Flomaton Military Dad Surprises Kids, His Sister At Long Deployment
April 14, 2024
The Dove family received a really sweet surprise last week in Flomaton as a military dad returned from his deployments.
Flomaton High School graduate Tyler Dove is a father of four that has been stationed in Hawaii for quite some time.
Friday, he came home and visited Flomaton Elementary School, surprising his daughters McKinley and Paislee, and his sister Shelbi Hines, who is a Flomaton Elementary teacher.
And as if that’s not sweet enough of a story, it gets better with a birthday surprise. Friday was his young sister Raegan’s sweet 16.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
EREC Holds Lineman Camp For Local Students (With Gallery)
April 14, 2024
Fifteen students from area schools recently embarked on an electrifying journey at the first-ever Escambia River Electric Cooperative Power Up Lineman’s Camp.
Hosted by EREC, the camp not only equipped participants with essential skills in pole climbing and line repair but also delved into the intricacies of underground lines, bucket truck operations, right of way importance, and transformer functionality.
Under the guidance of experienced professionals, these budding linemen immersed themselves in hands-on activities, gaining practical knowledge that could potentially shape their future careers in the electrical industry. From mastering the art of ascending a pole to understanding the critical role of transformers in power distribution, each session was designed to empower the next generation of utility workers.
Ryan Campbell, CEO of EREC, emphasized the importance of camaraderie and safety within the industry, echoing the sentiment of a tight-knit family at EREC. “We are family here at EREC, and if there is any takeaway from this camp, it is to be safe at all times and take care of your brothers,” remarked Campbell.
Beyond technical skills, the camp fostered a sense of community and responsibility among the participants. Through teamwork and collaboration, students not only tackled challenging tasks but also forged bonds that transcended the boundaries of the camp.
With their newfound skills and the spirit of camaraderie instilled by EREC, these students are poised to become the linemen of tomorrow, ensuring that communities remain powered and connected for generations to come, EREC said.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Driver’s License, Tax Collector Services Available Thursday In Century
April 14, 2024
Driver’s license and other tax collector services will be available in Century on Thursday, April 18 from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. at the Billy G. Ward Courthouse.
Mobile Licensing and Identification Office (MILO) is a fully functional tax collector office on wheels, offering a range of services. The mobile unit provides a convenient method to renew a driver license, obtain a replacement driver license, conversion/reciprocation of out-of-state license, change a name or address on a current driver license or identification card, and get a first-time identification card. In addition to licensing services, the mobile unit also provides an opportunity to renew or replace a vehicle registration, receive a parking placard, transfer a title, pay property taxes, and apply for a business tax receipt. Written and driving tests are not available from the MILO unit.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ice Flyers Season Ends With 6-1 Game Two Playoff Loss
April 14, 2024
The Pensacola Ice Flyers lost 6-1 the Peoria Rivermen in game two playoff action Saturday night in Peoria, Illinois.
Peoria moves on the second round as the season came to an end Saturday night for the Pensacola Ice Flyers.
The Ice Flyers have four previous Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) championships.
AG: Escambia Man Stole $17K From Escambia Senior, Used On Netflix, Amazon And Doordash
April 14, 2024
Florida Attorney General has announced the arrest of an Escambia County man for financially exploiting an elderly Escambia resident.
Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit said Ira M. Roberts systematically took more than $17,000 from the senior’s bank account over an 18-month period, spending the funds on personal bills and purchases from DoorDash, Netflix, Amazon, and other stores.
“This man, while serving in a position of trust as a power of attorney, stole more than $17,000 from a senior victim’s bank account to use on himself. It is shameful that instead of faithfully fulfilling the role of power of attorney, he stole thousands of dollars to pay his own utilities and bills from DoorDash, Netflix, Amazon and other stores. I am thankful for our Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for stopping this exploitation,” Moody said Thursday.
According to the investigation, Roberts, while in a position of trust with the 82-year-old victim, transferred more than $44,000 from the victim’s account into his own account between June 2021 and December 2022. Based on witness accounts, facility records and bank records, Roberts spent more than $17,000 of those transferred funds on personal expenses—not for the use or benefit of the victim.
Roberts faces one count of exploitation of an elderly person or disabled adult, less than $50,000—a second-degree felony. He was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $10,000 bond.
Wahoos Blanked By Biscuits In Twin Bill Sweep
April 14, 2024
written by Erik Bremer
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos were swept in a doubleheader by the Montgomery Biscuits on Saturday, falling 2-0 in game one and 6-0 in game two.
The Blue Wahoos offense managed just seven hits, all singles, in the two games. With the sweep, Pensacola has lost five games in a row.
