FWC Division of Law Enforcement WEEKLY REPORT June 24 through June 30, 2016

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FWC

Division of Law Enforcement

WEEKLY REPORT

June 24 through June 30, 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

Officers in the Northwest Region participated in Operation Dry Water, focusing their patrol efforts on Boating under the Influence (BUI) education, awareness and enforcement.  They worked 715 boating safety hours and made 5 media contacts.  The officers conducted 1,056 vessel inspections, checked 3,007 users, issued 53 boating citations, made 5 BUI arrests (alcohol) and one BUI arrest (drugs) and issued 126 boating safety warnings.  The three highest blood alcohol contact (BAC) recorded were .137, .210 and .220.

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

CASES

Lieutenant Hahr was patrolling the Perdido River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) when a girl came running up to tell him about a man assaulting a woman in the parking lot. After running back to the parking lot, Lieutenant Hahr was directed to a truck where the man was about to leave with his family. After a short investigation, he determined that the man had been drinking and was upset with his son and daughter for getting ahead of him and his wife on their float trip. He had thrown his 14‑year‑old daughter around by her hair and violently grabbed his 17‑year‑old son by his throat and hair. The man was arrested for two counts of domestic violence battery.

Officer Clark was on patrol in Opal Beach Federal Park and observed a vehicle exceeding the speed limit. He initiated a traffic stop, approached the driver and asked for his driver license. The driver stated he left it at the office. Officer Clark could smell an odor of cannabis emanating from the vehicle. He asked the driver if he had anything illegal in the vehicle. The driver stated he had a pipe in his backpack. Officer Clark informed the driver he was going to search the bag and the driver stated that there was also cannabis in the bag. On the passenger seat, a metal grinder was in plain view. All items were seized and the driver was identified through FWC Dispatch with no valid license and as a habitual traffic offender with five previous suspensions. Officer Clark placed the driver into custody and charged him with felony driving with license suspended, possession of cannabis under 20 grams and possession of paraphernalia.

Officers Hutchinson and Clark were patrolling at Whiting Park on Blackwater River. The officers were inside the office when an anonymous complainant informed them that an extremely intoxicated person just returned from operating a vessel. He advised that the individual almost fell down when exiting the vessel. While they were standing in the office, the complainant pointed at a white male in a blue truck and advised that he was the person he was talking about. Officers Hutchinson and Clark left the office and while getting in their patrol vehicle, the truck had already started to drive off. The officers followed for a short distance observing the vehicle swerving out of the lane several times. They stopped the vehicle and approached the driver. The driver spontaneously stated that he was going to let someone else drive. He said he had been drinking and that he was not safe to drive. While talking with the driver, Officer Clark could smell a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage. Officer Clark requested the driver to participate in some field alcohol tests and he agreed. The driver performed poorly on all tests and was arrested and transported to Santa Rosa County Jail for DUI. The driver provided a breath sample of .125.

Officer McHenry was on vessel patrol in Big Lagoon State Park and stopped a vessel that did not have a registration decal displayed. While speaking with the vessel’s operator, he noticed several signs of impairment. The operator agreed to perform several field alcohol tests, performed poorly and was arrested and transported to the Escambia County Jail for BUI. The breath sample provided resulted in a blood alcohol content of .224.

Officer McHenry was patrolling the area in the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) in front of Big Lagoon State Park. He stopped a vessel displaying Alabama registration numbers but no registration decal. Because of the time and the amount of boat traffic in the area, Officer McHenry had the suspect operate the vessel at idle speed to the state park in calmer waters with less boat traffic. While conducting the boating safety inspection, he noticed a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from the suspect’s breath. The suspect also had red, glassy blood-shot eyes and slurred speech. The suspect voluntarily performed field alcohol tests, performed poorly and was charged with BUI and failure to register his vessel.

JACKSON COUNTY

Officer Forehand was conducting surveillance at Chattahoochee Landing along the Apalachicola River when he watched a fisherman throwing a cast net along the river’s edge. Officer Forehand watched the fisherman empty the catch from the cast net into the live well of his vessel. Upon inspecting the fisherman’s catch, he found that the fisherman had taken 31 bream with the cast net. He was charged with taking freshwater game fish by an illegal method and the fish were returned to the water alive.

OKALOOSA COUNTY

During Operation Dry Water, Officers Molnar and Bartlett were on vessel patrol in the East Pass when they observed a vessel violating the idle speed/no wake restricted zone. While conducting a vessel stop to address the wake zone violation, Officer Molnar could smell of strong odor of alcoholic beverage coming from the operator’s breath and he also stated he had been drinking throughout the day. Officer Bartlett administered field alcohol tests on the individual and observed indicators of impairment. The operator was arrested for BUI and later provided a breath sample of 0.116 and 0.112. The individual was transported to the Okaloosa County Jail.

During Operation Dry Water, Officers Molnar and Bartlett were on vessel patrol and observed a small vessel in violation of the idle speed/no wake restricted zone. After Officer Molnar established communication with the operator, he observed several open cans of alcoholic beverage. Officer Molnar had concerns the operator was impaired. The operator agreed to perform field alcohol tests which indicated his impairment, and he was arrested for BUI. The operator provided a breath sample of 0.063. The operator was transported to the Okaloosa County Jail.

Officers Pifer and Corbin were on vessel patrol in the East Pass and Destin Harbor conducting state fisheries inspections. Throughout the day, the officers conducted fisheries inspections on five charter boats they observed coming back from fishing trips. The first charter boat was found to be in possession undersized, out of season greater amberjack. The second charter boat was found to be in possession of undersized gray triggerfish, also out of season. The third charter boat was found to be in possession of an undersized king mackerel and an undersized red snapper. The fourth charter boat was found to be in possession of over the bag limit and undersized red snapper. The fifth charter boat was found to be in possession of undersized red snapper. All operators/vessel captains were issued notice to appear citations.

While in Destin Harbor, Officers Pifer and Corbin observed a swimmer in the channel causing a navigational hazard as well as endangering himself. The officers responded quickly and ordered the swimmer to swim back to the dock. The swimmer ignored the officers and continued to interfere with navigation in the harbor. The officers began to direct vessel traffic as they continued to give verbal commands for the swimmer to swim back to the dock. At one point, the swimmer submerged himself under the water where he could not be seen. Eventually, the swimmer complied. At the dock, Officer Pifer asked for the swimmer’s name. Again, the individual would not cooperate, was sarcastic, provided a false name, and attempted to walk away from the officers. The individual was arrested for interference with an FWC officer and transported to the Okaloosa County Jail.

Officers Molnar and Bartlett were on vessel patrol in the East Pass when they were notified about an individual who was in possession of a spear gun while scuba diving the East Jetties. They made contact with two males who were scuba diving at the jetties and found one of them in possession of a pole spear. Officer Bartlett issued the individual a notice to appear citation and educated the divers on the rules of spear fishing along the jetties in East Pass. 

RESCUES

WALTON COUNTY

Lieutenants Hollinhead and Golloher, Pilot Tolbert, and Officers Letcher, Bartlett, Molnar and Tison participated in a search and rescue on Choctawhatchee Bay after receiving information of an overdue kayaker. The subject was last observed traveling across the bay and was reported as not having a personal flotation device. Walton County Sheriff’s Department marine units and U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) assisted with the search. The following day, the subject’s kayak was located submerged along the shoreline. On the third day of the search, the body of the subject was located by Pilot Tolbert from the FWC aircraft. FWC Investigator Armstrong will be conducting the boating accident investigation.

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