Latest news with #VolleyballJesus'
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Yahoo
Pensacola man charged with child cruelty, false imprisonment
PENSACOLA, Fla. (WKRG) — A Pensacola man has been arrested and charged with child cruelty and false imprisonment, has learned. 'Volleyball Jesus' sculpture removed in Gulf Shores, search begins for new home According to an Escambia County Sheriff's Office arrest report, officers were called to a Pensacola business on April 16 in response to two children who said they were restrained and beaten. Officers on the scene said two girls had come there to seek help, telling people that they had been tied to a chair by someone known to them and hit with a switch and belt. According to the arrest report, the girls said they had been suspended from school, and when they got home, the man made them sit in chairs and tied them there with green packing tape. He then began hitting them on their bare feet and legs with what they described as a small stick, the report said. When the stick broke, he allegedly began using a belt. Escambia County to replace Pensacola Beach's Toll Plaza with archway One of the girls broke free and ran from the house, and the man allegedly chased them. While he was trying to catch the first girl, the second girl broke free and also left the home, according to the report. The girls ran to the nearest business and asked for help, the report said. They were taken to the hospital for a check-up. Officers found the accused man at his home, where he reportedly admitted to everything the girls said, telling officers he was trying to punish them to keep them from getting in trouble again, according to the report. Ray Anthony Benjamin, 67, was arrested and charged with two counts of cruelty toward a child and two counts of kidnapping and false imprisonment. Passport Fair coming to Mobile (one day only) He was taken to the Escambia County Jail and given no bond, under Florida State Domestic Violence Statute, the report said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Escambia County to replace Pensacola Beach's Toll Plaza with archway
ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. (WKRG) — Upgrades to Pensacola Beach's Toll Plaza are in the works as Escambia County prepares to install a new archway to replace the current toll booths. 'Volleyball Jesus' sculpture removed in Gulf Shores, search begins for new home The goal is to improve traffic flow while also giving a warm welcome to visitors traveling to Pensacola Beach. Pensacola Beach's current toll plaza is set to be replaced this fall. (News 5 photo) 'I really wanted something that made traffic flow a lot easier, and that was big and beautiful,' Escambia County District 4 Commissioner Ashlee Hofberger said. With plans to have the design phase finished in August, construction will begin this fall and is set to be completed by April 2026. Despite the stylistic changes, toll fare and payment will remain the same with the new archway. 'The county is at a place where we can reinvest into the beach,' Hofberger added. 'It is our economic driver, and so for me, one of the biggest priorities was making sure that as you're coming onto the beach, that you have something pretty and beautiful and welcoming and something that says, 'We're proud to be Pensacola Beach residents and call this our home.'' The gateway design will also help hide all of the electronics for the automated tolling system. 'If you don't put a facade over it that is somewhat artistic, then it looks like a Connect Set, because it's just the metal poles that are stuck together with the tag readers in them,' Hofberger said. The project should cost anywhere from $6.3 million to $7.5 million including roadway, landscape and lighting improvements. Funding for the project will come from more than three sources. 'We have TDT dollars, so tourist development dollars, and those were able to be funded because it is something that goes towards marketing our community,' Hofberger said. 'Some of it is coming from my discretionary funding, and then some of it also coming from the previous toll money.' Passport Fair coming to Mobile (one day only) Hofberger believes tourists visiting Pensacola Beach will appreciate the clean look of the archway, letting them know they've arrived at their vacation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
