Posted:  7.3.09

BREVARD COUNTY COPS

Officer Chase Platt and Lieutenant Travis Franklin gave a presentation to a group of children and adults at Merritt Island Presbyterian Church. There were approximately 70 people in attendance. Topics included boating safety, conservation and alligators.

MARION COUNTY

Officer Jesse Lee was on patrol of Salt Run Springs when he observed an individual attempting to take freshwater fish by underwater swimming, using a spear gun. The Marion County man was cited and released for that charge and was issued a warning for no divers down flag.

PUTNAM COUNTY

The property manager at Florida Rock Properties complained of trespassers on a parcel of property in Interlachen where the gate to the property had been recently torn down resulting in numerous trespass violations. Over the weekend Officer Troy Starling issued two citations and five warnings for trespass on the property.

Lieutenant Ben Allen was checking cameras on property where the landowner complained of trespass violations when a vehicle drove through a portion of fence that had been cut. When the subject rounded a curve and saw Lieutenant Allen’s patrol vehicle he tried to leave. The suspect was charged with trespass.

COPS

Officer Starling taught the laws portion of a Hunter Safety class for the 4-H Club in Palatka. Approximately 40 students were in attendance.

OSCEOLA COUNTY

During water patrol on Shingle Creek, Officer Kurt Arendas observed a personal watercraft (PWC) partially concealed under a fallen tree. Upon inspection, the officer found it had signs of being stolen (the vessel’s HIN number had been removed). Officer Arendas notified the sheriff’s office and turned the PWC over to them for investigation

Officer Caitlyn Staskiewicz issued two warrants to Osceola County men for failure to pay or respond to non-criminal citations.

While participating in Osceola County’s Operation Dry Water, Officer Staskiewicz, Reserve Officer Zach Ricciuti, and a Northeast Region Investigator stopped a boat on East Lake Toho to conduct a boat safety equipment inspection. During the inspection, the boat’s occupants acted extremely nervous. When asked for the boat’s certificate of registration, the operator produced a balled up paper. When he opened it up in front of the officers, they found it contained loose cannabis. During the subsequent search of the boat, Officer Staskiewicz found a cannabis cigarette inside the operator’s pack of cigarettes. The subject was issued a notice to appear for the violation.

During Osceola County’s Operation Dry Water, Officer Arendas and Lieutenant Guy Carpenter II stopped a boat on Lake Lizzie to address a navigation light violation and to conduct a boat safety equipment inspection. Officer Arendas detected signs of impairment on the operator and had the subject perform field sobriety tasks. After observing his performance, the subject was arrested for operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol or chemical or controlled substances. Once he was on the officer’s boat, the subject told them he would not be driving a car in the condition he was in, but he didn’t think driving a boat was a big deal. It was learned the man had four previous arrests and convictions for DUI. He refused to submit a sample of his breath for the purpose of determining his breath alcohol level. Officer Arendas booked the man into the Osceola County Detention Center for felony operation of a vessel while under the influence of alcohol.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY

Officers Mike Pedonti, Jason Richmond, Ben Boots, and Darryl Thornhill took part in a detail to inspect charter and commercial fishing vessels returning to St. Augustine. The focus of the detail was to look for vessels that were not landing fish in whole condition. The officers, along with Lieutenant Steve Zukowsky, set up east of St. Augustine Inlet at the sea buoy and intercepted boats returning from offshore.

Officer Thornhill was the boarding officer for the inspection of a charter vessel which had been fishing east of St. Augustine about 42 miles offshore. The paying members of the charter had harvested greater amberjack, black grouper, red snapper, vermillion snapper and black sea bass. During the course of the inspection, Officer Thornhill determined that the vessel’s federal south Atlantic grouper-snapper permit had expired in January 2009. Also, Officer Thornhill found two red snapper that measured just under 20 inches. The captain was issued a federal fisheries citation for failing to possess a current grouper-snapper permit and a written warning for the undersize snapper.

Officer Richmond was the boarding officer for the inspection of a commercial fishing vessel out of St. Augustine. The bandit rig boat had been fishing in federal waters for three days and had several pounds of vermillion snapper in its fish hold, along with a few red snapper, gray triggerfish, and black sea bass. During the course of the inspection, Officer Richmond determined the captain had been fishing under an individual saltwater products license (SPL), which did not cover his two crewmen. Furthermore, one of the crewmen who was wanted in Indiana under an active warrant, possessed a smoking pipe with freshly burnt cannabis in its bowl. By the end of the boarding at the Riveria Street docks, Officer Richmond issued both crewmen citations for failing to possess an SPL while engaged in commercial fishing. In addition to being arrested on the outstanding warrant and turned over to the St. Augustine Police for transport, Officer Richmond cited the wanted crewman for possession of drug paraphernalia. Lastly, the captain was issued a written warning for failing to obtain a Florida vessel registration for his documented vessel and possessing two undersize vermillion snapper.