February 13 – February 19, 2015
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.
Patrol, Protect, Preserve
NORTHWEST REGION
BAY COUNTY
Officer Brady was dispatched to a vehicle accident in St. Andrews State Park. When he arrived, he found a truck crashed into a chain link fence and the driver behind the wheel with the keys still in the ignition. The driver was unaware he had hit a fence even though one of the fence posts was wedged against the driver’s door. An open container of alcohol was observed in the vehicle and the driver exhibited signs of impairment. The vehicle’s tag was expired and the operator’s license had been suspended. The operator failed his sobriety tasks and a breath test later showed .332 and .335 BRAC’s. After the subject was taken to a local hospital and cleared by a physician, he was booked into the Bay County Jail and charged with DUI with property damage, driving with a suspended license, expired vehicle tag, and open container.
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
Officer Hutchinson and Lieutenant Hahr responded to an anonymous complaint of a doe deer hanging in a shed. They located the suspect’s residence and observed the carcass of a doe deer hanging in plain view. They also observed an open bathroom window facing an area in the yard where corn had been scattered and rye grass had been planted. There was a folded towel in the window sill that appeared to be a shooting rest. They made contact with the people at the residence who called the suspect. When the suspect later arrived, he initially stated the deer was killed in Alabama during the open season. After examining the suspect’s Alabama hunting license, the officers determined he had not filled in the harvest report. Examination of the deer carcass showed that the deer was not taken nine days ago, but more recently, as it was not yet decomposing. K9 Officer Pineda and K9 Kane arrived on scene to assist. After confronted with the evidence, the suspect admitted to killing the deer in his yard with his rifle five days earlier. K9 Kane alerted to a small amount of blood in leaves near the corn. The officers recovered three bags of deer meat and seized a high powered rifle and scope. The suspect was issued a notice to appear for taking an antlerless deer out of season and driving on a suspended driver’s license.
WALTON COUNTY
Lieutenant Hollinhead and Officers White, Tison, Letcher, Brooks, and Reserve Officer Hahr worked a joint detail with the Walton County Sheriff’s Department Pop (Problem Oriented Policing) Squad to deter trespass violations and enforce hunting rules and regulations. Lieutenant Hollinhead and a Walton County Deputy heard two shots and directed officers to the area of the shots. Two subjects were later checked exiting the area dressed in camouflage but told the officers they had not been hunting. The subjects left the area and the officers tracked back to where the subjects had been. A concealed vehicle was located and was registered to one of the subjects although he had stated his vehicle was at a barn and not in the area. A search of the surrounding wooded area revealed two small illegal antlerless deer. The deer were located on different parts of the property and one was concealed in the bucket of a tractor. The subjects were later located and returned to the area where their involvement with the deer was determined. One of the subjects was charged with taking an antlerless deer. His firearm was seized.
COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING
WASHINGTON COUNTY
Officer Kinney participated in the Vernon Elementary School Science Night. He educated and interacted with more than 250 people by handing out brochures, answering questions, and allowing them to observe a small alligator.
NORTH CENTRAL REGION
ALACHUA COUNTY
Officers Stanley and Lasher were on land patrol on private property that has major problems with trespassing and dumping when they observed eight garbage bags of household garbage (41 lbs) dumped on the property. The officers were able to find an address on several pieces of mail and went to the residence to make contact with the owner. The owner stated he did not throw any garbage out and explained that his brother collected it. Officers Stanley and Lasher were able to make contact with the brother and he gave a sworn, written statement admitting to the violation.
Officers Stanley and Lasher went to several markets in Alachua County that sold fresh and saltwater fish. They inspected the fish, checked for receipts, and checked for the proper licenses. They issued two criminal citations for no retail license and one criminal citation for no freshwater fish dealer’s license.
CITRUS COUNTY
Citrus County officers worked a resource detail in the area of the Homosassa River, targeting vessels being operated in the closed Manatee Sanctuary for the purposed of fishing. During the detail, officers made three cases wherein individuals were observed taking their boat into the closed area and harvesting snook. One set of boaters was found to be in possession of seven snook. One of the occupants had been previously cited for being in the closed area as a juvenile. As a result of the detail, the charges of possession of snook out-of-season, entering into a Manatee Sanctuary during closure, and gig or taking fish by unlawful means were filed.
