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This report represents some events the FWC handled over the past week; however, it does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement.
Patrol, Protect, Preserve
NORTHWEST REGION
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
Just after midnight, Lieutenant Brian Lambert checked two individuals at the Quintet Boat Ramp on the Escambia River. The subjects had just returned to the ramp and their vessel was still in the water. They were in possession of a rifle, shotgun, and a spotlight. One of the individuals was acting nervous, stepped behind the vehicle, and attempted to dump something out of his pocket. The subject was found to be in possession of cannabis and drug paraphernalia, and was issued a notice to appear citation for the violations. Both subjects said they were camping and returned to their vehicle to get more food and alcohol.
SANTA ROSA COUNTY COPS
Officers Royce Johnson, Joe Murphy, Steve Hoomes, David Jernigan, Reserve Officer Lila Wise, Lieutenant Eric Hall, Captains Mary Sumner and Rocky Clement, together with FWC Wildlife and Fisheries staff worked the second weekend of the annual Mobility Impaired Hunt at the Blackwater WMA - Hutton Unit. The officers teamed with staff from other FWC Divisions to provide the hunters with a meal each day, assist with tracking down deer, retrieve and clean deer, and assist the hunters in enjoying a safe quality hunting experience. During the second weekend of the Mobility Impaired Hunt, 50 hunters and their hunt assistants participated in the annual event harvesting a total of 12 deer (one antlered, 11 antlerless).
OKALOOSA COUNTY
Lieutenant Mark Hollinhead and Officer Phillip Griffith responded to a complaint of dogs pursuing deer in the still hunt area of Blackwater WMA. Lieutenant Hollinhead and Officer Griffith were given a detailed description of the two vehicles involved. The vehicles and subjects were located exiting the management area. When the officers tried to identify a passenger in one of the vehicles, he was evasive, very nervous, and stated he did not have any identification. When the subject pulled out his trouser pockets, in an attempt to show the officers he did not have his identification, drug paraphernalia dropped to the ground. Realizing his error, he quickly fled on foot into a wooded area. As the subject dove head first over a barbed wire fence, his wallet dropped to the ground. The wallet contained an identification card. Once he was identified, the officers discovered he was a habitual felony offender and had active warrants for felony drug possession and driving while license suspended. The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Department responded with a K-9 Officer and searched for the subject until the officers determined he got a ride from a nearby residence and left the area. The subject?s vehicle was located and discovered to have an altered tag attached which was not registered to the vehicle. The Sheriff Department?s K-9 alerted on the vehicle, and a subsequent search confirmed the vehicle contained illegal drugs. Contents of a methamphetamine lab were removed from the vehicle and residue on items tested positive for methamphetamine. Charges will be direct-filed with the State Attorney's Office for manufacturing methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, hunting violations, possible possession of a firearm by convicted felon, and resisting arrest without violence.
OKALOOSA COUNTY COPS
FWC Officers assigned to Okaloosa and Walton Counties participated in the 19th Annual Eglin WMA Mobility Impaired Hunt. Officers assisted disabled hunter participants with locating their assigned shooting locations and helped retrieve downed game. Participating in the hunt were 48 hunters, including 10 from the Wounded Warrior project from Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. In all, 32 deer and four hogs were harvested during the hunt.
NORTH CENTRAL REGION
ALACHUA COUNTY
Officer Brad Stanley received a call from a hunt club member in Hague who stated that someone had dumped six bags of household garbage at one of the club gates. Officer Stanley found the garbage, searched the contents, and found the same address in all six bags. Officer Stanley then traveled to the address, spoke with one of the residents, and was able to get the name of the person who dumped the garbage. Officer Stanley met the defendant the following day and received a sworn written statement. A sworn complaint was filed with the Alachua County State Attorney?s Office for littering more than fifteen pounds.
COLUMBIA COUNTY
Officer Todd Hoyle discovered a location where several subjects had apparently held a duck shoot at a pond in a swampy wooded area. Officer Hoyle also discovered that some of the spent shells were around the area where the lead shots were fired. On another occasion Officer Hoyle observed several subjects shooting wood ducks around the pond. As he went to check one hunter, the subject handed Officer Hoyle several steel shot shells. Officer Hoyle examined the ground where the hunter had been standing while hunting and discovered that the ground was littered with the hulls of lead shot shells. The subject subsequently admitted using lead shot to take ducks and was cited accordingly.
