Check Out A ‘Blind Date With A Book’ From The Molino Branch Library For Valentine’s Day
February 10, 2021
As Valentine’s Day approaches, how about a blind date with a book from the Molino Branch Library?
It’s a chance to read something new and fresh.
Blind Date with a Book is pretty simple. Books are covered to obscure the author and titles. They are labeled with a few keywords to help make the perfect blind date match.
- Beach Read. Romance. Secrecy.
- Regency Romance. London. Historical Fiction. In Love With…
- New York City Library. Photographer. Romance. Autumn.
- Aliens. Cats. Funny.
Those are just a few of the blind date books available at the Molino Branch Library.
Storms Bring Ping Pong Ball Size Hail, Power Outages; And Here’s How Much It Rained
February 9, 2021
Hail was reported across the North Escambia area early Tuesday morning as storms moved through. There were also numerous power outages.
A NorthEscambia.com reader sent us this photo of hail that fell on Howell Road off Highway 97 in Walnut Hill about 3:10 a.m. Meteorologists with the National Weather Service in Mobile said the hail pictured is up to ping pong ball size, about 1.5 inches.
The ping pong ball size hail did damage an outdoor light, barn light, a horse trailer and vehicles on Howell Road.
NorthEscambia.com received reports of hail across the area — from Walnut Hill, Bratt, Century, Jay (confirmed quarter size), McDavid, Atmore, Flomaton, Pollard and more.
During the 12 a.m. hour, about 3,300 Escambia River Electric Cooperative customers lost power due the prolific lightning. That’s about 30% of all EREC customers. All but a handful had power restored within about an hour.
The weather station at Northview High School in Bratt recorded 1.7 inches of rain. Other rain totals as of 8:30 a.m. Tuesday were:
University of West Florida 1.36 inches
Washington High School 0.76 inches
West Florida High School 0.72 inches
Tate High School 0.61 inches
Escambia High School 0.44 inches
Pensacola High School 0.38 inches
Pine Forest High School (gauge was not working)
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Adult, Child Rescued From Overnight House Fire Near Flomaton
February 9, 2021
Two people were rescued from a house fire early Tuesday morning near Flomaton.
The fire in the 1000 block of Twin Bridges Road was reported about 3:30 a.m. Firefighters arrived to find fire on the first floor of the home.
An adult and child had been sleeping upstairs and were alerted by an alarm system. They were unable to go downstairs due to smoke and fire, and smoke had forced them outside onto the back deck of the second story.
“They were out there but the smoke was so bad it was hard for them to breathe,” Flomaton Fire Chief Steve Stanton said. Firefighters were quickly able to get them down and to safety.
Stanton said a lightning strike to a hot water heater was to blame for the fire.
The Flomaton, Friendship and Lambeth fire departments, with help from the Century and McDavid stations of Escambia Fire Rescue, were among those that responded.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Woman Airlifted After Highway 29 Crash That Injured Six People
February 9, 2021
Six people were reported to be injured in a two vehicle crash Monday night in Molino.
The 70-year old female driver of an SUV was airlifted by LifeFlight helicopter to Sacred Heart Hospital as a trauma alert. Five others, including two children, were transported to the hospital by Escambia County EMS with injuries that were not considered serious.
The crash happened about 6:50 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 196.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the 79-year old Cantonment woman attempted to turn onto Highway 29 and pulled her Honda SUV from Highway 196 into the path of a king cab pickup truck pulling a work trailer.
The SUV came to rest upside down on Highway 29, while the truck continued off the roadway into the edge of a wooded area.
Highway 29 was closed for the investigation and cleanup, including the removal of nails and screws in the roadway.
The Molino, Cantonment and McDavid stations of Escambia Fire Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Santa Rosa Man Gets Life In Prison For Strangling His Girlfriend
February 9, 2021
A Santa Rosa County man that confessed to killing his girlfriend and keeping her body inside his home has been sentenced to life in prison.
Jerry Geisler Odum, 61, pleaded guilty to first degree premeditated murder for death of his girlfriend, Vicki Edge. according to State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden.
On August 7, 2020, the Odum struck Edge in the head multiple times with a baseball bat before strangling her to death. Law enforcement became involved the following day after Edge’s family members became concerned that they had been unable to reach her.
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office responded for a welfare check. They later entered the residence and found Edge deceased inside the living room.
Odum said Edge had been at his residence for about two weeks. He stated he gave her a $15,000 check for their planned wedding, but he knew he did not have enough money in the bank, according to his arrest report.
After the incident, Odum said he took their dog and rode around for a while before returning to the residence where he dropped off the dog and left for Crestview to stay the night in a hotel room, according to the report. Odum stated that he got up on Friday morning and drove from the motel room back to his residence to “check on her.” He stated that he did not know what else to do. He let the dog out and visited with neighbors.
Odum also told deputies that he removed the license plate from Edge’s vehicle because he did not want anyone to see because he was not ready to tell anyone yet.
After Odum confessed to the murder, he was immediately sentence to life in prison by Circuit Court Judge John Simon.
