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FWC
Division of Law Enforcement
Weekly Report
May 15, 2015 thru May 21, 2015
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
Lieutenant Keen and Officer Palmer responded to the Bailey Bridge regarding a person who had jumped off the bridge and was refusing to get into a rescue boat from the local fire department. After Lieutenant Keen and Officer Palmer arrived, the subject agreed to get into the FWC vessel, but changed his mind once alongside the patrol vessel. The officers and two members of the fire department then grabbed and lifted the subject onto the vessel where he was secured and turned over to a local police officer waiting at a nearby boat ramp.
Officers Palmer and Price were working pompano fishers along Bay County’s beaches when they checked a parasail/jet ski rental business in Mexico Beach. The officers had warned the business the previous year concerning liability insurance. The business did not have the required insurance and was cited for the violation.
Investigator Lee and Officer Lipford responded to a capsized vessel just off a sand bar west of the Mexico Beach Canal and a large monofilament gill net was found washed up nearby. The vessel was towed to a nearby boat ramp where the officers determined the vessel’s engine was stolen. The registered owner was called, but only his fiancé was available to speak to the officers. She said the motor was purchased from Craigslist and they had a bill of sale. The boat, motor, trailer and net were seized pending further investigation.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
Officer Hutchinson and Investigator Brown were patrolling the Escambia River Wildlife Management Area when they observed three kayakers paddling in a lake along the river. They made contact with the kayakers and discovered that none of them had PFDs and one of them had been fishing without a license. A records check revealed an outstanding warrant on one of the kayakers. After placing him in custody, the officers found the subject to be in possession of marijuana. He was charged for possession of cannabis and transported to the Escambia County Jail on the warrant.
Officers and investigators responded to a single vessel accident where the vessel struck the pilings of the eastbound span of the I-10 Bridge and immediately sank. The operator spent the next 12 hours atop the cobia tower before another fisherman spotted the man and called 911. The man was taken by air-ambulance to Sacred Heart Hospital and immediately taken into surgery. The man is in critical condition. Investigator Hughes is conducting the investigation.
OKALOOSA COUNTY
Officers Pifer and Corbin were conducting routine water patrol when they observed a vessel under the Marler Bridge in Destin displaying a dive flag. As the officers approached the vessel, a diver surfaced and was in possession of a spear gun and several fish. Shortly after, another diver surfaced and was in possession of a spear gun and several fish. Officer Corbin instructed the divers to board their vessel and to place all fish inside the vessel for inspection. While conducting their inspection, the officers determined that one of the divers had thrown his fish back into the water because he thought a couple may have been too small. Both divers were cited for spearfishing within 100 yards of a bridge where fishing is legally permitted and one was cited for interfering with an FWC officer. Later in the week while conducting boating safety and fisheries inspection in the Destin Pass, they stopped a vessel returning from the Gulf. Their fisheries inspection revealed one undersized greater amberjack onboard the vessel. The captain of the vessel was cited for the violation.
Officers Molnar, Pifer and Corbin responded to a complaint regarding a sailboat that drifted into a private dock. Upon the officers’ arrival, the owner of the vessel was on scene along with another individual. A records check on one of the subjects revealed an active arrest warrant out of Alabama for larceny. The subject was arrested and booked into the Okaloosa County Jail.
Over the last week, Officers Pifer, Corbin and Molnar have individually investigated four separate cases and cited an individual in each case for failure to transfer vessel title within 30 days of change in ownership.
Lieutenant Suggs and Officer Maltais responded to a boating accident in Destin involving three personal watercraft and a pontoon boat. All the vessels involved were rentals. An investigation into the livery revealed multiple violations. After consulting with the State Attorney’s Office, Officer Maltais issued a total of seven misdemeanor charges to the livery. The charges were for not verifying boating safety certification compliance with the operators, insufficient demonstration and safety briefing, and insufficient boating safety certification for livery staff.
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
The Fin Cat crew was on patrol in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico south of Pensacola. The crew initiated a boarding on a recreational vessel with three persons onboard who were actively fishing. Prior to boarding, the subjects were asked if they “had any luck.” One of them responded that they just got there. He was then asked if they had any fish onboard. He reiterated that they just got there and only had bait. During their inspection, the boarding team discovered eight undersized red snapper, a red snapper fillet, and six undersized greater amberjack, the largest measuring 24 inches in length. All three subjects were issued federal citations.
Officer Lewis was on patrol in Blackwater River State Forest when he observed a man and woman camping. Officer Lewis observed the man in possession of a pistol. The couple was also in possession of alcoholic beverages which are prohibited in the area they were in. A records check revealed that the man had a domestic violence injunction against him and could not possess a firearm. The firearm was seized and the man was arrested for possession of a firearm while currently a subject of a protection order.
COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
This past weekend, Officers Manning and Webb participated in the first annual Lionfish Removal Festival in Pensacola. FWC sponsored the event to promote awareness of lionfish. Over the two‑day event, several hundred people participated. The officers handed out relevant pamphlets and answered questions.
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