FWC DIVISION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT

FWC DIVISION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT

FIELD OPERATIONS

NORTHWEST REGION

OKALOOSA COUNTY

On November 8, Officer Danny Arnette organized a detail, Operation Tree

Rat, on the Yellow River for opening day of small game season.  The

detail produced one arrest for hunting over bait in the management area

during archery season.  K-9 Officer Sarah Hahner and K-9 Sadie  tracked

the subject to the bait.  Also, one warning was issued for taking

squirrel in the closed area on Eglin Air Force Base and one warning for

possession of a gun in the closed area on Eglin.  Additional officers

working Operation Tree Rat were Officers Van Barrow, Alan Kirchinger and

Eddie Gatlin.  They checked approximately 40 users.

On November 8, Officer Van Barrow checked a subject on the Yellow River

Wildlife Management Area after observing him quickly exit a wooded area

when the hunter observed the officer's presence.  The subject continued

to act suspicious and nervous as Officer Barrow checked his license.

The next day, K-9 Officer Sarah Hahner and K-9 Sadie were requested to

assist with searching the wooded area where the subject was last

observed.  Officer Hahner and K-9 Sadie located a baited area and tree

stand.  The subject was later contacted by Officer Barrow and admitted

to hunting from the stand and placing the bait on the management area.

He will be charged for attempting to take deer over a baited area in a

management area.

WALTON COUNTY

On November 8 and 9, Lt. Dennis Welsh and Officer Ken White worked the

lower end of the Choctawhatchee River Wildlife Management Area.  The

officers checked 68 users and 30 vessels on opening weekend of small

game season.  Two boating citations and four warnings were issued.

On November 11, Officer Espy Letcher checked three subjects on the

Choctawhatchee River Wildlife Management Area who were in possession of

a live wild hog.  The subjects were transporting the hog from the

management area to their residence.  One of the subjects was cited for

the violation.

BAY COUNTY

Officers Dennis Palmer and Mark Clements received a complaint that a

deer had been taken by illegal means.  Their investigation led to a

confession from a subject who stated he shot the deer with a

high-powered rifle just after dark at a feeder in his parent's back

yard.  The subject was charged with taking deer by illegal means and

after legal hours.  The deer was seized as evidence.

Officer Mike Nobles began an investigation that led to the arrest of two

shrimpers on charges of selling fish illegally and possession of several

species of undersized marine fish.  Officer Nick Price assisted Officer

Nobles with the investigation which resulted in the seizure of 76

undersized flounder, 14 undersized Spanish mackerel, and 4 small king

mackerel.

Officers Dennis Palmer and Mark Clements received a complaint from a Bay

County Sheriff's deputy who said he saw what he believed to be a

decomposing sea turtle skull at a subject's residence.  The skull was

identified by the local National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Marine Lab as being a green sea turtle that weighed around 150 pounds.

Written confessions were obtained that the turtle had been found on

Panama City Beach.  A citation for the illegal possession was issued.

K-9 Officer Mike Guy continues to assist the Jackson County Sheriff's

Office in attempting to locate a murder weapon.  As tips come in,

Officer Guy and K-9 Jake search the areas for evidence.

Officer David Brady was on water patrol near St. Andrews State Park when

he observed a vessel anchored near the jetty.  Closer observation

revealed some snorkelers in the water near the jetty.  Since he did not

observe a diver down flag, Officer Brady conducted an inspection.  As he

approached the vessel, he watched one of the divers drop a spear gun.

He addressed the violation and found speared mullet and bluefish.

Citations were issued.

Officers Neal Goss and Nick Price were on patrol near St. Andrew's

Marina and conducted a dockside inspection of a commercial fishing

vessel during offload.  They discovered 15 undersize red grouper along

with mangrove snapper and red grouper fillets.  The vessel captain was

issued a citation.  One of the crew had an active warrant out of Duval

County and was arrested.

FRANKLIN COUNTY

On November 7 through 9, Officers Woody Cook, Steven Cook, Travis

Huckeba, Don Walker, John Allen, Chasen Yarborough, and Lt. Charlie Wood

conducted a special detail to coincide with the opening weekend of small

game season in Franklin County.  Officers patrolled the Apalachicola,

Ochlockonee, and Crooked Rivers and their tributaries.  Education and

enforcement attention was directed toward boating under the influence of

alcohol, vessel safety equipment, vessel navigational lights, vessel

overloading, hunting licenses, management area permits, and bag limits

for small game.  During the detail, 57 vessels were boarded and 128

users were inspected.  The inspections produced three uniform boating

citations for insufficient number of personal flotation devices and

improper navigational lights and nine written warnings for various

boating safety equipment violations.  The inspections also produced two

resource citations for no valid resident hunting license, no valid

resident freshwater fishing license, and one written warning for

possession of undersized fish.

On November 10, Officers Mike Slotin and Faris Livesay conducted

inspections of commercial oyster harvesters and their vessels in

Apalachicola Bay.  The officers boarded seven vessels inspecting vessel

safety equipment, saltwater product licenses and size tolerance on the

harvested oysters.  One resource citation was issued to a harvester for

possession of undersized oysters.  The bag of oysters inspected

contained over 38% undersized oysters.  Nine written warnings were also

issued to other harvesters for violations pertaining to vessel safety

equipment.

LIBERTY COUNTY

On November 8, Officer Benjamin Johnson was patrolling the Bradwell Unit

of the Wildlife Management Area in Liberty County when he stopped two

hunters in a pickup truck.  Officer Johnson checked the two subjects and

asked them if they had any luck, and they replied, "No."  Officer

Johnson asked them to open the tonneau cover of the truck so it could be

inspected for wildlife.  The driver stated, "Might as well get me now,

because I've messed up."  Officer Johnson found one spike buck taken

with a shotgun during archery season.  Proper citations were issued.

Buckshot, two shotguns and the deer were taken as evidence.