FWC Law Enforcement Report

December 21, 2017

The Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement reported the following activity during the weekly period ending December 14 in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

Officer Allgood worked fisheries enforcement in the Pensacola Bay area and identified several individuals in violation. He issued notice to appear citations for possession of red snapper in a closed season and possession of undersized scamp and mangrove snapper. Officer Allgood also documented license and boating safety violations.

Officer Allgood entered a hunt camp and noticed the remains of a doe deer hanging on a skinning rack. The deer had already been cleaned and appeared to be an antlerless deer. Antlerless deer season is not open and to take an antlerless deer legally it must be tagged before moving it from the field. When the two hunters noticed Officer Allgood, they attempted to tag the antlerless deer. The deer was killed several hours prior and had not been tagged. Officer Allgood issued a citation for failing to tag an antlerless deer.

SANTA ROSA COUNTY

Officer Lewis located a food plot that had been planted on Blackwater River State Forest adjacent to a section of private property. When asked, a man hunting near the food plot admitted to planting it. The subject was issued multiple citations for planting the food plot on the management area.

Officer Lewis observed a pickup on the side of the road that appeared to be disabled and stopped to assist. While talking to the occupants, the officer learned that one of them had killed a doe deer, which was in a cooler in the bed of the pickup. Stories differed regarding the location where the deer was killed and the shooter could not remember where it was taken. The subject that killed the deer claimed he killed it in Alabama but had not checked it in as required by Alabama regulations. Officer Lewis contacted an Alabama game warden, and met him at the state line. The suspect showed the officers the deer carcass in Alabama, but claimed that he could not remember where it was taken. The Alabama officer charged the subject for not filling out his harvest report.

Officer Land was on the Escambia River when he observed three subjects on a boat heading under power toward a flock of coots. When the boat flushed the coots, one of the hunters fired at them before the boat stopped moving. Officer Land contacted Lieutenant Hahr who located the hunters as they were leaving a nearby boat ramp. The subjects admitted to trying to shoot the coots from the moving boat. Upon inspection, the officers found that the subject observed shooting was using lead shot and a shotgun capable of holding more than three shells. The one subject was issued a citation for attempting to take waterfowl from a vessel under power and with lead shot.

Lieutenant Berryman was patrolling the Escribano Point Wildlife Management Area (WMA) when he encountered four individuals camping at the Bayou Campground. While speaking with these individuals, he learned that they did not possess a camping permit for the campground and observed several beer cans that had been discarded on the ground and open containers of beer within their vehicles. Additionally, it was found that none of the four individuals possessed a valid driver’s license and that one of the vehicle’s registration tag was expired and was ordered by the court to be seized. All four subjects appeared to be nervous and were acting very suspiciously. Officer Land arrived to assist and requested a K-9 unit from the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s deputy arrived and worked his police canine around the vehicles and the subjects’ tent that had been set up in a non-designated camping area. The canine showed a positive alert on both vehicles and the tent for narcotics. A search of both vehicles revealed marijuana, methamphetamines and drug paraphernalia. The owners of both vehicles and the tent were placed under arrest by Officer Land and transported to the county jail. Both vehicles were towed and the tent was seized for safe keeping until a search warrant could be obtained to search it and its contents. The other two individuals were given a ride to a local motel.

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

One Response to “FWC Law Enforcement Report”

  1. Nokomis on December 23rd, 2017 9:33 am

    Good Job FWC