 CASES
Bay County
- Officers M. Gore, C. Boley, and N. Basford were on patrol near St. Andrews State Park and noticed a vessel having problems docking at the seawall at the boat ramp. Officer Gore conducted a boating safety inspection on the vessel. He noticed the operator was slurring his speech and stumbling during the inspection. Officer Gore conducted standard field sobriety tasks on the operator and arrested him for boating under the influence. The operator provided breath samples over the legal limit and was booked into the Bay County Jail.
- Lieutenant J. Allen, and Officers Z. Rice, D. Brady, N. Basford, K. Alsobrooks, and T. Basford participated in a targeted enforcement action, “Operation Slow Your Roll,” at St. Andrews State Park. After receiving complaints of speeding, the detail was aimed at traffic law and speed enforcement in St. Andrews State Park during the busy spring break season. During a two-week period over 65 traffic stops were made, resulting in 17 FWC citations, 6 uniform traffic citations, and 78 written warnings related to traffic and speed violations.
Escambia County
- Officers Allgood and Hahr were checking for permitted deer depredation. The officers arrived in the general area and observed a light shining in a field. They located two subjects hunting over a field that had not been planted. One of the subjects admitted he knew the field was not planted and that he could not hunt it. The officers located a spent .308 shell casing located in the field. The casing matched one of the guns possessed by the subjects. Deer Depredation Permits are issued to farmers when wildlife are damaging their crops. Since this field has not been planted, both subjects violated the rules pertaining to the Deer Depredation Permit and were issued citations for the violations.
Franklin County
- Officers Hartzog and Forbes were patrolling Highway 65 and observed an individual fishing from the bridge over Cash Creek. While the officers parked their patrol truck, the individual concealed his fishing gear. Officer Hartzog and Forbes contacted the individual to conduct a resource inspection, but the individual denied he was fishing. The officers observed another individual beneath the bridge and three more in the wooded area adjacent to the creek. Officer Hartzog walked down the embankment to contact the three individuals in the wooded area, but when he made his presence known, they attempted to dump their catch into the creek and flee. Officer Hartzog began a foot pursuit on the individuals. Two of them circled back to the roadway and were detained by Officer Forbes. Officer Hartzog continued his foot pursuit on the third individual who continued down the creek bank and into the marsh. Officer Hartzog apprehended the third individual. All three individuals were arrested and charged accordingly.
- Officer Hartzog was conducting patrol on Alligator Drive and observed an individual fishing from a canoe in Alligator Harbor. Officer Hartzog conducted surveillance on the individual and observed him catch and harvest multiple red drum. Officer Hartzog met the individual at a dock when he completed fishing to conduct a resource inspection. During the inspection, the individual was observed to be in possession of excess daily bag limit of red drum. The officer addressed the violation accordingly.
- Officers Hartzog and L. Mcleod were patrolling on Cash Creek and observed prohibited free-floating fishing devices deployed in the creek. The officers saw a vessel with two subjects on board a short distance away. Officer Hartzog and L. Mcleod conducted a resource and boating safety inspection on the subjects and observed identical prohibited free-floating fishing devices on board their vessel. The individuals advised they deployed the free-floating fishing devices and were targeting catfish. When the officers questioned the individuals about possessing any other fish on board, they said they had red drum from earlier in the day. Officer Hartzog and L. Mcleod observed the individuals to be in possession of a total of eight red drum, which is over the daily bag limit, with five of them being undersized. The officers addressed the violations accordingly.
Holmes County
- Officers Fowler and Touchton were on patrol when they observed a vessel with no navigation lights after legal sunset. The officers conducted an inspection of the vessel and located bush hooks that were not properly tagged with the harvester’s information. An aerated live well contained small bream, which the subjects admitted to using for bait on their bush hooks. It was determined one of the subjects had an active warrant. The subject was arrested by warrant and transported to the Holmes County jail and additionally charged with unlawful possession of gamefish and bush hook equipment, as well as multiple boating and resource warnings.
