Latest news with #Ammons
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
'Reborn Christian Man': School headmaster resigns after hiring registered sex offender
The headmaster of Park Avenue Christian Academy (PACA), in Titusville, has resigned, Channel 9 learned on Wednesday. Dr. Brian McKinney, who is still listed on the institution's website as the current headmaster, left his position days after the Council and Park Avenue Baptist Church Elders learned he had hired a registered sex offender to work on school grounds, a spokesperson for PACA told Channel 9. The school confirmed Mr. Colby R. Ammons, 41, was hired by the school as a contractor in June of 2024, and paid regularly each month to do maintenance work on the football field, a PACA statement stated. 'I had personally seen him in the car line, and he was on the playground, and children were present on the playground,' a mother who spoke exclusively with Channel 9, without identifying herself. Ammons is a registered sex offender in both the national and Florida sex offender registry. In 2007, he was arrested after engaging in sexual conversations with a police officer who was posing as a 14-year-old. Channel 9 obtained the incident report detailing that conversation. In 2008, Ammons, who's also a military veteran, took a plea deal and was sentenced to 60 months of probation. Another parent, who also wanted to remain anonymous to prevent any retaliation from the school and avoid exposing her child, said she knows the Mr. Ammons, and even confronted Brian McKinney, about it. 'He [Dr. McKinney] said, 'I mean, come on, it's not even that big of an age difference,' the mother told exclusively Channel 9. 'He said, 'I sat down to listen to his story. He is a reborn Christian man.' Ammons does not have legal restrictions to work or live near children, since his probation is now over. Orlando Defense Attorney Mark Nejame looked through all the background of this case and explained that the school should still ensure who they have working on campus, regardless of if it's an employee or a contractor. 'The school assumes the risk. If in fact they knew about it and they didn't tell the parents about it, parents had no choice on what to do with their child or children that were in the school, the private school,' Nejame said. 'If, heaven forbid, that something happened to any of those children, the school should and would face great liability because they were put on notice and they failed to notify the parents.' In a statement, PACA confirmed they learned about the case back in March of 2025, and said they 'Were not aware of any violation of law or circumstances where the welfare of a student was even compromised at the academy,' the statement read. 'I told him [Dr. McKinney] my concern was not anymore about the sex offender, it was the fact that he hired him knowing a story and brought him into a school and has been doing this for the past six years,' the parent who met with the headmaster said. The school, however, only confirmed that Mr. Ammons was working here since 2024 and was regularly paid monthly as a contractor. The headmaster who hired him resigned just days after the incident came to light. Channel 9 asked the spokesperson if a background check was done prior to Mr. Ammons' start date at Park Avenue Christian Academy, and if he had been hired directly as an independent contractor or through a third party. Over the phone, the spokesperson said 'we cannot address the other questions beyond the statement we previously shared. The Academy is focused on moving forward with its school community at this time.' Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
Registered sex offender hired to work at Titusville private school
Parents in Brevard County are demanding answers after they learned a registered sex offender had been working at their school for almost a year. The incident was reported at the Park Avenue Christian Academy (PACA), a private Baptist Church on Park Avenue. 'It was a very serious situation,' said a mother anonymously who spoke exclusively with Channel 9. 'I think it should still be handled very seriously.' 41-year-old Colby Ammons, from Merritt Island, is registered in the National Sex Offender Registry and in the State of Florida. Court documents show Ammons was trying to meet up with a police officer posing as a 14-year-old back in 2007 in Polk County. In 2008, the judge in his case ordered Ammons to follow all sex offender restrictions, which meant he could not be within 1000 feet of any place where kids congregate. 'I had personally seen him in the car line, and he was on the playground, and children were present on the playground,' the mother said. 'Everyone should be background checked. I understand that he was hired as a contractor, but contractors should also be checked.' Park Avenue Christian Academy teaches children from VPK through 8th grade. The mother, who has now pulled her son from the school and is transferring him to another institution, found out about the incident through a parent group chat. 'It took, actually, a social media post being shared all across Facebook for me to really realize what happened,' the woman recalled. Channel 9 reached out to the school on Tuesday, and questioned about the incident. PACA responded with the statement below: At Park Avenue Christian Academy, ensuring a safe, secure school environment for all our students, families and staff is our top priority. Recently, on March 31, we informed families of a situation involving a contractor performing outdoor field work at the school and the immediate action taken to resolve this matter, including no longer allowing the contractor to perform work on the outdoor field. To be clear, we are not aware of any circumstances where the welfare or safety of a student was ever compromised at the Academy. We have communicated directly with all our families about this matter and continue to act in the best interests of all those we serve, with their safety and well-being always at the forefront. The former headmaster hired this contractor in June 2024 to perform outdoor fieldwork. The Council and Elders were first informed about the contractor on March 22, 2025. The Council and Elders took immediate action, including an investigation and consultation with legal counsel, and the contractor was asked to stop providing services at the same time. The contractor was never an employee of the Academy. Although the Council and Elders disagree with the headmaster's unilateral decision to allow this individual to perform field maintenance services, we also recognize that the contractor had no restrictions from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement as to where he could live, travel, or work. The claim that the Academy's use of this contractor for field maintenance services violated Florida law is not true. Channel 9 has also reached out to Titusville Police Department, and they informed that, in the last five years, there were no criminal reports made from 2600 Park Avenue, the school address., Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Yahoo