The Fincat Crew was on federal water patrol offshore from Homosassa when they made a gear-compliance inspection and discovered 13 stone crab traps that were not tagged. The traps were seized as evidence pending an investigation. During the investigation, it was determined that the owner of the gear had been previously warned for the same violation last season. The owner of the traps was issued a citation to appear in the Citrus County Court.
Citrus County officers observed a subject selling or offering for sale a large amount of ladyfish. The officer recognized the subject whose saltwater fishing privileges had been permanently revoked for multiple flagrant net violation convictions. The officer is currently investigating the incident and is expected to file felony charges with the Citrus County State Attorney’s Office.
CLAY COUNTY
Officer Larosa responded to a call in reference to a juvenile who had shot a pileated woodpecker with an air-powered rifle. While talking with the complainant, Officer Larosa was informed that the father of the juvenile had shot a doe deer the prior weekend. Officer Larosa responded to the residence to conduct an investigation regarding the injured woodpecker and observed what appeared to be deer legs hanging on a shed along with deer hide laying in the back yard. Officer Larosa interviewed the subject with reference to the deer parts in which he admitted to killing a doe deer the last day of the general gun hunting season. Officer Larosa issued a warning to the subject for allowing a minor under the age of 16 to operate an air-powered rifle unsupervised and attempting to take a migratory bird. Officer Larosa filed charges with the Clay County State Attorney’s Office for taking doe deer out of season.
DUVAL COUNTY
Officer Schirbock was conducting resource inspections near Brown’s Creek when he noticed a subject loading buckets into his vehicle. As the officer approached, the subject slid one bucket to the side of his vehicle to conceal it. A resource inspection revealed four undersized spotted sea trout and a records check revealed the subject had nine prior fisheries violations. The subject was issued a misdemeanor notice to appear in court.
Officer Schirbock was on water patrol when he stopped a vessel on the Trout River. One of the subjects who were reluctant to talk eventually admitted that he had no fishing license. A rapid identification fingerprint device was used to identify the subject and it indicated a warrant out of Duval County and several past felony arrests. The subject was transported to the Duval County Jail by vessel and booked on the warrant.
SUWANNEE COUNTY
Officer Boone was conducting vessel patrol on the Santa Fe River when he observed a vessel violating the Idle Speed Zone. Officer Boone made contact with the operator and while conducting a boating safety inspection, the operator displayed signs of possible impairment. Officer Boone conducted field sobriety tasks and established probable cause that the operator was boating under the influence. The operator was then placed under arrest for boating under the influence. After arriving at the Suwannee County Jail, the vessel operator provided a breath sample which revealed a breath alcohol content of .243, approximately three times greater than the legal presumption of impairment by that test.
NORTHEAST REGION
BREVARD COUNTY
While on water patrol in the Haulover Canal, Officer Loeffler detected the distinct odor of burnt cannabis coming from a group of fishermen fishing along the bank. Officer Loeffler approached the men and observed one male with a marijuana cigarette in his mouth. Officer Loeffler identified himself as State Police and the male jumped into the water in order to discard the contraband. After the defendant exited the water, Officer Loeffler arrested him for resisting without violence and obstructing the duties of an FWC Officer.
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY
Officer Land was on patrol in Indian River County, when he noticed two fishermen using cast nets in a canal along CR512. Officer Land stopped to conduct a fisheries inspection. Upon inspection, Officer Land found the two individuals to be in possession of crappie and undersized bass. The two fishermen admitted to using the cast net to capture the fish. Freshwater game fish may only be taken by the use of hook and line. Officer Land returned the illegally taken fish to the water and direct filed charges with the state attorney’s office.
