Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division Law Enforcement Section Field Operations Weekly Report April 13-19, 2008 This report is a broad sampling of events that have taken place in the past week, but does not include all actions taken by the Law Enforcement Section. Region I- Calhoun (Northwest) CARROLL COUNTY On April 12, Sgt. Danny Crook and Cpl. Eric Brown assisted the staff at John Tanner State Park with a kid's fishing rodeo. There were over 160 youths that attended the event. On April 17, Cpl. Eric Brown investigated an incident where a subject was seen shooting a Canada Goose out of season. Upon investigation the subject was charged with hunting waterfowl out of season and warned for illegal possession of wildlife. COBB COUNTY On April 20, RFC Byron Young, RFC Brooks Varnell, and Sgt. Mike Barr worked the delayed trout harvest portion of the Chattahoochee River in the Paces Mill area. They encountered one subject that was in possession of over the daily creel limit and issued him a citation. On April 20, RFC Byron Young, RFC Brooks Varnell, and Sgt. Mike Barr worked the delayed trout harvest portion of the Chattahoochee River in the Cochran Shoals area. Two subjects were found fishing with illegal bait and without fishing licenses. Both were issued citations. GILMER COUNTY On April 13, Sgt. John VanLandingham, while patrolling Cohutta WMA in the area of Bear Creek, came upon a vehicle in the parking area with an expired license plate. While speaking with the occupants of the vehicle the passenger was found to be in possession of marijuana, and was issued a citation and released. On April 18 and 19, RFC Eddie Tompkins and US Army Corp of Engineers Park Ranger Mathew Sheriff patrolled Carters Lake. The officers issued 6 citations and 5 warnings for boating and fishing violations. GORDON COUNTY On April 19, Ranger McConkey and Cpl. Gentry responded to a complaint from a State Patrol officer about a turkey being shot from the road in Gordon County. The two Rangers arrived on the scene to find one subject stopped by the GSP officer and one subject hiding in the woods. After investigating the incident, two subjects were charged with hunting from the road, hunting from a vehicle, hunting without permission, and possession of illegally taken wildlife. MURRAY COUNTY On April 19, RFC Eddie Tompkins assisted officers with the US Forrest Service with a license checkpoint on Cohutta Wildlife Management Area. The officers issued 3 citations for violation of Georgia's open container law and one citation for possession of loaded firearm on a Wildlife Management Area. The firearm was seized as evidence. POLK COUNTY On April 19, RFC Chad Cox received a call about someone hunting without permission on Coaling Road. RFC Cox responded to the scene and spoke with the landowner who had confronted a male subject returning to his ATV that was parked on some adjacent land. The male subject stated he had shot at a turkey in the firebreak on his hunting club. The male subject left the area on his ATV. The landowner then located a dead turkey in his field. RFC Cox was able to locate a spent shotgun shell and also shot shell pellets from a tree. RFC Cox determined the turkey had been shot in the field. He then located the subject who had shot the turkey and charged him with hunting without permission. Region II- Gainesville (Northeast) GWINNETT COUNTY On April 1st, RFC Mark Stephens received a complaint of individuals fishing without permission in Gwinnett County off Beaver Ruin Road. RFC Stephens arrived at the lake and observed two Hispanic males fishing from a distance. The fishermen began to run when they observed RFC Stephens. RFC Stephens gave chase and apprehended one of the subjects. The offender was arrested and charged with fishing without permission and obstruction of a police officer. On April 16th, RFC Mark Stephens attended the Sportsman Ministry Group meeting at Hebron Baptist Church in Dacula, Ga. RFC Stephens talked about the importance of Lake Lanier and the recreational opportunities related to the lake. DAWSON COUNTY On April 13th, Sgt. Lee Brown and Cpl. Jason Roberson were patrolling the Amicalola River Delay Harvest section at Hwy 53. The Rangers observed three individuals fishing at the Handicap Access. Upon approaching the individuals the Rangers saw three different stringers with fish on them. The three individuals were charged with possession of trout in a delayed harvest stream and warned for fishing with unlawful bait. FORSYTH COUNTY On April 18th, Sgt. Lee Brown and Ranger Pamela Garrison were patrolling the Chattahoochee River for fisherman. The Rangers stopped to check a vehicle parked at James Creek. They saw two females down the creek but were not able to tell what they were doing. The Rangers approached them and saw they were sitting on rocks and drinking alcohol. Both of the females were over 21 years old. Further inspection found that the females were littering (they discarded the twelve pack carton and several cans.) They were both charged with littering and one of them was also charged with possession of marijuana. On April 19th, Sgt. Lee Brown and Cpl. Jason