FWC Law Enforcement Weekly Report 04/10 - 04/16/2015

 

FWC

Division of Law Enforcement

 

Weekly Report

April 10, 2015 thru April 16, 2015

 

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

 

 

BAY COUNTY

 

Officer Gore began investigation on illegal oyster sales in Bay County that led him to a commercial oysterman that was illegally selling the oysters he harvested.  A controlled buy was established and Lieutenant Bartlett and Officers Jones, Wicker, Lipford and Hellett assisted.  In all, four charges were made for licensing and quality control violations and 19 bags of oysters were seized.

Officer T. Basford investigated a boat fire at a local marina that injured one man who was air lifted to a burn center. The fire destroyed/damaged two vessels.  Initial investigation indicates the improper ventilation of gasoline fumes before starting the vessel’s engines.

 

Officer Wicker worked a Personal Watercraft (PWC) accident in which one PWC ran into the back of another PWC causing one rider to be sent to the hospital with back injuries.  Charges were filed against one of the operators. 

 

Officers T. and N. Basford worked a boating accident which involved a Navy hovercraft that ran over a kayaker.  The kayaker was fishing in the St. Andrews Pass when the hovercraft, which was returning from offshore, struck the kayak in the fog.  The impact resulted in head and leg injuries to the kayaker. 

 

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

 

Officers Hoomes and Pettey were watching fishermen in a popular redfish spot when they observed a man catch a large fish.  When the man landed it, he held it up by the gills and they could see that it was a large redfish.  The fisherman put it in a cooler. When the officers checked them, they observed 5 redfish in the cooler.  All of them were well over the maximum size limit.  Two of the men admitted to catching the fish and were charged with taking oversized redfish and the bag limit violation.

 

Lieutenants Hahr and Lambert were patrolling in the Perdido River WMA when they overheard three people talking about hiding their “bad stuff.”  After a short while, they observed one of the subjects smoking marijuana and give the pipe to the other to hide again.  A short time later, they all gathered up and began to smoke something else.  When they approached the group, the officers observed a meth pipe in their possession.  Their conversation and subsequent admissions indicated that they were all smoking meth as the officer approached.  Several items of paraphernalia were also located, as well as bags containing methamphetamine, spice, cannabis, Xanex, and one unidentified pill.  They were all charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of not more than 20 grams of cannabis, and possession of drug paraphernalia.  One subject was also charged with another count of possession of controlled substances for the pills. 

 

SANTA ROSA COUNTY

 

Officers Barnard and Manning were patrolling around the Garcon Point Bridge and observed one boat fishing there.  Upon checking their catch, they found three oversized redfish.  One man admitted to measuring all of the fish and was charged with harvesting oversized redfish.

 

Officers Manning and Livesay were about to go on water patrol at the Santa Rosa Yacht club, when a citizen flagged them down and reported that a sail boat was flipped over not far from the yacht club.  At this time there was a severe thunder storm in the area with high winds.  Officer Livesay and Manning responded to the overturned sail boat and found three subjects struggling to swim. Officer Manning and Livesay were able to safely pull the individuals out of the water.  

Officers Jones and Land were patrolling on the Eglin Reservation and Wildlife Management Area.  They were targeting early entry and hunting in closed areas during the current spring gobbler turkey season.  While working along the boundary of a unit listed as closed, the officers observed two trucks driving out of the closed area.  The two hunters were detained and issued notices to appear in county court.  Eglin Range Patrol Officers responded and suspended the hunter's Eglin permits. 

 

OKALOOSA COUNTY

 

Officers Pifer and Corbin responded to a complaint of individuals spearfishing gag grouper at a local dive spot. As the Officers approached the vessel, they observed two divers in the water matching the description given by the complainant with spear guns. A fisheries inspection was conducted but no violations were found. After the inspection, the Officers located, recovered and documented two gag grouper floating in close proximity to the vessel. The divers were interviewed about the Gags and denied harvesting the fish. The Officers informed the divers that an investigation was going to be conducted and the State Attorney’s Office would be contacted. A few days later, one of the divers contacted Officer Corbin and provided him with a sworn written statement admitting to harvesting both gag grouper.  He also provided Officer Corbin a cell phone photograph of himself with the illegal fish. The individual was cited for harvesting gag grouper during the closed season.