Jackson County
- Officer J. Carr was on patrol along the Chipola River and Spring Creek. A citizen who was tubing called for Officer Carr’s assistance. She told him she saw a physical altercation between a man and woman in the parking lot of a nearby tube rental business. Officer Carr responded and located the victim and suspect. The victim showed injuries to her face and Officer Carr detained the suspect. He also obtained statements from witnesses who saw the altercation. The suspect was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail for battery.
Okaloosa County
- Officers J. Brooks and Oliver were on patrol and conducted a resource inspection on a vessel in Destin Pass that was returning from fishing. The captain of the vessel told the officers he had a redfish on board. The redfish in the captain’s possession was measured and found to be oversized. The subject was cited for the violation.
- Officers Oliver and J. Brooks were on patrol conducting boating safety and resource inspections when they observed a large center console vessel returning from the Gulf of Mexico. The officers conducted a resource inspection and discovered the vessel was a charter boat with customers on board. The captain stated he had a lesser amberjack that one of his customers caught. Officer Oliver inspected the fish and explained to the captain he was in possession of a greater amberjack, not a lesser amberjack. The officer educated the captain about the differences between the two fish species and issued him a citation for possession of greater amberjack out of season.
Santa Rosa County
- Officer Bower received information that an oversized redfish was speared from underneath a local fishing pier. Officer Bower contacted the subject and the subject stated he saw the fish but was unsure what type and size of fish it was but decided to spear it anyway. The redfish measured 34 inches in length. The subject was issued notice to appear for spearfishing a redfish and being in possession of an oversized redfish. He was also issued a warning for spearfishing 100 yards from a public pier.
- Officer Bower was on patrol and located a privately owned livery. The owner had been in business for two years renting his personally owned vessel. A livery inspection was conducted to ensure the subject had all required documents, permits and safety equipment. It was determined the subject did not have NASBLA-approved boater safety education, boating safety signage, FWC Livery Permit, or a FWC rental form and failed to do an on-the-water demonstration to ensure the subjects knew how to operate the vessel. Officer Bower educated the subject about how to become compliant with the livery laws. The subject was issued a notice to appear for not having a NASBLA-approved boater safety education and not having proper signage and issued warnings other violations.
- Officer Bower was on patrol and observed a vessel in a wrecked condition. The vessel is grounded and unable to be moved under its own power and will need mechanical assistance to be removed from the shoreline. The owner was located and issued the Derelict Vessel Notification of Rights packet and notice to appear citations for storing a derelict vessel upon waters of the state. The subject was also issued a citation for expired registration over six months.
Walton County
- Officer Graves investigated after five gopher tortoise burrows were destroyed by equipment. A subject overseeing the construction project was previously made aware of the presence of the gopher tortoises and their burrows. The burrows were marked at the time they were destroyed. Their burrows are protected due to gopher tortoises being designated as threatened. The subject was cited for the destruction of the burrows.
- Officer Tison received a call from a landowner about a suspect trespassing on his hunting lease. The lease manager sent Officer Tison a photo captured from a trail camera of an individual on an ATV with a couple of dogs. Officer Tison recognized the subject in the photograph and was able to respond to the location where the incident occurred. While on the property, Officer Tison located fresh ATV tire tracks and followed them. While out of the vehicle, Officer Tison heard dogs barking in a manner consistent with wild hog hunting. Soon after, the suspect approached on his ATV, recognized the marked FWC patrol truck, and began to flee the area. Officer Tison activated blue lights and siren and attempted to stop the subject but he refused to stop and continued to flee down a narrow-wooded trail. Officer Tison was able to positively identify the suspect from prior dealings and an arrest warrant was signed by a judge and filed on the suspect for felony flee to elude law enforcement, trespassing, and allowing hunting dogs to pursue game on private property without landowner permission.
