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FWC Law Enforcement Report

The Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement recently reported the following activity from January:

ESCAMBIA COUNTY

Officer Specialist Allgood responded to a complaint of someone shooting from the roadway at night. The officer found several deer feeding in a field and waited. A vehicle approached and using the vehicle’s headlights, one of the occupants shot at a deer from the roadway. Officer Allgood attempted to stop the suspects, who fled the area. Officer Allgood used the vehicle’s tag information to locate and visit the registered owner’s home. The registered owner of the vehicle said her son had borrowed the car and was accompanied by a friend. Both suspects admitted to shooting at the deer and fleeing. Officer Allgood cited both suspects for multiple charges including attempting to take a deer using a gun and light and for shooting from the roadway. A warrant was also obtained for the driver of the vehicle for fleeing and eluding.

Officer Specialist Ramos received information about an illegally killed antlerless deer. He interviewed a suspect, who admitted to harvesting an antlerless deer in Baldwin County, Alabama. Further investigation revealed he dumped the carcass on the side of a highway. The subject was issued a citation for littering and asked to properly dispose of the carcass. The subject also was issued a notice to appear for importing the whole deer from Alabama into Florida. The deer was submitted to FWC biologists to be tested for the presence of chronic wasting disease.

Officer Lugg was conducting a resource patrol focusing on the importation into Florida of bone-in meat from deer harvested out of state when he observed a vehicle suspected was returning from hunting out of state. A traffic stop was conducted and bone-in deer meat was located in the cooler. The subject admitted the meat was from a deer harvested outside of Florida. In addition, evidence of sex was not retained and the meat was not properly labeled for transit. The operator did not possess a driver’s license nor any required paperwork for his vehicle. All violations were documented and addressed accordingly.

While conducting a resource patrol in Pensacola Bay, Officer Lugg observed a vessel with two occupants on board who were fishing. Upon performing a marine fisheries inspection, an oversized red drum was located within the vessel. The violations were addressed accordingly.

While on patrol in Perdido Bay, Officer Lugg observed a commercial blue crabber pulling traps within state waters during a biannual two-week commercial trap closure. Upon closer inspection, Officer Lugg found about 70 traps were being actively fished. Officer Allgood assisted with inspecting the blue crab traps. The officers observed multiple crab safety measures were not put into place on the traps and the traps were not tagged, properly labeled, and the buoys were of improper size and color. The vessel did not have any aerial markings nor commercial safety gear where required. The operator was issued two misdemeanors and eight warnings.

While on patrol in the Escambia River Wildlife Management Area, Officer Lugg heard shots after legal shooting hours. After arriving at the nearest boat ramp, Officer Lugg and Officer Allgood contacted the vessel, which had five subjects on board who had been hunting. Two of the occupants did not possess required hunting licenses or federal duck stamps. One of the hunters was using lead shot while hunting waterfowl and one of the hunters was using an unplugged shotgun. The vessel did not have life jackets for the occupants on board, registration, a sound producing device, or navigation lights. All violations were cited accordingly.

While working enhanced patrol, Officer Cushing received information regarding illegal baiting and hunting activity in the Perdido Wildlife Management Area. Officer Cushing and Investigator Livesay located a truck containing hunting equipment parked near the main gate. Officer Cushing located a hunter in a treestand hunting over bait with a bow and arrow. The subject did not have the required quota permit to hunt that area. Investigator Livesay located the subject’s adult son nearby who also was hunting over bait and did not have a quota permit or a valid hunting license. The investigation revealed they had been hunting the area for a couple of weeks. Citations were issued to both subjects for multiple violations.

SANTA ROSA COUNTY

Officers Bower and Wilkenson were on patrol and observed a vehicle with an antlered deer in the bed of the truck that did not appear to meet antler point regulations for that deer management unit. A vehicle stop was conducted and the subject stated he was hunting in the Blackwater Wildlife Management Area. The officers determined the deer did not meet antler point regulations. They seized the deer and issued the hunter a notice to appear.

