SPORTS GIVING ISLAND NEWS GBHS claims Local girl donates Beach resident gets All-SSports trophy hair to great cause Points of Light honor Gulf Breeze High Brie Perdue parts Pandora de Balthazar again has the Bay with her golden locks earns recognition from Area’s top sports to support cancer governor for foster program. Page 1C survivors. Page 6C children’s work. Page 1D A W A R Call 934-6200 D jmillers.com ● W ● Gulf Breeze I ● Pensacola N ● N Destin I N G 50¢ YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER May 28, 2009 MORE NEWS INSIDE Love replaces ■ Gulf Breeze resident sentenced to 42 diploma, marks months in prison for trying to seduce minor on the Internet. Brown’s legacy ■ Swine flu reaches ■ Cap, gown will be Santa Rosa County, but draped over vacant GRADUATION top health official won’t say where. chair during graduation ■ What: 2009 Gulf Gulf Breeze News Breeze High Stories on page 2A Gulf Breeze High School stu- Commencement dent Sarah Brown might have ■ When: Monday 5 p.m. passed away as a sophomore ■ Where: Pensacola WEEKEND two years ago, but her friends Civic Center Weather and family are driven to carry- ing her name into the future. died at age 16 on Saturday, Feb. THURSDAY 5/28 Brown will be remembered 17, 2007 of injuries sustained in Scat. T-Storms with love when her 344 class- a two-car accident on Bayou O mates graduate Monday (5 p.m., Boulevard in Pensacola. Brown high 81 Pensacola Civic Center), Her O was a passenger in a vehicle that low 74 cap and gown will be draped crossed the center line into over her chair as a symbol of oncoming traffic. Three other FRIDAY 5/29 her luminous presence among people were injured. Mostly sunny her peers during the special Two of Brown’s classmates – day and forever in their hearts. Alexandrea Castanon and O high 84 “Sarah would have been Alexandria Ortiz, were awarded low 71O ecstatic about graduating from The Sarah Brown Memorial high school and heading to col- Scholarship during last lege in the fall,” Sarah’s mother, Tuesday’s Senior Awards SATURDAY 5/30 Kristen Brown-Sanders, said Program at St. Ann Catholic Mostly sunny recently. “She had pretty much See BROWN, Page 4A O high 85 Steve Violette/Special to Gulf Breeze News already decided on Flagler Related inside low 73O Gulf Breeze High School seniors Alexandrea Castanon (left) and Alexandria Ortiz hold the University at the time of her plaque honoring Sarah Brown Memorial Scholarship recipients during the school’s May 19 accident.” ■ Baccalaureate service set awards ceremony. Brown, a classmate of the pair, died as a sophomore in 2007. Brown, a GBHS sophomore, for Sunday, 4A SUNDAY 5/31 Sunny high 86O Project Graduation numbers disappointingly down low 73O ■ About 80 fewer all-night, chemical-free celebra- attendees,” Project two-thirds level. Last year, we between ages 16 and 20 are seniors expected for tion will decide to participate. Grad co-chairman had way over two-thirds go. injured or killed between the As of last Friday, about 80 Paula Brown said. Compared to last year, we are hours of 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. dur- INSIDE Monday night’s event fewer students than in 2008 had “We typically down about 100 students.” ing graduation season (May and purchased tickets to attend this have about two- Project Graduation began at June) than any other time of the BY JOE CULPEPPER Calendar 2A Gulf Breeze News year’s mystery tour event. thirds of the class GBHS in the early 1980s. It was year. Classifieds 3D [email protected] Graduation is at 5 p.m. Monday go. With 344 grad- created to provide a safe, chem- In 2005, the Community in the Pensacola Civic Center, uating seniors this Brown ical-free environment for gradu- Drug and Alcohol Council Crossword puzzle 3B Organizers of Project and Project Grad will disembark year, two-thirds of that is about ated seniors to safely celebrate reported that 51 teenagers were Community 3-8A Graduation at Gulf Breeze High from GBHS to an undisclosed 230. one of the biggest milestones of injured or killed in alcohol- Entertainment 2B School hope seniors wavering destination several hours later. “So far, we have 169 signed their lives. National statistics related accidents in Escambia Gas Watch 4A on whether to attend Monday’s “Last year, we had about 250 up, 61 short from reaching the show that more young people See PROJECT GRAD, Page 4A Island News 1D Lifestyles 1B Bob Dolven of Phoenix Obituaries 7A stopped in Gulf Breeze Good Samaritan delivers joy Opinion 6A recently as part of his Senior Scene 7A 48-state motorcycle tour ■ Phoenix man advocates he can make a small difference in the lives Sports/Schools 1-8C of the lower United kindness during 48-state tour of many on a nationwide kindness tour. Talk of the Town 5A States during which he “I’m traveling