FWC OFFICERS NAIL DEER POACHERS
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – The following report highlights some cases the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission handled in Brevard County over the past week but does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement.
■ Officer Specialist Marroquin and Officer Rivard were on federal fisheries patrol outside Sebastian Inlet and conducted a resource inspection on a fishing vessel. The officers asked the captain and crew if they had caught anything, and they said no. Officer Rivard’s inspection revealed a bag of snapper fillets hidden in a cooler. The subjects filleted their catch offshore, which is a violation of Florida law, and were cited accordingly.
■ While conducting land patrol, Officer Ames observed a truck parked in an area recently cleared for home development next to a large, wooded area. Officer Ames monitored the area and saw three subjects exit the woods with free-ranging dogs wearing tracking collars. The dogs were breeds known to trail and catch wild hogs. After interviewing the subjects, one of them took responsibility for ownership of the dogs and allowing them to trail and pursue wild hogs without landowner permission. The subject was cited accordingly.
■ Officers Crespi and Beck were on patrol at Kiwanis Park at Geiger Point when they observed a subject who was fishing place a large bag over a white bucket. Officer Crespi conducted a resource inspection and requested the subject to remove the bag, which revealed about 3.5 gallons of oysters. It is prohibited to harvest oysters in that area. Upon finding the oysters, the subject admitted to harvesting them and was cited accordingly.
■ While off duty, Officer Hopkins received information that an angler appeared to be filleting undersized cobia at a local marina. Officer Hopkins notified Officer St. Martin who was on duty. Upon arriving on scene, Officer St. Martin identified the anglers at the fillet table and located an undersized cobia still in whole condition. While conducting his investigation, Officer St. Martin observed the angler who was in possession of the undersized cobia was operating as a charter captain without proper licensing. Both violations were documented accordingly.
■ Officer Specialist Hallsten was conducting foot patrol on St. Johns River Water Management District property in an area posted “closed to hunting” when he contacted two subjects who were hunting. The subjects stated they did not know the area was closed to hunting. The subjects were taken back to their vessel where they had entered the property and a “closed to hunting sign” was posted 40 yards away. The subjects were issued citations accordingly.
CLICK HERE FOR BREVARD COUNTY CRIME NEWS
Related Story:HOT OFF THE PRESS! June 27, 2022 Space Coast Daily News – Brevard County’s Best Newspaper
The post FWC Division of Law Enforcement Weekly Highlights For Cases In Brevard County appeared first on Space Coast Daily.