 

Officer Pifer was on land patrol near a local boat ramp when he noticed that the vehicle in front of him had a very faded registration decal.  A check of the tag revealed that the vehicle registration expired over a year ago. Officer Pifer conducted a traffic stop and observed that the decal was displaying an expiration year of 2015; however, dispatch advised it expired in 2014. Officer Pifer asked to see the vehicle registration due to the discrepancy. The driver then told Officer Pifer that he didn’t want to lie to him and that he had altered the decal with a felt tip pen. It was also determined that the driver had a previous citation for expired registration more than 6 months and a suspended driver license. The driver was arrested and booked into the Okaloosa County Jail for the violations.

 

Lieutenant Suggs, Investigators Armstrong, Schafer, Officers Maltais and Molnar along with USCG Destin and USCG MSD Panama City participated in a detail focusing on liveries and parasail operators in south Okaloosa County.  An educational approach was taken informing parasail operators of the new state laws.  In total 17 liveries were inspected and 28 warnings were issued regarding livery and parasail operations.

 

 

NORTHEAST REGION

 

VOLUSIA COUNTY

Officer Meurlot received information concerning the possible location of two stolen personal watercraft (PWC) and two boat trailers.  As Officer Meurlot approached the front locked gate of the residence, he could see an adult male in plain view actively cutting up the body of one of the stolen PWCs.  Officer Meurlot was given consent to search the property.  The following items were obtained at the address: two stolen PWCs, two stolen boat trailers, a stolen car hauler, a stolen F250 truck, a stolen golf cart and miscellaneous stolen truck parts. Additional information was obtained later and two separate stolen Honda dirt bikes were recovered in Enterprise and Debary on a later date. In total 9 stolen items were recovered.  Charges on the homeowner were filed and additional information was turned over to the Volusia County Bureau of Investigations theft unit.

St. JOHNS COUNTY

Officers Lawshe and Ramsey were working local hunt clubs checking turkey hunters. In two different clubs they located two hunters turkey hunting within 20 yards of cracked corn. Both hunters were charged with hunting turkey over bait.

PUTNAM COUNTY

Officers Campbell and Guirate were working a local hunt club when they checked two hunters turkey hunting within 25 yards of scattered bird seed. Both hunters were charged with hunting turkey over bait.

 

LAKE COUNTY

 

Officer Wear was on patrol in the Ocala National Forest when he received a shots fired call. Upon arrival he made contact with two individuals in the area. He later requested the help of K9 Officer Simpson and K9 Moose. A short time later Moose found the deer that had been shot. The subjects later confessed and showed the officers where they had hidden the shotgun. Charges were filed with the State Attorney’s Office.

 

VOLUSIA COUNTY

 

Investigator Kees began investigating a criminal mischief case where someone shot up a park sign that occurred within Blue Springs State Park.  Fortunately, a game camera placed by Investigator Kees for an unrelated incident recorded the suspects on video shooting the sign with an air soft gun.  After identifying both subjects, each subject was issued a criminal citation for the violation.  During these interviews, Investigator Keys developed more information regarding the unlawful taking of an 8 foot American Alligator from Gemini Springs County Park.  Lieutenant Eason was able to locate that suspect. Lieutenant Eason conducted a field interview and obtained a sworn written statement from the subject admitting to taking the 8 foot alligator. The subject was charged for illegal take of the alligator.

 

 

NORTH CENTRAL REGION

 

ALACHUA COUNTY

 

COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING

 

Officers Stanley and Lasher participated in a Ducks Unlimited Gainesville Chapter Kids Event on Newnan’s Lake. There were ten children and fifteen adults who participated. The adults helped the children make ten wood duck boxes. Two were placed on Newnan’s Lake, four on private property and four donated to the FWC.

 

COLUMBIA COUNTY

 

Officer McDonald was working plain clothes on water patrol on the Santa Fe River when he observed a man and woman floating down the river on tubes. The man was smoking what appeared to be a marijuana cigarette. Officer McDonald’s suspicion was confirmed when he smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from that direction. Officer McDonald identified himself, seized the cannabis cigarette and issued a citation to the man for possession of under 20 grams of cannabis.