the country – 48 states – plans to commit as “Mailing Statement BY JOE CULPEPPER doing random acts of kindness,” Dolven, many random acts of Gulf Breeze News 45, said recently as he spent three days in on Editorial Page” kindness as possible. [email protected] the Gulf Breeze area during his two-month FOUR SECTIONS The man is a captain for Bob Dolven knows he can’t change the endeavor. He arrived here after visiting 10 VOL. 8, NO. 22 a major U.S. airline. states and logging close to 3,000 miles on MAY 28, 2009 whole world. Joe Culpepper/GBN But the Phoenix, Ariz., resident figures See SAMARITAN, Page 3A home! your Call 932-8986 today Call 932-8986 today Enjoy your community paper community your Enjoy mailed directly to mailed directly GULF BREEZE NEWS (850) 932-8986 www.gulfbreezenews.com 2A May 28, 2009 GULF BREEZE NEWS Web solicitation lands man in prison BY JOE CULPEPPER cam — a second- attorney, Barry Beroset of tried to arrange to travel to Gulf Breeze News degree felony pun- Pensacola, said Friday. “It’s not Collier County to meet the girl, City Hall, 1070 [email protected] Thursday, May 28 ishable by a maxi- known where he will be incar- but he later changed his mind, Shoreline Drive, Gulf mum 15 years in cerated. The court will deter- investigators said. Santa Rosa County Breeze A Gulf Breeze man will prison — and two mine that based on things like Collier County law enforce- Commission Regular 9 a.m., Gulf Breeze spend at least the next three counts of using a where his family is located and ment issued an arrest warrant, County Administrative Center, Development Review years in prison after being sen- computer to the length of the sentence.” and Smith was arrested by Santa 6495 Caroline Street, Milton Board 6:30 p.m., City tenced last week in Collier seduce and/or Smith According to Collier County Rosa deputies on Oct. 31, 2008. Santa Rosa County Hall, 1070 Shoreline County on two felony counts of solicit a minor — court records, Smith in February He was booked into the county Commission Special Drive, Gulf Breeze Rezoning 6 p.m., County using a computer to seduce third-degree felonies each pun- 2008 initiated an online chat with jail before being extradited to Santa Rosa County Administrative Center, 6495 Fire Department and/or solicit a minor for sex. ishable by up to five years in a person he thought was an 11- Collier County in early Caroline Street, Milton Michael Richard Smith, 48, prison — were dropped. year-old Naples girl. Instead, the November. Executive Group 6:30 p.m., Emergency of 1262 Greenview Lane in As the result of a plea bar- subject was an undercover law Smith was released on Saturday, May 30 Operations Center, 4499 Tiger Point, appeared in a gain, Smith was sentenced to 42 enforcement detective trained in $200,000 bond. His initial Pine Forest Road, Milton Naples courtroom on Tuesday, months in state prison. Under handling cyber crime cases. arraignment was set for Dec. 1, Gulf Breeze Historical May 19, where he pleaded no Florida law, he must serve at Chats of an increasingly 2008 and rescheduled for Jan. 5, Society Picnic 11:30 a.m., contest to two of five original least 85 percent of his sentence. explicit sexual nature continued 2009, when Beroset entered a Gordon Sprague Antique Wednesday, charges. After leaving prison, Smith also through October 2008. During written plea of not guilty. Museum, Gulf Breeze June 3 A charge of an adult over age will serve two years of sexual that time, Smith used a webcam On May 1, according to court Santa Rosa County 18 committing a lewd and las- offender probation. and transmitted images of him- records, Smith waived his right Monday, June 1 Housing Coalition 1:30 p.m., civious exhibition to a person “Mr. Smith was remanded to self exhibiting lewd and lascivi- to a speedy trial and a plea date Gulf Breeze High School 6051 Old Bagdad Highway, under 16 via a computer web- custody in Collier County,” his ous sexual behavior. He also was set for May 19. Graduation 5 p.m., Pensacola Milton Civic Center Gulf Breeze Area Chamber of Gulf Breeze Area Chamber Commerce Governmental of Commerce Cookbook Affairs Committee 4 p.m., Busted Swine flu Committee 6 p.m., Chamber Chamber Headquarters, 409 Gulf Headquarters, 409 Gulf Breeze Breeze Parkway, Gulf Breeze Parkway, Gulf Breeze water main verified in Gulf Breeze City Council Thursday, June 4 6:30 p.m., City Hall, 1070 Shoreline Drive, Gulf Breeze Eglin Joint Use Study Meeting 6 p.m., County blocks 98 county; ID Administrative Center, 6495 Tuesday, June 2 Caroline Street, Milton traffic Santa Rosa County Zoning protected Board of Adjustments 5:30 Monday, June 8 p.m., County Administrative Santa Rosa County BY PAM BRANNON BY JOE CULPEPPER Center, 6495 Caroline Street, Commission Committee 9 Gulf Breeze News Gulf Breeze News Milton a.m.