FWC Law Enforcement Weekly Report August 2, 2019 through August 8, 2019

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Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Division of Law Enforcement Weekly Report

Patrol, Protect, Preserve

August 2, 2019 through August 8, 2019

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

BAY COUNTY

Officers Green and Burkhead responded to Econfina Creek regarding a missing kayaker. The officers found the man but could not locate his lost kayak.

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

Officer McHenry was getting into his truck at a Pensacola marina when he noticed two individuals posing for pictures with a red drum. They were standing next to a small fishing pier and were also holding spear fishing equipment. Officer McHenry approached the individuals and spoke to them about the red drum. They denied spearing anything, they had wrapped the fish in a towel and placed it in a vehicle when they noticed Officer McHenry. Officer McHenry explained what he had witnessed and they admitted spearing the fish. The fish was over the legal-size limit. One of the individuals was cited for harvesting red drum by illegal methods.

Officer Allgood and Lieutenant Lambert were checking subjects as they returned to Galvez landing. They saw a charter boat returning to the ramp without the proper navigational lights. After discussing the lighting violation, a fisheries inspection revealed several fillets of vermillion snapper. Citations were issued for the violations.

Officers Allgood and Long stopped a vessel to perform a fisheries inspection. They found the two occupants in possession of six red snapper. Citations were issued accordingly.

Officers Allgood and Long were on patrol in the Big Lagoon area when they heard several people on a vessel yelling. They approached the vessel and spoke to the operator. The operator showed several signs of being impaired. Field sobriety tasks confirmed the operator was impaired and he was arrested for BUI. The operator was transported to the Escambia County Jail where he refused to give a breath sample.

FRANKLIN COUNTY

Officers McLeod and Travis were working in the area of the Lanark Boat Ramp. They saw a vessel returning from fishing and conducted a fisheries inspection. During the inspection they discovered a hidden compartment in the floor of the vessel with 26 red snapper. The red snapper was seized and entered into evidence. The subjects on the boat were cited for possession of red snapper during closed season.

Officer McLeod and Travis were working near Eastpoint when they saw a subject pulling crab traps. They contacted the subject and found he had multiple violations relating to crabbing. The traps were not marked correctly, and he had too many traps for a recreational crabber. The subject was cited accordingly.

Officers Clark and Kossey were working near Dog Island Reef when they saw a boat returning from fishing. They boarded the boat and conducted a fisheries inspection. Officer Kossey discovered a cooler containing two undersized and out of season gag grouper. The captain of the vessel was cited for the violation and the fish were seized and entered into evidence.

JACKSON COUNTY

Officers Little and Humphrey were on patrol at Merritts Mill Pond when they saw a subject actively throwing a cast net from a vessel. The officers watched the subject take fish out of the cast net and place them in the vessels live well. Once the subject returned to shore the officers conducted a resource inspection. In the live well they found undersized shell cracker. The subject admitted to catching the fish with the cast net. He was cited for taking freshwater game fish by an illegal method and possession of undersized shellcracker.

OKALOOSA COUNTY

Officers Corbin, McVaney and Hahr were on vessel patrol in Destin Pass when they saw a pontoon vessel traveling towards the Gulf of Mexico with a small child onboard not wearing a personal flotation device. During the boating safety inspection, the officers determined the vessel had been rented from a nearby livery and there were not enough life jackets for the adults onboard. The operator was issued a boating citation for failing to require the child under 6 to wear a life jacket. Officer Hahr later made contact with the individual at the livery that rented the vessel to the group and conducted an interview. The livery employee was issued a notice to appear citation for renting a vessel without the proper boating safety equipment onboard.

WAKULLA COUNTY

Officer Specialist Raker and Major Duval were on patrol on the Wakulla River near Crowley landing when they saw a vessel violating the slow speed zone. The vessel was stopped to address the violation. Officer Raker saw an open container of beer next to the operator’s seat and checked the age of all persons onboard the vessel. They were all under 21 years of age. The operator was cited for possession of alcohol by a person under 21 years of age.

WASHINGTON COUNTY

Officers Green and Forehand responded to a boating accident with injury in the area of Jenkins Landing on the Choctawhatchee River. The operator had severely cut his finger on the broken outboard motor tiller handle after striking a submerged object and was stranded on the river. FWC escorted EMS to the accident site and the operator was transported to the hospital.

Officers Holman and Williams, with Washington County Sheriff Office Deputies Hayes and Lykins, conducted a search for one adult and two children on the Econfina Creek in Washington County. They were on kayaks and stranded. The officers safely recovered the subjects and brought them back to their vehicle.

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