FWC Law Enforcement Weekly Reports for June 9-15

June 9 through June 15, 2023

This report represents some events the FWC handled over specified weeks; 
however, it does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement.

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CASES

Bay County

• Officer M. Gore responded to a complaint of someone shooting a swallow-tailed kite. Neighbors told the officer they heard a gunshot and saw the swallow-tailed kite fall out of the sky. Officer Gore went next door and interviewed the subject who stated he shot the Kite with a .410 shotgun because it was flying over his chickens. While investigating the kite shooting incident, Officer Gore observed a raccoon in plain view at the residence. The suspect did not have a Class III wildlife permit or a trapping license and the caging did not meet FWC regulations. The raccoon was released from the cage. The suspect was issued notice to appear citations for taking the swallow-tailed kite and no trapping license for the raccoon.
• Officer T. Basford was on patrol near Carl Gray Park boat ramp. The officer was finishing a minor boating accident investigation when he noticed a blue vessel coming into the ramp. The operator saw his marked patrol vessel and immediately turned around and started to leave the area. Officer Basford followed the vessel into the bay and proceeded to conduct a resource and boating safety inspection. During the inspection, the operator was slurring his speech and had a strong odor of alcohol coming from him. After conducting standard field sobriety tasks, the operator was arrested for boating under the influence. The operator was booked into the Bay County Jail. 

Escambia County

• Officers Bower and Corbin were on patrol in the Pensacola pass and observed a vessel with a youth passenger under the age of six years old not wearing a life jacket. A vessel stop was conducted to perform a boating safety inspection. The operator showed signs of impairment and the officers determined it was not safe for the operator to navigate home. The officers placed the operator under arrest for boating under the influence. They also ensured the child was safely reunited with another guardian.
• Officers Bower and Ramos were on patrol at Fort McCrae and observed several vessel occupants that appeared to be underage and drinking alcoholic beverages. When the occupants saw the patrol vessel, they began to hide the alcoholic beverages. A vessel stop was conducted to perform a boating safety inspection. The officers determined the three subjects were under the age of 21 and consuming alcoholic beverages. Throughout the stop the operator of the vessel showed signs of impairment and was placed under arrest for boating under the influence.
• Officer Hahr initiated two derelict vessel cases in Bayou Chico. A man and woman took possession of two older sailboats and were unable to keep them operational. Both ended up sinking within a week of each other. The subjects were charged with allowing a vessel to become derelict on state waters.
• Officer Hahr was on patrol and conducted a stop on a boat returning from the Gulf of Mexico to conduct a resource inspection. The vessel had a limit of red snapper on board and was on its way back to Alabama. He was issued a notice to appear for possession of red snapper during the closed season.
• Officer Hahr responded to assist the Pensacola Police Department with a subject that was observed shooting a bird and then trying to hide it in a dumpster. Officer Hahr identified the bird as a yellow-crowned night heron. The man admitted to shooting his automatic BB gun near the bird but stated he wasn’t trying to kill it. The witnesses on scene stated the man deliberately aimed at the bird and kicked it into the water after it died. While the witnesses called 911, the man took the bird to the dumpster and threw it in behind a mound of trash. The man was charged with taking a protected migratory bird and willful and wanton waste of wildlife.

Gulf County

• Senior Officer M. Webb was on patrol at a local ramp and checking vessels returning from fishing. A resource inspection of a nonresident vessel with two adults and a child revealed the captain was in possession of four king mackerel, three of which were undersized. A citation was issued for possession of undersized king mackerel. 

