that troopers don’t know if they were under the influence of alcohol or any substance whatsoever. FHP did confirm to us that the vehicle did not leave a lounge that is located about a mile and half north of the crash scene.
“We know it was a wrong way driver; they had no association with the bar in question,” King said.
Our investigation found that the driver was first reported to be headed southbound in the northbound lanes a few miles further north.
For this story, NorthEscambia.com analyzed information from Escambia County Fire, EMS and Emergency Communications; the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and from realtime audio recordings of the emergency radio traffic from Escambia County Fire and EMS.
While not graphic in nature, we must warn you that some readers may find the following details disturbing.
MARCH 17 TIMELINE
12:36 a.m. — Escambia County 911 received the first call reporting a wrong way driver headed south in the northbound lanes of Highway 29. As is protocol, Escambia County Emergency Communications, which dispatches only fire and EMS, transferred the call to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
12:40 a.m. — The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office takes the information from the caller and dispatches deputies to the wrong way driver last reported on Highway 29 at Molino Road.
12:40 a.m. — Escambia County 911 received their first call reporting a head-on crash at the intersection of North Highway 29 and West Quintette Road.
12:41 a.m. — Multiple Escambia County Fire Rescue stations and Escambia County EMS were dispatched to the crash. ECSO was already on the way due to the vehicle report. Initially, one ambulance was dispatched, along with the Molino, Cantonment and Ensley stations of Escambia County Fire Rescue and fire department supervisors.
12:46 a.m. — After traveling almost three miles north on Highway 29, the first fire truck was on scene. Engine 4 from Cantonment, arrived at 12:46 a.m. Engine 4 confirmed a fully involved vehicle fire in what was later determined to be the wrong-way vehicle.
12:49 a.m. — LifeFlight was dispatched to the scene, but was later canceled.
12:50 a.m. — The first Escambia County EMS unit arrived on scene.
RADIO TRAFFIC
Fire tones sound at 12:41 a.m.
“Head on collision. Possible entrapment, vehicle on fire, Highway 29 and West Quintette Road.”
“How many calls have you got on the vehicle fire,” Engine 4, front Cantonment, asks the dispatcher.
“I believe we have gotten multiple calls at this point in time. We have been receiving calls about a wrong way vehicle. This is going to be the same one going the wrong direction. Head-on collision. We are unsure if someone is inside the vehicle. We are checking on a helicopter,” the dispatcher replies. “EMS is right behind you.”
Engine 9 from the McDavid fire station was then added to the call, about a minute after the initial dispatch.
“Engine 4 arriving on scene, confirming we have a working vehicle fire, stretching a bumper line.” A bumper line is a firehose on the front of the truck, literally on the bumper, that is quickly deployable. “Establishing 29 command. I will advise on entrapment.”
Moments later Engine 4 advises, “Confirming we’ve got people in the car that’s on fire, and we’ve got heavy entrapment on the other vehicle as well.”
Squad 3, ECFR’s Special Operations team, is added to the call to assist.
LifeFlight lifts from Pensacola, responding to the scene. Firefighters state that they believe there was one person in burned, wrong way vehicle, and confirm that that person is a fatality. They advise there was only the single occupant in the second vehicle.
Soon, LifeFlight is canceled because there are no patients for transport.
We will continue to follow this story with any available updates.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.