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.
NORTHWEST REGION
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
Lt. Brian Lambert was on patrol near Galvez Landing when he observed a vessel return to the landing. At the boat ramp, he observed the vessel operator attempt to back his trailer into the water. The individual took several minutes and numerous attempts to accomplish this task. When the individual exited the vehicle, he immediately became hostile toward Lieutenant Lambert, using profanity and asking why he was being stopped. During this contact, the individual exhibited several signs of impairment, but agreed to perform field sobriety tasks. After performing poorly on the tasks, Lieutenant Lambert arrested the operator and transported him to the Escambia County Jail where he was given an opportunity to provide a breath sample which resulted in .147 g/210L. The individual was booked into the county jail for boating under the influence and driving under the influence.
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
Officer Royce Johnson and Lt. Dan Hahr were on patrol in the Blackwater Wildlife Management Area when they encountered a group of juveniles and adults camping along Juniper Creek. After watching the campers for a short while, the officers observed five of them drinking beer in an area posted with signs prohibiting alcoholic beverages. The officers made contact with the subjects and determined that two of them were 17 and one was 19 years of age. The two remaining individuals were age 26. Officer Johnson issued the three minors each a notice to appear for possession of alcoholic beverages by a person under the age of 21. All of the subjects were issued citations for possession of alcoholic beverages within the posted area of the management area.
Officer Sulin Schafer was on water patrol on Santa Rosa Sound near Oriello boat ramp when she stopped a vessel to conduct a boating safety inspection. She noticed signs of possible impairment from the vessel operator. After instructing several afloat and land field sobriety tasks, the vessel operator’s performance confirmed impairment. Officer Schafer placed the operator under arrest and transported him to the Santa Rosa County Jail. He agreed to give a breath sample which resulted in .181 g/210L. The vessel operator was booked into county jail for boating under the influence. Officer Schafer also issued citations and multiple warnings for boating safety equipment violations discovered during the inspection.
Officers Joe Murphy and Andy Berrey were on patrol of the Simpson River when they checked a fisherman in possession of three undersized black bass. The man was cited for the violation.
Lt. Dan Hahr responded to a trespass complaint. A landowner found a truck parked on Escambia River Wildlife Management Area property after travelling through his posted land. Lieutenant Hahr located two men fishing in a slough and found them in possession of four undersized black bass. Both subjects admitted to catching two bass each and were cited for the violation. Charges of trespass are pending.
OKALOOSA COUNTY
Officer Matt Webb and Lt. Keith Clark were on vessel patrol conducting boating safety inspections and state fisheries inspections near the Destin Pass area when they observed a vessel returning from the Gulf of Mexico. During the boating safety inspection, Officer Webb determined the vessel was returning from a fishing trip. The fisheries inspection revealed four grossly undersized gag grouper. The vessel operator stated the fish harvested were scamp. Further inspection revealed the operator had a fish identification guide on the boat that correctly displayed scamp and gag grouper and provided identification for each species. The operator and a passenger were cited for possession of undersized gag grouper.
Officer Matt Webb and Lt. Keith Clark were conducting boating safety inspections near Destin when they were dispatched to a personal watercraft (PWC) accident with injuries near Crab Island. U.S. Coast Guard Destin personnel arrived on scene first and determined the two PWCs involved were rented from a local vendor in Destin Harbor. They escorted the PWCs with two individuals back to the livery. An injured individual was transported by ambulance to a local hospital. Officer Ryan Nelson was dispatched to the hospital to interview the injured individual while Officer Webb arrived at the livery and conducted the investigation. His investigation revealed the livery knowingly allowed a 16‑year‑old individual to solely operator a PWC without a boater safety card. The accident involved a crossing situation in which vessel 1 failed to give right-of-way to vessel 2 and struck the second vessel on the portside. The operator of vessel 1 was cited for violation of the navigational rules, specifically failure to maintain a proper look-out, risk of collision, failing to take action to avoid collision, and crossing violations. Additionally, the livery owner was cited. The injured individual sustained bruises and was treated and released.
Officer Andy Maltais and Lt. Keith Clark were on vessel patrol conducting boating safety inspections near the Destin area when the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit notified them of a boating accident involving a single vessel that had just arrived at the dock in Destin Harbor. The investigation revealed that a 32‑foot vessel was underway, exiting the Destin Pass east jetties, when a large wave caused the boat’s bow to slam into an incoming wave. The force of the impact caused a front passenger to fall, striking his head on the gunwale causing a laceration on his forehead. Responding emergency medical service personnel advised the individual he needed stitches and the individual went to a local acute emergency center where he was treated and released.
BAY COUNTY
Officer David Erdman conducted a vessel stop in Grand Lagoon for an idle speed violation. The vessel operator was incoherent, slurring his words, and speaking in a rapid manner. His eyes were also bloodshot and glassy. Officer Erdman explained to the individual that he suspected impairment and requested him to perform several standardized afloat field tasks to determine his capacity to safely operate a vessel. The operator complied with the request and displayed enough clues during the tasks to indicate impairment. Samples of his breath showed alcohol levels of .119 and .124. The operator was placed under arrest and transported to the Bay County Jail where he was booked for boating under the influence.
Officer David Erdman was on a vessel stop in Grand Lagoon when he noticed a pontoon boat traveling at an excessive speed, causing a wake. Observing the vessel’s course was on a collision course with his patrol vessel, Officer Erdman made an immediate decision to move his vessel or be struck by the pontoon boat. Officer Erdman pushed away from the vessel that he was inspecting and activated his blue lights and siren in an attempt to get the attention of the operator of the pontoon vessel. Several occupants on the pontoon boat noticed that Officer Erdman was attempting to stop them and motioned the operator to stop. The operator stopped and during their discussion, Officer Erdman noticed the operator’s speech was very slurred and he seemed confused and was mumbling his words. Officer Erdman believed the operator to be impaired and requested another person drive the operator back to where they had rented the vessel. Officer Erdman conducted standardized field afloat tasks to determine the operator’s capacity to safely drive a vessel. The operator showed signs of impairment and was placed under arrest. His breath samples were .191 and .182. The operator was charged with boating under the influence.
While working offshore patrol, Officer David Erdman checked two vessels in which the fishermen were using J-hooks instead of the required circle hooks. He also noticed they weren’t using de-venting tools as required. Officer Erdman used the educational approach on both stops and issued warnings on both cases.
RESOURCE PROTECTION UNIT WEEKLY ACTIVITIES
GADSDEN COUNTY
Resource officers working the Apalachicola River arrested seven different individuals fishing illegally on the river over the past week. The violations ranged from taking freshwater game fish by illegal method, bag limit violations, and gigging largemouth bass.
FRANKLIN COUNTY
Officers arrested three individuals in Apalachicola Bay for possessing a monofilament gill net. The officers observed two boats fishing together and when conducting a stop for a fisheries inspection, the individuals pushed the monofilament net overboard and abandoned it. The officers stopped the suspects and cited them. Prior to these arrests, the three suspects combined have been cited over 70 times for resource violations in Wakulla and Franklin counties. The investigation is ongoing and more arrests are expected in connection to the monofilament net.
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