In game one, Evan Fitterer (L, 0-1) allowed an RBI double to Heriberto Hernandez in the second inning and an RBI single to Carson Williams in the third. The Pensacola starter lasted 4.2 innings with no more damage done, but was outdueled by Ian Seymour (W, 1-0) and his 5.0 scoreless, two-hit innings for Montgomery.
The Blue Wahoos threatened in the seventh and final inning with singles from Shane Sasaki and Bennett Hostetler, but Antonio Jimenez (S, 1) coaxed a deep flyout from Jonathan Guzmán to end the game.
In game two, the Biscuits jumped out to an early 2-0 lead against M.D. Johnson (L, 0-1) with an RBI double from Kenny Piper and sacrifice fly from Hernandez in the first inning. In the third, Montgomery scored four runs on only an infield single thanks to three walks and a pair of infield errors.
Brendan McKay was sharp through 3.0 innings in his start for the Biscuits, and relievers Jeff Belge (W, 1-0) and Keyshawn Askew completed the three-hit shutout.
The Blue Wahoos wrap up their series in Montgomery against the Biscuits on Sunday. First pitch from Riverwalk Stadium is scheduled for 3:33.
Suspect Wanted After Teen Shot And Killed Late Friday Night In Cottage Hill
April 13, 2024
For an update to this story, click here.
A 16-year-old was shot and killed late Friday night in Cottage Hill.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of shots fired at a home in the 1600 block of Wishbone Road about 11:30 p.m.
Deputies arrived to find a 16-year-old suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. He was pronounced deceased on scene, according to ECSO spokesperson Morgan Lewis.
“The investigation determined that during a large gathering at the residence, Ethan O’Brien (pictured) was showing off his firearm at which time it accidentally discharged hitting the 16-year-old. O’Brien fled the scene before deputies arrived,” The ECSO said Saturday morning.
O’Brien, 19, is wanted for manslaughter through negligence.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers on (850) 433-STOP or the ECSO at (850) 436-9620.
Pictured: The scene on Wishbone Road in Cottage Hill late Friday night after a teen was shot and killed. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
State Appeal Court Denies Mom’s Appeal In Tate Homecoming Queen Scandal Case
April 13, 2024
The Florida First District Court of Appeal has ruled that statements are admissible from a former assistant principal convicted for her part in wrongly helping her daughter win the Tate High School homecoming queen.
In September 2022, Laura Carroll pleaded no contest to one count of felony unlawful use of a two-way communications device, and adjudication was withheld by Judge Coleman Robinson. Carroll was sentenced to 18 months supervised probation. She was also ordered to pay costs or perform community service, and pay the cost of her probation supervision, according to court documents.
In her appeal, Carroll moved to suppress the statements she made to a school district investigator. She argued that her statements were coerced in violation of her right against self-incrimination because she feared adverse employment consequences if she did not cooperate with the investigator. The trial court denied the motion, and it was upheld by the appeals court.
Carroll’s daughter, Emily Rose Grover, was charged by FDLE with the same offenses. After her successful completion of a pretrial intervention program, the state dismissed the charges against the daughter.
In January 2022, Grover entered a pre-trial diversion program that resulted in the charges against her being dismissed in March 2022.
Case Background
According to the Florida First District Court of Appeal ruling:
When the results of Tate High School’s 2020 homecoming queen election came in, Laura Carroll’s daughter appeared to have won convincingly. But not everyone was convinced. The teacher responsible for administering the election reported to school officials that many votes in the election had been flagged by the election application software—and that every flagged vote had been cast for Carroll’s daughter.
At the time, Carroll was an assistant principal at Bellview Elementary School, with districtwide access to all student accounts in the school district’s FOCUS portal. It was suspected by some that Carroll’s daughter had access to her mother’s credentials to the FOCUS portal and had used that access to acquire confidential student information. Information that she then used to cast votes for herself in the homecoming 2 queen election. The school district appointed Gary Marsh to investigate the report. Marsh concluded that the suspicions linking Carroll to the improperly cast votes were well-founded.
Tate High School allowed students to vote for homecoming queen through an application called Election Runner. On election day, Election Runner administrators reported to the school district that one hundred seventeen votes had been flagged as “false.” To cast votes in the election, students had to verify their identity using their student identification number and their date of birth. This information was available in FOCUS. All the votes flagged by Election Runner were from students whose records had been accessed from Carroll’s FOCUS account in the thirty days before the election. And every flagged vote was cast for Carroll’s daughter.