ECSO: Two Teens Caught In The Act Of Burglarizing School In Century
February 9, 2021
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said two teens were arrested after being caught in the act of burglarizing a school in Century.
The ECSO responded to a burglary in progress call at the Pensacola State College campus on East Hecker Road in Century.
When they arrived on scene, Deputy Zachary Ward heard glass breaking inside the college, and Sgt. Bill Price witnessed a suspect throw a fire extinguisher through a glass window.
Deputies arrested and charged 16-year old Hezekiah Bell (photo not available) and 18-year old Joshua McCall of Flomaton (pictured) on charges of burglary and criminal mischief.
Cantonment Man Facing Vehicle Theft, Weapons Charges
February 9, 2021
A Cantonment man is facing vehicle theft and weapons charges.
Jakob Gunnar Oosterhof, 28, was charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of drug paraphernalia and knowingly driving with a suspended license.
A deputy checked the tag on the Buick driven by Oosterhof as he pulled into the Circle K at 330 Kenmore road and discovered that the vehicle was listed as stolen.
A K-9 search of the vehicle found a .380 semi-automatic pistol, five hollow point rounds in the gun’s magazine and a clear glass smoking pipe, according to an arrest report.
Oosterhof also had outstanding warrants for robbery and battery. He was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $17,500 bond.
Alabama Police Chase Ends In Florida With Fire, Kidnapping Arrest
February 8, 2021
A stolen vehicle and police chase out of Atmore ended with a fire and a kidnapping arrest in Florida Sunday night.
Brandon Kieth Sheppard, 18, was charged with two felony counts of false imprisonment (kidnapping), one count of a felony false imprisonment (kidnapping) domestic violence related, one felony count of resisting arrest with violence, one count of resisting arrest without violence and possession of a stolen vehicle in Escambia County, Florida. He remained in the Escambia County Jail in Pensacola without bond.
Sheppard allegedly stole a pickup truck from an Atmore gas station Sunday night and later picked up three girls from an Atmore motel. They were unaware the truck was stolen, according to Atmore Police Chief Chuck Brooks. Atmore Police spotted the truck on Florida Highway in Alabama and gave chase onto Florida continuing at a high rate of speed for several miles in both Florida and Alabama.
The truck slowed and one of the the girls jumped from the truck near Hollingsworth Road in Nokomis (FL).
During the pursuit, Sheppard drove into a Florida field off Jones Road along the state line in Nokomis.
Sheppard refused to exit the vehicle and was holding the two teens against their will, according to the Escambia County (FL) Sheriff’ Office. After several minutes passed, the two females exited the truck and ran toward officers unharmed, Brooks said.
“He continued to try to accelerate there in the field but was stuck in the mud and going nowhere,” said Amber Southard, ECSO spokesperson. After trying to get the vehicle out of the mud for about 45 minutes, the pickup truck began to smoke and eventually caught fire.
Sheppard exited the truck and tried to flee on foot but was captured by deputies, Southard said.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and the Nokomis Volunteer Fire Department responded to the blaze about 9:20 p.m.
Once released in Florida, Sheppard is expected to face a charge of theft of property first degree in Alabama.
Sheppard provided a residential address in Gilbert, South Carolina, at the time of his address.
Here Is Escambia County’s Vaccine Distribution Plan For The Week, And How To Register
February 8, 2021
The Florida Department of Health in Escambia County has announced this week’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan.
Vaccines allocated by the state are being distributed through county health departments, which are receiving an allocation based on their county’s percentage of Florida’s over-65 population. FDOH-Escambia received an allocation of 2,500 doses of the COVID-19 Moderna vaccine for the week.
The doses will be distributed as follows:
- Ascension Sacred Heart: 500 doses
- Baptist Health Care: 500 doses
- Community Health Northwest Florida: 800 doses
- FDOH-Escambia: 500 doses
- West Florida Hospital: 200 doses
Some appointments will be scheduled using the statewide preregistration system. FDOH-Escambia and partner organizations are in the process of contacting individuals to schedule appointments, do not contact the providers directly for these appointments.
To register, Escambia County residents age 65 and over can call the state preregistration number at (866) 201-1025 or register online at myvaccine.fl.gov. The state has established a help line at (833) 959-0217 for those who need to make changes to their original preregistration.
Residents who previously completed FDOH-Escambia’s online interest form do not need to call or email to confirm their registration. Those registrations have been transferred to the new state system.
ECUA Replacing Over 15,000 Blue Cans In North Escambia
February 8, 2021
Are you an ECUA customer with a blue garbage can? If so, it’s time for a replacement can.
On Tuesday, ECUA will begin replacing the over 15,000 blue cans still being using in North Escambia. The cans were a part of the Allied Waste service area that ECUA took over in January 2009.
It is expected to take three or four weeks to complete the can switch. ECUA customers are asked to leave their cans out at the curb after this week’s pick up as crews will be working each day to expedite the replacement process. Cans that already have the ECUA logo are not included in this effort.
ECUA customers will not be charged for their new can.
The replacement cans are not a new expenditure for ECUA. The cans were used for ECUA service in Santa Rosa County, which came to an end on December 31. 2020.
NorthEscambia.com file graphic.