FWC Law Enforcement Report

October 13, 2020

The Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement reported the following activity during the period ending August 20.

(Editor’s Note: FWC fell behind in issuing reports during the pandemic, and reports have remained delayed.)

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

Officer Cushing and Lieutenant B. Lambert were on vessel patrol in Bayou Chico when they observed a 37-foot vessel being operated without working navigational lights. They stopped the vessel for a safety inspection and the operator showed signs of impairment. Field sobriety tasks (SFST) were utilized and the operator was arrested for boating under the influence and transported and booked into the Escambia County Jail.

Senior Officer Specialist Clark and Officer Long were on vessel patrol on Escambia Bay when they were dispatched to a possible boating accident. Once on scene they observed two pontoons slowly operating away from the area of the accident. Officer Clark contacted the operator of the first pontoon, and it was determined there was no accident. The operator showed signs of impairment and standardized field sobriety tasks (SFST) were conducted. The operator was arrested for BUI and transported and booked into the Escambia County Jail.

Senior Officer Specialist Clark and Officer Long were on vessel patrol in Pensacola Bay when they were contacted by dispatch to assist Senior Officer Specialist Cushing with a vessel stop at the Navy Point boat ramp. Once on scene Officer Cushing observed the operator and passengers on the vessel were showing signs of impairment. Officer Cushing conducted standardized field sobriety tasks (SFST) on the operator and he was arrested for boating under the influence. A second impaired operator boarded the vessel and attempted to leave the area. The second operator was arrested for BUI and both were transported to the Escambia County Jail. Both operators were charged accordingly.

Senior Officer Specialist Clark was on foot patrol at Galvez Landing boat ramp when he observed a jet ski intermittently getting up on plane in a posted idle zone. Officer Clark gained the attention of the operator and motioned him to come to the dock. While conducting a safety inspection, Officer Clark observed the operator showing signs of impairment and Standardized Field Sobriety Tasks (SFST) were utilized. The operator was arrested for boating under the influence and transported and booked into the Escambia County Jail.

Senior Officer Specialist Clark and Officer Specialist Petty were on water patrol on the ICW near Galvez Landing boat ramp when they observed a vessel violating the idle speed zone. They initiated a vessel stop and instructed the vessel to dock at the nearby boat ramp due to traffic and safety reasons. Officers Clark and Petty contacted the operator and four passengers on the dock. While conducting a safety inspection, Officer Clark observed the operator showing signs of impairment. Standardized Field Sobriety Tasks (SFST) were utilized and the operator was arrested for boating under the influence and transported and booked into the Escambia County Jail.

Officer Cushing observed two fishermen returning to a vehicle near the PensacolaPass. Officer Cushing contacted the fishermen and conducted a resource inspection which found two redfish in the cooler. One of the subjects admitted to catching both fish. The appropriate action was taken for the violations. Officers Ramos and Bower were on vessel patrol near the Pensacola Pass and observed a boat kicking up a “rooster tail” as it departed the beach. A safety inspection was performed, and the operator showed multiple signs of impairment during the inspection. Standardized Field Sobriety Tasks (SFST) were administered and the operator was arrested for Boating Under the Influence (BUI) and booked into the county
jail.

Officers Ramos and Bower were on patrol and observed a vessel violating an Idle speed zone at night. The operator failed to pay attention to directions and continuously adjusted steering and throttle controls on his boat even though the officers instructed him otherwise. During the safety inspection, the operator showed signs of impairment and was asked to complete Standardized Field Sobriety Tasks (SFST). The operator was arrested for BUI and booked into the county jail.

Officer Allgood and Lieutenant Lambert were on vessel patrol in the Ft. McRee area when they noticed a vessel that was leaving the area nearly collide with other vessels. The vessel was stopped for a safety inspection and the operator showed several signs of impairment. The operator agreed to complete Standard Field Sobriety Tasks (SFST), was arrested for boating under the influence and transported to the Escambia County Jail.

Officers in Escambia County created a detail focused on keeping the waterways safe by taking impaired operators off the water. Five individuals were arrested for boating under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

SANTA ROSA COUNTY

Officer Lugg observed a small stationary vessel within East Bay during unfavorable sea conditions. Officer Lugg observed the vessel molest a marked commercial blue crab trap line and travel to a marked and clearly posted commercial oyster lease and molest an oyster cage within the posted lease. After the vessel maneuvered out of sight, Officer Lugg attempted to locate the vessel and after canvassing several potential locations, a vehicle and trailer were located that matched the vessel. Officer Lugg contacted Officer Wilkenson to assist in the investigation. Information was received from multiple nearby sources that the individuals who launched from the boat ramp matched the suspects observed within the bay. Contact was made with the vessel upon its arrival and a marine fisheries inspection was performed. Twenty-one undersized red drum (19 over the bag limit, 13 over the allotted vessel limit, seven not whole condition), one undersized spotted seatrout (not whole condition), and one stone crab (whole body, out of season) was located. Both individuals were placed under arrest and transported to the Santa Rosa County Jail.

This report represents some events the FWC handled during the time period; however, it does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement. Information provided by FWC.

NorthEscambia.com photo.

Comments

2 Responses to “FWC Law Enforcement Report”

  1. 429SCJ on October 17th, 2020 9:01 am

    Bunch of drunks

  2. Bubba on October 13th, 2020 6:51 am

    Is there anyone sober on the water?

    Definitely shows you need to be really aware of your surroundings when boating. ALWAYS watch out for the other guy…

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News