FWC Division of Law Enforcement Weekly Report 11/17/2017 – 11/30/2017
December 14, 2017
Bay County
Officer Gore was on patrol when he observed a vehicle weaving and failing to maintain a single lane. A traffic stop revealed that the operator appeared to be impaired. Field sobriety tasks were administered and the subject was determined to be under the influence and arrested. The subject was charged with Driving Under the Influence (DUI) and open container and transported to the county jail.
Officers Alsobrooks and Coker were patrolling Deer Point Lake and heard gun shotscoming from the lake. They observed two individuals duck hunting on the lake and shooting after legal hours. They met the subjects at the boat ramp and asked them if they knew legal shooting hours for hunting ducks. Both the subjects stated that legal shooting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. Legal shooting hours for duck hunting is 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset. Both were issued citations for shooting after legal hunting hours. Written warnings were issued for unplugged gun, unregistered vessel, no trailer tag, no Type 4 PFD and no whistle.
Calhoun County
Officer Hayes was working night hunting and was conducting surveillance overlooking a fresh clearing. At approximately 1:00 am, a truck slowly drove by and a light was being shined out of the driver’s side window. The truck backed up and continued shining the chop. Officer Hayes conducted a traffic stop and found it was occupied by two subjects. The driver was wearing a head lamp and the passenger had a loaded .22 rifle. Both suspects were charged with night hunting and the light and rifle were seized as evidence.
Escambia County
Officers Allgood and Manning worked on the Escambia River checking hunters. They observed a vessel that was tied up along a wooded area where the occupants appeared to be hunting in the Escambia River Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The officers marked the spot and came back later when the individuals were not hunting, to check the area for bait. Shortly after they returned, they heard a vessel traveling to their location. When the subjects saw another boat in the area, they commented, “They better not be hunting my ground blind.” The two hunters were interviewed and confessed to placing bait at two nearby stand sites. Both hunters were carrying small plastic bags containing corn. Both baited stands were located and the hunters were issued notice to appear violations for placing bait in a management area.
Franklin County
Officer Mandrick responded to assist the Sheriff’s Office in locating a missing elderly woman who had gone walking at night on Alligator Point Beach. Alligator Point Volunteer Fire Department also responded and located the missing woman uninjured a few miles from her rental home. She had gotten lost in the dark and was returned home safely.
Holmes County
Officer Yates and Lieutenant Walsingham were patrolling in the Gritney area when they heard shots. The subjects were found to be complying with duck hunting regulations other than a boating violation and were given a written warning. During this encounter, they heard a rifle shot and found two subjects dragging a five-point buck to their truck. The deer appeared to have been shot and the subject admitted to shooting the deer with a rifle. Archery only season was still in and the subject was cited for taking deer by illegal method and the deer was seized as evidence.
Jackson County
Officers Forehand and Little responded to a landowner’s complaint who heard a shot on his property. The officers found fresh foot tracks and drag marks on the property. They followed the drag marks to a thicket where they found two freshly shot doe deer. From there, the officers followed the foot tracks to a nearby residence. An occupant of the residence said earlier that morning a relative had come over and had gone hunting in the area. The witness said the suspect lived in Chipley and had already gone home. Officers Gore and Hellett went to the suspect’s residence and conducted an interview. The suspect admitted to shooting the deer and dragging them into the woods so the coyotes could eat them. The suspect was charged with two counts of taking doe deer during the closed season, two counts of willful and wanton waste of wildlife and one count of armed trespassing. A .270 rifle was seized as evidence.
Okaloosa County
While on patrol in Eglin Air Force Base WMA, Officer Mullins tracked a hunter who was potentially baiting an area for wildlife. When Officer Mullins approached the hunter in the woods, the hunter told the officer he was not baiting the area and showed him a nearby tree stand. While investigating the area and speaking with the subject, it was discovered that he had previously placed bait at that site. Officer Mullins also discovered that the subject had another stand close by which he had baited that day with a salt/mineral lick and liquid deer attractor. The bait was removed from the area and the subject was issued a citation for placing bait to attract wildlife on a WMA.
Officer Pifer was on land patrol when he observed a vessel with four individuals and fishing gear onboard approach the dock at a local marina. The vessel nosed up to the dock and dropped off two of the individuals onboard. Officer Pifer made his way down the dock to conduct a fisheries and license inspection. As he approached the individuals on the dock, he observed one of them holding a clear, plastic bag containing fillets and ice. When asked, the individual stated the fillets were redfish. An inspection of the vessel revealed another clear, plastic bag containing fillets of redfish and mangrove snapper onboard. The operator of the vessel was issued a notice to appear citation for possession of redfish not in whole condition and a warning for possession of mangrove snapper not in whole condition.
