FWC Law Enforcement Weekly Report 09/19 - 09/25/2014

FWC

Division of Law Enforcement

 

Weekly Report

September 19 - September 25, 2014

 

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

 

FRANKLIN COUNTY

 

Officers P. Cook, S. Cook, Nelson, Stephens, Martin, Bunker, Allen, Anderson, Harrison and Investigator Dupree conducted a detail this week targeting oyster size tolerance. In total, ten citations were issued for the possession of undersized oysters. Violations ranged from 30-78% undersized.

 

 

NORTH CENTRAL REGION

 

DUVAL COUNTY

Officer Hayes was on routine patrol at midnight on Little Talbot Island State Park when he observed a vehicle exiting the Fort George River parking lot with its left headlamp out of service. Officer Hayes conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and met with the driver who stated his Florida Driver’s License was suspended for DUI and a National Crime Information Center/Federal Crime Information Center (NCIC/FCIC) check confirmed this. A Law Enforcement Information Exchange (LINX) check revealed the driver did not meet the criteria for a traffic summons because of arrests for burglary and dealing in stolen property within the last twelve months. Officer Hayes placed the driver under arrest, transported and booked him into the Duval County Jail for knowingly Driving While License Suspended or Revoked.

 

Resource Protection Service (RPS) Officer Stowell stopped a gator hunter with an untagged Alligator in the early morning hours. The subject had a 10’2’-alligator with an unattached CITES tag in the tail.  The subject later admitted to not attaching the tag so he could get more alligators.  The subject was also cited for possession of marijuana under 20 grams.  The investigation is ongoing with further charges to be filed. 

 

BRADFORD COUNTY

 

Officer Bryan was given a tip about a video that surfaced on social media that depicted two hunters taking a hen turkey with a bow on private property in Hampton, Florida. After seeing the video and identifying the two suspects in the video, Officer Bryan conducted an investigation. Officer Bryan conducted interviews with both suspects about the video in which they admitted to taking the hen turkey. The evidence in the case was brought to the Bradford County State Attorney’s office both suspects were charged with taking hen turkey.

 

 

NORTHEAST REGION

 

PUTNAM COUNTY

 

Investigator Dack and Officer Guirate responded to a complaint in which a homeowner was said to be keeping a live deer at their residence. When the officers arrived at the residence, they found a four-point buck on the porch. The homeowner admitted to keeping the deer for the past six months. He said he caught the deer as a fawn from a local fernery. The officers made arrangements for a wildlife rehabilitator to take possession of the deer. The homeowner was cited for possession of wildlife without a permit.

 

ST.JOHNS COUNTY

 

Officers Lawshe and Ramsey received a call from the land manager of Rayonier Timber Company who stated one of his workers located a marijuana grow site on their property.   The officers responded to the location and found 26 marijuana plants, approximately six feet tall. Due to recent tractor work in the area, the officers were unable to locate the suspect’s trail leading to the site. The officers pulled the plants and turned them in to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office to be destroyed.

 

Officer Lawshe was conducting fisheries inspections at Guana Dam when he found a fisherman in possession of four red drum. The fisherman was cited for taking over the bag limit of red drum.

 

BREVARD COUNTY

 

Officer Lightsey was conducting resource inspections in Melbourne when he came across an individual fishing from the shoreline. A check through FWC dispatch revealed the man was wanted out of Osceola County for violation of felony probation. The man was placed under arrest for the warrant and turned over to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Department awaiting extradition to Osceola County.

 

 

SOUTHWEST REGION

 

LEE COUNTY

 

During the course of investigating a report of a domestic dispute in the campground area of Koreshan State Historic Site in Estero, Officer Fogle made a non-custodial arrest of a female subject who was staying on the site. While interviewing the female near the picnic table on the site, two homemade smoking pipes could be clearly observed by the officer. Post Miranda and pursuant to a consent search of the female’s personal belongings, Officer Fogle discovered approximately 3 grams of cannabis contained in 2 separate baggies in the female’s handbag. The subject also admitted to being in possession of a small metal grinder which is commonly used to pulverize cannabis for making joints. All contraband items were seized as evidence and the female was issued a criminal notice to appear in court on the drug-related violations. Additionally, the female and her party were trespassed from the park for one year.

