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FWC Law Enforcement Report
May 17, 2014
Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement reported the following activity during the weekend ending May 15.
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
Investigators Schafer and Hughes worked a case regarding a group, known as the Gulf Coast Jeep Club, damaging public lands and driving off designated roads in jeeps within the Blackwater State Forest and Eglin Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The investigators were able to identify several of the vehicles, drivers, and locations of the violations from surveillance videos obtained through several different sources. Six citations were issued to five individuals for operating a vehicle off of designated roads within the Blackwater State Forest and the Eglin Wildlife Management Area.
Officer Lewis was patrolling the Blackwater State Forest when he observed a large group of people on a sandbar. While approaching them, he observed one man pass something to a woman. Officer Lewis approached her and asked what she was holding. The woman stated that it was a joint. She further admitted that she had rolled several marijuana cigarettes for her canoe trip and had given several out to friends. Officer Lewis located a Ziploc bag containing 12 cannabis cigarettes along with two hydrocodone pills. The drugs were seized and the woman was issued a notice to appear for possession of not more than 20 grams of cannabis, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of a prescription drug without a valid prescription.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY — No information reported.
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. Information provided by FWC.
Comments
7 Responses to “FWC Law Enforcement Report”
“surveillance videos obtained through several different sources.”
It would be interesting to know what these “video sources” are exactly.
Video game cameras focused on a known spot of illegal activity?
Cell phone videos of observers or what?
And yes, as my moniker indicates, I was once “a jeeper”. But that was 30 years ago and so after numerous jeepin area closings because of irresponsible numbskulls as described in the article, I grew up and out of that activity.
Plus as you age, your kidneys no longer tolerate the rough ride anymore.
>>> Bob
No you don’t go to the jackson gaurd and watch any video to get a permit. All you do is send them your money in the mail and they send you a permit.( Its all about the money) Yes it has the do and don’t in it. Have you ever read all of your hunting or fishing permit cover to cover so you know all the laws? Ever bent them just a little? I can assure you no jeeper will destroy lands on perpose as this would jeperdize us being able to ride. Some made a mistake and the paid a $55 ticket for it now they know better and its been put out to all the clubs to be sure where you ride is permitted, but the clubs don’t control everyone but do our best to make sure our memebers are on the up and up.
>> It appears that North Escambia just copies that report and puts it on their website
That’s pretty much it. FWC issues a weekly report, emails it to us (and other media) we’ve been running it for a few weeks on Saturdays. Just copy and paste. There have been some positive comments for recognizing they work they do, and also the public education value (oops, I didn’t know their was a daily harvest limit on certain kinds of fish).
Redfish1, FWC issues a report from every county in the state on their website every week from things their officers do and the cases they handle. I know for a fact that everything they do is not listed. I can’t tell you what factors determine if they write about it or not. It appears that North Escambia just copies that report and puts it on their website. FWC does not specifically report stuff like this to the media. Ignorance of the law is not an excuse, while there might not be any signs posted saying you can’t ride there it is in the information pamphlets that FWC prints out for every state forest in the state. No driving on roads that are not numbered. No destruction of state land. As for Eglin you have to have at minimum a general use permit to even be on the reservation. In order to get that you have to go to Jackson Guard and watch a video about the rules of the reservation and they give you a map with your permit that has all the rules and regulations as well. No driving off named roads, no destruction of land etc etc..
Will written article ,easy to decerne the two different incidents were not connected.Smoking a little weed on the river probably wouldn’t have been a big deal had there not been prescription drugs involved.As for the destruction of the state Forrest’s that we all use respectfully,these jeepers think they can drive thru digging out and ripping up the roads ,they should lose there ride if they get caught doing this again.There are places to go and do these thing that will not destroy our natural resources.
Redfish,, it sounds like two separate cases to me. They are only going to report arrests and citations, not every encounter they have with people. The Sheriff and police depts. Don’t report every warning they give to people to the media. And as far as the guys taking there little jeeps and tearing up the state parks, they need more than a citation. They should take their vehicles from them for a while, and make them pay to fix the damage they’ve done.
This is very poor reporting. When you read the story it sounds as though the jeep club and the people getting high are all the same people. There should be a clause written that states these were two seperate events. Emerald Coast Jeep Club members are not affiliated with drugs. As this report is currently written it appears as if the media wants us to link the two together. And since when does the FWC start reporting to the media about the citations they issue? And if this is all they accomplished with that many officers and equipment then we need to know why. If your going to report about a couple of guys riding in a place without any signs telling them they can’t ride there or your going to report about a group of people on a canoe trip smoking some weed then I want to hear about how many boaters were ticketed for not having enough life jackets and how many people were cited for fishing without a liscense and how many people were in possession of illegal fish. It’s just odd that these are the only two events reported