‘We grieve with you': Friends remember Wood County deputy Melissa Pollard after fatal crash
WOOD COUNTY, Texas (KETK)- Friends of Wood County Sheriff's Office deputy Melissa Pollard are remembering her after she lost her life in a fatal crash on Wednesday. DPS: Wood County deputy dies after crash with 18-wheeler 'Not only did she serve the community, she was a part of the community, now we have a big hole,' friend of Pollard, Joe Ammons said. Melissa Pollard, 47 of Quitman, joined the Wood County Sheriff's Office in 2016 and made East Texas her home. 'She's a wonderful person, fantastic deputy sheriff and great law enforcement person who gave of her heart and her time,' Ammons said. 'She was spunky, she was witty, and she was going to tell you what you're doing was good, and she was going to let you know if what you're doing was probably not your best idea,' Boom Nutrition owner Katrina Yager said. Her friends and family said she loved dogs, her grandchildren and the people of Wood County. Pollard came to the aid of her friend Katrina Yager when she lost her daughter eight years ago. Now, Yager is returning the favor by donating 50 percent of her sales and collecting donations at Boom Nutrition in Mineola for the deputy's family. 'There's no better way to honor my daughter, Mason, than to be able to give back and pay it forward to a family that was there for me when I was where they are now,' Yager said. Flags to be lowered following Wood County deputy's tragic death Pollard's friend, Joe Ammons, said he can't believe she's is gone and that he thinks the community will never be the same. 'Every holiday you can tell it was Melissa's house, because I don't care if was Halloween that yard was fully decorated, and we're going to miss that,' Ammons said. Wood County standing with the deputy's family. 'We grieve with you. The entire community has an open void now that Melissa's gone, and it's going to take a long time to ever fill that void,' Ammons said. Yager and Ammons hope East Texans remember Pollard's smiling face and her dedication to her community. On Friday, the sheriff's office shared that Pollard's funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 16 at Green Acres Baptist Church which is located at 1607 Troup Highway in Tyler. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Technical.ly
04-04-2025
- Business
- Technical.ly
Philly founder proves the maxim ‘Your net worth is your network'
Simone Ammons built software startup QuneUp with about $140,000 from a side gig. Now, she's growing it through the power of community. Ammons launched her company with funds she made from working as a technical writer. Still bootstrapped, Ammons mostly relies on her strong network to keep it growing. That goes hand in hand with her dedication to uplifting others along the way, she told reporter Sarah Huffman on Speaking, our monthly segment on WURD Radio's 'Reality Check' hosted by Tonya Pendleton. 'Everything about QuneUp … was partnered with somebody else in the community that looked like me,' Ammons said, referencing how she connected with the 'fraction of a percent' of other Black women in the business community. Philly-based QuneUp, started in 2022, began with Ammon's personal frustration at work. As an engineer, every time equipment broke down, she got the call to fix it. The equipment often lacked vital information, like the vendor or when it was installed. In response, she developed a QR code sticker that takes the technician to the equipment landing page with all the information needed for repairs. Featured as an honorable mention in 2025 RealLIST Startups, QuneUp has also been recognized with valuable support from other respected institutions, including at two pitch competitions supported by the Philadelphia Department of Commerce. In 2024, QuneUp came in third place, taking home a $2,000 prize and the year prior, it was a finalist in Philly's Most Diverse Tech Hub Pitch Competition. It was also a member of the December 2023 Capital Readiness Program session run by the University City Science Center and, most recently, selected for the inaugural cohort of biotech accelerator HiveBio. Those connections also gave her the platform to find new customers, Ammons said, crediting the Department of Commerce for helping her land two pilots. Plus, it acted as a 'mini MBA' to learn how to run a business beyond just building the software, Ammons said. 'What I realized in business is that your net worth is your network,' Ammons said. Being a part of the community means she's just '10 conversations away from somebody who is interested in investing in a company like mine.'
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘I think they're extremely important': Champaign Co. Clerk breaks down voter turnout in Consolidated Election
URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — Many spent Tuesday heading out to the polls to cast their ballots in this year's Consolidated Election. They're choosing who they want to lead their communities and schools, as well as where they want their tax dollars to go. By 5 p.m. on Election Day, Aaron Ammons, the Champaign County Clerk, said about 6,000 people had voted in person that day and about 4,000 others voted early. Once those ballots are counted, plus the ones in the mail, he estimates about 15-20% of voters will participate in this election, which is a pretty standard trend. Champaign residents weigh property tax increase to benefit homeless shelter This year, Ammons feels questions about the Champaign School Board and City Council are driving people to the polls. 'I think those are important for our community, for our citizens who live here, to talk to each other and have that direct contact because those policies impact you immediately at the local level,' he said. 'You're choosing your school board members, and your chiefs of police because city council members will vote on those things. These are things we talk about daily and I think they're extremely important.' Voters hopeful election will rejuvenate Champaign school board Locations across Champaign County are open until 7 p.m. Once they close, judges will begin counting. Ammons expects to have some unofficial results ready around 9 p.m. on Tuesday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