As an assistant principal at Belleview with administrator access, Carroll could use FOCUS to review confidential information for any student in the school district, including grades, attendance, and mental health records. Marsh reviewed a report from the school’s information management system and confirmed that Carroll’s FOCUS credentials were used to view confidential information of two hundred twelve Tate High School students in the thirty days before the homecoming queen election. And in the year before the election, confidential records of three hundred thirty-nine students at Tate were accessed with Carroll’s credentials. As Carroll worked at the elementary school, it was unclear why she would have needed to access records of students at Tate.
District officials decided to question Carroll to see if she had an explanation for accessing so many high school student records. Marsh went to Belleview to speak with Carroll, but she refused to talk to him. Marsh then asked Carroll to come to the school district’s office for a formal interview.
When Carroll arrived, she was questioned for an hour by Marsh, with another school district official present—the information technology security manager. Carroll sat close to the door in the conference room where she was questioned. Marsh confirmed to Carroll that she was free to leave at any time.
Carroll answered some questions but she refused to answer others. At times, she stated: “Well, I’m not going to tell you that,” and “I’m not going to tell you.” She did admit that she had provided her daughter with access to her FOCUS credentials in the past.
When the school district’s investigation concluded, Marsh reported the data breach to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. FDLE investigated and verified that someone using Carroll’s credentials illegally accessed confidential records of Tate High School students in FOCUS. FDLE confirmed that one hundred seventeen votes in the homecoming queen election originated from a single Internet Protocol (IP) address. FDLE traced the IP address to Verizon and back to Carroll’s cell phone number.
FDLE also obtained nine written statements from Tate High School students and one teacher who attested that they had witnessed Carroll’s daughter using her mother’s FOCUS credentials or that the daughter had spoken with them about such use. One student reported that Carroll’s daughter had bragged about using her mother’s FOCUS credentials for the past four years, from the time she was a freshman at Tate. FDLE learned that FOCUS users had to change their passwords every forty-five days—meaning that Carroll’s daughter would have needed to regularly obtain or discover Carroll’s new passwords. FDLE also reviewed a written statement provided by Carroll’s daughter, admitting that she had access to Carroll’s FOCUS account.
FDLE also obtained records of the administrative hearing on the expulsion of Carroll’s daughter from school. During the hearing, Carroll submitted a letter to the hearing officer, stating that her daughter was guilty of accessing information from Carroll’s FOCUS account. Carroll admitted that she herself had viewed the records of hundreds of students at Tate by using her district administrator access.
FDLE applied for a warrant for Carroll’s arrest. Carroll* was arrested and charged with (1) accessing a computer system without authorization, (2) illegal use of personal identification information, (3) unlawful use of a two-way communications device to facilitate the commission of a felony, and (4) conspiracy to commit a felony.
Carroll moved to suppress the statements she made during the meeting with Marsh. She argued that her statements were coerced in violation of her right against self-incrimination because she feared adverse employment consequences if she did not cooperate with Marsh. The trial court denied the motion.
Carroll then pleaded no contest to the use of a two-way communications device to facilitate a felony in exchange for the State dropping the other three charges. She reserved the right to appeal the trial court’s denial of her motion to suppress. The trial court withheld adjudication and sentenced her to eighteen months of probation. This timely appeal followed.
Escambia River Flood Warning Canceled
April 13, 2024
The flood warning has been canceled for the Escambia River near Century.
At 7 p.m. Friday, the stage was 16 feet. The river was expected to rise to a crest of 16.7 feet by Saturday afternoon before falling.
Flood stage is 17.0 feet. At 19 feet, low lying pastures will flood forcing cattle to be moved to higher ground.
Softball: Stuckey Homers Again As Milton Defeats Northview; Tate Over Niceville
April 13, 2024
Milton 5, Northview 3
A long winning streak came to an end for the Northview Chiefs as they fell to Milton 5-3 Friday night in Milton.
Northview’s Avery Stucky had two hits and three RBIs, including a home run to centerfield in the top of the sixth inning — her fifth homer of the season.
Chloe Ragsdale also had two hits for the Chiefs.
Jamison Gilman took the loss in the circle for the Chiefs. She went for four innings, giving up two runs and three hits while striking out four and walking one. Mikayla McAnally pitched two innings, allowing four hits and three runs, striking out two and walking one.
Up next, Northview will travel to Baker on Monday at 6 p.m.
Tate 3, Niceville 1
The Tate Lady Aggies beat Niceville 3-1 Friday night.
Jordan Smith recorded 21 outs as she earned the win for Tate as she pitched a complete game, giving up eight hits and one run, striking out four and walking one.
Lacy Wilson went 2-3 with one RBI for the Aggies, and Kara Wine was 1-3 with two RBIs.
The Tate Aggies will be at West Florida on Tuesday.