DIXIE COUNTY
RPS Officer Justin Allen found an artifact excavation site in north Dixie County on the Suwannee River Water Management State Lands. Officers Justin Allen and Travis Cooper observed an individual going down a dead end road near the excavation site. Both officers tracked the individual and found the individual carrying several car batteries and equipment to the excavation site. The officers confronted the individual at the excavation site and found that it was approximately twenty feet deep and four to five feet wide. The individual stated that he was digging for buried treasure and has been digging there since October 2012. The individual was charged with digging in an archaeological area on state lands, and other charges are pending.
RPS Officers Justin Allen and Scott Wiggins were working Dixie County and observed two individuals harvesting oysters in a closed area. The individuals were followed and observed selling oysters to the public without first putting them through a processor. Investigator Larry Ayers and Officer Sam Dishman were called in to interview the individuals and inspect their catch. Both individuals were charged with taking oysters from a closed area and selling to the public without having a commercial fishing license.
RPS Officers Justin Allen, Scott Wiggins, and Travis Cooper were working the Dixie County Coast when they observed an airboat that was gigging and collecting several fish. The officers observed individuals going into a house and taking a large cooler up to porch. The individuals then made a second fishing trip and after several hours of fishing, returned and parked their airboat next to the house. A fishery inspection was then conducted and the officers found several gigged redfish and spotted sea trout. The individuals were issued written citations for taking redfish and spotted sea trout by illegal method.
DUVAL COUNTY
Officer Matthew Griffis was on water patrol in the "Mullet Hole," a tributary off the Trout River in Jacksonville when he conducted a marine fisheries inspection on a subject fishing from the bank. The subject stated he had neither a fishing license nor any form of identification in his possession. A query through dispatch revealed a warrant out of Duval County. The warrant was confirmed as attempted strong arm robbery and written threat to kill or do bodily injury. Officer Griffis transported the subject to Bert Maxwell Boat Ramp, where the subject was picked up by Jacksonville Sheriff?s deputies and transported to the pre-trial detention facility.
Lieutenant Paul Arkin was patrolling Mandarin Park boat ramp when he observed a 1994 Cadillac DeVille backing into one of the parking stalls. Lieutenant Arkin observed two subjects in the front seats bent and hunched over. Lieutenant Arkin approached the vehicle to obtain a closer view and immediately detected a strong odor of burnt cannabis emitting from the interior of the vehicle. The driver side window was open. Lieutenant Arkin made contact with the driver of the vehicle and asked him if he had any narcotics in his possession. At first the subject stated no. Lieutenant Arkin then asked the subject what was in his hand, and the subject handed over a red and clear plastic baggy containing a green leafy substance that field tested positive as cannabis. The driver was issued a Notice to Appear for possession of cannabis under 20 grams and a written warning for possession of drug paraphernalia.
Officer Tim Shearer was conducting resource inspections when he found a subject fishing near Fort George Inlet. The subject said he had a couple of trout that measured 14 inches, which he said was the minimum size limit. He was informed that the legal size limit is 15 inches. An inspection of his catch revealed five spotted sea trout that measured between 12.5 and 13.5 inches still shorter than what the subject thought the legal size was. The subject continued to insist the minimum size was 14 inches until he looked up the fishing regulations on his smart phone. He was issued a misdemeanor citation.
Officer Roger Hayes was on patrol in Big Talbot Island State Park when he observed a black pickup truck parked behind some trees. Officer Hayes approached the vehicle and observed a subject sleeping in the truck. He knocked on the window of the truck and made contact with the subject. The subject stated he had just got tired after getting off work and decided to pull off the road to take a nap. Officer Hayes requested the subject?s driver?s license and he complied. Officer Hayes conducted a records check which revealed that the subject was a high-risk sex offender on supervised release status. Officer Hayes collected the information and submitted it to FDLE Agent Michelle O?Neal of the Jacksonville office to determine if the subject had violated his probation. Agent O?Neal advised Officer Hayes that she had contacted the subject?s probation officer, Christopher Howell, who said that the subject had violated his probation because the tracker on his leg had not gone off, indicating that he had left his residence. Agent O?Neal advised that the subject?s probation would be violated based on the information provided by FWC.
