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Night Hunter Leads FWC Officers On High Speed Chase
February 10, 2017
A Cantonment man was arrested after leading state law officers on a high speed chase in North Escambia after being spotted night hunting.
Multiple FWC officers on the ground with air support from officers in a helicopter were working a night hunting detail in North Escambia County outside Walnut Hill.
The air unit guided a ground unit to a suspected night hunter shining a light from a vehicle off Highway 99A. The air unit continued to follow the suspected night hunter until the ground unit caught upon Occie Phillips Road. The FWC officer activated his blue lights and siren behind the vehicle, but the driver accelerated and fled, reaching speeds over 70 mph as he turned south onto the dirt Pineville Road and continued in the area on Highway 97A, Enon School Road and Highway 99 before turning on Barrineau Park Road and crossing the Perdido River into Alabama.
The driver, later identified as 28-year old Waylon Lee Adams, stopped about a half mile into Alabama, according to a FWC report.
Adams was held at gunpoint until backup FWC officers arrived. FWC officers reported finding less than 20 grams of marijuana in the vehicle, along with a small flashlight used to disclose the deer and two live rifle rounds. The female passenger told officers that Adams threw a rifle and scope out of the vehicle.
A records check indicated that Adams’ driver’s license had been suspended or revoked 20 times.
Adams was transported to the Baldwin County Jail and later extradited to Florida to face charges of felony fleeing and eluding, reckless driving, night hunting, felony driving on a suspended license, possession of marijuana and possession of a firearm/ammunition by a convicted felon.
Adams was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $38,000 bond.
Comments
39 Responses to “Night Hunter Leads FWC Officers On High Speed Chase”
Once again this guy gets off Scott free. What’s wrong with this system? I’m looking at the report and sense this happened and he was on trial he’s been caught driving again and been arrested for battery with a deadly weapon and arrested again and out on bond for another battery charge when is enough enough?
This guy has been in and out of jail…prison most of his life and still has not learned a lesson. He hunts at night because he cannot legally hunt during the day as he is a convicted felon and is not to ever be in possession of a gun. He has not learned his lesson this time as any time. His vehicles are always legally registered in someone else’s name or a fake id he has. He’s an example of how money talks in the court room. His last conviction should of given him 10 years…but alas he only got 1 year in prison. The system is flawed.
REGARDING:
“this is the way he was brought up just like his daddy and family. They love to hunt and like to hunt in every kind of way there is. But to say he deserves his punishment and needs to be sent up the road when there’s real criminals and snitches walking the streets makes no sense.”
You believe all “snitches” should be in prison? Interesting.
Since you proposed lesser punishment, you acknowledge you believe he did the deed. Those who willfully and knowingly do things forbidden by law ARE criminals.
The “snitch” may have snitched because she didn’t appreciate having her life endangered by a criminal trying to escape manning up and facing his reasonable punishment.
Also interesting you justify his criminal actions by claiming all his relatives are criminals so naturally he is too.
David for free will
some say he is a good person well everybodys good till they aint good no more look face it this boy aint getting any better at being good now he is good at being a criminal that is now in jail now he didnt get there by being a good person and if you think he did you are so wrong he has had a lot of chances to be better but got worse now get ready to pay for your stupid choices and actions hummmm aint funny any more right !!!
@Jansen Smith. I really wish that you wouldn’t call people who tell the truth about the illegal activities of others “snitches” as if people who testify against a lawbreaker are the real problem.
You put criminals and snitches in the same sentence and say that we arrest poachers while we have snitches walking around unpunished.
As a person who has had to testify on those who are hurting others and their property, it is a very difficult thing to do (especially if you are reporting on a friend). I wish their would be more people courageous enough to tell the truth, I would love to have my stolen property returned.
Maybe if we had more “snitches,” criminals wouldn’t think they could get away with everything and breaking the law.
@Jansen,
If you’ve known him your whole life, then you have also witnessed the things he has done and continues to do on a daily basis. He’s been bad news since he was a kid and the whole neighborhood knows it. Shoot, even the problems in the Hill stay away from him!
Look I’ve know man this guy all my life and this is the way he was brought up just like his daddy and family. They love to hunt and like to hunt in every kind of way there is. But to say he deserves his punishment and needs to be sent up the road when there’s real criminals and snitches walking the streets makes no sense. So just cause they tell on someone then they don’t deserve there punishment for the things they’ve done. For god sakes he was driving with a flashlight and according to another “snitch” a hunting rifle which wasn’t even found on him that’s just what SOMEONE said. Make him take some courses and have community service watching and learning about why it’s against the law doing what he did, not just send him to prison like he’s a murderer or drug dealer. He’s actually a good family man. He just likes to drive and hunt. Big deal I’m sure most of y’all do more than that on a daily basis.
