FWC Division of Law Enforcement Weekly Report August 11, 2017 through August 17, 2017

(Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.) FWC Division of Law Enforcement Weekly Report August 11, 2017 through August 17, 2017 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 The FWC Dispatch received a call from the St. Andrews State Park manager reporting that a subject in a gold Altima with Arizona license plates was driving erratically in the park. The suspect vehicle had also entered the park without paying the entrance fee. Officers were responding to the park when Communications advised the suspect vehicle exited the park driving westbound on Thomas Drive. Officer T. Basford located the vehicle driving erratically on Thomas Drive at a high rate of speed. He followed the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. The driver appeared to be impaired and, after completing the standardized field sobriety tasks, was taken to the FWC office to provide a breath alcohol sample. Results of the breath tests were .108 and .102. A small dog was also in the vehicle and was turned over to Bay County Animal Control; the vehicle was towed. The driver was arrested and charged with DUI, open container and evasion of fees for entering the park without paying. Officer N. Basford was patrolling St. Andrews Bay when FWC Dispatch notified her of a possible impaired boat operator that was underway from the St. Andrews Marina. They gave her a description of the vessel which she located within minutes. She stopped the vessel and the operator became agitated that she had stopped him and was showing signs of impairment. The operator initially agreed to do the field sobriety tasks and came on board the officer’s vessel. He completed the first task and then refused to do anymore. Officer N. Basford advised the operator that he was being arrested for BUI. At this point, the operator jumped back into his vessel, put his vessel in gear, and tried to pull away while both vessels were still tied together. The officer pointed her Taser at the operator and gave him verbal commands to stop his vessel and return to her vessel. He complied and was placed under arrest without further incident. The operator was then transported to the FWC office where he provided breath alcohol samples. The results were .222 and .213. The operator was arrested and charged with BUI with a breath alcohol level of .08 or greater and resisting arrest without violence. ESCAMBIA COUNTY Investigator Livesay and Officer Pettey were on patrol and focusing on illegal alligator hunting. They were investigating an illegal bait site in the Little Williams area of the Escambia River Wildlife Management Area (WMA). They checked three individuals with alligator hunting equipment out on the deck of their vessel. A resource inspection revealed the hunters were hunting out of their harvest area. The hunters were hunting in Escambia County with a Santa Rosa County permit. The permit holder was issued a misdemeanor citation for hunting out of his harvest area. OKALOOSA COUNTY Officer Corbin was on vessel patrol conducting state fisheries inspections in the East Pass. He saw a vessel returning from the Gulf of Mexico, with three individuals on board and displaying spearfishing equipment. The officer stopped the vessel and conducted a fisheries inspection. The inspection revealed 1 undersized red snapper and 2 undersized scamp. The passenger/harvester was issued a notice to appear citation for the undersized scamp and the owner was issued a written warning for undersized red snapper. Officer Corbin was on land patrol conducting state fisheries inspections and license compliance in Shalimar. The officer saw several individuals actively fishing off the Shalimar Bridge. Two individuals appeared to be catching and placing undersized gray mangrove snapper in a small white bucket. Those two individuals packed and were exiting the bridge when Officer Corbin approached them. The fisheries inspection revealed 8 gray mangrove snapper, 7 of which were undersized. Both individuals were issued notice to appear citations for possession of undersized gray mangrove snapper. Officers Corbin and Wilkenson were on vessel patrol conducting state fisheries inspections in the East Pass. The officers saw a vessel returning from the Gulf of Mexico displaying rods and reels. The officers stopped the vessel and conducted a fisheries inspection. The inspection revealed 22 red snapper, several grossly undersized, and 2 gray triggerfish. There were four occupants on the boat. Notice to appear citations were issued to all four individuals for possession of over the bag limit of undersized red snapper. A notice to appear citation was issued to the operator for possession of gray triggerfish out of season. Officer Jarvis responded to a complaint of individuals harvesting undersized gray mangrove snapper at the East Jetty. The officer arrived at a public parking lot/access and saw three individuals returning carrying rods and reels and two buckets. The officer approached