Okaloosa County

• Officers Oliver and Senst were on patrol when they observed a pontoon vessel violating an idle speed/no wake zone. Officers Oliver and Senst conducted a vessel stop to address the violation and a boating safety inspection was conducted. The subject operating the vessel showed signs of impairment throughout the inspection. The operator admitted to drinking and Officer Oliver noticed slurred speech and a strong odor of alcohol coming from his breath. The operator agreed to conduct standard field sobriety tasks and performed poorly. The operator was placed under arrest for boating under the influence and later refused to provide a breath sample. The operator was charged with operating a vessel with normal faculties impaired. The subject was also cited for the refusal to provide a sample and violation of the idle speed/no wake zone.
• Officers Oliver and Senst were on patrol when they observed two subjects on board a personal watercraft that did not have a registration decal displayed. The officers conducted a vessel stop for the violation and a boating safety inspection was conducted. The subject operating the vessel showed impairment throughout the inspection. The operator admitted to drinking and while speaking with the operator, Officer Oliver noticed slurred speech and a strong odor of alcohol coming from his breath. The operator attempted to conceal multiple empty alcohol containers on the vessel during the inspection. The operator agreed to conduct standard field sobriety tasks and performed poorly. The operator was placed under arrest for boating under the influence and provided a breath sample that was almost twice the legal limit. The operator was charged with operating a vessel with a breath alcohol level of .08 or higher and a citation was issued for the registration violation.
• Officer Pritchard was on patrol in the vicinity of Crab Island when she observed a personal watercraft violating the idle speed/no wake zone. The operator of the vessel was also observed operating in circles to splash another PWC and several nearby swimmers with its wake. A vessel stop was conducted and a boating safety inspection was performed. The operator of the vessel was issued citations for reckless operation of a vessel and violating the idle speed/no wake zone.

Santa Rosa County

• Officers Bower and Long were on patrol and observed a vessel without proper navigation lights displayed. A vessel stop was conducted to address the violation and a resource inspection was performed. It was determined that Officer Bower stopped the same operator the week prior for the same violation. The operator did not have a valid Florida fishing license and was found to be in possession of an undersized seatrout. The subject was issued a notice to appear citation for harvesting an undersized spotted seatrout. 
• Officer Bower was on patrol and conducted a stop on a vessel that was missing vessel registrations numbers. The following day the vessel was listed for rent by a privately owned livery. An investigation revealed the owner was renting his personally owned personal watercraft vessel. A safety inspection was conducted to ensure the subject had all the 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 and Officer Corbin 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 and issued warnings for the other violations.

COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING

Bay County

• Lieutenant J. Allen, Officer N. Basford, Z. Rice, and C. Boley met with children from the Bay County Sherriff’s Office Day Camp in Lynn Haven. They spoke with the children about safety related to wildlife and plants commonly found in Florida. They also assisted with a fishing day field trip at the Sand Pond Campground at Pine Log State Forest. They spoke to approximately 18 children at the event.
• Officer T. Basford attended the Salvation Army Saltwater Slam Tournament in St. Marks. Over 80 people fished in the tournament. Prizes were awarded for the largest spotted seatrout, redfish, and flounder. Officer Basford educated the public about saltwater fishing regulations at the event. 

OFFSHORE PATROL

• Officers Cushing, Land and Pettey were conducting resource inspections on vessels in Florida state waters of the Gulf of Mexico. People on board six different vessels were found to be in violation of the closed red snapper season. A total of nine citations were issued to different people for the violations. An additional charge was issued for closed season on gag grouper.
• Officers Cushing, Land and Lieutenant Corbin were on patrol. They conducted a commercial fisheries inspection of a shrimp trawler in Pensacola Bay. It was determined neither the operator nor the vessel possessed a valid commercial saltwater fishing license. Over 200 pounds of shrimp were seized and citations were issued for the violations.
• Officers Cushing Land and McHenry conducted resource inspection on Florida state waters of the Gulf of Mexico and issued 17 citations to subjects fishing for and being in possession of red snapper during the closed season.

CASES

Baker County

• Master Officer Burnsed was on patrol checking boats on Ocean Pond in Osceola National Forest when he observed a vessel operating without navigation. He contacted the vessel to address the violation and while talking to the operator he noticed signs of impairment. The operator performed poorly on the standardized field sobriety tasks and was placed under arrest for boating under the influence. 

Columbia County

• While on vessel patrol, Senior Officer Davenport conducted a safety inspection on a vessel located on the Santa Fe River. The operator did not have the proper personal floatation devices for the children onboard the vessel, along with other boating safety and registration violations. Senior Officer Davenport ran the vessel information FWC dispatch, and the vessel came back as a homemade vessel though it was obviously not. Further investigation by Davenport, Lieutenant McDonald, and Officer Specialist Cline showed the vessel’s hull identification number had been altered. Davenport seized the vessel, and the case is currently under investigation. All charges will be directly filed with the State Attorney’s Office.

