FWC Law Enforcement Report

March 16, 2017

The Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement reported the following activity during the weekly period ending March 9 in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

Officer Clark received information that an individual posted a picture of himself on a social media website holding an alligator snapping turtle at his residence. After speaking to the individual, he found that two other individuals had also been in possession of the turtle. One of the individuals caught the turtle and then brought it home to take pictures. The turtle was reportedly taken back to the spot where it was first located and released. The individual was cited for possessing and transporting a species of special concern. The other two individuals were given warnings and educated on the laws concerning that species.

Officer Pettey received an internet complaint that showed an individual in possession of what appeared to be an oversized redfish. The individual was located and found to be in possession of a 38‑inch redfish. A citation was issued for the violation.

Officers Pettey and Allgood responded to a trespass complaint that occurred on a hunting club in the Walnut Hill area. Earlier in the week, several trail camera photographs of an individual walking through the club holding a gun were provided. The officers located the subject walking in the area near the club, interviewed him and when he was shown some of the photographs, he admitted to trespass while hunting on the property. A criminal history check revealed the subject is a convicted felon and is not allowed to possess firearms. A warrant was obtained the next day for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Officer Allgood received information that some fishermen were harvesting over the bag limit of sheepshead at the Fort Pickens fishing pier. When he arrived on the scene, there were three men with several buckets and a cooler filled with sheepshead. The fishermen were in possession of 59 sheepshead and given notice to appear citations for over the bag limit.

While off duty, Lieutenant Clark saw a vehicle pulling a trailer full of waste tires on Highway 98 in Gulf Breeze. He contacted Officer Allgood and advised him that there was no placard or permit displayed on the side of the vehicle as required. Officer Allgood saw the vehicle approaching his location and confirmed the vehicle was not displaying a placard and conducted a traffic stop. The driver confirmed he did not have a permit to haul waste tires and was issued a notice to appear for transporting waste tires without a permit.

SANTA ROSA COUNTY

Officer Hutchinson was patrolling the Blackwater State Forest when he saw a vehicle driving carelessly, almost striking his patrol vehicle. After stopping the vehicle, he discovered that the passenger had a warrant for his arrest from Santa Rosa County. The subject was placed under arrest and transported to the Santa Rosa County Jail. The driver of the vehicle was issued a written warning for careless operation.

Officer Lewis was on forest patrol in Blackwater River State Forest when he detected the odor of cannabis emanating from a tent. He heard people inside the tent and asked them to come outside and speak with him. One of the men admitted to smoking a cannabis cigarette and consented to a search of the tent. Drug paraphernalia and a baggie that appeared to contain methamphetamine were located. A field test of the substance in the baggie was positive for methamphetamine. The man was arrested for possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, possession of cannabis not more than 20 grams and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was transported to the Santa Rosa County Jail and the drugs and paraphernalia were seized as evidence.

Officer Lewis saw a vehicle swerving all over the roadway and stopped the vehicle. He detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from the vehicle and on the driver’s breath. During field sobriety tasks, the driver showed obvious signs of impairment. The driver was arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) and transported to the Santa Rosa County Jail where he blew a .163, more than twice the legal limit. The subject was charged with operating a motor vehicle with a breath-alcohol level of 0.08 or above.

Officer Lewis was on patrol at the Webb Landing campsite in the Escambia River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) when he saw a man and woman camping. As the man was taking items out of his vehicle, a box commonly used to store drug paraphernalia was in plain sight. He asked the man about the box and the man admitted that there were pipes he used to smoke weed in the box. The man consented to a search of the vehicle and three pipes with cannabis residue were found in the box. He also found another box that contained a glass pipe and a small baggie of methamphetamine. Officer Jernigan arrived to assist. The officers located a large water bong used for smoking cannabis. The subject was arrested for possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, possession of drug paraphernalia and for an outstanding warrant out of Pinellas County.

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.

NorthEscambia.com photo.

Comments

4 Responses to “FWC Law Enforcement Report”

  1. Hoosier Daddy on March 18th, 2017 9:03 pm

    @ Bob’s Brother…..

    Ol’ Dan’l would say, “I kilt that bar, but you better not, Times are a changin.” Whoops, maybe, Bob Dylan said that.

  2. Bob's Brother on March 18th, 2017 9:06 am

    Some people can’t camp without doing meth and pot…. What would Daniel Boone say?

  3. David on March 17th, 2017 4:51 am

    Love reading these reports. Good stuff.

  4. mike on March 16th, 2017 10:35 am

    Man, that’s a big redfish! Caught too big a fish, that’s a new one on me. Other than that what a bonehead parade you Wildlife guys have to deal with! :)

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News