FWC Law Enforcement Report
From FWCThis report represents some events the FWC handled Sept. 22-28. There were no cases reported for Wakulla County or the Northwest Region. These cases were reported in the North Central Region:
CITRUS COUNTY
• Officer Specialist Sarmiento was on water patrol in Crystal River when he initiated a stop on a vessel with fishing rods and other fishing gear to conduct a fisheries resource inspection. During the inspection, Officer Specialist Sarmiento located four undersized spotted seatrout in a bucket onboard the vessel. An occupant of the vessel stated he was responsible for the undersized fish and was cited accordingly.
DIXIE COUNTY
• Members of FWC’s North Central Region dive team assisted the Dixie County Sheriff’s Office with a death investigation at a boat ramp in Steinhatchee. During hurricane cleanup, crews recovered parts of a car near the end of a boat ramp. The dive team located and removed the vehicle and human remains connected to an Alabama man who went missing in 1995 while visiting the area. This provides closure to the family who had no information for the past 28 years about their loved one.
SUWANNEE COUNTY
• Officer Cline responded to a traffic stop conducted by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services where a deceased alligator was observed in the bed of a utility task vehicle. Officer Cline spoke with the two occupants of the vehicle who told him the alligator was already dead when they put it in the back of the utility task vehicle. The officer noted there was blunt force trauma to the head of the alligator. Further inspection revealed a hammer on the utility task vehicle that contained blood. Appropriate citations were issued for the violation.