FWC Division of Law Enforcement Weekly Report September 23 through September 29, 2016

(Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.)

FWC

Division of Law Enforcement

 

 Weekly Report

September 23 through September 29, 2016

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 dive team was conducting night-time dive training at St. Andrews State Park when one of the dive team members on shore observed three subjects walking to the jetty carrying spearfishing equipment. Officers Hellett, Brady and Ramos located the subjects shining lights near the jetty. Once they got closer, they identified themselves as FWC officers. Two of the subjects approached the officers and one swam in the opposite direction. Officer Hellett was able to stop the subject that was trying to swim away. All three initially denied that they were spearfishing, but later admitted to the activity. The officers located two spear guns and a poke pole. They also found a red drum that had been speared and a goliath grouper that still had a spear shaft in it. All three subjects were issued citations for spearfishing within 100 feet of a jetty. One of the subjects was also issued a citation for harvesting a prohibited species (goliath grouper). Another was issued a citation for spearing a red drum. Two were issued citations for no fishing license and all three were issued written warnings for being in the park after hours without a park permit.

FRANKLIN COUNTY

Officers Fletcher and Miller were on vessel patrol in Apalachicola Bay targeting the illegal harvest of oysters. Nearly two hours before legal harvest hours, Officer Fletcher noticed two individuals on board a commercial oyster vessel with their navigational lights intentionally deactivated while actively harvesting oysters. Both officers boarded the vessel to conduct a resource inspection and discovered approximately 300 pounds of un-culled oysters on board. The captain of the vessel was cited for the navigational light violation and illegal harvest of oysters before sunrise. The oysters were photographed and returned alive to Apalachicola Bay.

GULF COUNTY

Officer Lipford was on patrol at the White City Boat Ramp around midnight when he observed a vessel with three males on board approaching the ramp with equipment consistent with alligator hunting. He greeted the subjects and began a resource inspection. As a result of the inspection, Officer Lipford discovered one of the subjects had several permits and their associated CITES tags. One CITES tag was bent as if it had been folded into a locked position, unlike the other tags which were flat and, in most cases, still stapled to the permit. Officer Lipford noted the altered tag was dirty, with scratches and abrasions on the hard plastic surface. A closer inspection of the locking mechanism revealed that two of the four teeth inside the tag were bent or partially removed. The other two teeth were slightly bent back instead of being angled slightly forward or toward the middle of the mechanism. The other end of the tag appeared to have been slightly stretched as if it had been pulled with force. The permit holder was issued a citation for possessing an altered tag.

OKALOOSA COUNTY

Officer Corbin became aware that the owner of a derelict vessel sold the boat to another individual. The derelict vessel was moved to a local marina in Fort Walton Beach. Officer Corbin also became aware that the previous owner failed to transfer the vessel title per Florida Statutes. He interviewed the new vessel owner and observed the bill of sale from the previous owner to the new owner. The new owner stated he was given instructions by the previous owner to apply for a lost title with the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The previous owner was located and cited with a notice to appear citation for selling a vessel in Florida without providing a title to the buyer.

SANTA ROSA COUNTY

Officer Hutchinson was patrolling the Blackwater State Forest when he made contact with two subjects in possession of alcoholic beverages where they are prohibited. He asked the subjects for their identification and followed them to their vehicle to get the IDs. While standing next to the passenger side door of their vehicle, Officer Hutchinson could smell a strong odor of cannabis emitting from the vehicle. After further investigation, he found a glass pipe with cannabis residue in it and a plastic bag containing cannabis inside of the vehicle. Both subjects were charged with possession of cannabis and possession of drug paraphernalia. They were issued warnings for the alcohol violations.

WAKULLA COUNTY

Officers Boutwell, Robb and Anderson located baited hooks commonly used for the harvest of American alligators. While conducting a multi-day surveillance on the hooks, they observed a white male in a vessel approaching the location of the baited hook. When the individual approached and tended the hooks, the officers made contact with the suspect. The suspect was a convicted felon and in possession of a firearm. He admitted to being the person responsible for setting the baited hooks for the purposes of illegally harvesting alligators. The individual did not have an alligator harvest license or associated harvest tags. The appropriate charges were levied for the violations.

While conducting airboat patrol in the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, Officers Hofheinz and Fletcher discovered an extremely large monofilament gill net partially submerged in a tidal creek. It is believed that the storm surge from Hurricane Hermine dislodged the net from a concealed position nearby. Because of the gill net’s size, both officers pulled the net immediately due to the potential environmental threat it posed. Upon closer inspection, the net was discovered to be more than 600 feet long and 7,000 square feet unstretched.

WASHINGTON COUNTY

Officer Yates and Reserve Officer Hahr were on patrol when they encountered a suspicious subject at the Highway 90 ramp on the Choctawhatchee River. After approaching the individual, he was found to be in possession of a crystalline substance and smoking pipe with residue on it. He was arrested, transported to the Washington County Jail and charged with felony possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

DIRECTED CONSERVATION PATROLS

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

Officers on board the vessel FinCat conducted 33 hours of offshore patrol over a four‑day period. A total of 12 violations were documented with federal charges. The violations included undersized mingo/vermillion snapper, undersized scamp, possession of red snapper and greater amberjack during closed season, and failure to allow inspection.

COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING

GULF COUNTY

Officer Webb attended State Park Appreciation Day at St. Joe State Park. He handed out regulation handbooks and talked about boating safety, game and fish regulations and new rule changes. More than 100 citizens attended the event.

http://live.oysterradio.com/