Officer Tison inspected a portion of property that contained numerous gopher tortoise burrows after observing the property was being cleared with heavy equipment. The property was well posted that burrows were present and the owner of the company clearing the property was aware of them. During Officer Tison’s inspection of the property, he observed two burrows run over with the clearing equipment. The owner of the company was cited for the destruction of the gopher tortoise burrows.

Officer Corbin observed a subject fishing near a bridge in the Santa Rosa Sound and conducted a resource inspection. The subject did not have a fishing license or any identification. While the subject provided a false name, Officer Corbin was able to identify the subject, who had an active felony warrant for his arrest out of Louisiana. The subject was arrested and charged with providing a false name to law enforcement and cited for no fishing license.

Officer Lewis was on patrol in Blackwater Wildlife Management Area when he heard a rifle shot. The officer located the origin of the shot and observed a hunter dragging an antlered deer he had harvested. The deer did not meet the antler point regulations for the area (antlered deer must have at least one antler with three or more points or one antler with a main beam of 10” or more in length). The hunter also failed to log his harvest. The officer issued the hunter a warning for the harvest log violation and a notice to appear citation for the antler point regulation violation. Officer Burkhead assisted with the case.

Officer Burkhead conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in Blackwater Wildlife Management Area for traffic violations. Officer Burkhead found several coolers in the back of the vehicle. The subject had been hunting and admitted to having deer meat in one of the coolers without evidence of sex. Officer Burkhead interviewed the subject and concluded the meat was from a legal deer. The subject was written a warning for being in possession of deer meat without sex identification.

Officer Burkhead received a complaint from a subject regarding an individual trespassing on his property. Officer Burkhead located an individual at the area driving an all-terrain vehicle that matched the provided description. Officer Burkhead conducted a traffic stop and found the individual had a suspended driver’s license. The subject admitted to trespassing while hunting. Upon further investigation, Officer Burkhead found the man was a convicted felon and found shotgun shells in the man’s backpack labeled with his initials. The man also said he hid a shotgun in the woods before fleeing the area. Officers Burkhead and Roberson as well as two deputies from Santa Rosa
County Sheriff’s Office located the shotgun. Officer Burkhead arrested the subject and wrote citations for traffic violations as well as Blackwater WMA violations. The subject was transported and booked into the Santa Rosa County jail.

Officer Bower received information about alligator snapping turtles taken from the wild and kept as pets. Officers Roberson and Bower observed an alligator snapping turtle in a small man-made pond at the residence in question. The homeowner stated he caught the turtle in a creek near his house and that a second turtle he had, crawled out of the aquarium inside of the home. The homeowner also stated he was keeping a juvenile cottonmouth in a small aquarium on the front porch and was not feeding it. The snake was identified as a banded water snake. The subject was issued a notice to appear for possessing an alligator snapping turtle and animal cruelty for failing to feed the snake.

Officers Bower and Bragg were patrolling the Santa Rosa Sound during duck season. The officers observed subjects at a boat ramp that had shot three ducks. A resource and boating safety inspection was conducted. One of the subject’s shotguns was unplugged and capable of holding more than three shotgun shells. The subject admitted to shooting the ducks. The subject was issued a notice to appear and issued two warnings for boating safety violations.

Officer Roberson was on patrol at Quintette Boat Ramp on Escambia River. Officer Roberson observed a vessel that had just been pulled out of the water. Upon further inspection, Officer Roberson found out two individuals had been hunting and had harvested two wood ducks. Officer Roberson checked their shotguns and discovered one was not plugged and could hold more than three rounds. Also, it was determined the same individual did not possess a valid federal duck stamp. Officer Roberson issued a misdemeanor notice to appear for not plugging the shotgun and a warning for not having a federal duck stamp.

NorthEscambia.com file photo.