Attorney General Honors Local FHP Troop For Rescuing Human Trafficking Victim
January 25, 2023
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody today presented a Back the Blue Award to Florida Highway Patrol Troop A for rescuing a human trafficking victim. Troop A’s area includes Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
Troopers recovered a minor trafficked by a known gang member after a car pursuit. The investigation uncovered that the defendant transported the victim across the state and coerced the teenager into sex work and child pornography. In addition to the Back the Blue Award, Attorney General Moody presented a resolution to FHP Troop A recognizing National Human Trafficking Prevention Month in a Florida Cabinet meeting.
“I’m proud to present this Back the Blue Award and Cabinet Resolution to the courageous law enforcement officers in FHP Troop A—they are true heroes who rescued a minor from a dangerous human trafficker. Ending this atrocious crime is one of my top priorities and I’m grateful for our law enforcement in Florida who work daily to help us achieve this lofty goal,” Moody said.
Troopers rescued a human trafficking victim following a car chase involving the trafficker, a known felon and gang member. The perpetrator fled the scene, and troopers discovered the female minor. The investigation uncovered that the trafficker transported the minor from South Florida to Okaloosa County to coerce the victim into sex work and the creation of child pornography.
Attorney General Moody honored the following Troopers for rescuing the victim: Corporal Jacob Moore, Trooper Ethan Ellerbee, Trooper Matthew Davis and Trooper Ronald Khune.
Pickup Driver Airlifted After Crashing Into ECUA Truck
January 24, 2023
One person was injured when they rear-ended an ECUA sanitation truck in Barrineau Park Tuesday.
The driver of a Ford F250 slammed into the rear of the ECUA truck on Molino Road near Barrineau Park School Road. The crash dislodged a John Deere Gator UTV being transported on a utility trailer behind the Ford, causing the Gator to crash into the back of the pickup truck.
The driver, a male reportedly in his 70s, was airlifted to a Pensacola hospital by MedStar Air Care helicopter.
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The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. The Molino and Cantonment stations of Escambia County Fire Rescue, Escambia County EMS, and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Man Returning From Probation Officer Visit Stabs Lyft Driver In The Head, ECSO Says
January 24, 2023
A man returning from a visit with his probation officer allegedly stabbed a Lyft driver in the back of the head Tuesday morning.
River Austin Sewell, 27, was charged with felony aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, destroying evidence, and burglar of an occupied structure.
took the ride sharing service Lyft to see his probation officer. On the way back home, he allegedly stabbed the driver in the back of the head before running from the vehicle. He then broke into a nearby business on Fowler Avenue near Sagebrush Trail, just south of Nine Mile Road.
The sheriff’s office said Sewell and the driver did not argue prior to the incident.
The Lyft driver was transported to an area hospital. Information on his condition was not available.
Court records show Sewell was convicted of fleeing and eluding, petit theft, resisting arrested and driving without a license for an incident in Cantonment in January 2020.
FPL Seeks Rate Hike For Hurricane, Natural Gas Costs
January 24, 2023
Florida Power & Light is asking the Public Service Commission for permission to raise electric bills to recover hurricane costs and the increased price of natural gas.
FPL residential customers using 1,000 kWh in Northwest Florida saw a decrease on their January bill of one penny to $155.60. That same bill is set to go $159.79 in February. If the proposal filed Monday is approved, that same 1,000 kWh bill will increase to $173.09.
Customers in the rest of the state pay less for 1,000 kWh — $129.59 in February and, with the increase, $142.88 in April.
FPL is seeking $1.3 billion due to Hurricanes Ian and Nicole over 12 months, beginning in April. They also want to recover $2.1 million in increased natural gas costs over 21 months.
FPL is also seeking permission to recover about $2.1 billion to make up for the difference between projections and actual costs for natural gas in 2022. FPL’s proposal would spread these unrecovered 2022 fuel costs over a 21-month period beginning in April 2023 to reduce the impact on customer bills.
Partially offsetting these higher fuel costs, FPL plans to decrease its projected 2023 fuel factor by about $1 billion during the final nine months of this year due to a sharp drop in projected natural gas prices after 2023 projections were filed with the PSC in the third quarter of 2022.
FPL customers in the former Gulf Power territory may get some relief in the coming months.
As part of Monday’s filing, FPL also responded to the PSC’s request to calculate the impact of spreading the remaining costs from past hurricanes that affected customers of the former Gulf Power across all FPL customer bills. Doing so would reduce the monthly storm charge on a typical 1,000-kWh bill in Northwest Florida by nearly $10.
“FPL has a proven track record of keeping bills below the national average. When events beyond our control – like hurricanes and significant changes in fuel prices – force a change to customer bills, we try to do so in a thoughtful way that minimizes the impact on our customers while balancing the risk of invoices piling up,” said FPL Chairman and CEO Eric Silagy. “Still, we recognize that every dollar matters, which is why we encourage customers to use FPL’s free tools and simple tips to save energy and money on their electric bills.”
Man Broke Into Molino Home, Ate Two Lunchables And Took A Shower, ECSO Says
January 24, 2023
A Molino woman returned to her home to find a man inside that ate two Lunchables out of the refrigerator and took a shower, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Edward Charles Boyett, 44, was booked into the Escambia County Jail on charges of burglary of an unoccupied dwelling unarmed and petit theft.