Washington County
- Officers Fowler and Touchton were on patrol when they observed a vessel with no navigation lights after legal sunset. The officers inspected the vessel and located flathead catfish and an electronic shocking device still connected to the vessel’s battery. The two occupants of the vessel were cited for illegal methods of taking freshwater fish, failure to use navigation lights and were issued written warnings for resource and license violations.
 CASES
Citrus County
- Lieutenant Ransom was patrolling the Homosassa River when he received a report regarding a vessel operating recklessly through the idle speed no wake zone. Minutes later, Lieutenant Ransom found the vessel and conducted a stop. During initial contact with the operator and throughout the boating safety inspection, Lieutenant Ransom noticed signs of impairment. After a field sobriety test and seeing additional signs of impairment, the operator was arrested for boating under the influence and booked into the Citrus County Jail. The operator refused to provide a sample of his breath and faced additional penalties.
Duval County
- Officer Barry and Lt. Bridwell were on water patrol on the St. Johns River and conducted an inspection on a vessel occupied by five people. The person operating the vessel at the time of the stop attempted to switch position with another person on the vessel. Officer Barry conducted a boating safety inspection and observed the vessel operator showed signs of impairment. The operator agreed to participate in standardized field sobriety tasks. After the test was conducted, Officer Barry determined the operator was impaired. She placed him under arrest for boating under the influence and he was booked into the Duval County Jail.
- Officer Barry and Lt. Bridwell were on water patrol on the St. Johns River and conducted an inspection on a vessel occupied by three people. Officer Barry conducted a boating safety inspection and detected signs of impairment. Officer Barry determined the operator was impaired. She placed her under arrest for boating under the influence and transported and booked her into the Duval County Jail.
Nassau County
- Officer Specialists Waldo, Stuhr, and Culbreth were investigating information they received about an illegal baited bush hook set to catch an alligator. They conducted surveillance and were alerted to a subject tending to the baited hook and were able to catch the individual in the act. He was charged with taking of alligator by baited hook and was issued a trespass notice.
- Officer Tucker was on vessel patrol and boarded a vessel with an operator and two additional anglers on board. During his inspection, Senior Officer Tucker located 13 undersized vermillion snapper and he identified that the vessel had an expired registration. Upon completion of his investigation, Senior Officer Tucker concluded all three anglers were involved in taking the undersized snapper and they were all issued notices to appear.
Suwannee County
- Officer Cline was patrolling Suwannee River Water Management District lands when he encountered two individuals digging for artifacts. A closer inspection of the two individuals revealed an arrowhead and flint rock they tried to conceal. Also, one individual was in possession of a white powdery substance, later confirmed to be methamphetamine. Appropriate citations were issued for the violations. One individual was arrested and booked into the Suwannee County Jail for possession of a controlled substance.
Taylor County
- Officer Clark was on water patrol around Yates Creek when he checked a vessel that had a redfish onboard. Officer Clark measured the fish and found it to be oversized. The operator was issued a citation for possession of an oversized red drum.
- Senior Officer Suttles and Officer Hughes were conducting federal fisheries patrols via the FWC’s offshore patrol vessel Fin Cat when they located vessels trawling in federal waters. The officers conducted inspections on each vessel observed shrimping and checked them for compliance. Multiple vessels were found to be harvesting shrimp from federal waters without the required permit. Multiple federal citations, a misdemeanor citation, and numerous written warnings were issued. The federal violations will be turned over to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for further prosecution, and the misdemeanor violation will be turned over to the local State’s attorney’s office.
COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING
Duval County
- Officer Schirbock attended the “Hooked on Fishing Not On Drugs” fishing rodeo at the Huguenot Fish Management Area in Jacksonville Beach. There were approximately 200 participants and multiple other agencies in attendance. Officer Schirbock taught kids how to cast a fishing line, release fish and turtles from fishing hooks, how to measure fish, untangle fishing lines and answered a variety of questions.