Duval County

• Officer Goodfellow and Lieutenant Gilmore were returning from offshore water patrol on the St. Johns River and conducted a boating safety inspection on a personal watercraft without registration numbers in front of the Mayport Boat Ramp. During the inspection, Officer Goodfellow noticed many signs of impairment from the operator. At the conclusion of the stop, Officer Goodfellow arrested the vessel operator for boating under the influence. The subject was transported and booked into Duval County Jail.
• Officer Goodfellow and Lieutenant Gilmore were on water patrol on the St. Johns River in support of Boater Skip Day when they conducted a boating safety inspection on a vessel. During the inspection, Officer Goodfellow and Lieutenant Gilmore noticed several signs of impairment from the operator. The operator had difficulty moving about the vessel and locating the boating safety equipment. At the conclusion of the boating inspection, the vessel operator was placed under arrest for boating under the influence. He was transported to Clay County and booked into jail.
• Master Officer Lentz and Lieutenant Gilmore were conducting offshore water patrol and conducted a resource inspection on a vessel with two individuals who were fishing. During the inspection Master Officer Lentz identified both anglers were in possession of amberjack and nine over the federal bag limit of vermillion snapper. Both individuals were issued federal citations for the violations as well as written warning for safety equipment.
• While deployed to the Florida Keys, Officers Goodfellow and Jones were on patrol at Key Haven Boat Ramp. They observed a vessel come alongside the seawall where the operator exited the vessel and sat on the seawall. While talking to family members, the operator was pointing toward the officers in their patrol vessel. The officers briefly left the area and when they returned, the subject was having trouble backing his truck and trailer. The officers conducted a vessel safety inspection and observed several signs of impairment. The operator was placed under arrest for boating while normal faculties were impaired and driving under the influence. Additional charges include insufficient personal floatation device, personal floatation device not worn by a child under 6 years of age, and several other boating citations. When they arrived at the Monroe County detention center, the operator consented to providing a breath sample, which was over the legal limit.

Taylor County

• Officers Vazquez and Clark conducted a fisheries inspection on a recreational fishing vessel near the Econfina River. During the inspection, the officers located undersized spotted sea trout and redfish. In addition, the anglers were over the daily bag limit of redfish. Appropriate citations were issued for the violations. 

COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING

Duval County

• Master Officer Lentz and Staff Assistant Buchanan participated in an outreach event hosted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection for their “Bring Families to Work Day.” The event was well attended and contained displays from agencies across the region with over 50 people passing the table. The FWC provided giveaways and information ranging from living with bears to boating safety.

CASES

Brevard County

• Officer Specialist Balgo observed two fishing vessels return from offshore to Port Canaveral. While conducting resource inspections, he found each vessel operator was in possession of undersized red grouper. The operators for each vessel were cited accordingly.

Orange County

• Lieutenant Riley conducted freshwater fisheries inspections on Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area and the St. Johns River. He stopped one individual throwing a cast net and found the individual in was possession of freshwater gamefish. The individual was cited accordingly.  

Volusia County

• Senior Officer Bertolami was off duty near Main Street Bridge in Daytona Beach when he observed two subjects who were fishing. One of the subjects returned to his vehicle and placed an out-of-season snook inside a cooler. Officer Bertolami returned home, went on duty, and headed back to the area where he again observed one of the subjects return to the vehicle and place another snook in the cooler. Once the two subjects packed up and returned to their vehicle, Officer Bertolami contacted them and conducted a fisheries inspection. It was determined the subjects had five illegal snook in a cooler inside the subject’s vehicle. Officer Bertolami conducted a field interview and one of the subjects confessed to harvesting all five snook. Office Bertolami addressed the violation with four criminal counts including a major violation for possession of snook.