LAKE COUNTY
Officers Straub and Weis have been working night hunting in Lake County. Officers observed two trucks enter a piece of private property and begin illegally night hunting. Officer Straub followed the poachers on foot as they shined a spotlight from the truck. The officers heard numerous rifle shots come from the suspect truck. As the suspects attempted to leave the property, Officer Weis made contact with them. The officers separated the 7 suspects that were night hunting. They backtracked where they hunted and found two freshly killed doe deer hidden behind trees. The rifle and deer were seized and numerous charges will be direct filed with the Lake County State Attorney’s Office.
SUMTER COUNTY
Officer Sweet was patrolling a local wildlife management area and observed subjects that were running deer dogs. The officer also found obvious evidence that the subjects were pursuing deer with dogs during the closed season. The appropriate citations were issued.
VOLUSIA COUNTY
Officer North responded to a call where a landlord discovered a freshly killed, partially cleaned doe deer at his rental property. The deer had been shot in the neck and deer season had been closed for three weeks. Through his investigation, Officer North learned that the tenant’s boyfriend shot the deer the prior evening. The boyfriend advised that he had a tough deer season, so he went to his hunting club and shot the doe from his tree stand. Officer North seized the gun used and the deer. The suspect was charged with possession of a deer during closed season.
SOUTHWEST REGION
CHARLOTTE COUNTY
Officer Ruggiero received a call from a Stump Pass State Park Ranger about a boat taking on water in Ski Alley. When she arrived on scene, the operator had placed the motorboat on the service boat lift at the park. The operator admitted that he forgot to insert the drain plug when he launched from Indian Mound Boat Ramp and the bilge pumps were not working. While the boat was being drained, the officer noticed that there was damage to the lift caused by the operator. The boat and individuals on board were safely returned to the water. The case is still under investigation waiting for damage repair estimates.
During the week of February 9-13, Officers Ruggiero, Thompson, and Price attended Speed Measurement training at the Southwest Florida Public Service Academy. This training will allow the officers to operate RADAR and LASER in wildlife speed-restriction areas, such as Panther and Manatee zones, to help enforce safety regulations.
Officer Norris and K-9 Officer Stasko responded to a call in reference to a subject keeping undersized fish at Gasparilla Island State Park. Officer Norris was able to locate the subject matching the complainant’s description and observed the subject catching and keeping fish. Both officers made contact with the subject and conducted a resource inspection. The inspection revealed undersized sheepshead, mangrove snapper and flounder. The subject also had an expired out-of-state fishing license and was issued the appropriate citations.
Officer Norris was walking the Boca Grande fishing pier and observed two subjects leaving the area with two buckets full of sheepshead. As the pier was busy with fisherman, Officer Norris contacted K-9 Officer Stasko to conduct a resource inspection on the subjects. Officer Stasko made contact with the subjects in the parking lot and observed the buckets full of sheepshead. The subjects stated they measured the fish using the opening of a five-gallon bucket. Officer Stasko measured the fish using a lawstick and explained to the subjects that several fish were undersized. Both subjects had been issued citations for similar violations within the past 18 months at the same location. The subjects were issued the appropriate citations for the undersized fish.
HERNANDO COUNTY
Officers Fagan and Prowant were called to assist in locating a vessel that was in distress and sinking off the coast of Hudson in Pasco County. The officers launched their vessel from Hernando Beach and made their way south to the location in the poor weather and sea conditions. The USCG stated they had found floating pieces of wood in the Gulf of Mexico approximately nine miles offshore. The officers made their way to that location and conducted a search. It was not long after that the officers saw a hand stick up above a rolling wave and got their attention. They located a passenger from the missing vessel floating and alive. The subject was a 17-year-old male that was suffering from severe hypothermia. The officers pulled him into their vessel and administered first aid until the USCG helicopter was able to reach them and fly the subject from their vessel to the hospital. With the assistance from FWC and the USCG, the second subject was located a short time later. The second subject was deceased at the time of recovery.
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY
Officers Thompson and Smith were working information they received reference commercial shrimp vessels harvesting food shrimp in Tampa Bay without the proper permits. The officers located a shrimp vessel actively trawling in Tampa Bay in the early hours of the morning. Officer Thompson boarded the vessel and conducted an inspection. The vessel was not in possession of their permit and Officer Thompson issued the appropriate citations. The state stopped issuing new Tampa Bay shrimp permits in 1992.