Officers Sweat and Blackburn were on water patrol when they observed an individual fishing near a county park pier. As they approached the individual, Officer Blackburn observed the individual dumping something from his cooler. As Officers Blackburn and Sweat got closer to the subject they observed, he was in possession of three undersized spotted sea trout and one legal sized spotted sea trout. After identifying the individual, they discovered that he had been cited for possession of undersized spotted sea trout eleven days earlier. Officer Sweat asked the individual if he had his fishing license and the individual stated he had left it in his vehicle. Officer Sweat and the individual began walking up to the parking lot and as they approached a vehicle the man stated he did not have a vehicle because he was dropped off. Officer Sweat asked the individual why he was holding car keys in his hand. The man stated that he was ?going to go to jail.? Officer Sweat observed coolers in the vehicle that they were standing next to and asked him if that was his vehicle with the coolers in it. The individual stated yes and opened the vehicle and coolers where Officer Sweat discovered one legal sized flounder, one undersized bluefish and three redfish. The individual stated he had caught the fish earlier that day. Officer Sweat issued the individual warnings for not having a fishing license in his possession, expired registration in a state park, and possession of undersized bluefish. The individual was arrested and booked into the Duval County Jail on three counts of possession of undersized spotted sea trout and one count of possession of over the bag limit of red drum.
DUVAL COUNTY COPS
On February 4, Officer Chris Holleman gave a presentation to approximately 35 individuals from the First Coast Fly Fishing Club at the Marriot Hotel in Jacksonville. The discussion included numerous topics on FWC encounters, including boating safety and fisheries regulations.
GILCHRIST COUNTY
RPS Officers Justin Allen and Jordan Hilliard were patrolling a local hunting club when they came upon an area where multiple carcasses were dumped. Among the carcasses were three doe deer and two wild hogs. There were also multiple other deer, wild and domestic hogs, and cow carcasses at the same location. The officers were able to locate the local butcher who dumped the carcasses on the private property and addressed the issue. Before completing the incident report, the officers inspected the walk-in coolers of the butcher and found multiple tagged antlerless deer and one untagged antlerless doe deer. The untagged deer and one of the tagged deer had the same individual?s name attached to it. Through further investigation and multiple interviews, Officers Allen and Hilliard were able to determine who killed both the untagged deer and the accompanying tagged deer. It was also determined that the tagged antlerless deer was taken utilizing a tag for a separate piece of property on which it was killed. Charges were direct-filed with the Gilchrist County State Attorney?s Office.
NASSAU COUNTY
Officer Roger Hayes was on patrol in Amelia Island State Park when he met an individual who was going fishing with his girlfriend. Officer Hayes asked the individual for his fishing license and he stated that he was only going to watch his girlfriend fish. Officer Hayes asked the subject for his driver?s license and he advised he had left it at home. Officer Hayes asked the subject for his personal information and he complied. An NCIC/FCIC check revealed that the subject had a valid driver?s license and a warrant out of Duval County for two charges of domestic battery. Officer Hayes placed the subject under arrest on the warrant and during a search of the subject, discovered a bag of cannabis and a drug pipe. Additional charges were made for the cannabis and drug paraphernalia, and the subject was transported and booked into the Nassau County Jail.
SEA HAWK UPDATE
This week, Officers Rob Geib, Jill Izsak, and Lieutenant Brad Givens were notified by NOAA?s Office of General Counsel of an initial decision in the prosecution of a case involving a commercial fisherman taking grouper/snapper species from the North Florida Marine Protected Area. The officers found the commercial fishing vessel anchored and actively fishing inside the area, which is located approximately 60 miles east of the St. Johns River entrance. The catch was seized and charges were filed with NOAA. In October 2012, FWC Officers along with NOAA personnel attended a hearing in front of a Federal Administrative Law Judge which resulted in the judge imposing a $10,750 penalty against the fisherman.