 

LAFAYETTE COUNTY

 

Officer Pekerol responded to a complaint of trespassing on a Pickett Lake Hunt Club property. Upon arrival, Officer Pekerol made contact with two men dressed in camouflage. Both subjects were in possession of shotguns and turkey calls and admitted to turkey hunting. Neither of the subjects had permission to be on the club property. Officer Pekerol issued citations for no hunting licenses and for trespassing.

A few days later, Officer Pekerol received a second complaint of trespassing on the Hines Hunt Club property. Officer Pekerol was told that a vehicle had been parked in the same location for three consecutive days. When he arrived, he noticed a heavy trail mark entering the woods. He also observed a shotgun and turkey decoys in the parked vehicle. Officer Pekerol hid his vehicle and waited. Two hours later, a subject exited the hunt club, dressed in camouflage and in possession of a shotgun. The subject stated that he thought he was in the management area, although he did not possess a hunting license or a management area stamp. Officer Pekerol issued the subject a citation for no hunting license and will be filing charges with the state attorney’s office for trespassing.

 

UNION COUNTY

K-9 Officer Gill located a line positioned in a pond which had approximately a 5-foot alligator hooked to the end. Officer Gill then set up surveillance in the area and noticed an ATV going down the dirt road into a hunt club. There was an ATV tire mark leading down to the pond so he presumed this could be the suspect. Officer Gill called in Officer Pettyjohn for assistance. Officer Pettyjohn arrived as back up and a short time later the ATV came out of the hunt club and stopped on the road. Two individuals, a man and a woman, came walking in the direction of the pond. The man started pulling the alligator from the water to the edge of the pond and instructed the woman to shoot the alligator in the head. As soon as the woman took aim, Officer Pettyjohn moved in. The subjects were charged for attempting to take alligator.

 

COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING

 

Several FWC staff participated in the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run/walk for Special Olympics in Columbia County. The 1.8 mile course started from DOT District 2 Headquarters on Marion Street and ended at Teen Town.

 

 

SOUTHWEST REGION

 

LEE COUNTY

 

Officers Salem, Bell and Price, along with Lieutenant Barrett and Captain Carpenter partnered up with Florida Wildlife Research Institute biologists and Lee County’s Department of Natural Resources Waterway Management staff to attempt to rescue a juvenile male manatee that was found suffering from injuries related to a boat strike.  The team found this particular young manatee to be quick and full of energy, despite its need for medical attention.  The young manatee evaded capture several times, seemingly toying with the team.  Eventually, the team worked together to safely rescue the manatee, which was transported to the Lowry Park Zoo for rehabilitation.  The Zoo veterinarians reported the manatee was doing well the first night, even showing interest in feeding early on.  They are looking forward to a full recovery and hopefully a release back to the waters of Lee County.

 

Lieutenant Ruggiero conducted a freshwater fisheries and boating safety inspection at a hidden dirt ramp.  During the inspection he noticed that the vessel’s hull identification number had been removed and appeared to have some registration numbers that had been removed.  The vessel was registered as a 2003 vessel but by the appearance of the vessel it was definitely not that new.  After speaking with the operator, he said that he bought the vessel off of the internet and showed Lieutenant Ruggiero a title for the vessel.  Further investigation showed signs that the previous owner had committed title fraud.  The vessel was seized because the true identity could not be determined.  The investigation is ongoing.

 

Officer Morrow was dispatched to the area east of Boca Grande in Lee County to investigate the report of a working boat fire. The fire had been extinguished prior to his arrival and both occupants were assisted by a Good Samaritan who was passing by in his vessel.  The 20’ yellow and white StarCraft deck boat suffered extensive fire damage to the engine and was towed by Tow Boat US to a nearby marina.  The Boca Grande Fire Department, along with the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Marine unit were also present and assisted at the scene.  There were no injuries reported.  FWC was assisted by the Division of State Fire Marshal to determine the cause and origin. The incident is still under investigation and at this time nothing appears suspicious.  

 

Officer Morrow and Lieutenant Andriano were dispatched to the TRICO shrimp house in Fort Myers Beach to investigate the report of boating accident that had occurred in the Matanzas Pass. Their investigation revealed that the vessel’s port out rigger failed to lower and struck the top of the bridge at a low speed as it was attempting to pass through the Matanzas Pass fender system. The investigation is pending at this time until further results from the DOT bridge inspection. There were three people on board and no one was injured. No charges issued at this time.     