Officers Jarvis and Rockwell were conducting a saltwater fisheries inspection on a subject fishing from the Valparaiso Pier. The subject did not have a fishing license and was in possession of one undersized mangrove snapper. The subject also had an active warrant for failure to pay child support. The subject was arrested for the warrant and issued a citation for no saltwater fishing license and a warning for undersized mangrove snapper.
Officer Nichols assisted a police officer who located two black bears on the city’s newly annexed property, which is now being used for a homeless shelter. Officer Nichols conducted a site inspection and located a small Waste Management dumpster near the buildings, which had household garbage and old food inside it. Officer Nichols also located old food containers on the ground around the dumpster. The site manager was educated on the importance of securing garbage. A bear guide was furnished and the property manager was issued a letter of non-compliance.
Officer Nichols responded to a complaint of a bear in garbage in a Fort Walton Beach neighborhood. The officer arrived on scene and spoke to a stopped motorist who advised the bear was eating garbage. The bear was located and hazed out of the community. The homeowner was provided an educational bear brochure and issued a non-compliance notification letter for failure to secure the garbage can.
Officer Corbin was on land patrol conducting boating safety and resource protection at local boat ramps in the Niceville area and observed a vehicle towing a boat enter the boat ramp. The boat trailer did not display a registration tag. The officer observed the driver back the boat trailer down the ramp and launch the vessel. The driver then pulled the vehicle into a parking spot. Officer Corbin approached the driver and asked if the trailer was registered. The driver stated no. The officer asked for the operator’s driver license. The driver provided a Florida Identification Card. Officer Corbin determined the driver’s license was revoked. The driver had an active warrant for failure to appear on a notice to appear citation (failure to transfer vessel title). The driver was arrested and transported to the county jail.
Officer Rockwell was checking a baited site he found before archery season in Blackwater WMA. While on foot patrol, he observed a vehicle near the area. When he got close to the area, he saw a man crossing a tree over a creek to get to the baited site. Once the man was in a tree and actively hunting, Officer Rockwell identified himself and advised the man to come down. The subject told Officer Rockwell that he didn’t think anyone would find his spot. Officer Rockwell issued him a notice to appear for hunting over bait in a WMA.
Officer Pifer was on patrol when he observed a fishing vessel returning to the Destin Docks. One individual was holding a large plastic bag with fish fillets. Another large bag with fish fillets was located on the vessel. Officer Pifer determined the fillets were red drum and mangrove snapper. The operator was cited and issued a notice to appear citation for failure to land red drum and mangrove snapper in whole condition.
While on patrol in Mary Esther, Lieutenant Clark observed a garbage can knocked over with a garbage bag pulled out and its contents spread out on the front lawn. The garbage had not been secured properly. Lieutenant Clark contacted Officer Pifer to contact the homeowner. The officer conducted a history check on the residence and determined the homeowner was issued a non-compliance notification letter recently for an unsecured garbage can. Officer Pifer provided a courtesy bear retro kit for securing the garbage can and issued a written warning.
Officer Corbin observed an unlit anchored vessel in Cinco Bayou. He identified the owner and arranged to meet him to discuss compliance issues. Officer Corbin determined the individual purchased the vessel a few months ago, but failed to transfer the title within the required 30 days. The boat owner was cited and issued a notice to appear citation for the violation.
Officer Maltais responded to assist an Eglin Range Patrol Officer regarding an individual illegally discharging a firearm. Officer Maltais arrived on scene and was briefed. The individual was riding on Eglin property when his vehicle ran out of gas. The Range Patrol Officer saw the disabled vehicle and the individual walking. The individual was in possession of a pistol. It was determined the individual was not a hunter nor was he permitted to access Eglin’s property. A concerned hunter near the disabled vehicle exited the woods and stated to the officers that he heard a single gunshot coming from the area. The officers found an empty shell casing on the ground near the disabled vehicle. The size of the casing matched the rounds in the pistol. After interviewing the individual, he was issued a notice to appear citation for discharging a firearm from a paved public roadway.
Santa Rosa County
Officer J. Rockwell was in Blackwater WMA when he noticed a small boat on the side of the road. Officer Rockwell ran the registration to identify the owner and later that afternoon, determined the vessel was stolen out of Okaloosa County. Officer Rockwell contacted the owner and returned the vessel.