SUWANNEE COUNTY
Last Saturday, Lieutenant Jeff Swan, Officers Harold Barry, Todd Nichols, Dwain Mobley, Reserve Officers Bill Sergeant, Jimmy Ellis and Wildlife Technician Michael Graves attended a buck scoring event at the Farmers? Co-op in Live Oak. They scored a total of 37 sets of antlers. Some of the deer had been harvested in Suwannee, Madison, Hamilton, Lafayette, Columbia, Union, and Alachua Counties. There were approximately 80 people in attendance at the event.
TAYLOR COUNTY
On Thursday, Officers Randy McDonald and Joshua Bembry assisted Taylor County Sheriff?s Office, Perry Police Department, and the Department of Corrections in locating two escapees from the Taylor County Correctional Institution. The escapees traveled in a heavily wooded area toward the gulf, so the officers helped establish a perimeter and provided access to remote areas with their trucks. The inmates were located by Department of Corrections K9 team within hours of escaping.
NORTHEAST REGION
BREVARD COUNTY
Officer Jordan Fuscaldo was working the opening of snook season. While on foot patrol at Jetty Park in Port Canaveral, Officer Fuscaldo observed a group of six Asian males fishing from the pier. During an inspection, the men denied catching any fish. While speaking with them, she observed fresh fish blood and scales on the ground. In a trash can adjacent to where the men were fishing, Officer Fuscaldo located a trash bag containing a large snook. After questioning the men, one of them admitted to catching the snook and concealing it in the trash can. Officer Fuscaldo measured the snook, found it to be 35 inches, and issued a criminal notice to appear for the violation.
Officer Matthew Humphrey was dispatched to Mosquito Lagoon in reference to a boat adrift with no passengers onboard. Officer Humphrey and Deputy Hightower of the Brevard County Sheriff?s Office responded to the scene and located the boat. Assisting in the search for the missing boaters were Brevard County Sheriff?s aviation and Kennedy Space Center aviation. The area around the vessel was searched by air and water with no results. Contact was made with the registered owner?s wife who confirmed her husband and 14-year-old son had gone fishing earlier that morning. Additional FWC units were called in to check the boat ramps on the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge in an attempt to locate the missing boater?s vehicle. About two hours into the search and rescue, the wife of the boater notified authorities that her husband and son had arrived home. Officer Humphrey followed up with the boater and learned the man had accidently sunk his vessel. He and his son had then swum to shore and drove home to get warm before returning to recover the vessel. Officer Humphrey completed a boating accident report.
Officer Jeremy Munkelt was enroute to airboat patrol when he observed a vehicle with no brake lights and an expired registration. He stopped the vehicle and upon approaching the driver he smelled the strong odor of burning cannabis. The driver was found to be in possession of less than 20 grams of cannabis and a pipe. Citations were issued for the cannabis and pipe and warnings for the traffic violations. A short time later Officers Munkelt and Loeffler stopped an airboat to perform a safety inspection near Halfway Lake on the St. John's River. Again the strong odor of burning cannabis was present. Both men on the airboat claimed ownership of separate quantities of cannabis and smoking paraphernalia. Citations were issued to both men for these violations.
Officer Amy Buck and Lieutenant Travis Franklin spoke with a group of youth hunters and parents at "Camp Blackbelly", an annual youth duck hunt event at TM Goodwin Waterfowl Management Area. Young hunters were educated on gun safety, boating safety, waterfowl laws, and ethical hunting practices. There were approximately 60 people present.
While conducting a resource inspection on Sebastian Inlet State Park?s north catwalk, Officer Lightsey observed a gray snapper in a five-gallon bucket. A further check revealed that the owner of the bucket was using cut snapper as bait. Officer Lightsey also discovered that the man was using a cast net to catch the snapper. Officer Lightsey educated the offender on the laws pertaining to snapper, and then issued a citation for undersized gray snapper.
While on patrol of the north jetty at Sebastian Inlet State Park, Officer Dustin Lightsey conducted a resource inspection on a male that had a five-gallon bucket full of fish. His inspection revealed ten undersized bluefish ranging in size from 10 inches to 11.75 inches. Officer Lightsey issued a citation for undersized bluefish.
