FWC Division of Law Enforcement Weekly Report December 11, 2015 thru December 17, 2015

(Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.) FWC Division of Law Enforcement   Weekly Report December 11, 2015 thru December 17, 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 ESCAMBIA COUNTY Officers Manning, Barnard and Pettey worked information they received about an individual trespassing and hunting on private property. After several days of working the information, they discovered the suspect’s car in the area.  The officers staged around the area and Officer Manning stopped the individual as he was leaving.  Officer Manning spoke to the individual and he claimed to have permission to hunt on an adjacent property.  Officer Manning discovered the subject had an active warrant for his arrest and that he was driving on a suspended license.  While speaking to the subject, he admitted to being a convicted felon.  He said that he knew he wasn’t supposed to possess firearms but just could not help it because he liked to hunt too much.  Officer Manning confirmed the subject was a convicted felon and seized the three firearms in his possession. Officer Manning arrested and transported the subject to the Escambia County Jail.  In addition to the active warrant, the subject was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, knowingly driving on a suspended license and hunting without a license. FRANKLIN COUNTY Officers Nelson and Stephens were working in the Apalachicola Bay area and observed a commercial oyster vessel divert and avoid bringing their vessel and catch to the commercial harvest check station.  The officers followed the vessel and later stopped it in order to conduct a boating safety and resource inspection.  The officers located hidden bags of oysters in a compartment.  The inspections resulted in untagged oysters, 80% of which were undersized and in contact with bilge water.  Appropriate charges and warnings were levied and the oysters were returned to the area bay alive. LEON COUNTY Officer Nelson was on patrol in the Apalachicola National Forest when he observed a group of hunters in the Smith Creek area.  As he observed the group from his unmarked patrol vehicle, one of the hunters walked down the road away from the group and retrieved a shotgun that was hidden in the bushes and walked back to the group.  Officer Nelson checked the group’s licenses and checked the rights to possess a firearm of the hunter who retrieved the hidden firearm. The criminal check resulted in felony convictions and his loss of rights to possess the firearm.  Subsequent charges are being filed for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. OKALOOSA COUNTY Officer Bartlett and Lieutenant Clark were on vessel patrol conducting boating safety and state fisheries inspections.  While at the Cinco Bayou Boat Ramp, Officer Bartlett observed a vessel returning to the boat ramp.  During the safety inspection, Officer Bartlett determined the vessel was returning from a fishing trip.  The fisheries inspection revealed that the operator was in possession of eight red drum, seven of which were undersized.  The operator was cited for a major violation and issued citations for possession of over the bag limit and undersized red drum. SANTA ROSA COUNTY Santa Rosa County officers conducted a detail in conjunction with the Aviation Section targeting illegal night hunting. Aviation personnel contacted Officer P. Rockwell when they spotted a vehicle shining a light in an open field in a manner capable of disclosing the presence of deer.  The aviation personnel provided Officer Rockwell the necessary coordinates to intersect and stop the vehicle.  During the stop, a loaded shotgun with a chambered round and a spotlight were discovered.  The driver and passenger were issued a citation for attempting to take deer at night with a gun and light. During the fall dog training season on the Eglin Reservation Wildlife Management Area (WMA), Officer Jones received a complaint from a citizen stating that an individual stole his hunting dog.  An investigation conducted by Officers Jones and Tolbert indicated the following events. The complainant and his companions encountered an individual who had a dog in his vehicle that appeared to be a dog owned by the complainant.  At about the same time, they saw the individual throw something into the woods and then drive away.  They went to the location and found a dog identification collar belonging to the complainant.  The complainant followed and confronted the individual and retrieved the dog.  Later in the day, a radio tracking collar that had been used on the same dog was found in the woods at the same location as the identification collar.  The collars had been cut.  Several witnesses were interviewed and gave sworn statements including the suspect.  An arrest warrant was obtained charging the suspect with grand theft. Officer Jones was on foot patrol in the Eglin Reservation WMA near the Okaloosa/Santa Rosa County line.  He made contact with a hunter in a tree stand who was hunting with archery gear.  Officer Jones also found feed distributed on the ground near the stand.  There was no open hunting season on Eglin at that time. Officer Jones charged the hunter with hunting during closed season, hunting over bait and possession of marijuana.  The hunter’s hunting equipment was seized as evidence. Eglin Range Patrol rescinded his Eglin privileges. Multiple officers from Escambia and Santa Rosa County focused on the opening of the second phase of waterfowl season.  Officers utilized Division aircraft and vessels to locate hunters.  During the detail, multiple violations were addressed to include taking migratory birds with the use of an unplugged gun, no hunting license, no federal duck stamp and other permit violations. WAKULLA COUNTY After completing a nighttime search and rescue mission, Lieutenants Marlow and Harvey noticed an airboat operating on the back side of some islands.  They made their way to the vessel and noticed they were using gigs.  They were observed gigging a fish and placing it on the deck of the vessel.  After approaching the vessel, they observed an undersized red drum and a legal length red drum on the deck.  Further inspection revealed six more red drum located in a cooler.  All of the fish showed evidence of being gigged and four were undersized.  Citations and warnings were issued to the occupants for undersized red drum, over the bag limit and unlawful method of harvest. Officers Raker and Robb were working duck hunting and observed a vessel operate past them with three occupants.  As they went by, they pointed, shouted something about ducks and proceeded into the restricted waters of the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge.  The officers observed their actions of taking ducks in the restricted area, taking ducks after legal harvest times and chasing and shooting ducks from a moving vessel. Officers Stephens and Nelson arrived on scene to assist.  The officers approached the vessel and located drugs and drug paraphernalia in plain sight. Charges and warnings were levied against the individuals for the violations. Officers Raker and Robb were working in the Levy Bay area and observed a vessel operating without the required navigational lights.  They stopped the vessel and observed indicators of possible impairment from the operator.  They also observed an opened bottle of alcoholic beverage on the vessel.  Subsequent observations and field sobriety tasks of the operator showed significant signs of impairment.  The operator also admitted to consuming multiple types of alcoholic beverages.  He was arrested and transported to Wakulla County Jail for BUI, where he provided alcoholic breath samples over the legal limit. WALTON COUNTY Officer Brooks observed a subject hunting from a tree stand on Choctawhatchee WMA that was near bait that had been placed around the stand.  The subject admitted to placing the bait around the stand and was cited for hunting over bait in a management area.

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