FWC Law Enforcement Weekly Reports: Oct. 25-31, 2024

October 25, 2024, through October 31, 2024

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.

View this as a web page.

View previous editions.

Cases

Baker County

• Senior K-9 Officer Gill was on patrol in Osceola Wildlife Management Area when he observed a parked vehicle that appeared to be associated with someone hunting during closed season. Master Officer Burnsed arrived and Officer Gill deployed K-9 Camo to track the subject. K-9 Camo tracked to a tree stand but it was not occupied. Two individuals wearing camouflage exited the woods from the opposite side and Officer Burnsed contacted them. K-9 Camo was started in the area they were seen and tracked the individuals to a treestand, found corn recently placed near the treestand and located a muzzleloading rifle hidden in dense vegetation.  After interviewing the subjects, they admitted to hunting and when they saw the officers’ vehicles, they got down and hid the muzzleloader rifle. Charges for the violations will be filed with the State Attorney's Office. 

Bradford County

• Officer Hausler received reports of a subject trespassing on private property in a hunt club and tampering with trail cameras. Officer Hausler spoke with the complainants, who provided photos from several trail cameras in the area that could possibly identify the subject. The subject had tampered with the trail cameras and removed the SD  cards, however, the complainants had the photos transmitted to their personal devices. During interviews with the members of the club, the complainants suggested who the subject may be.  Officer Hausler requested FWC Intel conduct facial recognition on the photos and confirmed the subject’s identity.  Further inquiry showed the subject was currently being held at the Bradford County Detention Facility. Officer Hausler conducted an interview with the subject and issued citations for criminal mischief and trespass other than a structure or conveyance. 

Columbia County

• Lieutenant Douglas located a parked vehicle while patrolling Osceola Wildlife Management Area. Senior K-9 Officer Yates deployed K-9 Harlow and established a track. After tracking the individual almost a mile, the individual was found hunting from a treestand. The subject was not wearing hunter orange and was hunting during closed season. The subject was cited for the violations.  

Duval County

• Officer Yakel responded to a citizen who reported injuries resulting from a collision with a bridge piling while on a tour guided by personal watercraft from several days prior.  Officer Yakel conducted multiple interviews with the citizen, a witness, and personnel from the identified livery. At the conclusion of the investigation, it was determined several individuals knowingly did not report the boating accident to authorities. One of the individuals from the livery was issued a notice to appear for failing to notify FWC that a livery vessel was involved in a boating accident.  

Nassau County

• Officer Moran provided Officer Hausler with information from a social media post regarding a boating accident. The video showed several people on personal watercraft harassing an angler in a kayak. One of the operators performed a reckless maneuver that cast a large wake, capsizing the kayak and causing more than $5,000 of damage and lost equipment. The angler posted the encounter on social media from video taken by his Go-Pro. The video showed clear and visible Florida registration numbers, which were associated with several previous encounters with FWC officers. Working in conjunction with the Nassau County Sheriff's Office, the subject was identified, located, and arrested for criminal mischief, battery, reckless operation, failure to report an accident, leaving the scene without rendering aid, and intentionally interfering with someone lawfully fishing. 
• Officers Barry and Martin conducted a resource inspection on a vessel that had been fishing. During their inspection, they identified three undersized red fish, six undersized spotted sea trout, and one out-of-season, undersized flounder. Both individuals on board the vessel were issued notices to appear for the violations.  

Union County

• Officer Shope received a complaint of an antlerless deer being harvested during a closed season. Upon investigating, Officer Shope determined a juvenile shot the deer with a muzzleloading rifle. Officer Shope turned her findings over to the State Attorney's Office Juvenile Division for charges.  

COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING

Duval County

• Lieutenant Hein conducted community outreach at a local “Touch a Truck” event in the Oakleaf Plantation area of Jacksonville. Lieutenant Hein showcased a law enforcement truck and boat to nearly a thousand attendees and made multiple recruiting contacts with people interested in learning more about how to become a wildlife officer.

Nassau County

• Officers Martin and Yakel participated in the annual Right Whale Festival. The officers set up an amazing booth display with educational items, literature for the public, a law enforcement vessel and opportunities for the local community to  engage with FWC Law Enforcement officers.

CASES

Brevard County

• Officer St. Martin observed anglers harvesting snook from a concealed location while patrolling at Sebastian Inlet State Park. As the subjects were leaving the north jetty, Officer St. Martin stopped them to conduct a resource inspection. The inspection revealed one of them was in possession of an undersized snook and the subject was cited accordingly.
• Officer St. Martin observed a subject harvest two snook and then begin to fillet one on the rocks. The officer contacted the subject knowing he was over his bag limit and trying to conceal one of the snook by filleting it. The subject denied catching both fish and ran away after being instructed by the officer to follow him back to the truck. The subject was found the following day and charged accordingly.
• Officer St. Martin was working at Sebastain Inlet State Park when he observed a vehicle leaving the park with fishing equipment. Officer St. Martin spoke with the vehicle operator who stated they had numerous fish in their vehicle. A resource inspection of the fish revealed an undersized snook. The subject was cited accordingly.
• Officer Ross responded to an anonymous report about an individual who was keeping a juvenile sea turtle as a pet at his house. Officer Ross followed up with the complainant who stated that numerous people in the community had told the subject he could not possess a sea turtle. Officer Ross arrived at the residence and observed the sea turtle in a tank. Officer Ross contacted the subject to discuss this violation. The sea turtle was removed and turned over to a local biologist for rehabilitation and the subject was cited accordingly.

Indian River County

• Officer Marshall responded to an anonymous complaint regarding two anglers keeping undersized snook near the State Road 60 bridge. Officer Marshall located the subjects matching the description and conducted a resource inspection. The subjects originally stated they had no fish, but an inspection of their bucket revealed an undersized snook. The subjects were cited accordingly.

