FWC Division of Law Enforcement Weekly Report October 30, 2015 thru November 5, 2015

(Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.) FWC Division of Law Enforcement   Weekly Report October 30, 2015 thru November 5, 2015 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 Liberty County Officer Henderson cited an individual from Franklin County for attempting to take deer over bait in the Florida River section of the Apalachicola National Forest. The site had been baited with a commercial deer attractant. Lieutenant Parker cited an individual from Franklin County for placing bait in the Apalachicola Management Area near the River Styx area. The site was baited with soybeans and corn. Lieutenant Parker and Officer Henderson worked a detail using the replica alligator. A pickup truck with two individuals drove past the location where the replica was placed near Kennedy Creek in the Apalachicola National Forest. The passenger instructed the driver to backup. The passenger then took a 22-mag rifle and fired three shots at the replica. Officer Henderson stopped the vehicle and cited the individual for attempting to take alligator without a permit. OKALOOSA COUNTY Officer Molnar conducted an investigation of a derelict vessel in the Destin Harbor. The vessel, a 1974 37‑foot sailboat, had sunk along the bank of the harbor.  Officer Molnar had previously cited the vessel owner for failure to title/register the boat.  The derelict vessel was in a junk and dismantled condition.  The vessel had an inoperative engine. Further, the hull of the vessel had wood rot which caused the vessel to sink.  Upon completion of the derelict vessel process, Officer Molnar issued the owner a citation. Officer Maltais was on vehicle/foot patrol conducting resource protection on the Eglin Wildlife Management Area (WMA), when he located and identified two archery hunters with whole kernel bait corn in the Jackson South Management Unit. Officers Nichols, Corbin, Molnar, Investigator Armstrong and K-9 Officer Pineda responded and located additional information. The individuals were issued two citations for violation of the management area rule regarding placing of bait. Eglin Range Patrol officers responded and issued both hunters 30‑day Reservation permit suspensions. SANTA ROSA COUNTY K-9 Officer Pineda and Officer Clark were patrolling the Yellow River WMA looking for hunters hunting over illegally baited areas.  They came to an area where a vehicle had been parked recently and deployed K-9 Kane to ascertain where the occupants of the vehicle may have gone.  K-9 Kane tracked from where the vehicle was parked to two freshly baited areas. One of the spots had a ground blind and the other had a climbing tree stand on it. The officers checked the area several times and two days later observed a vehicle parked in the area. They split up and located two subjects, as well as, a third baited site. The subjects stated that they distributed the bait (corn) out onto the WMA a few days before. They also stated that they had been knowingly hunting over bait at these three spots several times since the opening of archery.  Both subjects were charged with hunting/ distributing bait on a WMA. While on patrol, Officer Miller heard the Florida Highway Patrol was in pursuit of a truck pulling a stolen trailer nearby. Officer Miller noticed on CAD that the suspect vehicle was headed towards the Yellow River WMA and went to assist in the event the suspects fled into the woods. The suspect driver wrecked and then stole a truck and traveled southbound on Highway 87 hitting patrol vehicles on the way. The Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Office pursued the suspect south into Navarre and Officer Miller followed behind in case the suspect went into Eglin Air Force Base. Shortly after the Sheriff’s Office ended the pursuit, the suspect rolled the stolen truck and Officer Miller then responded to assist with securing the suspect until he could be removed from the truck. Once the suspect was secured, Officer Miller met Officer Barnard to assist Santa Rosa Crime Unit with locating weapons that were thrown from the suspect vehicle during pursuit. Officers recovered three handguns and a magazine to a fourth weapon. The following morning, Officer Miller and K-9 Officer Pineda returned to the scene to assist again in the search for the fourth weapon. The officers and K-9 located another handgun magazine and other items dropped by the fleeing suspect. WAKULLA COUNTY While off-duty, Officer Boutwell received an anonymous complaint regarding two deer that had been killed out of season.  The information was immediately passed along to Officer Raker who obtained pictures of the two deer after the kill.  He talked to landowners and workers in the general vicinity of the alleged kill and showed them pictures of the deer.  Three individuals recognized the deer and two were able to produce personal photos and videos of the deer confirming the general location of the deer and that the season was not open for harvest.  Officer Raker contacted FWC Intelligence Section and they provided additional information that assisted with the investigation.  Officers Stephens and Nelson arrived and assisted with inspection of the general area to locate a possible kill site.  After additional intelligence was obtained, Officers Boutwell, Raker, Nelson and Stephens returned to the area at a later date and interviewed multiple suspects. The officers obtained a confession that the deer were taken with a rifle during closed season, were shown the kill site, and recovered the deer parts from both deer as evidence.  Charges are being filed for the take of deer during closed season.

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