Special to Lake Okeechobee News
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Division of Law Enforcement Weekly Report from April 12 - April 18 includes incidents in the Lake Okeechobee area. This report represents some events the FWC handled over specified weeks; however, it does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement.
Hendry County
• Senior Officer Polly and Lieutenant Kleis were off duty and driving on CR 858 when they passed a subject who stopped on the roadway near a gopher tortoise. As they passed, Lt. Kleis noticed the gopher tortoise was alive and moving. The officers then observed the subject pick up the gopher tortoise and put it in his vehicle and drive away. Lt. Kleis and Senior Officer Polly provided Officer Pridgen with a description of the subject and the vehicle. Officer Pridgen stopped the vehicle and located the gopher tortoise in the bed of the pickup truck. The subject was issued a notice to appear for possession of the gopher tortoise. The gopher tortoise was returned to the resource.
Palm Beach County
• Officers Jacob Lardakis and Aljuwon Harris were on patrol when they observed subjects hunting on a right of way. An investigation revealed the operator did not have a driver’s license. The subject was cited for driving without a driver’s license.
• Officers Jacob Lardakis and Officer Aljuwon Harris observed a vehicle on South Florida Water Management District lands. The officers located four subjects who were cast netting the L8 reservoir. They had one black crappie, one largemouth bass, and three bluegill in their possession and all fish showed signs of being caught by cast net. All four subjects were issued citations for taking gamefish by illegal method and the driver was issued an additional citation for unauthorized motor vehicle on South Florida Water Management District lands.