While on patrol of Sebastian Inlet State Park at the end of Cove Road, Officer Dustin Lightsey conducted a resource inspection of four males in a mangrove area. Officer Lightsey observed that the males had been there for a long period of time and had been drinking alcoholic beverages throughout the day, a violation of park rules. Officer Lightsey also observed freshly fried fish at a makeshift table and plates and cups on the ground. Upon inspection of the area, Officer Lightsey observed a five-gallon bucket with an undersized sheepshead swimming around inside the bucket. The men were issued warnings for consumption of alcohol in a state park and for littering. A citation was issued for the undersized sheepshead.
SOUTHWEST REGION
MANATEE COUNTY
Officers Bill Holcomb and Tim Hinds were on water patrol at night targeting illegal net fishermen when they observed a vessel traveling without displaying navigational lights. From a concealed location approximately 20 yards away, the officers observed the occupants onboard deploy a large net. After the net was deployed into the water, the officers watched as the subjects began retrieving the net back into the vessel. The officers conducted a vessel stop and observed two subjects fishing with approximately 350 yards of monofilament gill net. The individuals were arrested for use of a gill net in state waters, possession of a gill net on a vessel less than 22 feet in length, failure to transit gill net, possession of unmarked net, and no saltwater products license. The subjects were transported to the Manatee County Jail, the net was seized, and the fish were destroyed.
SOUTH REGION A
GLADES COUNTY
Officers Miller and Deweese were dispatched to an overturned airboat with three occupants ejected but with no medical emergencies reported. The officers launched out of Harney Pond Canal and began to search for the subjects. The three individuals were quickly located and asked again for any medical needs or if they needed any water. The mother and small child were taken back to their vehicle to change into dry clothes. The officers stayed and assisted as the airboat was recovered and taken back to shore. A boating accident self-reporting form was issued to the owner of the vessel and all subjects were brought safely back to land.
OKEECHOBEE COUNTY
The Okeechobee County Sheriff?s Office contacted the FWC regarding a missing 82-year-old boater in Lake Okeechobee. The FWC immediately began a search and rescue mission that included the FWC helicopter and several FWC vessels. The FWC vessels conducted search grids on the lake while the helicopter provided aerial support. On Wednesday, FWC Officers coordinated with the Glades County Sherriff?s Office, as well as a group of search-and-rescue volunteers that wanted to help with the search effort. More than 30 hours after the man had been reported missing, the Glades County Sherriff?s Office reported they had spotted the missing man and his vessel. He was found nearly two miles back in a heavily vegetated marshland. The FWC transported the man back to shore where EMS was waiting. Although weak from his long ordeal, the man was able to return home to his wife.
PALM BEACH COUNTY
Officer Kathryn Wright was on land patrol when she received a call regarding an alligator with a possible human arm in its mouth. A woman?s son showed his mother a photograph from his cell phone of an alligator with a human arm in its mouth. He told his mother it was the alligator from their pond on the property. The woman contacted the Palm Beach County Sheriff?s Office which dispatched two officers to verify the photograph. FWC was then contacted, and Lieutenant Chuck Russo and Officer Wright responded to the property to search for the alligator. They conducted a thorough search of property and adjacent areas, and were not able to locate an alligator. SNAP (State Nuisance Alligator Program) was called and a trapper was dispatched to the area for removal of all the alligators in the pond. Officer Wright had a feeling that the information was not adding up and decided to search the internet for the photo. With minimal effort the photo was located on the internet from a 2007 alligator attack in South Carolina. She made the boy?s mother aware of the situation, and she confirmed with her son that he in fact did download the photo from the internet because he was scared of the 12 foot alligator that lives in the pond. Officer Wright arranged a meeting with the woman?s son to discuss the consequences of filing a false police report. The boy wrote a letter of apology to the FWC.
ST. LUCIE COUNTY
While on patrol in the Fort Pierce Inlet, Officer Wayne Sapp conducted a boating safety and fisheries inspection on a vessel occupied by two subjects. Officer Sapp asked the two men if they had any fish onboard the vessel and they stated they did and offered him to look in three separate five-gallon buckets which contained fish. While inspecting the fish, he observed what appeared to be numerous undersized black sea bass and undersized sheepshead. Further investigation revealed 17 undersized black sea bass and eight undersized sheepshead. The subjects stated that they did not have a measuring device on the vessel and decided to just keep everything. Citations were issued for possession of undersized black sea bass, possession of undersized sheepshead, and over the bag limit of black sea bass.