Orange County

• Officer Wild was patrolling Rock Springs Run Wildlife Management Area during a muzzleloading gun quota hunt. Earlier in the day, he received a report of subjects potentially hunting outside of the WMA on state park property, which is closed to hunting. After several hours of canvasing the outer boundaries of the WMA, Officer Wild located game cameras inside the area closed to hunting. Upon further investigation, he located two stands and subjects who were hunting in the closed area. Officer Wild cited both individuals for hunting in the state park.

COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING

Brevard County

• Officers Swensson and Balgo participated in the Trunk or Treat event in Viera. They set up the Wildlife Alert display trailer and spoke with approximately 200 kids from the area about hunting and fishing in Florida.

CASES

Manatee County

• Officer Specialist Miller was on land patrol when he observed an individual throwing a cast net along a bank of a pond. As the individual was packing up to leave, Officer Specialist Miller contacted the individual to conduct a resource inspection. During the inspection, it was revealed the individual had caught and kept eight black bass and several other gamefish species. The subject will have to appear in Manatee County Court for the violation

CASES

Broward County

• Officers Olivera and Hammad observed several personal watercraft head toward the Hollywood boat ramp close to sunset. As the PWC’s approached the boat ramp they abruptly turned around and headed north. Olivera and Hammad stopped the six PWCs to conduct a boating safety inspection. Their inspections revealed four of subjects paid to rent the PWCs and the other two subjects were the guides. The guides who provided the PWCs did not have the required insurance, FWC permit, and several PWCs were missing safety equipment.  The officers issued the two guides notice to appear citations for livery violations.
• Officer Willis conducted land patrol in a marked vehicle at the STA 3/4. This area was posted closed due to a high water advisory. There, Willis witnessed a subject fishing. Willis contacted the subject to investigate the violation. Willis’ investigation revealed the subject walked past multiple “no trespassing” signs to get into STA 3/4. Willis issued the subject a notice to appear citation for fishing or frogging in areas closed to fishing or frogging within the stormwater treatment areas as restricted by posted by signage.
• Officer Willis witnessed a subject at the STA 3/4, which was posted closed due to a high water advisory. The officer contacted the subject to investigate, and discovered the subject walked past multiple no trespassing signs to get into STA 3/4. Willis issued the subject a notice to appear citation for entering onto district lands when said area is closed.
• Officers Olivera and Hammad contacted a subject who did not have a valid driver’s license at the Holland Park boat ramp area. The officers informed the subject he did not have a valid license and could not drive his vehicle away from the boat ramp. The officers later observed the same subject operating his vehicle, trailering a personal watercraft. The officers issued the subject a notice to appear citation for driving on a suspended license with knowledge. 

Hendry County

• Senior Officer Polly was patrolling Dinner Island Wildlife Management Area during the small game season. While checking hunters, he came across a subject who stated he hadn’t killed anything. Senior Officer Polly looked through a window of the truck and noticed tools and other miscellaneous items piled up behind the driver’s seat. Through the pile of items, Senior Officer Polly noticed a deer hoof. After searching the vehicle, a recently killed antlerless deer was recovered from behind the front seat of the truck. Deer season is currently closed in the WMA, and antlerless deer are never allowed to be killed in this WMA. The subject was placed under arrest and booked into the Hendry County Jail on multiple charges. 
• Officer Pridgen saw subjects shining a spotlight from a vehicle on the side of the road at night in a manner capable of disclosing the presence of game. Officer Pridgen turned his truck around to address the issue and before Officer Pridgen could activate his blue lights, the subjects attempted to leave the area. Officer Pridgen quickly located and stopped the vehicle and found both subjects to be in possession of rifles. The subjects admitted to shinning the light to look at wild hogs on the side of the road. The subjects were each issued a notice to appear citation for attempting to take game from a roadway.
• Officer Ciprich saw subjects of the vehicle displaying a spotlight from the vehicle in a manner capable of disclosing the presence of game. The subjects were stopped and during the investigation, Officer Wences arrived on scene to assist. It was determined the subjects were in possession of a high-powered air rifle and admitted to looking for game from the roadway. The subject was issued a notice to appear citation for the violation.

St. Lucie County

• Officer Levesque was conducting patrol at South Hutchinson Island in Bear Point Sanctuary and observed a subject cast netting from a vessel. Upon inspection, it was discovered the subject was fishing commercially. The subject did not possess the required restricted species endorsement to harvest mullet commercially. The subject was also over the vessel limit for mullet and was issued a notice to appear for harvesting mullet commercially without having the proper restricted species endorsement and for possessing over the vessel limit of mullet. The subject was also issued three warnings for fishing commercially from a recreational vessel, not having proper storage/ice for harvested products and for possessing undersized black mullet. 

COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING

Broward County

• Officers Lopez, Olivera, Hammad and Lieutenant McDonald participated in an outreach event at the Dania Beach Bass Pro Shops. This was an outdoor parade style event that involved officers from different law enforcement agencies to use their agency issued vehicles to welcome Santa to the store. Several kids attended and enjoyed the festivities.

SEARCH AND RESCUE

Broward County

• Officers Walcott, McCollin-Davis, Olivera, Delaney, and Officer Specialist Perez responded to a call for service at the Loxahatchee Refuge. Two people on a vessel were lost and the officers deployed a shallow water boat to search for them. The officers navigated through shallow water and changing vegetation thickness in the southern portion of the refuge. When they arrived at GPS coordinates provided, the people were not there. Officer Specialist Perez deployed his FWC issued drone and found the people nearby.  The officers contacted the people and guided them back to the boat ramp. 

Statewide Summary of Boating Related Law Enforcement Activities

For October 1 - 31, 2024