FWC Division of Law Enforcement Weekly Report March 4 through March 10, 2016

(Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.)    FWC Division of Law Enforcement Weekly Report March 4 through March 10, 2016 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 CASES BAY COUNTY Officer Gore responded to a complaint regarding child welfare in St. Andrew’s State Park and upon arriving at the campsite and knocking on the camper, he smelled the aroma of cannabis.  A check found a juvenile girl to be okay, but the father turned over a large bag of cannabis “buds” and two grinders.  Citations were issued and the contraband seized. Lieutenant Keen and Officer Price were on patrol in St. Andrew's State Park when they checked two fishers on the jetty rocks.  When asked if they had any fish, they seemed to avoid the question.  A search of the area found two red drum, both oversized. Citations were issued. Investigator Lee and Officer Price were on water patrol in East Bay checking oystermen.  One vessel checked had three subjects harvesting oysters commercially, but one harvester did not have a saltwater products license and had been cited before for the same violation. Another citation was issued for no license and no restricted species endorsement. Officer Wicker was on patrol on Panama City Beach and conducted a livery inspection on a vendor renting personal watercraft (PWC).  He determined the vendor issued boater safety exams, but the vendor did not possess a boater safety card. They said they did but a computer check showed otherwise.  A citation was issued for the violation as the vendor was cited for this same violation the previous year and written warnings were issued for the numbering and decaling of his rental PWC’s. OKALOOSA COUNTY Officer Pifer was on land patrol and observed a sailboat hard aground in the Santa Rosa Sound/Intracoastal Waterways on the north shoreline of Fort Walton Beach.  It was determined a recent severe thunderstorm, with high winds, caused the sailboat to become hard aground.  The sailboat is located on the shoreline at a local city park.  The sailboat has been determined to be derelict due to the fact it is in a wrecked condition.   The sailboat does not have any propulsion ability due to the lack of a sail and motor. The hull of the sailboat has standing water and the registered owner stated the hull has a crack.  Further, the sailboat owner has removed all his personal items and stated he is leaving the state.  The sailboat is now considered abandoned.  Officer Pifer has completed the derelict vessel process and has issued a citation to the owner. Officers Bartlett and Molnar were investigating a possible derelict vessel that was anchored in Cinco Bayou. Throughout the investigation, the officers obtained a name and date of birth of an individual who has been seen going to the vessel by multiple residents in the area over the course of several days. The Tallahassee Regional Communication Center confirmed that the individual had an active arrest warrant for cruelty to animals out of Walton County. Later that day, the subject was located at a boat ramp nearby and was arrested on the warrant. The derelict vessel investigation remains ongoing.

http://live.oysterradio.com/