 

PINEALLAS COUNTY

 

Officer Bibeau was on land-based water patrol in Fort Desoto when he made contact with three individuals on the bay fishing pier to conduct a fisheries inspection. When Officer Bibeau asked the individuals if they had caught any fish that night they advised him that they didn’t have any fish and it was a slow night. Officer Bibeau asked to look in one of the individuals’ buckets and at that time the individual turned around, removed a snook, and threw it off the pier into the water. Officer Bibeau was able to recover the snook and discovered that it was undersized. Officer Bibeau wrote the individual two misdemeanor citations for possession of an undersized snook and interference with an FWC officer.

 

COPS

 

Officers Ervin and Smith taught laws pertaining to firearms to a hunter education class in Lake Placid at Camp Clover Leaf. Approximately 30 students were in attendance.

 

Lieutenant Allen, Officers Ervin and Smith conducted an outreach to the Okeechobee Civil Air Patrol Squadron. The officers displayed an airboat and spoke about the duties of FWC LE officers.

 

 

SOUTH REGION A

 

HENDRY COUNTY

 

Officer Taylor followed up on a recent alligator case he made in Glades County in July 2014. Officer Taylor and Investigator Douglas interviewed a nuisance alligator trapper about the unlawful sale of a live alligator to an unlicensed person. The nuisance alligator trapper was ultimately cited for unlawful sale of a live alligator, sale to an unlicensed entity, and violation of the special use permit to possess live alligators. The seized nine-foot live alligator was donated to a local alligator farm.

 

MARTIN COUNTY

 

Officers Pifer and Mathews were off-duty enjoying a night of fishing beneath the 10 Cent Bridge in Stuart when they observed an individual that was fishing, catch a snook. When the individual brought the snook to shore, it appeared to be oversized and Officer Mathews asked the individual if he was going to keep it and the subject stated, “Yea, if I don’t get caught.” He then took off with the fish to where his vehicle was parked in the Benihana parking lot. Officer Mathews observed the individual measure the snook at approximately 34’’ and then place it into the back of his SUV. At that time, the Officers identified themselves and notified dispatch. Officer Pifer ran the subjects’ driver licenses and had dispatch contact the Sheriff’s Office due to the unavailability of an FWC officer. The Sewell’s Point Police Department responded, placed the subject under arrest, and transported him to the jail. Officers Pifer and Mathews followed the Officer to the Martin County Jail and Officer Mathews completed the arrest affidavit.

 

PALM BEACH COUNTY

 

Officers Cobo and Merizio were dispatched to Sailfish Marina on Singer Island, in Palm Beach Shores, to conduct a resource inspection on a vessel the US. Coast Guard intercepted coming into state waters from the Bahamas. Upon arrival to the Sailfish Marina, Officers Cobo and Merizio met with Officers Wright and Church who advised there were approximately 20 wrung spiny lobster tails on board. The lobster tails were individually wrapped and bagged, six wrung tails per bag. The owner of the vessel advised Officer Cobo that he purchased the spiny lobster tails in the Bahamas prior to transporting them into state waters. Florida law states it is illegal to be in possession of wrung spiny lobster tails upon the waters of the state; spiny lobster must remain in whole condition. The spiny lobster tails were then seized as evidence. The operator was issued a misdemeanor citation for the possession of the wrung spiny lobster tails.

 

ST. LUCIE COUNTY

 

Officer Pifer and K-9 Officer Payne worked a detail targeting the illegal harvest of snook and redfish at a local fishing spot in Ft. Pierce. Officer Pifer, working in a plain-clothes capacity, observed several individuals catch and keep what appeared to be oversized redfish. As each individual packed up and left, Officer Pifer notified Officer Payne who was able to make contact with the individuals and conduct resource inspections. In total, six individuals were cited for possession of oversized redfish.

 

Officer Willems was on vessel patrol when he stopped a vessel for a boating safety and resource inspection. While conducting the inspection, nine sharpnose sharks were discovered. The bag limit for sharpnose shark is one per person or two per boat if there is more than one person on board. Two individuals on board admitted to catching the sharks. Citations were issued to the two individuals for the violation and a warning was issued to one of the individuals for not having a saltwater fishing license.