A woman that lives on North Highway 95A near Highland Baptist Church and walked to her son’s house nearby. She returned home to find someone in her house.
She told her son, who returned with a firearm to his mom’s home to find the doors locked. He said he could see someone inside taking a shower, according to an arrest report. He fired several shots in an attempt to scare the intruder out.
An Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputy arrived to find the son outside the home with a firearm, talking to Boyett through a bathroom window. Deputies commanded Boyett to exit the home and arrested him at gunpoint.
The victim told deputies that several items were disturbed. Two Lunchables, valued at $5 each, had been removed from the refrigerator and eaten before the packages were thrown in the trash. The victim said her purse has been gone through, and a vehicle key was removed and placed on the kitchen counter.
Deputies found several of Boyett’s belongings in the home, including a backpack with clothing and miscellaneous items on the kitchen table. Boyett’s bicycle was located on the north side of the residence.
Boyett remained in the Escambia County Jail Tuesday with bond set at $10,500.
Monday Night Fire Destroys Cantonment Home
January 24, 2023
Fire destroyed a home in Cantonment Monday night.
The fire was reported about 7:15 p.m. in the 2900 block of Sundance Lane, just off County Road 97 in the Windsong subdivision. The 3,400 square foot home was heavily involved in fire when firefighters arrived on scene.
The fire started with a vehicle in the garage, according to Escambia Fire Rescue. There were no injuries.
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Tate Boys Entering Soccer Districts As No. 2 Seed On Saturday
January 24, 2023
The Tate High School boys soccer team is headed into the 6A District playoffs as the second seed.
The tournament schedule is as follows:
Thursday, January 26
No. 4 Pace will host No. 5 Milton at 6 p.m. Thursday.
Saturday, January 28
No. 2 Tate will host No. 3 Navarre at Ashton Brosnaham Park at noon.
No 1 Gulf Breeze will play the winner of Pace and Milton at 2 p.m. at Ashton Brosnaham Park.
Wednesday, February 1
Championship game at 6 p.m. at Ashton Brosnaham Park.
Tickets will be available only on GoFan.
Police Seek Info On $12,000 Welder Stolen From Flomaton Business
January 24, 2023
The Flomaton Police Department is seeking information about the theft of a $12,000 welding machine from a local business.
The Lincoln Electric Vantage 322 was stolen on January 17 from L&L Welding on Highway 31. The unit number on the machine is 134910 and the serial number is U1210304170.
Anyone with information is asked to call Investigator Ashley Wood at (251) 809-4444.
Cantonment Woman Charged With Felony Child Neglect For Failing To Provide Medical Care
January 24, 2023
A Cantonment woman was arrested after allegedly failing to provide medical care for her son.
Sabrina Dawn Neufeldt, 45, was charged with felony child neglect and was being held in the Escambia County Jail with a $50,000 bond.
On January 18, a man contacted the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office to report the possible child abuse.
He told deputies that Neufeldt contacted him on December 20 asking if she and her child could stay with him for a while. He agreed to let her “stay with him rent-free until she was able to get her life back on track,” according to an arrest report. He drove to pick her up from a camper, and “when he arrived at the camper he noticed the living conditions were horrible such as black mold, rats, and a wet interior”.
The man told deputies that the child was emotionally distressed and malnourished, with pale skin, dark rings around his eyes, and severe rotting of the teeth with an abscess. She allegedly stated that she needed to get insurance to provide medical care for the boy.
On January 15, the boy lost consciousness on a ride at Foley amusement park. After paramedics determined he had low blood pressure, Neufeldt said she would take him to the hospital the next day. Instead, she decided to drink heavily and became intoxicated, the report states, before leaving home.
The man contacted deputies when she did not return for two days. The relationship between Neufeldt and the man is redacted from the arrest report, but the man told deputies that he had not seen her in six years and that he does not have custody or appear on the child’s birth certificate.
According to the ECSO, the child had about eight rotten teeth and is skinny, but appeared to be eating. There were no other injuries noted.
Another witness said Neufeldt’s camper in Flomaton had rats and black mold and she often did not have food to feed the child.
Perdido May Join Pensacola And Century As Escambia County’s Municipalities
January 24, 2023
Right now there are just two municipalities in Escambia County — the city of Pensacola and the town of Century.
But that could change in the not so distant future with the addition of the city of Perdido.
Those hoping to officially incorporate Perdido as a city held a public information meeting Monday night.
Proponents say Perdido generates an estimated $60 million a year in revenue for Escambia County, holds 16% of the county’s taxable real estate value and produces 20% of the tourist development tax.
Over the coming months, Perdido’s citizens will work together to propose boundaries and guide the creation of a feasibility study, a five-year projected budget, and a proposed city charter. The results will be submitted to the local legislative delegation to be considered as a local bill by the Florida House and Senate. If it passes the legislature, citizens in the proposed city of Perdido will vote on incorporation in 2024.
The proposed Perdido municipality has about 19,400 residents. As proposed, it would include Perdido Key and the inland area to the north.
