FWC Law Enforcement Report

August 3, 2016

The Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement reported the following activity during the weekly period ending July 28 in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

Lieutenant Hahr was patrolling in the Perdido River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) when he observed a woman and three men sharing a cannabis cigarette while watching their children play in the river. All four were charged with possession of not more than 20 grams of cannabis and three were issued citations for possession of alcoholic beverages.

Officers Allgood and Cushing spent three days on the Fincat working offshore with FWC biologists from Pensacola to Panama City with a focus on the Madison-Swanson Marine Reserve. During their patrol, they assisted the biologists in retrieving and deploying 26 monitoring stations. They also issued federal citations for fishing in the Marine Reserve, for possession of red snapper and greater amberjack during the closed season and charter fishing in federal waters without a permit.

Officers Allgood and Cushing worked offshore on the Fincat in federal waters off the coast near the Florida/Alabama line. Fishermen on five different vessels were found to be in violation. Federal citations were issued for persons in possession of red snapper and gray triggerfish during the closed season, failure to maintain whole condition (gray triggerfish), and undersized king mackerel.

Officer Cushing observed a commercial shrimping vessel in Pensacola Bay trawling with three nets. Trawling with more than two nets is a violation. A notice to appear was issued to the owner/operator.

Officers Cushing, Jernigan and Jones responded to a boating accident involving two personal watercraft (PWC) in the Santa Rosa Sound. The PWC were being operated illegally at night without lights, and when the operator of the lead jet ski stopped, the following jet ski struck him. The operator of the first PWC was transported to the hospital for his injuries while the operator of the second PWC was arrested for Boating under the Influence (BUI) and transported to the Santa Rosa County Jail by Officer Cushing. Charges are pending on the operator of the first PWC.

SANTA ROSA COUNTY

Officer Lewis was on patrol in the area near Blackwater River State Forest when he observed a convoy of Jeeps heading toward the forest. Since it had been raining all day, Officer Lewis thought the group was likely to go “wheeling” in the forest. Officer Lewis waited about 20 minutes, then made his way to an area where vehicles have been known to go off-roading. Officer Lewis located 12 Jeeps in the area, six of which were being operated off the established road. Officer Lewis issued each driver of the six Jeeps a citation for operating a vehicle off the established road in a state forest. Officer Jernigan came to assist Officer Lewis and in doing so observed a subject operating an ATV in the state forest. He issued the driver of the ATV a citation for operating an ATV in a state forest.

Officer Jones responded to a B.O.L.O. from the Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Office for a stolen truck, possibly in the Escribano Point WMA, and went to the Bayside Campground where he located an abandoned and vandalized Suzuki vehicle. The campsite had been ransacked, and the registration on the abandoned vehicle returned to a female from another state. Witness reports and information from WMA employees led investigators to be concerned that a mother and child previously seen with a man might be endangered. Officer Jones, along with several other FWC officers, attempted to locate the registered owner or others who may have information on their whereabouts and were able to contact the father of the vehicle’s registered owner. He provided information about his daughter and her boyfriend and said the infant child was his granddaughter, whose custody was granted to them by local court. After exhausting all efforts locally, Officer Jones received a call several days later stating that the couple were arrested in another state in connection with the stolen truck. The authorities contacted the grandfather of the child and he traveled to that state to take custody of the infant child.

Officer Hoomes was a guest speaker at the monthly meeting for the Milton Kiwanis Club. Officer Hoomes discussed the responsibilities and duties of an FWC officer. He also talked about ideas to reduce human and black bear encounters and the upcoming Family and Mobility Impaired hunts held on the Blackwater State Forest.

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