RESCUE
Columbia County
- Senior Officer Davenport received a call from dispatch regarding an elderly woman who was disoriented, lost, and suffering from an anxiety attack in the Osceola National Forest. Officer Davenport responded at about 10 p.m., wading through knee-deep water to get to the woman’s location, which was 800 yards from the main forest road. After finding the woman and helping her back to his patrol truck, he drove the woman and her two dogs to her home a short distance away. A tow company was needed to remove her truck from the rutted, water-filled forest road. The woman called Officer Davenport the next day and thanked him for getting her and her dogs to safety.
 CASES
Brevard County
- Officer Snyder was on land patrol when he observed a vehicle driving in the wrong lane of traffic. He conducted a traffic stop and through his investigation, determined the operator to be driving under the influence. The individual was arrested and cited accordingly.
- Officer Specialist Balgo conducted a resource inspection on a vessel near Port Canaveral. The operator stated he was testing the boat and did not have any fish. Officer Balgo observed blood on the deck near a compartment and investigated further. He located three sharks, one being a prohibited scalloped hammerhead. The operator was also over his bag limit and vessel limit for sharks. Officer Balgo also located an undersized sheepshead. The operator was cited accordingly.
- Officer Specialist Balgo observed individuals near S.R. 520 and the Banana River with several cast nets and bait fish on the shore near them. A resource inspection located several undersized sheepshead being prepped for consumption. The individuals were cited appropriately.
Indian River County
- Lieutenant Eller along with Officers Hopkins and St. Martin were on patrol in the Atlantic Ocean during the opener of grouper season when they noticed a large fishing vessel about 15 miles offshore heading back toward the inlet. The officers conducted a resource inspection of the vessel, which was a for-hire charter, and found the subjects were over their bag limit of greater amberjack. The captain was cited accordingly.
Putnam County
- Officers Norris and Lambert were on patrol after dark when they observed a vehicle pulling a boat with no trailer tag or trailer lights. Upon conducting a traffic stop to address the safety concerns, the officers observed indicators the driver's normal faculties were impaired. Based on their investigation, Officer Norris conducted standardized field sobriety tasks. The operator was subsequently arrested for driving under the influence. At the jail, the operator provided breath samples over the legal limit.
Volusia County
- FWC officers and marine patrol units from several central Florida law enforcement agencies responded to an organized event known as “Mayhem at Lake George.” With hundreds of vessels in attendance, law enforcement focused on boating and public safety. During the all-day event, there were no reported vessel accidents. Officers issued 42 written warnings and 27 boating citations. Officers also investigated and charged six vessel operators for operating a vessel under the influence and one vehicle operator for driving under the influence at a local boat ramp.
- Senior Officer Wingard and Officer Schaffer responded to assist the Port Orange Police Department with a search for two suspects who were said to be on an interior island immediately south of Dunlawton Avenue within the city’s jurisdiction. The two suspects were wanted for trespass and an out-of-county aggravated battery warrant. In addition to the violations, a malnourished dog and 13 puppies were on the island. Both suspects were located along with the animals. The dog and puppies were turned over to animal control and both suspects were taken into custody.
- Officer Robinson was on patrol conducting boating safety inspections at Ed Stone Park when he conducted a stop on a vessel violating the slow speed minimum wake zone. The operator showed signs of impairment. Officer Robinson investigated for boating under the influence and determined that the operator was impaired beyond his normal faculties. The operator was arrested and issued the appropriate citations for the other violations.
Seminole County
- While conducting patrols along the St. John’s River in the Geneva area, Officer Fahnestock observed a vehicle parked inside the wood line. Officer Fahnestock followed foot sign through the woods onto the shoreline of the river and observed several subjects fishing with cast nets. After observation, Officer Fahnestock contacted the subjects and conducted a resource and license inspection. The subjects harvested tilapia, catfish, and gamefish species including panfish and black crappie. The subjects could not produce a freshwater fishing license and were taking freshwater gamefish by illegal methods. Both subjects were cited accordingly for the violations.
