FWC Enforcement Weekly Report

June 27 through
July 10, 2008

This report represents some events the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) handled over the past week; however, it does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement.

NORTHWEST REGION

FRANKLIN COUNTY

On June 29, Lt. Rama Shuster and Officers Michael Slotin and Faris Livesay were on water patrol on the offshore patrol vessel "Sea Hawk." At approximately 6 p.m., while returning from Madison Swanson, the crew observed a commercial fishing vessel 16 miles south of Apalachicola.  The officers pulled in behind the vessel which was traveling at approximately 15 knots and turned on the blue lights.  The captain of the vessel, who was dressed only in his underwear, turned around and looked at the patrol vessel but continued to drive.  The captain grabbed a pair of shorts and began to make erratic movements around the cabin of the vessel while looking back at the patrol vessel.  The captain of the vessel made an evasive turn to port and pulled the throttle back in an effort to conceal the starboard side of the vessel.  He then picked up a camouflage ditch bag and attempted to throw it out the starboard window.  The bag got hung up in the window but eventually went overboard.  The vessel continued a short distan ce before coming to a stop.  The ditch bag floated and the officers retrieved it from the water as they approached the vessel.  The ditch bag contained 44 pounds of red snapper filets packaged in gallon Ziploc bags.  The officers boarded the vessel and located eight undersized red grouper on the top layers of fish in the cooler.  With an officer on board, the vessel was escorted back to Apalachicola, where the officers unloaded and measured every fish.  The officers located eight more undersized red grouper, three undersized scamp grouper and one undersized gray triggerfish.  The captain was charged with the following federal charges:  disposal of fish after contact with an officer, interference with a law enforcement officer, possession of 16 undersized red grouper and failure to maintain red snapper in whole condition. 

HOLMES COUNTY

Lt. Hampton Yates and Officer Larry Morris arrested two subjects at Lake Cassidy in northwestern Holmes County.  The officers charged the two with possession of cannabis and drug paraphernalia.
Lt. Yates reports that a young man from a previous littering violation in Walton County volunteered to clean up a small truckload amount of garbage at Lake Cassidy.  These are examples of our continuing focus to promote a family friendly environment and boating safety at Lake Cassidy.