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FWC Law Enforcement Report: Fishing Violations, Vehicles In Clay Pit

The Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement reported the following recent activity:

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

Officer Specialist Long was conducting resource and safety inspections while on water patrol and on two separate occasions, found anglers to be in possession of short gray triggerfish. Gray triggerfish have a minimum size requirement of 15 inches to the fork. Both individuals were cited accordingly.

Officers Burkhead and Allgood were conducting resource inspections at Navy Point boat ramp when they observed a charter vessel returning from fishing. During their inspection, the officers observed several fish which appeared to be undersized. They measured the fish and determined that there were two undersized vermillion snapper and one undersized gray triggerfish. Officer Burkhead issued the captain a notice to appear citation for the violations. This was the second time in less than a month this vessel and captain possessed undersized fish.

Lieutenant Lambert and K-9 Handler/Officer Specialist Hutchinson received information about a possible illegal turkey hunting violation. They arrived at a large track of land where the violation was taking place. Officer Hutchinson deployed K-9 Zara to conduct an area search of the property. While searching, Zara located a bait site that had cracked corn lying on the ground and a fresh set of boot tracks. Zara began tracking and later located a food plot with a game feeder containing scratch feed. While searching the woods surrounding the food plot, they contacted the suspect. After a short interview, Lieutenant Lambert and Officer Hutchinson followed the subject to two other baited locations that he hunted earlier in the morning. The subject admitted to hunting turkeys within 100 yards from a bait site. At one of the baited sites the subject’s cell phone was found where he had been sitting. This was approximately 25 yards from a large amount of distributed corn. During the investigation, they discovered that the subject’s father also hunted with him earlier in the morning. After contacting his father and interviewing him, both subjects were issued the appropriate citations for the violations.

Officer Cushing received a report of several shoreline fisherman taking over the bag limit of pompano near Pensacola Beach. Officer Cushing located several fishermen on the beach that matched the description. After observing the fisherman actively harvesting pompano for a substantial period, Officer Cushing contacted them as they were returning to their vehicles. One of the subjects had nine pompano in his beach cooler and four more in his truck cooler putting him seven over the bag limit. Another fisherman returning to his vehicle was in possession of twelve pompano. Citations were issued to both subjects.

Officer Allgood was on patrol when he observed a male fishing. Officer Allgood conducted a resource and license inspection. When Officer Allgood ran the subject for a fishing license check, he determined that he did not have a fishing license. It also showed the individual had an active warrant in Escambia County for failure to appear. Officer Allgood arrested the subject for the warrant and issued him a resource citation for no valid fishing license.

SANTA ROSA COUNTY

Officer Lewis was on patrol in Blackwater River State Forest when he observed a vehicle operating off the designated road in a clay pit. Vehicles must operate on named or numbered roads in the forest. After speaking with the driver, the officer ascertained that there were three other vehicles off-roading in the clay pit. The officer wrangled up the vehicles and learned that two of the vehicles contained open containers of alcohol. One of the vehicles did not have a license plate, one had an expired tag, and one of the driver licenses was expired. While dealing with these four vehicles the officer observed another vehicle doing donuts on a nearby forest road. Officer Lewis was able to quickly contact the driver of that vehicle and had the driver park with the group of other vehicles. The officer learned that the driver of the vehicle doing donuts had a suspended driver’s license. While Officer Lewis was dealing with the five vehicles another vehicle unlawfully entered the clay pit. Officer Lewis contacted the driver of the fifth vehicle and found that the driver did not possess a driver’s license. Officer Lewis subsequently issued eight citations and five warnings for the violations.

Officers Lewis, Lugg, Hutchinson, and Roberson were on patrol in Blackwater State Forest and received information about alcohol violations in a camping area that had approximately 30 people. The forest does not allow alcohol on the premises. Officers arrived on scene and observed multiple violations including alcohol, glass containers near a water way, and litter. The officers issued 12 citations and three warnings.