FWC Law Enforcement Report

May 18, 2016

The Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement reported the following activity during the weekly period ending May 12 in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

Officer Allgood assisted Naval Air Station (NAS) base police and Escambia County Sheriff’s Office regarding a man who fled. Officer Allgood arrived at the location where the man was about 150 yards from the beach in chest-high water. He refused to turn himself in for allegedly beating his 9‑year‑old daughter. As the sun was starting to set, Officer Allgood immediately went out in the water and apprehended the suspect. Officer Allgood escorted him to land and turned him over to NAS Police.

FWC officers, along with U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) officers, participated in a joint training day at the USCG Station in Pensacola. This training consisted of search and rescue (SAR) policy and procedure and proper search techniques and patterns commonly used by the USCG on SAR missions. Training was conducted in the classroom and on the water.

Officer Allgood and Investigator Livesay worked several days offshore conducting resource inspections. They issued three notices to appear citations for undersized triggerfish, amberjack, and red snapper. Additionally, FWC Pilot Tolbert observed two vessels returning from federal waters and followed them in to state waters. Officer Allgood and Investigator Livesay conducted a vessel stop at the Pensacola Pass. The operators of both vessels were in possession of red snapper. They were issued federal citations for possession of red snapper in federal waters. Several other related warnings were issued.

SANTA ROSA COUNTY

While on patrol in Navarre, Officer Land witnessed an individual fishing from a dock, throwing a cast net. Officer Land watched as the individual pulled the net in from the water and shook a fish out onto the dock. The man hesitated, looked around the area and then picked the fish up and placed it in a five‑gallon bucket. Officer Land made contact to see what the man had caught. The fisherman said that he had not had any luck that day. After inspecting the bucket, the officer found an undersized red drum measuring 14 inches. The fish was released to the water and the fisherman was issued a notice to appear for the violation.

While patrolling the Escambia River by vessel, Officer Hutchinson observed two men pulling their vessel up to a boat ramp. He made contact with them and noticed that they were both acting nervous. He observed several fishing poles and live bait in the boat. After Officer Hutchinson conducted a vessel safety equipment inspection, he asked them if they had caught any fish. The owner of the vessel said that they had caught several bream. After Officer Hutchinson inspected the fish, he asked both subjects if they had anything else that they had caught onboard the vessel and they both said, “No.” After further inspection of the vessel, Officer Hutchinson discovered a large live alligator snapping turtle hidden inside one of the compartments on the vessel. When he asked the subjects why they didn’t tell him about the turtle, the owner of the vessel said, “Because I didn’t know if it was legal to keep or not.” Officer Hutchinson seized the turtle and the owner of the vessel was charged with illegal possession of an alligator snapping turtle. The turtle was released alive back into the Escambia River.

Officer Ramos was working in Blackwater State Park when he was approached by a Park Ranger about two men who camped in the campground and did not pay the fee. When approached by the Park Ranger, one subject refused to identify himself and sped out of the campground, nearly colliding with another vehicle. The man’s license plate number was recorded and matched a vehicle that was also involved in a disturbance at a local convenience store. The subjects circumvented the gate at the park and entered illegally. Officer Ramos determined that the one subject was stationed at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola. He contacted NAS Police and with their assistance and made contact with the subject, who later admitted his wrongdoing. Both subjects were issued citations for fee evasion.

Officer Land responded with fire/rescue to the report of a wrecked personal watercraft (PWC). Two individuals were on board a PWC when it rolled over. Due to the current, they were unable to get back to the vessel and they held onto a channel marker. A Good Samaritan on shore witnessed and reported the incident. Both individuals were returned to shore unharmed, and the PWC was recovered undamaged.

Officers Pettey, Barnard, FWC Pilot Tolbert and Lieutenant Berryman assisted the National Park Service on the Gulf Islands National Seashore on a report of a missing person. Utilizing FWC aircraft, ATVs and patrol vehicles, officers located the missing subject from the air walking down the beach.

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.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News