Bergosh, Bilbrey, Duncan, Danheiser, etc. Take note of the judges, who set low bonds and continually release habitual and/or dangerous felons back into the community, and VOTE THEM OUT! It’s incomprehensible to me the numbers of habitual offenders who are continually being released, only to reoffend. Remember Bergosh overturned the guy’s 20 year sentence, to give him another chance, only to have him continue his criminal activity and end up back in the system.
@Otto– So he’s a bad person cause he keeps getting caught driving on a revoked license and getting caught with pot ? Maybe it makes him stupid but not necessarily a “bad” guy. But i wouldn’t want my daughter dating him.
“John”
Maybe there reason we think he is a “bad” guy is that he seems to have been acting like one for a while.
Burglary, grand theft, possession of Cocaine, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on more than one occasion, possession of a controlled substance without RX, I think he’s been arrested for the night hunting before, and he continues to drive with a suspended license which most likely means he has no insurance. But no….he’s a fine upstanding citizen huh? That’s what’s wrong with the world these days…people make excuses for others and themselves instead of taking personal responsibility.
“It’s funny y’all just assume he a bad person” No John, his long and lengthy arrest record from Escambia Co., FL, tells us he is: http://www.escambiaclerk.com/xml/xml_searchbm.asp?ulname=Adams&ufname=Waylon&ucasetype2=&ucase=&ucit=&uagencynbr=&uagencytype=&hashkey=X0X2X0
Mind you, this is just FL.
@Walnut Hill– I understand your feelings about your property but the shinning thing, you missed me on that. You want to work for the deer to harvest it, ok. But the whole point in killing a deer is for food. My personal views are that i don’t care about the sportsman side of it. A nice rack is cool but i’m in it for food to cut my dependence on those grocery trucks coming down the highway. Furthermore if you dont want the convenience of it being easy then why use these super powered guns, bows, treestands, feeders, scent, etc. All those things are to make the hunter more successful. I use a bow (stalk only). I get it the “sportsman” is needed for the dollars he brings but dang. Some yuppie from town sittin in a stand at a club not far from a feeder with his little padded gloves on so he can text cant tell me a thing. And while i like some FWC guys, their like troopers, gotta get that revenue ordered from the bosses.
Having had two horses shot by trash night hunting I hope he never gets out. One was my sons first horse the other a mare close to foaling. We also have had a bull and 2 cows shot. We finally involved FWC, Sheriff and the timber company’s man to stop it. No it wasn’t someone with a grudge, just happens our pastures are isolated.
@well: so specific crimes are not as serious as others? I thought “illegal” was defined as “not legal?” Perhaps you should run for a judge’s seat and change things.
@John, no he may not be a “bad person”, however since he was just released from prison on 10/5/16 for felon with a gun and driving on a suspended or revoked license, his decision making seems pretty poor.
As he may mess up and act like a kid and do dumb things shinning is nothing like killing someone it’s not that big offense when I was in high school that’s all we did so really people judge the meth heads and drug addicts that’s what needs to be under control not night hunting. Spend money on someone worth it escambia county
I can’t seem to understand why this looser who just got out of jail for the same thing is out on a low bond such as this are justice system is just not working and when he goes to court if he shows up this should be enough to put him in the prison he belongs in for at least 10years. What happened to 10 -20-life for habitual offenders 10 years if you use a weapon 20years if you kill or hurt someone life. Why is this not in play?
From the Pickensville , Alabama campground I witnessed the slaughter of deer during a night hunt several years ago. The Tennessee-Tombigbee waterway forks in this area and created a sizable island. Bass boats came up the river at night and docked, The island lit up with flashlights and deer were shot and killed. To this day I can hear the sound their hooves made as the carcasses were thrown into the metal boats. Law enforcement did not seem to care as long as no shots were fired into the campground. Not a pleasant thing to remember!
This dude must be a “low skill” daylight hunter. If you have to hunt at night to kill deer, you must suck at “real hunting”.
@john
We assume he is a bad guy because he is!! Night hunting, driving on a suspended license and fleeing and eluding…that is a bad guy!!! What a warped sense of judgement you have if you think he is a good guy.
This guy is going to do whatever he wants. He is having a problem knowing he is headed nowhere. We’ve all seen where this leads. He needs about 1000 hrs of community service to keep his brain occupied. Maybe he can actually learn to do something constructive so he sleeps at night.