 

COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING

 

FWC Officers from the South Coastal Squad: Officers Fogle, Morrow, Stanley and Lieutenant Andriano assisted the Southwest Regional area biologists with the annual posting of the Little Estero Critical Wildlife Area on the south end of Fort Myers Beach. The officers will provide law enforcement patrols during the shorebird nesting season that runs from April 1 through August 31. Officers will promote and educate the public on the importance of shorebird nesting areas which occur on the open beaches that are critical to their survival during their patrols. The posted area is then maintained, monitored, and expanded as needed to accommodate additional nesting birds as well as brooding areas for chicks and contracted as nesting concludes.  The posted areas are maintained from when the first birds begin pre-nesting activity (such as scrapes) usually in April, to the time when all chicks have fledged, usually in August. Once monitoring confirms that all birds have left the area, all posts are removed and vegetation which has recruited into the area is removed by beach raking. 

 

Conservation Initiative, Officer Spoede, attended the Southwest Florida Coalition training that discussed disseminating accurate information to the public when incidents arise. Several other state and local agencies were in attendance, as well as the local State Attorney’s Office and media representatives.

 

 

SOUTH REGION A

 

GLADES COUNTY

 

Officers Taylor, McLendon, Doricchi, Barber, Wiernicki, Sierra, and Lieutenant Harris were working a detail focused towards snook violations in Glades County. The Officers set up in different areas around a popular snook fishing spot and began conducting surveillance. The Officers observed a subject catch a snook that appeared to be undersized. The officers then observed a second subject take the fish to a vehicle and place it in the trunk area and began to leave. The Officers conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and confirmed their suspicions and cited one subject for taking undersized snook.

 

HENDRY COUNTY

 

Officer Taylor was notified by Officer Alford of trespassing activity in Hendry County. Officer Taylor arrived on scene to find two subjects with numerous turtles in the vehicle. Officer Taylor interviewed the two subjects and found one of them knew the regulations for turtles but chose to intentionally violate the law, and had been cited for the same violations in the past. Officer Taylor subsequently cited the driver for trespassing, over the daily bag limit of turtles, and operating unmarked bush hooks. Due to the second subject’s intentional violations, Officer Taylor arrested him and also charged him with over the daily bag limit of turtles, trespassing, and operating unmarked bush hooks. Eleven turtles were photographed and released alive to the wild.

 

 

SOUTH REGION B

 

COLLIER COUNTY

 

Officer Reams responded to a call referencing a subject that was operating a vessel in a canal, which was striking the seawall and docks on Marco Island.  When Officer Reams arrived on scene the subject’s boat was tied up to a dock with the help of Marco Island Police Department.  Officer Reams made contact with the subject and performed a boating safety inspection.  Officer Reams observed the subject to be disoriented and had slurred speech.  The subject had a hard time performing simple tasks during the safety inspection and was forgetful of where objects were placed.  Officer Reams requested the subject perform field sobriety tasks and take a breath alcohol test, which the subject refused both.  Officer Reams determined from his inspection that the operator was boating under the influence (BUI) and the subject was arrested and taken to jail.

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY

Officer Washington was patrolling the waters of northern Miami-Dade County when he saw a vessel on plane in a clearly posted “Idle Speed Zone”. Officer Washington stopped the vessel and proceeded to conduct a boating safety inspection as well as a fisheries inspection. The captain of the vessel had all the required safety equipment on board so Officer Washington changed his focus and began to conduct a fisheries inspection. During the inspection Officer Washington found 1 undersized red grouper on the vessel. The captain of the vessel admitted to harvesting the fish and as such was cited for the possession of an undersized red grouper out of season. The captain was also cited for violating the posted manatee zone.

Officer Pestka concentrated her water patrol responsibilities to the north end of the county in an effort to address numerous citizen complaints regarding careless boaters in the area. As a result of Officer Pestka’s efforts 10 citations were issued and countless other boaters were educated on the importance of obeying the rules of the road when operating a vessel in state waters.    

Officer Delgado and Almagro concentrated their patrol efforts to the central part of Miami-Dade. During their patrols, they issued a multitude of citations ranging from manatee violations to safety gear missing from the vessels. During one of the stops, Officer Delgado ran the operator of the vessel through the FWC’s records channel and discovered that the person had an open warrant. The subject was arrested and booked into Miami-Dade County Jail.