FWC Law Enforcement Weekly Report March 16, 2018 through March 22, 2018

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FWC

 

Division of Law Enforcement Weekly Report

March 16, 2018 through March 22, 2018

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

Lieutenant Allen and Officer Coker were working the area of the DuPont Bridge when they observed a subject standing next to his truck holding a large red drum. They observed the subject open the toolbox on his truck and place the red drum in it without measuring it. They waited several more minutes and then contacted the subject, who stated several times to the officers that he had not caught anything. Lieutenant Allen asked the subject if they could look at the fish that he placed in his toolbox. The subject opened the toolbox and the officers measured the fish which was over the slot limit. He was charged with the violation.

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

Officer Specialist Pifer was on land patrol conducting fisheries inspections and license compliance checks along Gulf Boulevard and Pensacola Beach and saw an individual actively engaged in fishing on the Gulf side of the beach. Officer Pifer asked the subject if he had caught any fish and the individual stated he had caught a red drum. A large redfish tail was sticking out of a cooler nearby. The length of the oversized red drum was 36 inches. The subject was issued a notice to appear citation.

FRANKLIN COUNTY

While on patrol in Eastpoint, Officers Kossey and Travis conducted a resource inspection and found the subject to be in possession of 71% undersized oysters. The officers issued the subject the appropriate citations and returned the oysters to the water alive.

GULF COUNTY

Officer McMillion was patrolling Lands Landing when he saw a vehicle parked near the boat ramp with the front passenger door open. An 18 pack of beer was on the floorboard with two open beer cans near it. The owner of the vehicle stated to the officer that he had left the open beers in the vehicle because he thought he would get in trouble if he was caught drinking at the picnic tables. A warrant check revealed an active warrant out of Manatee County with full extradition for net violations that occurred in 2014 – for which he failed to appear. A $1,500 bond had been set for each of the three felony net charges. He was arrested for the warrant and taken to the Gulf County Jail.

OKALOOSA COUNTY

Officer Specialists Bartlett and Pifer were on vessel patrol conducting boating safety inspections in the Crab Island area and saw a pontoon not displaying the required navigational light after sunset. The officers determined the pontoon was rented and the operator was having navigational issues in getting the pontoon back to Destin Marina. The officers assisted the operator in getting the pontoon back to the marina. During a safety inspection, the operator could not provide the required boating safety education card and stated the livery did not administer the temporary boating safety exam. When the officers arrived at Destin Marina, they contacted the livery owners. The owner was issued a notice to appear citation for renting a pontoon to an operator without the required boating safety education card.

WALTON COUNTY

Lieutenant Clark and Officer Wilkenson responded to Grayton Beach State Park to assist the Walton County Sheriff’s Office regarding a subject who fled from deputies. The subject was hiding in a thick wooded area inside the state park. The subject had an active felony warrant out of Bay County. With the assistance of a K-9 unit, the subject was located quickly and was safely taken into custody. The subject was issued a no trespass warning.

Officer Tison responded to assist Walton County deputies with a subject threatening to commit suicide aboard a vessel on the Choctawhatchee Bay. Officer Tison launched his patrol vessel and assisted the deputies in gaining access to the subject’s vessel and securing it. The subject became compliant and he was safely placed in custody for treatment.

WAKULLA COUNTY

Officer Carr was patrolling near the border of Wakulla Springs State Park checking a bait site that he and Officer Hofheinz had located the week before. The site was baited with approximately 50 to 100 pounds of corn spread out on the ground and in a pile within 80 yards from a ground blind. An adult subject and a juvenile were at the ground blind. Officer Carr gathered the evidence and issued the subject a citation for hunting turkeys less than 100 yards from game feeding station.

COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING

OKALOOSA COUNTY

Officers Maltais and Rockwell taught the law portion of a Hunter Education class. There were 39 students with several parents in attendance for the spring class. Several related questions were answered. Officer Maltais served as a firearm instructor for the follow-on skills evaluation portion of the class.

Officer Jarvis and Lieutenant Clark assisted the Park Staff and Gulfarium Staff at Henderson Beach State Park with the release of two loggerhead turtles and three green turtles. Four of the sea turtles were rescued during the recent cold snap. The other sea turtle had a fish hook removed. There were approximately 400 to 500 people who attended. The officers provided security and traffic control.

SEARCH AND RESCUES

OKALOOSA COUNTY

While patrolling the Choctawhatchee River, Officer Tison was flagged down by kayakers who reported that one of their party had flipped his kayak and was in distress. The kayaker was hanging onto a limb and his flipped kayak when Officer Tison arrived. Officer Tison got the man into his patrol vessel and safely returned him to a nearby boat ramp.

JEFFERSON COUNTY

Officer Brookes was on routine patrol when he received a call regarding a search and rescue on the Wacissa River. Four females and one male rented five kayaks and launched from the headwaters. Two of the kayaks sank about 6.6 miles from the headwaters and the party of five became stranded. Officer Brookes responded to the headwaters and located all 5 kayakers at Yaeger Mound Hunt Camp. They were cold, but all five were safe and uninjured. Officer Brookes placed them in his patrol boat and returned them to the headwaters where two Jefferson County deputies were waiting. The kayakers sat in the deputies’ patrol vehicles to warm up. The original caller helped shuttle the kayakers to their vehicle and they all returned home safely.

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