and asked the individuals if they caught any fish. One individual stated that they caught very little and the fish weren’t biting. The fisheries inspection of the two buckets revealed a total of 30 gray mangrove snapper, 24 of which were undersized. One individual took responsibility for harvesting all 30 of the gray mangrove snapper. The individual was issued a notice to appear citation for over the bag limit and undersized snapper. The 24 gray mangrove snapper were seized as evidence. Officers Bartlett and Pifer were on vessel patrol near the Marler Bridge conducting boating safety inspections. The officers saw a PWC in violation of the idle speed/no wake zone eastside of Crab Island. The PWC made a turn causing the Jet Ski to flip over and eject all 3 occupants. The operator of the PWC was identified. Officer Bartlett noted that his speech was slightly slurred, his eyes were glassy/watery, and he had to repeat questions before he would respond. The operator admitted that he drank a few drinks. The operator agreed to and performed field sobriety tasks and, based on the operation of the PWC and indicators of impairment, the operator was arrested for BUI. The operator provided a breath sample of 0.166. The operator also had a 7 year-old and a 14 year-old on the PWC. The operator was transported to the Okaloosa County Jail where the intake process was completed. Officer Nichols and Lieutenant Clark responded to Henderson Beach State Park regarding a traffic crash involving two vehicles. Upon arrival, two individuals were transported to the hospital. The vehicles involved were a day user/beach goer and a commercial vehicle providing water maintenance at the park. The officer determined the commercial truck improperly backed up, failing to yield right-of-way, striking the vehicle near the front passenger tire/door. The vehicle was severely damage requiring it to be towed. Both individuals transported to the hospital sustained no serious injuries. The driver of the commercial truck was issued a citation for improper backing. Officer Maltais was informed of a boating accident that occurred the day before involving two PWC’s. Officer Maltais and Investigator Schafer gathered the necessary information to conduct a boating accident investigation. One operator suffered a broken right tibia (lower leg) at the ankle joint that will require surgery to repair and stabilize the shattered bone. One of the operators was issued a citation for violation of navigational rules for crossing situation and unsafe speed. Officer Corbin was on land patrol conducting state fisheries inspections and license compliance at Meigs Beach in Shalimar. The officer saw a vehicle drive up to his location and an individual stepped out with fishing gear. The officer saw the individual engaged in fishing with a rod and reel. After some time passed, the individual returned to his vehicle. Officer Corbin encountered the individual who failed to produce a fishing license. While determining if the individual had a valid license, FWC Dispatch confirmed the individual had an active warrant for violation of probation. Further, the individual had a suspended driver’s license, and was found to be in possession of cannabis and paraphernalia. The individual was arrested and transported to the Okaloosa County Jail where the intake process was completed. Officers Corbin and Wilkenson were on vessel patrol conducting boating safety inspections at Crab Island. The officers stopped a pontoon-style vessel to conduct a safety and resource inspection. The officers determined the pontoon was rented from an unknown livery vendor. The pontoon was delivered and received at Red Neck Beach. Officer Corbin contacted the livery business owner and arranged to meet him to conduct livery compliance. The livery owner failed to provide the required signage related to the safe operation of the pontoon. Further, the livery owner failed to transfer the vessel’s title to his name/business within 30 days of the bill of sale date. Officer Corbin has been investigating an at-risk vessel in the Destin Harbor. The vessel appeared to be abandoned, and currently unregistered with no anchor light display at night. The officer received information from the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Destin in reference to the owner/operator. Officer Corbin determined the vessel’s hull identification number (HIN) had been removed. The officer completed/submitted an arrest affidavit against the owner of the vessel for the removed HIN. The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Marine Deputy saw the vessel owner on the boat and executed the warrant arrest. Officers Maltais and Nichols were on vessel patrol responding to a reported boating accident involving two vessels from the Emerald Coast Poker Run. Officer Maltais determined one vessel was exiting while the other vessel was entering (slow rate of speed) at a designated check point. The collision caused only minor damage with no injuries.

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