St. Johns County

• While on aircraft patrol, Lieutenant Cain and Officer Specialist Lawrence observed a shrimp trawler dragging two otter trawl nets and one try net at 0.4 nautical miles. In nearshore waters, from the shoreline out to one nautical mile in the Atlantic Ocean, a shrimp trawler may only drag two nets at a time, including the try net. Lieutenant Cain, Officer Lawrence, and Officer Specialist Thomas contacted the trawler by vessel to address the violation. After measuring and ensuring the otter trawl nets were less than 500 square feet, Officer Lawrence issued the operator a misdemeanor citation for trawling more than two nets in nearshore waters.
• Officer Specialist Christmas and Officer Ramsey were on water patrol when they observed a vessel approaching a local boat ramp. They stopped the vessel to conduct a boating safety inspection. During the inspection, the officers observed signs of impairment from the operator. The operator performed standardized field sobriety tasks and ultimately was arrested for boating under the influence.

Marion County

• Officer Lambert organized a detail to educate the public about best practices for living with bears. The detail included officers from Marion, Putnam, and Lake counties and involved FWC bear management team members. The mission was to canvass neighborhoods in and around the Ocala National Forest to address  issues and rules related to bears. The detail spanned two weekends, resulting in 138 citizen contacts, 114 educational pamphlets distributed, and three noncompliance letters issued.

Clay County

• Officer Carroll and Captain Haney conducted a vessel stop on the St. Johns River and observed signs of impairment from the operator. After a poor performance on standardized field sobriety tasks, the operator was arrested for operating a vessel while normal faculties were impaired. The defendant refused to provide a breath sample and was transported to the jail without incident.
• Officer Specialist Marroquin and Officer Norris conducted a vessel stop while patrolling the St. Johns River. During the vessel inspection, signs of impairment were observed from the operator. After performing poorly on the standardized field sobriety tasks, the operator was arrested for boating under the influence. The defendant was transported to jail without incident.

COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING

Orange County

• Lieutenant Riley and Officer Specialist Marroquin, along with Officers Navarino and Wild presented the Orange and Osceola County State Attorney’s Office with a training and overview of the standardized field sobriety tasks used in boating under the influence enforcement. Approximately 20 attorneys were in attendance. The attorneys were able to see the tasks preformed and what clues are used to determine an individual’s ability to operate a vessel safely.

Sumter County

• Officer Specialist Weber (public information officer) spoke to the Villages Kayak Club regarding wildlife they may encounter while kayaking in Florida. Many of the attendees were new residents of Florida and had several questions. Officer Weber cleared up many urban myths regarding Florida's native wildlife. The club consisted of over 60 members.

Volusia County

• Officer Specialist Weber (public information officer) provided a presentation regarding living with alligators for a women's club in Ormond Beach. Several attendees live in a homeowner’s association with over 30 ponds and small lakes on a golf course. Officer Weber cleared up misinformation and provided best practices for living with alligators in Florida.

Lake County

• The Coastal Conservation Association contacted Officer Specialist Weber (public information officer) to speak with a group of high school students who were being presented with a scholarship from CCA. Many of the teens present expressed their interest in working for FWC when they graduate, either in law enforcement or biology.

Seminole County

• Officer Specialist Weber (public information officer) and biologist Jean-Marie Conner were invited to the Sanford Zoo to speak at a zoology summer camp. The goal was to expose the children to a wide range of professions dealing with conservation. This is the 5^th year Officer Weber has been invited to speak at the Sanford Zoo.

CASES 

Broward County

• While on vessel patrol in Hillsboro Inlet, Officers Olivera and Perez conducted a stop on a vessel not displaying registration numbers. During the stop the officers noticed fishing equipment onboard and conducted a marine fisheries inspection. They observed an ice box with 19 yellowtail snapper and only one fish was the legal-size limit of 12” or greater. The captain of the vessel was issued a citation for possession of 18 undersize yellowtail snapper. 