LEE COUNTY
Harnes Marsh is a popular public area which is open to passive use and has had a lot of issues with ATV’s destroying the property. No ATV’s are permitted to be driven on the property because of the extensive damage they cause to important water control canals which prevent flooding. Recently, the area has had issues with ATV’s destroying the property. FWC officers worked a multi-agency joint detail with Lee County S.O. to address the violations. During the detail, FWC officers issued 14 written warnings and cited one individual for destruction of state lands.
PINELLAS COUNTY
On the morning of February 12th 2015 Officer’s Alex Martinez and Peter Gaudion stopped and performed a fisheries inspection on a vessel in Riviera Bay. During the course of their inspection they found that the two men were fishing with oversize seine nets in state waters. The two men were in possession of commercial quantities lady fish. The men were charged with four criminal violations each and given several warnings. The seine net and fish were taken into evidence.
Officer Scott Smith was working information he received from an informant in reference to reef fish being brought in from a commercial fishing vessel and being sold from an unlicensed facility. Officer Smith conducted an inspection on the facility and found a large cooler that contained vermillion snapper and porgies. The cooler was placed outside of the facility with other produce items that were for sale. When questioning the owner, he stated the fish were not for sale. During further inspection, Officer Smith located a freezer that contained several more snapper wrapped separately in bags. Charges are being direct filed through the state attorney’s office.
Lt. George Wells was working a case that involved a charter boat business. The business had two boats that perform fishing and diving charters 6 days a week. Lt. Wells watched one of the suspect boats land and then he performed an inspection. After questioning the passengers that were from North Carolina, Lt. Wells identified that it was an active charter. Also, there were numerous salt water products on the vessel. The business did not have a charter boat license and the Captain did not have a state charter captain’s license. A citation was issued for the violation.
SARASOTA COUNTY
Officer’s Peter Gaudion, Eric Sierra, Joel Buckson and Investigator Scott Kirsch stopped and performed a fisheries inspection on a commercial fishing vessel in Lemon Bay. During the course of their inspection it was determined that the vessel had illegally used monofilament net in State waters to harvest commercial quantities of pompano and lady fish. The fishermen were charged with several felony and misdemeanor violations. The men were taken to jail. The net and fish were seized as evidence.
LEE COUNTY
COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING
Recruiter Spoede attended the Florida Public Service Law Enforcement Academy graduation ceremony and presented the Denis Grealish Physical Fitness and Leadership Award. Several other law enforcement agencies were in attendance as well as approximately 60 people in the audience for the ceremony.
Officer Rebon participated in the Edison Festival of Lights Day of Discovery. It was attended by approximately 650 people. Officer Rebon displayed his FWC patrol vehicle, answered questions and handed out regulations.
Recruiter Spoede attended the Baron Collier High School Career Day. Representatives from the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Park Service, Army, Navy and Marine Corps also participated in the event. Approximately 200 students were in attendance.
Recruiter Spoede attended the Miami International Boat Show. Several thousand people attended the successful event.
Officers Stanley and Recruiter Spoede attended the first annual Edison Festival of Lights Boat Parade on the Caloosahatchee River in Downtown Fort Myers. Marine units from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Myers Police Department, Cape Coral Police Department and the Fort Myers Fire Department also participated. There were approximately 50 people in attendance on the JP Cruise ship.
SOUTH REGION A
GLADES COUNTY
Officer Nasworth was contacted by a Padgett Security Officer for U.S. Sugar. The security officer advised that he received a live time photo at the Distant Island pump station on U.S. Sugar property showing several subjects trespassing. Officer Nasworth responded and made contact with the security officer and the three subjects. All three subjects were not U.S. citizens at which time Officer Nasworth placed all three under arrest for trespassing. Officer Nasworth had a Glades County Deputy respond to transport them to the Glades County Jail.
