FWC
Division of Law Enforcement
Weekly Report
July 4 - July 10, 2014
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
BAY COUNTY
Officers Brady and Gore along with Investigator Thomas worked the Panama City Beach Pier regarding incidents of undersized fish being caught. One fisher was found to have three undersized greater amberjacks and was cited for this violation as well as for possession during the closed season. The officers then went to the Bay County Pier and found another fisher who possessed three undersized greater amberjacks. Citations were issued.
Lieutenant Keen and Officer Moore were on patrol when they located a subject operating a personal watercraft with the hull identification number removed. The owner said they purchased the watercraft but had no paperwork as to the sale. The personal watercraft was seized for further investigation.
Officer Gore was on patrol at Lake Powell when he observed a subject pull up to the boat ramp and during an inspection observed signs of impairment. Field sobriety tasks were given, which the boater failed. The boater refused to submit to a breath test and was booked into the Bay County Jail for BUI.
Officers Brady and Goodwin were on patrol when they checked two fishers in federal waters and found four red snapper in an ice box and two other red snapper in a compartment under the cleaning board. Citations were issued for the bag limit violation and written warnings issued for harvest in federal waters, which are closed.
Officers Brady and Gore were patrolling Shell Island on the holiday weekend when they observed a small skiff towing a wake boarder in and out of a large number of anchored vessels. The skier wasn’t wearing a life jacket and no observer was on board the skiff. The skiff was stopped and cannabis was found on board. Citations were issued for the violations.
Officers Brady and Gore were checking vessels returning from offshore and stopped a vessel with three occupants on board for a fisheries inspection. When asked how many fish they had, they replied six snapper. A check of the cooler found the six red snapper on top of the ice and two other snapper under the ice. A citation was issued.
Officer Gore worked the Panama City Beach Pier and found a fisher who possessed four undersized greater amberjack. A citation was issued. Later another fisher was found to possess five undersized greater amberjack and another citation was issued.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
FWC Officers responded to vessel incident that occurred in Escambia Bay. The incident occurred when four individuals launched their vessel at the 17th Avenue Boat Ramp and traveled to a predetermined fishing spot. When the operator slowed the vessel, he realized one of the passengers, sitting on a pedestal seat at the stern of the vessel, was missing. The officers assisted with searching the area. Just before dark, the passenger was found deceased. Investigator Goley is currently investigating the incident.
Officer Cushing and Lieutenant Berryman were on water patrol in Bayou Chico when they observed a woman swimming behind a boat in the middle of a very busy narrow channel. The woman boarded the boat as the officers pulled alongside to conduct a boating safety check and to determine why the vessel did not display any registration decal or numbers. During the initial contact, the operator of the vessel showed signs of impairment. The officers towed the vessel away from the congested area to a nearby marina and continued their investigation. It was determined that the subject was under the influence while operating a vessel. The subject was placed under arrest and asked to submit to a test of his breath to determine his blood alcohol content and he agreed to do so. The test of his breath revealed the subject’s breath alcohol content to be .259, three times over the legal limit.
The crew of the FinCat (patrol vessel) conducted 16 offshore fisheries inspections. During the inspections, several resource violations were discovered. One vessel had undersized red snapper and undersized gray triggerfish during the closed season. Another vessel had four greater amberjack during the closed season. When the captain was asked about the closed season, he stated that someone told him it had re-opened. Despite the claim of the season being opened, three of the greater amberjack were undersized. Appropriate citations were issued.
Officers Pineda and Clark were conducting fisheries inspections in the Pensacola Pass. During one of these inspections, the operator of the vessel stated that he had only caught vermilion snapper and nothing else. Further inspection revealed undersized red snapper hidden underneath the vermilion snapper. This subject was issued a citation for possession of undersized red snapper.
Officers Pineda and Clark responded to a call for help from a boater who had a female passenger go into a seizure on top of the steering tower in a congested water way. The officers assisted in getting her down from the tower and transported her to the boat ramp where they were met by EMS.
Officers Pineda and Manning were conducting fisheries inspections on Pensacola Beach. While checking fishermen, Officer Pineda observed two very small undersized red fish next to a fisherman on the Bob Sikes Fishing Pier. When asked about the two fish, the fisherman replied that he had bought them at Joe Patties; however, one of the red fish was still alive. This subject was issued a citation for possession of undersized red drum.
While on vessel patrol near the Pensacola Pass, Officers Cushing and Miller were conducting boating safety and fisheries inspections. One particular vessel returning from the Gulf of Mexico was stopped and a fisheries inspection was conducted. During that inspection, it was discovered that the owner/operator was in possession of a 26.5‑inch greater amberjack. When asked if he knew the regulations for the species, he stated that he thought they had to be 27 inches in length. The individual was cited for possession of amberjack during the closed season.
OKALOOSA COUNTY
Officers Molnar and Rockwell conducted a vessel stop on a subject for not wearing a life jacket while operating a PWC. Upon further investigation, it was determined the operator was 19 years of age and admitted to drinking alcohol earlier in the day. The subject provided a breath sample into a portable breath tester and it measured over .02 BrAC. The subject was cited by Officer Molnar for operating a vessel under the age of 21 with a BrAC of .02 or greater and failure to wear a PFD while operating a PWC.
Officer Molnar was contacted by Officer Rockwell regarding a vessel operator that he had detained, who was possibly intoxicated. Upon arrival, Officer Molnar conducted field sobriety tasks. At the conclusion of the field sobriety tasks, the subject was arrested for BUI and also issued two additional boating infraction citations. The subject provided a breath sample of .165 and .169.
Officers P. Rockwell, J. Rockwell, and Jarvis responded to a boating accident involving two personal watercrafts (PWC’s). The accident occurred when two PWC’s collided in Destin Pass near Crab Island. One subject was injured and transported to a local hospital. Later in the day, Lieutenant Hollinhead, Investigator Armstrong, Officers Maltais, Molnar, Bartlett, and Reserve Officer Hahr responded to two separate boating accidents in Choctawhatchee Bay and Destin Pass. An occupant that could not swim fell from the rear of a vessel while trying to free an anchor and was later pulled from the water floating and unconscious. The subject was later placed on life support at a local hospital where he has since fully recovered. While investigating this accident, the officers were directed to another accident in Choctawhatchee Bay which involved a PWC colliding with another vessel. The PWC operator received minor injuries and the PWC was severely damaged.
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