- Officer Wild assisted Volusia County officers during the “Mayhem at Lake George” boating event. He was on solo vessel patrol on Lake George near Silver Glen when he observed a personal watercraft violating a manatee zone area. Officer Wild conducted a vessel stop and during the stop, he noticed signs of impairment from the operator. Officer Wild determined the operator was operating his vessel with normal faculties impaired. Officer Wild arrested the subject for boating under the influence and cited the subject appropriately for the other violations.
Lake County
- Officer Stamp responded to a complaint about a bait site in Emeralda Marsh Wildlife Management Area. Officer Stamp located corn and a trail camera. The camera was attached to the WMA fence post dividing the state land from private lands, facing into the WMA. Officer Stamp investigated and was able to identify and locate the subject who placed the bait in the WMA. The subject admitted to placing the bait and was charged appropriately.
COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING
Brevard County
- Officers from Osceola, Brevard, and Indian River counties teamed up to host a youth wild hog hunt at a ranch in Brevard County. The six youth hunters were selected from area high schools and all showed interest in learning about hunting and the outdoors. The hunters received their hunter safety certification prior to attending and throughout the weekend they continued to more about conservation, safe use of treestands and how to field dress and prepare wild game meat. These youth hunters will now qualify for a deer hunt hosted by officers in the fall.
 CASES
Hardee County
- Officer Livingston and K-9 Mali assisted an officer regarding two individuals trespassing on private property. Upon initial contact, the two individuals fled on foot and were quickly apprehended. Both individuals were arrested for trespassing and resisting without violence. K-9 Mali was deployed and began searching a 750-yard area along a lake. About 450 yards into the search, K-9 Mali went into the wooded area and alerted on an article that turned out to be a soft zippered cooler containing miscellaneous fishing tackle. Although the evidence wasn’t impactful in the case, it was K-9 Mali’s first official find.
- Officer Livingston and K-9 Mali assisted the Hardee County Sheriff’s Office in searching an area for additional evidence used in a crime. Officer Livingston deployed K-9 Mali to search through waist high vegetation on both sides of a roadway. An item of interest was located and processed accordingly by the Hardee County Sheriff’s Office.
Hillsborough County
- Lieutenant John Burks was on patrol when he observed a subject cast-netting in a freshwater canal. Lt. Burks observed the subject catch what appeared to be gamefish in the net and place them in a bucket. Lt. Burks approached the subject, who attempted to dump the fish back into the water. He prevented the dumping and identified five largemouth bass, four bluegill, and six red-eared sunfish. Two of the bass were over 16 inches. Lt. Burks issued appropriate citations and warnings.
- Officers Wilkins and McCormack were on patrol near Williams Park Boat Ramp in Tampa Bay and observed a vessel violating the area’s idle speed zone. They conducted a vessel stop to address the violation and during the boating safety inspection, Officer McCormack observed the operator showed numerous signs of impairment. The operator refused to perform seated standardized field sobriety tasks and provide a breath sample. Officer McCormack arrested the operator for boating under the influence and refusal to submit to blood/breath/urine. Boating citations and warnings were issued for the other violations.
- Officer Wilkins was patrolling the waters of Tampa Bay in conjunction with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit. The officers observed a boat near the Alafia River Critical Wildlife Area being operated by an individual who was drinking a beer. The officers conducted a vessel stop and Officer Wilkin observed several signs of impairment from the operator. The operator admitted to consuming numerous drinks and performed poorly on the seated standardized field sobriety tasks. Officer Wilkins arrested the operator and charged the operator with boating under the influence and refusal to submit to a lawful request for blood/breath/urine.
