ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. – Here is the latest Weekly Report of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Division of Law Enforcement for Santa Rosa and Escambia counties.
The law enforcement blotter represents some events the FWC Division of Law Enforcement handled during the week of April 1-7, 2022, as described by the FWC. It does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement.
The narratives and any reported violations of the law contained in the blotter are allegations only.
The FWC reports the following cases:
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
- Lieutenant Lambert and K-9 Handler/Officer Specialist Hutchinson received information about a possible illegal turkey hunting violation. They arrived at a large track of land where the violation was taking place. Officer Hutchinson deployed K-9 Zara to conduct an area search of the property. While searching, Zara located a bait site that had cracked corn lying on the ground and a fresh set of boot tracks. Zara began tracking and later located a food plot with a game feeder containing scratch feed. While searching the woods surrounding the food plot, they contacted the suspect. After a short interview, Lieutenant Lambert and Officer Hutchinson followed the subject to two other baited locations that he hunted earlier in the morning. The subject admitted to hunting turkeys within 100 yards from a bait site. At one of the baited sites the subject’s cell phone was found where he had been sitting. This was approximately 25 yards from a large amount of distributed corn. During the investigation, they discovered that the subject’s father also hunted with him earlier in the morning. After contacting his father and interviewing him, both subjects were issued the appropriate citations for the violations.
- Officer Specialist Long was conducting resource and safety inspections while on water patrol and on two separate occasions, found anglers to be in possession of short gray triggerfish. Gray triggerfish have a minimum size requirement of 15 inches to the fork. Both individuals were cited accordingly.
- Officers Burkhead and Allgood were conducting resource inspections at Navy Point boat ramp when they observed a charter vessel returning from fishing. During their inspection, the officers observed several fish which appeared to be undersized. They measured the fish and determined that there were two undersized vermillion snapper and one undersized gray triggerfish. Officer Burkhead issued the captain a notice to appear citation for the violations. This was the second time in less than a month this vessel and captain possessed undersized fish.
- Officer Allgood was on patrol when he observed a male fishing. Officer Allgood conducted a resource and license inspection. When Officer Allgood ran the subject for a fishing license check, he determined that he did not have a fishing license. It also showed the individual had an active warrant in Escambia County for failure to appear. Officer Allgood arrested the subject for the warrant and issued him a resource citation for no valid fishing license.
- Investigator Livesay worked the opening day of turkey season and observed a truck parked in a field near a private hunting club. Investigator Livesay contacted K-9 Handler/ Officer Specialist Hutchinson and requested assistance. Officer Hutchinson and K-9 Zara arrived at the location and conducted a track from the subject’s vehicle. K9 Zara tracked for approximately 500 yards to the edge of the hunting lease and into the tree line. While tracking along the edge of the tree line, K-9 Zara located a freshly killed gobbler turkey lying behind a tree. While inspecting the turkey, Officer Hutchinson heard two shots coming from the hunting lease and in proximity of his location. Officer Hutchinson and K-9 Zara hid in the woods near the dead turkey and waited for the hunter to arrive to retrieve it. Officer Hutchinson observed two male subjects wearing camouflage clothing, carrying shotguns, and another turkey walking towards his location. Officer Hutchinson observed one of the subjects walk into the woods and retrieve the other turkey. Officer Hutchinson announced his presence and began interviewing both subjects. Investigator Livesay and Officer Allgood arrived to assist with the investigation. Both subjects claimed the turkeys were harvested on the property they had permission to be on. Officer Hutchinson deployed K-9 Zara again to locate the area where the subjects harvested the turkeys. While searching, K-9 Zara led Officer Hutchinson onto the private hunting lease and located turkey feathers and fresh blood at the kill site of the first turkey. While continuing the investigation, it was determined that the second turkey was legally harvested. Both subjects admitted to trespassing onto the hunting lease to harvest the first turkey. The subjects were issued the appropriate citations for trespassing and the first turkey located was seized as evidence.
- Officer Cushing received a report of several shoreline fisherman taking over the bag limit of pompano near Pensacola Beach. Officer Cushing located several fishermen on the beach that matched the description. After observing the fisherman actively harvesting pompano for a substantial period, Officer Cushing contacted them as they were returning to their vehicles. One of the subjects had nine pompano in his beach cooler and four more in his truck cooler putting him seven over the bag limit. Another fisherman returning to his vehicle was in possession of twelve pompano. Citations were issued to both subjects.
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
- Officer Lewis was on patrol in Blackwater River State Forest when he observed a vehicle operating off the designated road in a clay pit. Vehicles must operate on named or numbered roads in the forest. After speaking with the driver, the officer ascertained that there were three other vehicles off-roading in the clay pit. The officer wrangled up the vehicles and learned that two of the vehicles contained open containers of alcohol. One of the vehicles did not have a license plate, one had an expired tag, and one of the driver licenses was expired. While dealing with these four vehicles the officer observed another vehicle doing donuts on a nearby forest road. Officer Lewis was able to quickly contact the driver of that vehicle and had the driver park with the group of other vehicles. The officer learned that the driver of the vehicle doing donuts had a suspended driver’s license. While Officer Lewis was dealing with the five vehicles another vehicle unlawfully entered the clay pit. Officer Lewis contacted the driver of the fifth vehicle and found that the driver did not possess a driver’s license. Officer Lewis subsequently issued eight citations and five warnings for the violations.
- Officers Lewis, Lugg, Hutchinson, and Roberson were on patrol in Blackwater State Forest and received information about alcohol violations in a camping area that had approximately 30 people. The forest does not allow alcohol on the premises. Officers arrived on scene and observed multiple violations including alcohol, glass containers near a water way, and litter. The officers issued 12 citations and three warnings.