Roberson were patrolling the Chattahoochee River for fisherman. From a subdivision on the Forsyth County side of the river they observed four male subjects fishing with illegal bait in the Artificial Only section of the river. The rangers drove to the other side of the river to check the four males, three of which were walking out from the river. Sgt. Brown tried to check these three. Two of them finally stopped and a third man ran. Cpl. Roberson had the fourth man with him and he stayed with the other two while Sgt. Brown gave chase and caught the one that ran. The men were charged with fishing with illegal bait and warned for possession of illegally taken wildlife and one was warned for over the daily creel limit. The one that ran was charged with fishing with illegal bait, possession of illegally taken wildlife and failure to allow inspection of wildlife. ROCKDALE COUNTY On April 14th, Cpl. Eric Sanders assisted Fisheries Biologist Chris Martin on Randy Poynter Lake with a shocking detail. Large Mouth Bass were shocked in four locations for 30 minutes. Each time the bass were measured and weighed for growth in the lake. All fish were released back into the water unharmed. WHITE COUNTY On April 13th, RFC Mitchell Crump and RFC Anne Alexander checked two fishermen off Poplar Stump Road on the Chattahoochee WMA. The two male subjects were getting ready to fish when the Rangers' stopped to check them for licenses. Neither one of the male subjects possessed fishing licenses or trout stamps. While dealing with the subjects, RFC Alexander and RFC Crump found two small pipes in the driver's front left coat pocket and a quart mason jar containing a green leafy substance in the vehicle. DTF Agent Brent Maddox from the Appalachian Drug Task Force responded to the scene and RFC Alexander turned the drug case over to him for prosecution. The driver was charged with VCSGA, possession of less than an ounce of marijuana. USFS Ranger Jimmy Allen and Wildlife Technician David Shattuck had also been looking for the same vehicle and subjects who had left trash at their campsite and had left the campfire still burning. Both subjects were cited by the USFS for littering and leaving their campfire unattended. On April 19th, RFC Anne Alexander and Intern Kenneth Frady patrolled Chattahoochee WMA for fishing and hunting activity. RFC Alexander noticed where a vehicle had driven up an embankment off of USFS road # 44 at Bad Ford Gap. RFC Alexander stopped and talked to the operator of a blue Jeep Cherokee 4x4 who admitted to driving off the road and up the embankment. The male driver was charged with driving off an improved forest service road by USFS officer Jimmy Allen and warned for possession of a loaded firearm on a WMA by RFC Alexander. The female passenger was charged with VGCSA, possession of less than an ounce of marijuana. While RFC Alexander and Intern Kenneth Frady were patrolling Chattahoochee WMA for fishing activity, they were forced into the ditch to avoid a head on collision with a full size Ford truck that was traveling excessively fast around a sharp curve when they met. RFC Alexander asked the vehicle to stop and she got out and asked the 17-year-old male subject for his license and registration. While talking with him, she noticed a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from the operator of the vehicle. RFC Alexander asked the subject if he would take some field sobriety exercises in order to find out if he was impaired. The driver agreed to the exercises and he tested positive for alcohol. RFC Alexander called White County Dispatch and requested a traffic unit to meet her. RFC Alexander turned the driver over to a White County Heat Unit deputy and the subject was charged for DUI and driving too fast for conditions. Region III- Thomson (East Central) CLARKE COUNTY RFC. Nick Jenkins wrapped up a two-week investigation on what he thought was a routine litter violation. Jenkins was patrolling an area in Clarke County known for dumping activity when he found a freshly dumped pile of household garbage. He was able to gather evidence from the pile that led to a jailhouse interview and confession from a commercial trash delivery service that was incarcerated for another charge. Region IV- Macon (West Central) HARRIS COUNTY On April 19, RFC Oliver along with RFC Clark patrolled Goat Rock by boat for fishing and boating activity. RFC Oliver also patrolled a stretch of the Chattahoochee River in Columbus by boat and issued 8 warnings for fishing w/o a license. TROUP COUNTY On April 18, Cpl. Railey and Cpl. Bradfield patrolled the north end of West Point Lake. They checked several bow fishermen but issued no citations On April 19, Cpl. Railey patrolled West Point Lake for activity concentrating on bank fishermen. He issued two warnings for fishing without a license and one verbal warning for fishing without a license. MONROE COUNTY On April 13, Corporal Wynne was called by the Monroe County Sheriff's Office in reference to missing or possibly drowned canoeists on Lake Juliette. Upon arrival at Dame Ferry Access, both CPL Wynne and CPL Goodson interviewed the members of the canoe party