- Officer Brown was conducting resource inspections of anglers along Bayou Drive. One subject stated he caught some undersized fish but did not keep any. An inspection of a cooler in the back of the subject’s van revealed multiple undersized mangrove snapper. The subject was charged accordingly.
- While on land patrol, Officer Rivard observed three individuals fishing with cast nets in a freshwater canal. Officer Rivard watched the individuals and contacted them when they returned to their vehicle. A fisheries inspection revealed the individuals were in possession of 10 largemouth bass and 25 panfish. Officer Rivard issued all three individuals a citation for harvesting gamefish with the use of a net.
- While on land patrol at a fishing pier, Officer Specialist Rorer contacted an individual and conducted a fisheries inspection. The subject said they had not caught any fish. Officer Specialist Rorer found a bucket in the subject’s possession that contained two undersized red grouper and two undersized black sea bass. Officer Specialist Rorer issued the individual a citation as well as a warning for fisheries violations.
Lee County
- Officers Perry and Johnson were on patrol when they observed a vehicle near a spillway. They stopped to conduct a resource inspection on an individual who admitted he had fish. An inspection of the individual’s bucket revealed an undersized snook. The sunject was issued a notice to appear for the violation.
- Officer Hardgrove was on patrol when he stopped a vessel for a resource inspection. Upon speaking with the subject, he learned he was a charter boat captain and was in possession of a snook and five snappers. The captain said he had dropped off his customer and was going to clean their fish and deliver them back to the customer later. Officer Hardgrove measured the fish and found the captain to be in possession of an oversize snook and an undersize snapper. Citations were issued for the violations.
Pinellas County
- While on land patrol, Senior Officer Brian Ferguson and Officer Jody Criswell were illegally passed by a vehicle operating recklessly in the emergency lane. When the officers activated the marked FWC vehicle emergency lights and sirens, the operator fled. The officers ended pursuit when the vehicle got out of sight. The fleeing vehicle wrecked when turning into an apartment complex. When officers arrived on the scene, bystanders directed them to an apartment the subject had fled to. The officers, along with Florida Highway Patrol troopers, contacted the subject in the apartment who admitted to fleeing due to being drunk. The operator was placed under arrest for driving under the influence, reckless driving, felony fleeing and eluding, and other violations.
- While on land patrol, Officer Jody Criswell responded to an overturned vessel in Tampa Bay. Officer Criswell identified it as a derelict vessel that had been previously worked by Tampa Police Department but was no longer within their jurisdiction. TPD had been working with the owner to get the vessel removed, however, a storm pushed the vessel into Pinellas County waters. Officer Criswell worked with the owner to comply with derelict vessel procedures. The appropriate citations and derelict vessel paperwork were issued to the owner.
- While on water patrol, Senior Officer Brian Ferguson and Officer Jody Criswell conducted a vessel safety stop and observed the vessel operator showed signs of impairment. The officers initiated a boating under the influence investigation. The operator agreed to perform standardized seated field sobriety tasks, which led officers to determine the operator was boating while his normal faculties were impaired. The operator was placed under arrest and the appropriate citations were issued.
- While on land patrol, Lieutenant Bibeau observed a fishing vessel return to a nearby boat ramp. Lieutenant Bibeau contacted the vessel operator and conducted a fisheries inspection that revealed the individual to be in possession of five undersized and out-of-season red snappers. Lieutenant Bibeau issued the individual two citations for the fisheries violations.
 CASES
Broward County
- Officer Lopez was on patrol at the 30th Avenue boat ramp in Dania Beach when he contacted an individual walking off a boat. Pursuant to information gathered, the individual was placed under arrest for having four active felony warrants out of Broward County, including grand theft. The subject was transported to the county jail without incident.
- Officer Constance responded to a boating accident near the Hillsboro Inlet. A vessel had struck the shoal area around the north jetty. There were no injuries, vessel damage only. The officer is completing a boating accident investigation.