That’s what he gets for trying it two nights in a row at the same field. Thanks for listening and helping us out, Matt. I owe you a steak supper!
UNOHOO
John said:
“It’s funny y’all just assume he a bad person”
It’s not an assumption when “he do bad things”.
The question I have is how many times does your license have to be suspended and/or revoked until they take it away for good??? 20 times is a lot! Makes me feel real safe with drivers like this on the road.
Damn maybe that crew should have been on the boyette case!
I have a different take on this story and other recent ones… How are all these convicted felons able to get girlfriends? No drivers license, usually no job, arrest records… and the girls still go for the ‘bad boy’ type.
Years ago two vehicles stopped to shine into our field. I heard several adult voices and heard one say “look – there’s a big one”. Fearing the next sound I heard would be a gunshot that would kill one of our local deer who hung out in the field, I wanted to do something to discourage them but was not crazy enough to challenge two potentially armed carloads of shiners. So, I screamed – like a banshee being gutted. Just one loud scream. Then, I heard footsteps, vehicle doors slamming shut, and engines cranking up. The vehicles took off – away from our property. I just stood there and laughed. Then, I thought dang, if I’d been screaming for help, I’d be in trouble because they just hauled butt in the opposite direction. I felt kinda bad but, in the pitch dark you just never know what to expect.
It’s funny y’all just assume he a bad person
So would anybody care to guess what kind of citizen this guy will be when he gets out of jail?
Good job. The helicopter is a tool used and they fly at peak times so if it’s already flying for patrol there is no reason not to use it for a fleeing suspect. If something more severe would have happened elsewhere they are already up and ready to respond. Good use of tax money. Thanks.
Good example of how this person got too many CHANCEs look at how low the bond was and he is off and running a felon as well with a weapon has the justice system gone nuts wow this boy is a criminal what part of this don’t they see give credit where credit is due he is smarter thanks the system
I live on a road off of 99, and only house on the road occupied. I have property on Occie Phillips as well. This night hunting has been and is a big problem and I deal with it at both properties. Above and beyond the fact there is no ethics to night killing. I say night killing because I would like to think hunting is where you work to hunt the deer and then harvest it. Not shine a light blind it then shoot. But the problem goes beyond that, Ra’sheed is correct in saying that shinning with out fire arm is legal. I don’t know a single night that our fields don’t get shinned. But because of fact we have had in past had so many deer shot not only in the field but in yard as well it makes me pretty nervous when the spot light shines through our house. I don’t like our girls on there ATV at night because of the fear of being in the line of a bullet. If you want to kill deer join a hunting club, and try hunting instead of shinning and killing. Great job FWC.
More importantly than criticism on use of words, why are we spending so much money
on looking for illegal hunting activity? Does anybody know the cost of having a chopper in the air is? Portable unmanned drones I would think should just as effective, and a whole lot cheaper for those of us that work and are footing the bill. I feel like some of our government officials are poachers.
Night hunters are Poachers but not all Poachers are night hunters.
Poaching; The illegal practice of trespassing on another’s property to hunt or steal game without the landowner’s permission.
Of course when I mention we have night poachers to my wife, Mr. Jazreel, she says she prefers her eggs in the morning or for lunch.
As for “shinning” You can do that as long as you do not possess any weapons.
Statute 379.404; (2) The display or use of a light in a place where deer might be found and in a manner capable of disclosing the presence of deer, together with the possession of firearms or other weapons customarily used for the taking of deer, between 1 hour after sunset and 1 hour before sunrise, shall be prima facie evidence of an intent to violate the provisions of subsection (1). This subsection does not apply to an owner or her or his employee when patrolling or inspecting the land of the owner, provided the employee has satisfactory proof of employment on her or his person
The problem with this is most people who are shining are doing so on property they don’t own, and the land owners are very uncomfortable with people they do not know shinning a light across their fields at night.
I think the magic number is 1000 on taking your drivers license.
Not his first time.
http://www.northescambia.com/2015/02/cantonment-man-facing-hunting-charges-in-two-states-federal-investigation
> Anyway, the word is “poacher” not hunter. I’m looking for work. Do you need a new editor?
No, because our editor used the words “night hunting” — correctly — the same term used by the FWC. We’re happy they got it right since we figure the FWC knows more than some guy looking for work.
(Don’t take it personal — just havin’ a little fun with you — But seriously, it’s called night hunting by the state authorities. Our second guess would have been “shining”)
Convicted felon with a firearm and able to bond out and back on the streets.And you think hes gonna drive to his court appearances?!
For a moment, I thought he had his own helicopter. Anyway, the word is “poacher” not hunter. I’m looking for work. Do you need a new editor?