Category: Uncategorized
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End of Watch: The death of Charles Pugh
Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Department End of Watch Tuesday, August 18, 2020 From the book, “Some Gave All,” coming soon on this website and Amazon.com. By Mike Simmons “Why don’t you consider a career in Corrections?” Ben Geller asked him. It sounded intriguing to Charles. It was steady work, it paid…
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Swift Justice
The arrest and conviction of Rufus Johnson Okaloosa County Sheriff Ray Wilson and Crestview Police Chief Rouse Williams had already suspected him, so, on May 3, 1957, they had him under surveillance. As soon as they got enough evidence, they moved in and arrested 52-year-old Rufus Johnson for Child Molestation.…
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End of Watch: The Murder of Deputy Thomas Blount
Walton County Sheriff’s Department, Florida End of Watch Saturday, August 17, 1929 From the book, “Some Gave All,” coming soon on this website and on Amazon. By Mike Simmons Bear Head Community lies about five miles west of DeFuniak Springs, Florida. It is a beautiful rural community where fishing and…
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End of Watch: The death of Pensacola Police Officer Edward O’Brien Pursell, August 12, 1944
An excerpt from the book, “Some Gave All,” available soon on this website and Amazon By Mike Simmons They were known as “The Pensacola Hillbillies.” Brien Pursell and Johnny Wilkerson could play the fiddle better than anyone around. They regularly entered fiddling contests and always won. On one occasion, they…
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The day Deputy Lewis earned his pay
Charlie Lewis was a deputy sheriff with the Escambia County, Florida Sheriff’s Office. For years, his assigned area was in Muskogee (Cantonment), Florida, about 20 miles north of Pensacola. At 10:30 PM on Thursday, January 31, 1929, he drove into town to contact Prohibition Agent Eugene Forsythe, who lived in…
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End of Watch: The death of Niceville Police K-9 Blue
Can you imagine living in a town that is surrounded by water on three sides? Niceville, Florida, is one such town. Is it a waterside community? Yes. Is it a tourist destination? Of course. Does it have a small-town feeling? Definitely. All of the above – Niceville is a nice…
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The Field Trip Gone Bad
By Mike Simmons It is always a treat for a group of high school kids to take a field trip. It’s even better when the trip is an out-of-town excursion, especially to another state. That’s what ten kids in LaGrange, Georgia felt like when they learned that they would be…
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“Take the Shot!” The Cop’s Cop – Henry Cassady
An excerpt from “Stories of Pensacola’s Finest,” available on Amazon By Mike Simmons Jerry grew up in north Santa Rosa County, enjoying the rural lifestyle. So, what do boys in the rural South do in the 1950s? Boys played sports, helped the family on the farm, and enjoyed the freedoms…
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The Death House: The conviction and execution of Lee Clark
By Mike Simmons The Bible says that we will reap what we sow. In other words, what goes around comes around. Well…either that concept was never taught to Lee Clark, or he didn’t think it was true. He eventually learned… On November 10, 1925, 20-year-old Lee stole $7 from the…
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The First Sheriff Of Escambia County, Florida
From the book, “Escambia’s Finest,” coming soon to Amazon By Mike Simmons In the late 1770s, the country of Haiti was on the verge of a revolution, which officially began in 1791 and ended with the country’s independence in 1804. In the midst of the uprisings prior to the war,…