Martin County

• Officer Hudson was patrolling at Port Myakka when he observed subjects fishing near the spillway. The subjects stated they did not catch any fish, however, an inspection of their cooler revealed an undersized snook concealed underneath several tilapia. The subject admitted to catching the snook and was issued a notice to appear citation for undersized snook, out-of-season snook, no saltwater fishing license, and no snook permit. 
• Officer Hudson observed a vehicle driving into Dupuis Wildlife and Environmental Area late at night. He followed the vehicle from a distance and observed the occupants of the vehicle meet up with another vehicle. The subjects put GPS collars on their hunting dogs and then began to drive slowly through the WEA while shining their lights. The subjects were stopped and five of them admitted to night hunting. Ten criminal citations were issued for illegal night hunting and for possessing hunting dogs. 
• Officer Spirito conducted a traffic stop in Jonathan Dickenson State Park for speeding and failure to obey park signage. The operator would not cooperate and gave false statements about who she was. Once the operator's identification was confirmed it was found she had an open warrant and was placed under arrest.
• While working early morning hours at the Jensen Beach Causeway, Captain Yetter and Officer Landers witnessed an individual catch a snook. The officers watched from afar with their binoculars and saw the subject jump on his bike and quickly ride to his vehicle where he hid the fish in the back seat. The officers approached the subject after he returned to fishing. When asked if he had caught anything, he replied “no.”  Officer Landers then asked the subject to take him to the truck where the officer discovered the snook hidden in the back seat. When measured the snook was only 27 inches. The subject was issued a misdemeanor citation for the undersized snook. 

Palm Beach County

• Officer Stone was patrolling the J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area when he responded to a call regarding an individual catching and keeping an undersized snook in Boca Raton. Officer Stone was able to drive to the location and observe the subject fishing. The complainant reported he observed the subject hide the snook in a nearby location. The officer was able to find the snook, interview the subject and charge him with the harvesting of an undersized snook. 

St. Lucie County

• While on patrol in Port Saint Lucie, Officer Castle stopped by a water management spillway frequently used by anglers.  The area is fenced and posted with multiple “No Trespassing” signs.  Upon her arrival, she observed several individuals fishing inside the closed area.  Once contact was made, violations were addressed with the subjects.   
• Officer Castle responded to a motorboat that collided with an unoccupied anchored sailboat. He contacted the sole individual on the motorboat and detected signs of impairment. Further investigation revealed open and empty alcohol containers, marijuana, glass pipes and multiple prescription pills and bottles. Due to the condition of the subject, standard field sobriety tasks were unable to be performed.  As the vessel was drifting and the deployed anchor was not holding, the vessel was placed in a tow and turned over to a commercial tow service to be secured. The subject was placed under arrest and taken to jail for boating under the influence. Results of an alcohol test of his breath were almost double the legal limit. 

MAJOR WILDLIFE ASSISTANCE

Palm Beach County

Lieutenant Hankinson and the Town of Palm Beach Fire Department rescued a large loggerhead sea turtle.  The loggerhead was deeply lodged in a shore jetty along A1A.  The loggerhead was successfully recovered and returned to the ocean in good condition.

CASES

Miami-Dade County

• Captive Wildlife Investigator Fernandez inspected a facility possessing primates and other wildlife.  A license check indicated their licenses had lapsed within the previous year.  Further investigation revealed one lemur was transferred to a licensed facility after the expiration date of the license.  A citation was issued for the expired licenses and a warning was issued for transferring wildlife without a valid license.  Investigator Fernandez then educated the license holder on the new system required to renew the licenses.
• Officer Dunn issued six citations for at-risk violations this week and 31 citations for at-risk violations the previous week. He also issued one misdemeanor for a derelict vessel case he is working. He was able to locate the owner and gain compliance for one of the derelict vessel cases he is working. The vessel was removed from the waters of the state by the owner.

   

Monroe County

• Officers Hettel, Garcia, and Sargent were on water patrol in Key West when they observed a charter fishing vessel returning from offshore. A boating safety and resource inspection revealed six dolphins under the minimum length of 20 inches to the fork. The subjects were cited accordingly.

Collier County

• Officer Conroy continued her impaired operator enforcement in Picayune Strand State Forrest. Officer Conroy observed a vehicle drive at an unsafe speed, illegally pass and run a stop sign. While conducting a traffic stop, Officer Conroy observed signs of impairment and the subject was arrested for driving under the influence. The subject had a breath alcohol content over the legal limit an hour after the stop was conducted.