FWC Division of Law Enforcement Weekly Report December 16, 2016 through December 29, 2016

(Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.) FWC Division of Law Enforcement    Weekly Report December 16, 2016 through December 29, 2016 This report represents some events the FWC handled over the past two weeks; however, it does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement. Patrol, Protect, Preserve NORTHWEST REGION CASES CALHOUN COUNTY Officers Guy and Hayes responded to a landowner’s trespass complaint. When the officers arrived, the suspect had already left the property but the complainant had a photograph of the suspect’s vehicle. The officers canvassed a nearby neighborhood and located the vehicle at a residence. While the officers spoke to the suspect about the trespass complaint, they noticed a fresh drop of blood on his boots. When questioned about the blood, the suspect stated his wife killed a deer that morning. The suspect led the officers to a deer carcass which was a spike buck with antlers only three inches long. The suspect was warned for trespass and his wife was cited for taking an antlerless deer. HOLMES COUNTY Officer Greene responded to a call where an individual heard shots and while patrolling the area, located a subject that killed a doe deer. The deer and rifle were seized and the subject was issued a citation for taking an antlerless deer during closed season. OKALOOSA COUNTY Officer Maltais was patrolling a closed area on Eglin Air Force Base when he discovered two large piles of trash that had recently been dumped on either side of the road. During an inspection of the trash, paperwork containing court documents, vehicle paperwork, and a business card for a parole officer were found. He and Officer Jarvis went to the individual’s address and interviewed him about the trash. The man admitted to dumping the trash the night before and agreed to immediately clean up the trash. Because the area was exclusive jurisdiction, the individual received a 1‑year suspension by Eglin Range Patrol. Officer Jarvis was patrolling a closed area on Eglin Air Force Base when he observed a man and a woman in a truck. The subjects were from out of the area and neither one of them had a valid driver license. Officer Ramos, along with Eglin Range Patrol, arrived on scene to assist. The closed area they were in is exclusive jurisdiction and the case was turned over to Eglin Range Patrol. Both individuals received a 1‑year suspension. Officer Jarvis received a call from U.S. Customs agents in Destin regarding a vessel they had searched. The owner/operator of the vessel had 35 grams of marijuana in his possession. Officer Jarvis placed the individual under arrest for felony possession of cannabis over 20 grams. Officers Hutchinson and Clark were patrolling the Blackwater State Forest/Blackwater Wildlife Management Area (WMA) when they observed a man whose vehicle was parked in the middle of a forest road. The individual was standing next to his truck that had a dog box in the back and holding a device used to track hunting dogs. The officers made contact with the individual who first said that he was running rabbits with his dogs but later admitted to running deer with the dogs. After further investigation, they discovered that the subject did not have a required quota permit or the required correction device attached to any of the five dogs that he was hunting with. The officers also discovered that the subject’s dogs were pursuing deer in a still hunt only section of the WMA. The subject was issued a notice to appear for failure to have the required behavior corrective device attached to his dogs while pursuing deer. He was issued a written warning for the other violations. While talking to the subject, another hunter drove up and saw the officers. He immediately put his truck in reverse and started backing up. Officer Clark caught up to him and discovered that not only did he not have a required quota permit, but he was also smoking cannabis. The man was issued a notice to appear for the drug charges and a citation for the quota permit violation. SANTA ROSA COUNTY Officer Hutchinson received information about a subject who shot an antlerless deer out of season with a modern firearm. After an initial investigation, he learned that the individual was a convicted felon and could not legally possess a firearm. Officers Hutchinson and Clark arrived at the individual’s property in the early morning hours and made contact with his brother-in-law who also lives on the property. The officers discovered the antlerless deer carcass inside a barrel that was hanging from a skinning rack. They also discovered an ice chest with the meat from the antlerless deer. After questioning the individual, he agreed to take the officers to where the suspect was living on the property. They drove through the property to a wooded area that had a two‑story shooting house in the bushes. The brother-in-law informed the officers that the suspect lived in the shooting house. The officers made contact with the suspect who admitted to using a modern firearm to shoot the antlerless deer out of season. The officers discovered that the suspect did not have a valid Florida hunting license and that he trespassed onto a nearby hunting club to harvest the deer. The suspect turned over the firearm used to harvest the deer. The officers seized the firearm and the deer meat. The suspect was issued a notice to appear for taking an antlerless deer out of season. Additional charges are pending. Officer Jones was patrolling the Eglin WMA when he encountered a hunter driving a vehicle on an Eglin Range road well before legal time to enter Eglin property. The officer issued a notice to appear citation for early entry. Officers Hoomes and Long were patrolling the Roberts Pond in the Eglin WMA when they located footprints leading into a closed area. The officers located a freshly killed antlerless deer approximately 50 yards from where an individual entered the