Posted: 11.20.09

FLAGLER COUNTY

Officer Jeff Beal relayed information to Officer Eric Meade that a convicted felon would be hunting an area of Flagler County. Officer Beal sent information from the suspect’s probation officer stating the suspect was a violent offender and to charge him with violation of probation if caught with a firearm. On the opening morning of deer season, Officers Meade and Darryl Thornhill located the suspect hunting with a firearm. He was booked into the county jail for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and violation of probation.

LAKE COUNTY

Officer Steve Adam and Lieutenant Kevin Steinke responded to a call about shots fired off of Maggie Jones Road. Lieutenant Steinke located a residence with the suspect vehicle hidden behind the barn. In the bed of the truck was a freshly killed doe deer. Officer Adam arrived and after a couple of short interviews, three subjects were cited for possession/taking doe deer during the closed season. A 12-gauge shotgun and the doe deer were seized.

MARION COUNTY

Officer Joe Simpson received information of an area baited with corn in the Church Lake Unit of the Ocala National Forest. After working the area numerous times, Officer Simpson located the brother of the violator. Soon thereafter, the tree stands near the baited area were removed. Officer Simpson located the violator, who admitted to placing and hunting over the baited area. The subject was cited for placing bait in the management area.

Officers Wayne Hargabus and Simpson responded to Waccahoota in reference to a deer being shot off of County Road 320. They located the house to where the deer had been taken. After a couple short interviews and finding obvious deer blood on the truck, the doe deer was located hidden in a locked shed. Two subjects gave sworn statements of how they shot the deer with a .22 caliber rifle. They also gave statements of how they killed another illegal deer the previous week. The officers located evidence of the second deer. The subjects were cited for taking doe deer during the closed season and taking deer by illegal method.

Officer John Wilke received information about a doe deer and button buck that were taken in the Marshall Swamp small game area. He located the suspect vehicle at the Marshall Swamp parking area and noticed fresh blood on the bumper. Lieutenant Steinke arrived to assist and a short time later the suspects returned to the vehicle. After an interview, three subjects gave sworn statements of how they killed the two deer with a spotlight and a .22 caliber rifle. The two deer, rifle and spotlight were seized and all three subjects will be charged for taking antlerless deer and for taking deer by illegal method.

OSCEOLA COUNTY

Officer Kurt Arendas coordinated a detail targeting convicted felons in possession of firearms during the opening weekend of general gun season in the management areas. Duty officers from the Orlando Regional Communications Center checked the criminal histories of everyone who was issued a quota permit for the first nine days in Three Lakes and Bull Creek looking for felony convictions. The check turned up approximately 30 hunters with felony convictions, one with an injunction prohibiting the possession of firearms, and one with an active warrant for fraud. Officer Arendas put together informational packets and gave them to the officers participating in the detail. During the two day detail, three of the convicted felons were located. Their firearms and ammunition were seized, and the subjects were either transported to jail or will have charges direct filed through the State Attorney’s Office. The subject with the active warrant for fraud was located and taken to jail and the subject with the injunction against possessing a firearm was located. His rifle and ammunition were seized and charges will be direct filed. Officers assisting Officer Arendas were Chase Platt, Caitlyn Staskiewicz, Corey Bridwell, Curtis Suggs, Kris Culver, Paul Mendez, Lieutenant Guy Carpenter and Reserve Officer Zach Ricciuti.

While working fence jumpers in Prairie Lakes, Officer Mendez, Reserve Officer Zach Ricciuti, and Lieutenant Carpenter heard a truck enter the area an hour before sunrise. They found the truck parked with no one around and set up surveillance. A few hours later, they saw a man exit the woods carrying a rifle. They stopped him and Officer Mendez issued a notice to appear for hunting Prairie Lakes during its closed season, failure to check in, and hunting without hunter orange on.

While on patrol in Prairie Lakes, Lieutenant Carpenter and Reserve Officer Ricciuti stopped a truck to inspect the driver’s daily use permit. As they approached, they smelled the distinct odor of burnt cannabis. During the subsequent search, the officers found the subject in possession of approximately 15 grams of cannabis. Officers Cody Loeffler and Tim Miller arrived to assist and Officer Loeffler issued a citation for possession of cannabis less than 20 grams and drug paraphernalia. The man and his passenger were also issued citations for open container of alcoholic beverages.