Officer Randy Irwin responded to the Fort Pierce City Marina when it was reported that a large sport fishing vessel had entered the marina throwing a large three-foot wake, causing moored vessels to rock and bang up against docks and pilings. When Officer Irwin arrived by vessel, he was directed to the offending party by numerous individuals standing on the docks and seawalls by their vessels. The subject and vessel were located and identified by the description given. The operator stated that he entered the City Marina channel and had to power up due to the swift current in the area. He, however, did not power down when he entered the sheltered area causing the large wake. One vessel owner reported minor damage to his sailboat. The subject was cited for careless operation.
SOUTH REGION B
COLLIER
Officer Brian Barringer conducted a Saltwater Fishing and Boating seminar at a local fishing club called the Snooker Club. The seminar consisted of the new saltwater fishing changes, questions the members had about the sport, boating safety and what to expect when being checked by law enforcement personnel. Thirty people attended and they asked great questions.
Lieutenant Mark Mahoney spoke to approximately 150 residents at the Vanderbilt Beach Residents Association. He presented a brief overview of FWC?s merger with DEP, which has increased FWC?s presence within all of the Collier County State Parks. Other topics of discussion included panthers, bears, and nuisance wildlife seen around local homes. Each attendee was provided the opportunity to obtain a copy of a saltwater, freshwater and/or hunting regulation pamphlet.
Officer Gregg Stastny and OPS Staff Assistant Alexzandria James provided a python program to the campers and residents at Collier-Seminole State Park. Officer Stastny spoke about the habitat and traits of the resident python species, as well as other native and non-native snakes, while Ms. James offered the attendees the opportunity to touch a live python. Officer Stastny was well-received and answered additional questions about other species such as the Florida black bear, Florida panther and the American alligator. Ms. James fielded questions regarding the Python Challenge.
DADE COUNTY
Officer Rafael Almagro, Officer Tony Dominguez, and Officer Paige Pestka were on patrol at the 79th Street boat ramp. Officer Almagro initiated a safety inspection on a vessel that U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Protection (CBP) was interested in watching. The CBP arrived to perform an investigation, revealing over twenty fraudulent credit cards and other evidence, indicating the intent to smuggle immigrants across the border. The Miami-Dade Police Department confiscated the subject?s vessel, trailer, and truck, and the subject was arrested for credit card fraud.
Officer Randy Yanez was on patrol at Moody Canal when he observed a subject fishing. When the subject saw the approaching officer, he picked up a small fish and threw it back into the canal despite the officer?s commands not to do so. Officer Yanez asked the subject if he had caught any other fish and the subject replied he had not. Officer George Reynaud arrived on scene to assist and the subject was frisked. The officers discovered five undersized mangrove snapper inside the right pocket of the subject?s cargo pants. As a result, the subject was cited for possession of undersized in mangrove snapper, interference with an FWC Officer, and no shoreline fishing license.
Officers Robert Rodriguez and Bryan Loureiro were on patrol one evening when they stopped to check fishermen at Rickenbacker Causeway. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Protection Officers were also present. The officers encountered one particular subject that had aroused their suspicion, so a computer check was conducted to determine if he may have had any active arrest warrants. In addition to having local warrants for battery violations, the subject also was wanted by the FBI for the trafficking of illegal metals and chemicals. The subject was arrested and transported to jail.
COPS
Officer Jorge Pino and Investigator Bill Stiffler participated in a python hunt in the Rocky Glades, a WMA in southern Dade County. A local reporter from a Spanish language magazine went along to document the events of the day. Around mid-day, Investigator Stiffler found a two-foot python in a brushy area off the main road.
MONROE
Officer Chris Mattson put together a detail in Islamorada titled operation "Full Moon Flurry". This detail was a boating safety detail that focused on boats at the monthly "Full Moon Party". Officers Shelton Bartlett and Doug Krieger also participated in the detail. A total of two UBC citations and nine warnings were written for boating safety and resource violations.
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