While conducting surveillance on a local fishing pier, Officer Ramos observed a man and woman emerge from under the pier carrying fishing poles and equipment. They went to a vehicle and loaded all the gear into the car. Then, the man returned under the bridge and brought up a cooler. Officer Ramos approached the pair and asked if they had caught any fish. They replied, “No.” After checking fishing licenses and receiving consent to search the cooler, Officer Ramos discovered an undersized spotted seatrout, measuring 11 inches, hidden under ice. The man admitted he caught the fish and didn’t check its size. A database search revealed the man had two previous citations for similar offenses. The fish was seized and a notice to appear citation was issued.
While off duty, Officer Lugg received a report of a potential redfish violation occurring at the East River boat launch in Navarre. Once at work, Officer Lugg traveled to the boat launch to follow up with the information that he had received. The tip stated that a couple fishing at the boat launch were keeping undersized red drum and placing them in a white cooler. The individuals were located and a fisheries inspection was conducted. The couple stated that they were not keeping any fish and had not caught any fish to keep. There were no coolers around where the individuals were fishing and the individuals were adamant that they had not kept any fish. After a brief interview, their vehicle was located and their cooler was inspected. Officer Lugg discovered an undersized red drum, measuring 9½ inches. A notice to appear citation was issued for the violation.
While on land patrol in the Yellow River WMA, Officer Lugg observed a suspicious vehicle turn its headlights off while traveling through an intersection. The vehicle also failed to stop at a stop sign as it left the area in a hurry. During a stop of the vehicle, blood was observed in the back of the truck. After a brief interview, the operator admitted to shooting an undersized deer the day before and disposing of the carcass in the woods. Officer Lugg located the carcass of a spotted fawn. The subject was issued a notice to appear citation for the violation.
From a considerable distance, Officer Ramos observed a vehicle operating oddly in a remote neighborhood after midnight. When the vehicle stopped moving for a while, Officer Ramos drove closer and discovered that its hazard lights were now flashing due to a crash that had just occurred. Dispatch was informed that the truck had jumped a deep ditch and then ran head on into a large tree. The vehicle’s airbags had deployed and the driver had been knocked into the rear cab of his pickup with life threatening injuries. Fire Rescue and EMS personnel were notified and arrived to remove the driver. The driver was transported to a local hospital. The crash investigation was turned over to Florida Highway Patrol to determine the cause.
Wakulla County
Officer Mandrick was on state park patrol within Wakulla Springs State Park when he observed a vehicle parked at the Cherokee Sink trailhead past closing hours. After speaking with the park ranger who had not seen anyone with the vehicle, Officer Mandrick drove his patrol truck down the trail to check for any remaining hikers on the trail. Approximately one mile from the trailhead, Officer Mandrick located an unconscious woman lying on the ground off the side of the trail. Officer Mandrick called for EMS and woke the woman up. She had minor injuries to her limbs, was very disoriented, and did not remember how she had gotten on the trail. Officer Korade arrived on scene and led EMS to the woman’s location. She was transported to the hospital and treated for her injuries.
Walton County
Officer Brooks checked an area on the Choctawhatchee WMA where he had previously located a tree stand with bait placed around it. An ATV was observed on the management area prior to Officer Brooks contacting a subject hunting from the tree stand around the bait. The subject was cited for hunting over bait and operating an ATV on a management area.
While Officer Brooks, Tison and Greene were conducting surveillance in an area for night hunting activity, he heard a gunshot and saw a light being displayed from a vehicle. The light was displayed in a manner capable of disclosing the presence of deer. The vehicle was stopped and a firearm and light were found in the vehicle. All three occupants were questioned and they admitted to shooting at a deer with use of a light. A search of the area determined the deer had not been hit by the subjects. All three subjects were charged with attempting to take deer at night and received a warning for discharging a firearm from the roadway.
Washington County
Officer Gore was patrolling the Burnt Sock Area of the Choctawhatchee WMA-Holmes Creek Unit during closed hours when he observed an illegal camp. He heard a boat approach and checked the operator who was the camp owner. The subject was found to have numerous violations including no name on bush hooks, no freshwater fishing license, possession of alcohol in a management area, illegally camping, operating on a closed road and possession of cannabis and paraphernalia. The subject was cited accordingly for the violations.
Lieutenant Walsingham was on patrol when he heard dogs running on private property. He observed the dogs running a deer through two different pieces of private property, which have had complaints of this activity in the past. When he checked the dogs’ owner, he failed to possess any private lands deer dog permit, license, and one of the dogs did not have a name on the collar. After helping the owner catch his dogs, Lieutenant Walsingham cited him accordingly.