 

K-9 Officer Payne was conducting fishery inspections in Fort Pierce when he encountered a person fishing from shore at a local fishing spot. When asked if he had any luck, the subject stated that he had not caught anything yet. Officer Payne looked in his bait bucket and found an undersized lane snapper. When asked about it, the subject stated that he had cast netted it and it must have been in with the bait and missed it. Officer Payne then looked at the lane snapper and found an un-rusted hook and a small piece of fishing line coming from the snapper's mouth. Officer Payne then walked down the bank and found an undersized redfish in the grass behind the subjects fishing poles. The subject was issued a notice to appear for possession of undersized lane snapper and possession of undersized redfish.

 

K-9 Officer Payne was conducting resource inspections in the downtown Ft. Pierce area along the seawall. Officer Payne encountered a person fishing and asked if they had caught any fish. They claimed to have not. Officer Payne inspected the buckets and coolers present and checked fishing licenses. As he was about to leave, he noticed a small white bag by the fisherman’s feet.  When Officer Payne asked what was in the bag, the fisherman stated, "cut bait.” Officer Payne looked in the bag and found three, undersized lane snapper and a gag grouper approximately ten inches long. The subject was issued a notice to appear for the violations.

 

K-9 Officer Payne was pulling up to a local fishing area in Ft. Pierce and noticed two people were packing up from fishing. Officer Payne asked the first person if they had caught anything and they stated "no.” Officer Payne then asked the second person coming up and they handed Officer Payne a backpack. An inspection of the backpack contained five snapper, three of which were undersized. Officer Payne’s inspection revealed one undersized mutton snapper, one undersized mangrove snapper, and one undersized dog snapper. The subject with the backpack stated that he had caught all the fish. The subject was issued a notice to appear for the violations.

 

 

SOUTH REGION B

 

COLLIER

 

Officers Marcus Reith and Heidi Johnson were conducting boating safety and marine fisheries inspections near Caxambas Pass in Collier County.  Officer Johnson boarded the vessel and was directed to a cooler located near the front of the vessel.  Upon inspection, Officer Johnson located five Red Grouper, three of which were undersized.  Appropriate citations and property receipts were issued and the fish were seized as evidence.

 

During the September Commission meeting, commissioners approved the opening of a new hunting area in the Big Cypress National Preserve WMA known as the Addition Lands within Collier, Miami‐Dade, and Monroe Counties. Several FWC officers assisted personnel from Big Cypress during the opening weekend of this quota hunt area that will allow thirty hunters to participate in archery, muzzleloader, general gun and spring turkey seasons.  Quota permit holders expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to hunt the Addition Lands and look forward to a continued relationship with law enforcement efforts.

 

MONROE 

 

Officers Johnson and Richards were on water patrol near Sugarloaf Key when they saw a commercial crawfish boat pulling traps. As the officers approached the fishing vessel they saw a male grab a small white bucket and dump the contents out the starboard window. Another male was seen grabbing a dark colored bag and throwing it overboard causing the bag and its unknown contents sink to the bottom of the ocean. Officer Richards boarded the fishing vessel and began to conduct a fisheries inspection. It wasn’t long before the officer saw a cooked stone crab claw in the window sill on the starboard side of the vessel exactly where the officers saw one of the fishermen tossing the contents of a white bucket into the water. Officer Richards also saw several cracked cooked stone crab claws on the deck. Once the inspection was completed the captain of the vessel was cited with possession of stone crabs out of season and interference with an FWC officer among other charges.

 

Officers Robb and Conlin were patrolling the waters just off Key West when they saw a commercial fishing vessel motoring back to dock after a day of fishing. The officers pulled alongside the vessel and conducted a fisheries inspection. During the inspection the officers discovered a basket near the stern of the vessel containing several lobster. As the officers checked the lobster for the correct size they came across an egg bearing female that apparently had the majority of the eggs scrapped off. The captain of the vessel was subsequently charged with possession of an egg bearing lobster.

 

Officer Richards was following up on an earlier inspection of a local fishing company in Marathon when he encountered issues with the facility once again. Some of the quality control violations that were addressed earlier were not taken care. For example, the owner failed to have a thermometer in one of the freezers containing dolphin that was meant for human consumption and he failed to have records open to inspection at all times. Officer Richards seized the seafood that was being sold illegally and will continue to visit the facility periodically to check for any more violations.