FWC Law Enforcement Weekly Report October 19, 2018 through November 1, 2018

(Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.) Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Division of Law Enforcement Weekly Report Patrol, Protect, Preserve October 19, 2018 through November 1, 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. NORTHWEST REGION CASES ESCAMBIA COUNTY Officer Allgood was working the Escambia River and saw a fire at a campsite. He approached the campsite and saw two subjects fishing. As he approached the subjects, he saw an alligator snapping turtle tied off to a tree on the bank. One subject admitted to catching and tying the rope around the turtle’s head. After removing the rope from its head and ensuring the turtle was safe, Officer Allgood seized the turtle to take to the fish hatchery. Officer Allgood issued both subjects citations for no camping permits and the male subject was issued a citation for possession of an alligator snapping turtle. GADSDEN COUNTY Officer Brower was on land patrol when he received a phone call from Officer Hildebrand regarding a jeep that was stuck on the Ochlocknee North Wildlife Management Area. Officer Hildebrand said he saw a picture on social media of the stuck jeep. Officer Brower proceeded to the area, saw tire sign that drove around a gate with a closed road sign, and followed the tire sign to the jeep. He contacted dispatch to get the registered owner’s name and phone number and contacted the owner to meet him at the management area. A tow truck was called and became stuck while traveling to the jeep. A larger tow truck was called, and the jeep was successfully extricated. Officer Brower issued the appropriate citations. OKALOOSA COUNTY Officers Jarvis and Maltais were on vessel patrol and saw a 28-foot sailboat hard aground in the Santa Rosa Sound at an area known as Spoil Island. The sailboat was leaning on its starboard side with the mast laying half on the sailboat and half in the water. As the officers pulled along the vessel, the owner of the vessel was onboard. The sailboat is the primary residence for the vessel owner. The owner was cited and issued a notice to appear citation for a derelict vessel and was provided an informational package of his right to due process. The owner stated he will have the vessel removed as quickly as possible. Officer Wilkenson was on land patrol traveling westbound on Highway 98 approaching Evergreen Drive when he saw a stationary vehicle, parked half on the right lane and the other half off the shoulder of the road. He conducted a welfare check on the driver and to address the safety issue. As the officer approached the vehicle, he saw the vehicle was running and both left tires were blown off the rims. Officer Wilkenson saw an individual in the driver’s seat. The individual was unresponsive and appeared to be passed out. He tapped on the driver’s side window to waken the driver. It took several attempts to wake the driver. Once the driver awoke, he opened the driver’s side door, and the officer asked if he was alright. Officer Wilkenson could smell a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from the driver. Upon asking the driver for his driver’s license, vehicle registration and proof of insurance, the driver appeared to be confused and dazed. Officer Wilkenson requested the driver perform field sobriety tasks and he consented. The driver was arrested for DUI and transported to the Okaloosa County Jail. The driver provided two breath samples, resulting in 0.158 blood alcohol content and 0.159 blood alcohol content. Officer Nichols received a complaint from the assistant park manager at Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park regarding a camper disturbing the peace by using loud vulgar language. The manager told the camper this would not be tolerated. The next day, the manager again received another complaint that the same camper was continuing to use loud vulgar language. The manager requested FWC to issue a no trespass warning to the camper. Officer Nichols issued the no trespass warning without incident. Officer Corbin was on land patrol conducting fisheries inspections at the Shalimar Bridge when he saw an individual filleting a red drum on the concrete barrier on the bridge. As the officer continued to monitor the subject, he saw the individual retrieve a second red drum from a bucket and start to fillet the fish. As the officer approached the subject, the individual started throwing the skins of the redfish off the bridge and into the water. Officer Corbin quickly identified himself and instructed the subject to stop. Upon inspection, Officer Corbin determined the fish filleted were red drum and undersized. The individual was cited and issued a notice to appear citation for failure to land fish in whole condition and possession of undersize red drum. Officer Corbin received a complaint from a property manager regarding an unauthorized sailboat being docked at the condominium’s marina. A few days later, he received a call that an individual was on the sailboat. Officer Corbin responded by vessel. When he arrived, he identified the individual as the owner of the sailboat and recognized him as someone he had previously cited with a criminal citation for failure to transfer vessel title. FWC Tallahassee Regional Communication Center confirmed that the individual has an active felony warrant out of Okaloosa County for violation of probation. The individual was placed under arrest and transported to the Okaloosa County Jail. Officer Specialist Maltais located a subject’s tree stand and a camera while scouting Eglin Wildlife Management Area. He saw kernels of corn spread out in the field near of the stand. When he returned the next day, he saw a camouflaged subject in the tree stand. The subject admitted that he placed the corn on the field. The subject was cited and issued a notice to appear citation for placing bait on a management area. SANTA ROSA COUNTY Officers Lewis and Hoomes investigated a complaint of a vessel that was dumped in Blackwater River State Forest. After trying to locate the vessel’s origin, the officers utilized Google satellite imagery to locate the vessel at a residence near where it was later dumped. The officers interviewed a subject at the residence. The subject was cooperative and admitted to dumping the vessel. Charges were filed for misdemeanor littering, and the subject removed the vessel from the forest. SEARCH AND RESCUE OKALOOSA COUNTY Officer Specialist Bartlett responded to a call regarding a lost subject on Eglin Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The wife of the missing subject called Eglin Range Patrol. Information received that the missing subject went hunting on Eglin WMA the previous morning. He sent a text to her around 8:00 PM stating that he was lost in the woods and was planning on sleeping there until morning if he was not able to make it back to his truck. The wife provided the Eglin Range Patrol an area where she believed he hunted. Due to the dropping temperatures and rain moving into the area, Officer Bartlett advised FWC Dispatch that he would respond and requested assistance from Officer Wilkenson and K-9 Officer Hutchinson with the search. After further communication with the man’s wife, the officers began their search in the East River Archery Unit. The Eglin Range Patrol pinged the missing subject’s cell phone to narrow the officers’ search area. At approximately 5:00 AM, the missing subject, along with another subject (companion), were located safe and unharmed.

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