- Officer Giani was on patrol near the 14th Street boat ramp when he conducted a fisheries inspection on a vessel. The officer found a subject was in possession of eight wrung lobster tails. The subject was cited for possession of wrung spiny lobster tails upon waters of the state and possession of spiny lobster out of season.
- While patrolling western Broward County, Officers McCollin Davis and Olivera observed two subjects fishing at a water management pump structure. One of the subjects had gone beyond a barbed wire fence marked with no trespassing signs. During a resource inspection, it was discovered the two subjects were in possession of two Mayan cichlids, which is an unregulated species, and 15 butterfly peacock bass. The daily limit is two peacock bass per person. Both subjects were issued citations for over the bag limit of peacock bass. The subject behind the barbed wire fence was issued a warning for trespassing.
Martin County
- Officers Spirito and Landers were on water patrol on the Intracoastal Waterway in Hobe Sound when they observed a vessel violating the posted slow speed manatee zone. They initiated a vessel stop to address the violation. During the encounter, the operator displayed several signs of impairment. After addressing the speed violation, the officers began an investigation for boating under the influence. After completing standardized field sobriety tasks, the operator was placed under arrest and charged with boating under the influence. The subject later refused to provide a breath sample to determine his breathe alcohol content.
- Officer Landers was patrolling Hobe Sound Beach when he saw a group of individuals fishing. As he approached, he saw a snook in a cooler. One of the subjects told Officer Landers he had caught the snook. Officer Landers measured the snook and it was less than the legal slot length. The subject was issued a notice to appear for the violation and infractions for no fishing license and no snook permit.
- Officer Landers received information about people harvesting conch at the Stuart Sandbars. The officer responded and found four people walking around the mangroves. He recognized one of them from a previous encounter for taking conch. An inspection of their vessel was conducted revealing four fighter conch and one dead queen conch. Officer Landers placed the two species next to each other and went over the differences between the two. A citation was issued for harvesting queen conch.
- Officer Hudson was on patrol inside Hungryland Wildlife and Environmental Area at night when he observed a vehicle parked at an area where hunters commonly park. The officer detected an infrared flashlight being shined into the woods by a subject who was holding a rifle. The officer contacted the subject and the subject admitted to hunting wild hogs at night out of season. The subject received notice to appear citations for hunting wild hogs out of season and at night, and for hunting with a centerfire rifle inside of Hungryland WEA.
Palm Beach County
- Senior Officer Stone and Investigator Merizio were called to investigate four subjects possibly illegally netting in a freshwater lake. After investigation, Senior Officer Stone and Investigator Merizio discovered a 337-foot monofilament entanglement net the subjects used to illegally harvest freshwater fish. One subject was charged with the illegal method of take.
 CASES
Collier County
Officers Curbelo and Stearns saw two vehicles on the side of U.S. 41 in eastern Collier County in Big Cypress National Preserve. The officers located four subjects at a pond and observed two of the subjects in a boat pulling what appeared to be a gill net. Officers Curbelo and Stearns contacted the subjects. Two of them had five butterfly peacock bass and the other two had seven butterfly peacock bass on a stringer hidden in the water and three in the net when it was pulled. Three subjects were arrested and taken into custody and one subject was issued a notice to appear. Two felonies, 10 misdemeanors, and three citations were issued.
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COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING
Collier County
Officer Specialist Rubenstein worked an invasive fish roundup event for Southwest Florida Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area. The event had over 100 participants and 38 teams that caught and removed over 2,600 pounds of invasive fish from southwest Florida. The harvested fish will be composted for beneficial, sustainable use.
 RECOGNITION
Officer Mike Oldsen was honored for his passionate enforcement efforts and dedicated patrols. During the award presentation Lieutenant Liz Lyne spoke about Officer Oldsen's distinguished Army career and highlights from his significant gill net case on Chokoloskee involving multiple arrests for snook, sawfish, and illegal gill netting. Officer Oldsen Mike received a standing ovation during the presentation.
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