MARTIN COUNTY
Officers Rogers and Moss were on vessel patrol when they received a call from dispatch that fishermen in a small Boston Whaler were catching over the limit of Spanish mackerel at St. Lucie Inlet State Park. Upon arrival at St. Lucie Inlet State Park they saw a vessel that matched the description provided. They stopped the vessel and conducted a fisheries inspection. There were two people on board. When asked if they were fishing they advised they had been fishing all day. They also said they caught Spanish mackerel and held up a bucket full of Spanish mackerel. Upon counting the Spanish mackerel, they had a total of thirty eight, which was eight fish over the limit. They were allowed to keep their legal limit. Eight fish were returned to the resource. The owner of the vessel was cited for possession over the bag limit of Spanish mackerel. The fishing partner was issued an infraction for no salt water fishing license and a warning for over the bag limit of Spanish mackerel.
OKEECHOBEE COUNTY
Officers J. Barber, Lafoy and E.Barber were conducting airboat patrol in the marsh near No Name PUA. The Officers were notified by dispatch of an airboat that had swamped itself in the marsh approximately a half mile west of the launch area at Starvation Slough. Officer J. Barber made contact with the complainant to ensure there were no injuries and to obtain a better location of the incident. After confirming there were no injuries and getting a better location, the officers quickly responded to Starvation Slough. The officers were able to quickly locate the gentleman and two juveniles. The vessel was sitting upright in about 2.5ft of water, allowing the subjects to stay dry by sitting in the raised seats on the boat. The officers assisted the subjects onto the patrol boats and secured them in PFDs. The officers then made sure the swamped boat’s navigation lights were left on to prevent another incident. The gentleman and juveniles were taken back to Starvation Slough’s launch area where the gentleman had friends coming to help him retrieve his airboat.
PALM BEACH COUNTY
Officers Toby and Nasworth were on land patrol on U.S.Sugar property in the area of Pelican Lake and Muck City Road. Officers Toby and Nasworth observed three subjects trespassing on U.S. Sugar property, Area 4, which is just north of Muck City Road. Officer’s Toby and Nasworth made contact with the subjects at which time they provided the three subjects with misdemeanor citations for trespassing on U.S. Sugar cultivated property.
SOUTH REGION B
COLLIER COUNTY
Lieutenant Williams and Officer Futch were on land patrol in the Picayune Strand State Forest when they observed a truck traveling east on Lynch Boulevard, pull over to the edge of the roadway and stop. While making contact with the driver, Officer Futch detected a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. The three occupants were asked to exit the vehicle. The passengers of the vehicle denied any knowledge of marijuana but the driver admitted that he had some in his vehicle. After further questioning from Officer Futch, the driver provided the hidden marijuana and a sworn written statement. The driver was issued a notice to appear for possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
Officers Pino, Paige Pestka, Washington and Lieutenant Smith manned the FWC booth at the Miami International Boat Show. During the show, the officers managed to contact hundreds of stakeholders. By all accounts, the event was a huge success as the officers managed to communicate the agency’s boating safety message to the masses.
MONROE COUNTY
Officer Dube was patrolling the waters off of Islamorada when he received a call reporting that four kayakers and one paddle boarder were swept out to sea due to the high winds and rough sea conditions. The group of five, visiting from North Carolina, ended up approximately two miles from shore where the sea conditions caused the kayak to flip. Thankfully, one of the kayakers managed to call 911 before they lost their phones. Within minutes, a good samaritan and Officer Dube were on scene and rescued the shaken but relieved tourists.
Lieutenant Haney and Officer Hein responded to an emergency call received by the USCG reporting that a vessel was in distress off of Islamorada. Two boaters from out of state were attempting to retrieve their anchor when the line became entangled in the propeller, disabling the vessel. The anchor was still deployed so the vessel began taking on water and capsized. A nearby charter fishing vessel retrieved the passengers from the water. The passengers were transported to shore safely and the vessel was salvaged by a commercial towing company.
Officer Robb was on land patrol near the Vaca Cut Bridge in Marathon when he conducted a fisheries inspection on a fisherman that he had been watching for a while. Officer Robb discovered one bonefish and one undersized mangrove snapper in the fisherman’s cooler. The subject was cited accordingly.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: FWC Division of Law Enforcement weekly report