Local COVID-19 Hospitalizations Fall To Lowest Level Since July
October 14, 2021
COVID-19 hospitalizations in Escambia County have fallen to their lowest level since July 22.
On September 22, there were 158 people hospitalized for COVID-19 in Ascension Sacred Heart, Baptist and West Florida hospitals. That compares to 127 two weeks ago and 284 one month ago.
The numbers in the graph indicate daily hospitalizations in Escambia County and are provided daily by Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital, Baptist Hospital and West Florida Hospital. The daily numbers are not cumulative.
Data sources: Escambia County, City of Pensacola, Ascension Sacred Heart, Baptist and West Florida hospitals. Graphics: City of Pensacola.
Reminder: District 5 Cottage Hill Neighborhood Cleanup Day Is Friday
October 14, 2021
Residents of Cottage Hill will have the opportunity to dispose of yard debris and other items free of charge Friday, October 15 during a District 5 Neighborhood Cleanup.
During neighborhood cleanups, Escambia County departments team up to bring services to residents in an effort to keep local neighborhoods clean and safe. Participating is easy: Residents in the cleanup area simply leave eligible items at the curb to be disposed of free of charge by Escambia County and partnering agencies.
All debris must be at the curb directly in front of residences in the area by 7 a.m. on the day of the cleanup. Tires and paint cans should be separate from all other debris. Debris piles should not be placed under low-hanging lines or near poles, fences or mailboxes. All items, including containers, will be collected.
Only residents in the designated cleanup area are able to participate in the neighborhood cleanup. Items left at the curb outside of the cleanup area will not be collected. The collection area is east of Highway 95A, between the side streets north of McKenzie Road to Eden Road and to the east of Williams Ditch Road (see map above).
Items eligible for removal include:
- Household appliances and electronics
- Household junk and debris
- Bicycles and toys
- Old furniture and mattresses
- Barbecue grills
- Household hazardous waste (old paint, motor oil, chemicals, batteries)
- Tires (limit 10 per household)
Items NOT eligible for removal include:
- Building materials (concrete, bricks, blocks, roofing, drywall or lumber)
- Explosives or ammunition
- Auto parts
- Dirt or sod
- Vehicles or vessels
- 55-gallon drums of fluids
The neighborhood cleanup initiative involves an aggressive cleanup effort, targeting different neighborhoods throughout the county, with crew members and volunteers picking up a variety of debris and waste, including electronics, furniture and household items.
Since 2016, more than 3,577 tons (7,154,000 pounds) of debris were collected and disposed of through the Community Redevelopment Agency’s Safe Neighborhood Program.
The county’s neighborhood cleanup program is hosted by the Escambia County Community Redevelopment Agency’s Safe Neighborhood Program. Local partners include Escambia County Waste Services, Environmental Code Enforcement, Public Works, Animal Services and Road Prison, along with the City of Pensacola Sanitation Department and Keep Pensacola Beautiful. During the cleanups, county staff handle issues such as roaming dogs and cats, unsafe structures, tree trimming, right of way mowing, street sweeping, household hazardous waste recycling and more.
SUV Lands Up In Trees In Highway 29 Wreck
October 13, 2021
A SUV landed literally up in the trees in a crash late Tuesday afternoon just south of Century.
The driver of the SUV was towing a U-Haul trailer on North Century Boulevard near Crary Road when lost control. The vehicle left the roadway and crashed into wood line. One tree was downed under the Honda Pilot. The SUV stopped with its bumper several feet off the ground with only one tire on the ground.
The adult male driver was not injured in the crash. He was able to crawl up and out of the wreckage and was assisted by firefighters as he climbed down a ladder.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. The Century and McDavid stations of Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS also responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos. click to enlarge.
Escambia Doctor, Two Family Members Charged With Running ‘Pill Mill’ From Medical Clinic
October 13, 2021
An Escambia County doctor, along with his wife and son, have been arrested for allegedly operating a pill mill, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Dr. William Wilson, 68, and Beverly Wilson, 66, were arrested Tuesday in Norfolk, Virginia, and James Wilson, 48, was arrested in Pensacola.
The investigation began in 2019, based on pharmacist and citizen complaints that Dr. Wilson and the Wilson Family Medical Center on University Parkway was operating as an unlicensed pain management clinic for financial gain and negligently prescribing dangerous narcotic combinations.
On September 11, 2019, agents executed the first of two search warrants and seized significant evidence. Dr. William Wilson also relinquished his DEA registration that allowed him to prescribe controlled substances. The investigation continued and evidence was analyzed. The analysis included file reviews by a certified expert physician with an expertise in interventional pain management, who found that all of the charts he reviewed revealed patients were prescribed controlled substances without a legitimate medical purpose.
The investigation found that the Wilson Family Medical Center double-billed clients for cash and insurance, without clinical notes or exams, and clients routinely received controlled substance prescriptions without seeing Dr. Wilson.
Agents provided the expert physician the chart of an 18-year-old male who visited the clinic at least 10 times, receiving controlled substances each visit. There were no notes in his chart indicating the reason for the prescriptions. On April 26, 2018, he received a prescription for oxycodone and was found dead on April 27. The Medical Examiner determined the cause of death as oxycodone toxicity.
The investigation found that the Wilson Family Medical Center fraudulently billed Blue Cross Blue Shield for a total of $1,862,000 and received $500,000.
“As in all professions, the majority of physicians do the right thing,” said Chris Williams, FDLE Pensacola special agent in charge. “From time to time, a physician does not live out the Hippocratic Oath and FDLE appreciates the help of our law enforcement partners and members of our community in working together to stop them from hurting our citizens, and hold them accountable.”