While on patrol in Prairie Lakes, Officer Mendez and Lieutenant Carpenter checked a man fishing Jackson Canal. During an inspection of his catch, they found he was in possession of two undersize bass. Officer Mendez issued a notice to appear for the violation.

PUTNAM COUNTY

Officer Wash Wear received information about an area baited with corn in the Salt Springs section of the Ocala National Forest. The bait and two tree stands were located by Officer Wear. The officer worked the area and made contact with the violator hunting over the bait. The subject was cited for placing/hunting over the bait, no hunter orange and no quota permit.

Lieutenant Ben Allen received a call from a hunt club member who found a freshly killed doe deer on his property. Lieutenant Allen and Officer Troy Starling met with the club member who led the officers to the deer. Officer Starling dissected the deer and determined the bullet path was consistent with having been shot from a nearby tree stand on the adjacent property. The officers processed the scene and located the owner of the adjacent property who stated two of his employees hunted that morning. One of them sat in the tree stand near the dead deer and had shot twice but told them he missed. The officers located the suspect, who admitted that a buck and doe were together and the doe stepped in his sights as he was shooting at the buck. He was charged with taking doe deer during the closed season.

An investigator with the State Attorney’s Office was traveling north on Highway 17 along an area with a large pasture next to the road. He noticed a car on the shoulder of the road and believed it was broken down. As he passed the car he heard a gunshot. Through his rearview mirror he saw the passenger of the car pulling in a rifle. The investigator got the tag number of the vehicle and called FWC. Lieutenant Allen located the vehicle at a residence. When he pulled in the drive, two people were sitting in the car. Both were immediately separated and interviewed.

Both stated that each of them had taken a shot at some hogs that were in the pasture. The landowner called Lieutenant Allen and stated he found a hog that had been shot in the pasture. Both suspects were charged with shooting from a public roadway.

Lieutenant Allen and Officer Starling responded to Etoniah Wildlife Management Area reference a lost hunter. Officer Starling received a phone call from a distraught wife who stated she had received a call from her husband who was hunting Etoniah with her grandson. She stated that her husband had gotten lost when they came down from their tree stand. Officer Starling got the hunter on the phone and was able to calm him down and assure him that officers were en route. While on the phone, Officer Starling was able to direct him out to the road to his vehicle.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY

Officers Meade and Lee Lawshe responded to a complaint of shots being fired within Moses Creek Conservation Area. They located a camp with several individuals on the property and found one subject to be in possession of a rifle. He was cited for possession of a firearm on water management property. Six other warnings were issued for camping without a permit.

SUMTER COUNTY

Officer Monty Hinkle received a call that a hunter had brought a four point buck to the check station to be checked in as legal game. The shooter thought it was a legal buck when he shot it, but realized it was not when he retrieved it. Since he did not want to leave it in the woods to rot, he brought it to the check station knowing it was not legal. Officer Hinkle issued a citation for taking deer with less than three-point antlers and donated the deer to a charitable organization. The subject was cooperative and glad the deer would be donated.

Officer Ian Sweet was on foot patrol and observed a vehicle traveling at a slow rate of speed on a county road. Officer Sweet observed the vehicle turn around several times, come to a stop on the road approximately 150 yards from his location, and then heard a gunshot come from the area of the vehicle. Upon inspection of the vehicle, he found the occupants in possession of a 30-30 caliber rifle with an empty cartridge in the chamber. The subjects admitted they had tried to shoot a deer for camp meat. Both subjects were cited for taking deer at night with a gun and light.

Officer Sweet was on patrol in the Croom Wildlife Management Area and observed some foot sign going into a portion of the management area closed to hunting. Officer Sweet made contact with the subject who was in possession of a rifle. The subject was issued a citation for hunting in a closed portion of the management area.

Officer Hinkle received information that a hunter had killed an illegal deer in Lake Panasoffkee Wildlife Management Area. The hunter saw the deer from approximately 10 to 15 yards away and thought its antlers were big enough to be a legal buck. He shot it with a bow and arrow and when he retrieved it, he saw it was not legal. He drove to the check station and asked for help retrieving it because he did not want to see it go to waste. He was issued a citation for taking deer with less than four-point antlers on one side. The deer was donated to a charitable organization.