closed area. The officers also located a receipt from a local retail vendor which appeared to have been left as a marker to locate where the illegal deer was killed. The officers located the individual by using information from the receipt and interviewed him about the deer. The suspect admitted to shooting the deer and leaving it in the woods because some hunters in the area saw him attempting to retrieve it. The subject also admitted to dropping the receipt on the edge of the road as a marker when he returned to retrieve the deer. The subject was issued citations for taking an antlerless deer during closed season and for hunting in a closed area in Eglin WMA. He was issued a warning for the willful and wanton waste of wildlife. Officers Roberson, Hoomes and Long responded to a complaint of individuals hunting with dogs in the Yellow River WMA. The officers located the individuals who were hunting rabbits with dogs. The area is closed to this activity and they were issued citations for the violations. WALTON COUNTY While Officer Bartlett was patrolling the Eglin WMA, he heard a rifle shot and located a truck parked nearby. When the hunter returned to his vehicle, Officer Bartlett made contact with the individual who advised he shot at a deer but had not yet located it. Officer Bartlett and the hunter returned to the area where the individual had attempted to harvest the deer to try to locate it. When they arrived at the location, Officer Bartlett located bait (corn) that had been distributed close to the individual’s hunting blind. When questioned, the hunter admitted to hunting over the bait and was issued a notice to appear citation. While Lieutenant Hollinhead was patrolling Eglin WMA, he observed hunters parked along a dirt road releasing a dog to attempt to catch a hog. As he approached their location, one of the subjects fled on foot. A search of a wooded area revealed two firearms that had been dropped in the dirt where the subject was running. The subject was located in a thick brush area near the firearms trying to hide. The subject was taken into custody and denied knowledge of the firearms. A check through FWC Dispatch revealed the subject had five prior felony convictions and could not possess a firearm or ammunition. A search of his person revealed three shotgun shells. Officers Tison and Pifer responded and assisted with interviewing other hunters that had witnessed the subject run with the firearms. When the subject was interviewed, he admitted to fleeing with the firearms as Lieutenant Hollinhead approached him. The subject was charged with resisting arrest without violence, no Eglin hunting permit, and no hunting license. Charges for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon will be direct filed with the state attorney’s office. Eglin Security Officers responded and issued the subject a five‑year suspension from Eglin property for the violations. WASHINGTON COUNTY Captain Lee and Lieutenant Walsingham were off duty when they observed a subject exiting the woods with a doe deer. They identified themselves and cited the subject for taking an antlerless deer during closed season. While checking a hunter in the Choctawhatchee River WMA Gum Creek Unit, Officer Jackson observed a vehicle exiting the area. As the vehicle approached her location, it suddenly turned around and went back into the area. She called Officer Brooks for assistance and after a short time, the vehicle returned. The two subjects were wet and said they had been trying out two new kayaks that were in the back of the truck and had turned around looking for a paddle they lost. The subjects were checked for warrants and one individual’s identity could not be confirmed. Officer Brooks arrived on scene and a short search revealed that the subjects appeared to have been indeed kayaking. The subjects stated that the kayaks belonged to one of their fathers and they had borrowed them. The individual with the unconfirmed identity stated that his identification was just down the road at a residence where he was staying and the father was there and they could ask about the kayaks. The officers followed the subjects to the residence and the subject went to get identification and never returned. The three residences and the area was searched by FWC K-9 and assistance from Washington County Sheriff’s deputies without success. The father of the other subject stated that he had never seen the kayaks before. Officer Jackson later learned the true identity of the subject and determined that he had active warrants from Washington and Holmes counties. Additional charges were filed at the state attorney’s office for giving a false name to a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest without violence, as well as providing the information to Washington County Sheriff’s Office on the possible stolen kayaks. RESCUES ESCAMBIA COUNTY Multiple agencies responded to a call regarding a man who fell into the Escambia River and was missing. Officers searched the area by land, water and air. Shortly after arriving, FWC Pilot Tolbert and Lieutenant Golloher located the victim by air within a mile from where he fell in. Uniformed officers recovered the body by vessel. DIRECTED CONSERVATION PATROLS OKALOOSA COUNTY Officers conducted a targeted enforcement action in the Blackwater WMA focusing on closed road violations and the taking of illegal deer. Approximately six officers participated, working more than 125 hours and issuing eight citations for hunting violations. Additionally, four uniform traffic citations and 12 written warnings were issued. Officers handled only two dog-hunting complaints in the WMA. COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING OKALOOSA COUNTY Officers Molnar and Bartlett conducted an outreach event at Baker High School where approximately 30 students were in attendance. The officers spoke about the recruitment process, core missions of FWC, and the daily job responsibilities of an FWC officer.

http://live.oysterradio.com/