William Wilson, Beverly Wilson and James Wilson were each charged with conspiracy to traffic in oxycodone (100 grams/30 kilograms), unlawful use of a two-way communications device, culpable negligence inflicting actual injury and scheme to defraud. The investigation is ongoing and additional charges may be forthcoming, according to FDLE.
James Wilson was booked into the Escambia County Jail Tuesday on $136,000 bond. William and Beverly Wilson are being held pending extradition at the Norfolk (Virginia) City Jail. The Office of the State Attorney, First Judicial Circuit, will prosecute the case.
FDLE agents, with the assistance of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Norfolk (Virginia) Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), made the arrests.
Investigation Underway After Body Found On Road
October 13, 2021
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of a man whose body was found on Tuesday as a homicide.
The body of a black male believed to be in his late 30s or early 40s was found on Rambler Drive in the Marcus Pointe area.
Sheriff Chip Simmons said it appears someone shot the man, but so far there are no suspects. He said the body may have been there overnight.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Charter Review Committee Wants To Make Century Mayor A Council Member
October 13, 2021
The Century Charter Review Committee wants to make the elected mayor a member of the town council and delegate most authority for running the municipality to a hired town manager.
The committee voted in July that a charter rewrite would form a town manager-council form of government, making the elected mayor a weak position, perhaps mostly a figurehead. With a show of hands Tuesday afternoon, the committee decided 4-2 that the mayor will serve as a council member and chair of the council. As such, the mayor would not be allowed to discuss town business with other council members away from public meetings under Florida’s Sunshine Law. Contact with council members would be the responsibility of the town manager.
The committee decided to remove an outdated mayoral spending limit from the charter, which currently stands at $500 for emergencies or $200 otherwise.
If the charter review committee completes a rewrite, the changes would go the town council to decide if the recommendation will go on the ballot for a citizen vote.
Tate High School Names Students Of The Month
October 13, 2021
Tate High School recently named their Students of the Month for August. They are Hailey Hartjen and Zavion Simmons. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Residents Can Apply For COVID-19 Death Funeral Assistance
October 13, 2021
Escambia County residents who require funeral assistance due to COVID-19 can apply for FEMA’s COVID-19 Funeral Assistance program. There is currently no deadline to apply.
To be eligible for funeral assistance, you must meet the following conditions:
- Must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien who incurred funeral expenses on or after Jan. 20, 2020.
- For deaths that occurred after May 16, 2020, the death certificate must indicate the death was attributed to COVID-19.
- For deaths that occurred from Jan. 20 to May 16, 2020, any death certificate that does not attribute the cause of death to COVID-19 must be accompanied by a signed statement listing COVID-19 as a cause or contributing cause of death.
- The signed statement must be provided by the original certifier of the death certificate or the local medical examiner or coroner from the jurisdiction in which the death occurred.
- The statement must provide an additional explanation, or causal pathway, linking the cause of death listed on the death certificate to COVID-19.
- If the death certificate was issued May 17, 2020 or later, the death certificate must attribute the death directly or indirectly to COVID-19.
- FEMA encourages you to keep the official death certificate that shows the death occurred in the United States, including District of Columbia and the U.S. territories.
To apply for COVID-19 Funeral Assistance, call the helpline at 844-684-6333. The helpline is available Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Central time. Online applications are not accepted.
Escambia Schools Relax COVID-19 Restrictions; Volunteers, Visitors And Some Field Trips Return
October 12, 2021
The Escambia County School District has relaxed some of the remaining COVID-19 restrictions at local schools.
Effective Tuesday, on-campus visitors will be allowed, including volunteers, mentors and college recruiters. Field trips will also be allowed to resume on a limited basis with district-level approval.
Any precautionary protocols issued by the state will remain in place, and any large student gatherings on campus during the school day will remain limited.
The Escambia County School District reported 10 positive students and six positive staff members as of Monday. There were 92 more students in quarantine, along with two staff members.
Parole Denied For Murderer Found By NorthEscambia.com After He Returned To The Scene
October 12, 2021
Parole has been denied for a murderer spotted by NorthEscambia.com after he returned to the scene of the crime.
In 2010, Clarence Luker was sentenced to 20 years in prison under a plea agreement for the murder of Kenneth Porter, 32, in September 2009. His parole was recently denied by the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles.
Porter was shot after a dispute at a trailer park on Nathan Road in Nokomis, Ala. He died about two hours later at a Mobile hospital. Luker and co-defendant Lorraine Gray fled the scene in a late model 1980s two-tone Ford Econoline van. Law enforcement agencies from Alabama and Florida were on the lookout for the van.
When NorthEscambia.com arrived at the murder scene about to take photographs of the trailers where the incident occurred, all law enforcement personnel had been gone from the scene for a short period of time. After our photos were taken, NorthEscambia.com spotted the alleged getaway vehicle around the corner from the murder location, headed back toward the murder scene.
When deputies arrived back on Nathan Road about 10 minutes later, they found Gray in the van parked at the murder scene. Deputies said she exited the van with her hands up and said “I’m the one you are looking for”. Authorities later learned Gray had no prior knowledge of the crime. She pleaded guilty to hindering prosecution and was sentenced to three years probation.
Tracking dogs from Fountain Correctional Facility in Atmore and the Century Correctional Institution were called to the scene to search for Luker. As the dogs began their search of the area, Luker was taken into custody near the intersection of Nathan and James Roads. His clothes were splattered with blood. Luker also admitted to deputies that he was the shooter.
Luker, now 50-years old, is eligible for a parole hearing again in September 2026; otherwise he will be in prison until September 2029. He is currently being held at Fountain Correctional.
NorthEscambia.com exclusive file photos, click to enlarge.