who were loading canoes on their vehicle and determined that no one was lost or missing and that it was simply a matter of miscommunication between the canoeists and the campground hosts. The high winds on the lake caused the campground hosts to be concerned for the boaters. On April 20th, while checking the fishing activity on the Ocmulgee River, RFC Page and Sgt. Kendrick encountered 3 fishermen at the boat ramp under the Hwy 83 Bridge. The 3 men were in possession of 4 large mouth bass and 1 small blue gill. After inspecting the bass 2 of the men who claimed the fish were charged with possession of illegal size bass because the bass were less than 12 inches in length. BUTTS COUNTY On April 20, while patrolling Jackson Lake, RFC Smith and Cpl. Wynne observed a boat causing a wake in a "No Wake" zone. While attempting to stop the vessel, the rangers watched it pass approximately 50 feet from a dock. After stopping the vessel, Cpl. Wynne smelled a strong odor of alcohol coming from the operator and saw several empty beer cans in the vessel. After submitting to and failing several field sobriety tests, the operator was placed under arrest for operating a vessel under the influence. A test of the operator's breath revealed a BAC of .106. The operator was also charged with failure to obey a regulatory marker and operating a vessel within 100 feet of an object above idle speed. HOUSTON COUNTY On the morning of April 19th, Cpl. Morris responded to a complaint of hunting without permission. According to the complainant, he had heard someone calling turkeys on his hunting club and upon investigating the source of the calling observed a hunter running from the area. Subsequent investigation by Morris, assisted by RFC Butler and Wildlife Technician Jones, led officers to a residence in a nearby city. At the residence officers Morris and Jones spoke with a subject who, during the course of the interview, admitted that he and his son had been hunting upon the complainant's property without permission. Upon seeing the complainant, they had fled the area and called a third person to pick them up at a nearby location. Both hunters were subsequently charged with hunting without permission. Region V- Albany (Southwest) LEE COUNTY On April 13th, Sgt. Danny Bishop was working in Leesburg when he heard about an attempted suicide at the Lee County High School. When he arrived at the location he observed a truck in a back parking lot behind a fence. Sgt. Bishop found the Leesburg Police officer that was at the location and they drove around the school to where the truck was parked. A disturbed young man was taken into protective custody without incident. DOUGHERTY COUNTY On April 13th, Cpl. Scott Carroll and Cpl. Robbie Griner were checking a fishing license of a male subject fishing along the Flint River. The man gave Cpl. Carroll and Cpl. Griner false information and when questioned about it he fled on foot. Cpl. Griner gave chase and after a brief foot chase caught the man. Charges were filed against the subject for fishing without license, giving false information, and obstruction of an officer. RANDOLPH COUNTY On April 13th RFC Jim Atchley inspected several baited sites for turkey hunting activity. One hunter was cited for hunting over bait and two for hunting with an unplugged gun. CLAY COUNTY On April 19, RFC Jim Atchley was checking an area baited with cracked corn when he encountered a turkey hunter. The man was far enough from the baited area to be legal, however he neither possessed a hunting license or big game license. The 80-year-old non- resident was given warnings for the violations. TIFT COUNTY On April 13, Cpl. Tommy Daughtrey and Ranger Tim Hutto caught a subject at Paradise PFA with over the legal limit of fish (bream). The subject had twice the legal limit. The subject was cited for taking over the limit of fish on a PFA and was warned for not having any life jackets in his boat. On April 17, Cpl. Tommy Daughtrey made an after dark patrol of Paradise PFA. At approximately 10:00 P.M. Corporal Daughtrey caught three subjects fishing after hours on the PFA. One subject was also warned for having an undersized bass in his possession. On April 19, Cpl. Tommy Daughtrey and Sergeant David Ruddell caught a non-resident fishing with a resident license at Paradise PFA. The subject was cited for the violation and warned for not having a WMA license. The subject was a resident of Michigan. The resident license was seized as evidence. On April 19, Cpl. Tommy Daughtrey and Sergeant David Ruddell, while patrolling Paradise PFA, observed a vehicle drive around a closed gate on the PFA. Corporal Daughtrey stopped the vehicle and questioned the driver about the offense. The driver of the vehicle stated that the passenger in the truck had "dared" him to drive around the gate. The subject was cited for driving around a closed gate on a PFA and was warned for consuming alcohol on the PFA. Cpl. Tommy Daughtrey, along with many other law enforcement agencies from around the state, recently participated in the Annual Career Day at Abraham Baldwin College (ABAC) BROOKS CO On April 13, RFC Jon Penuel responded to an in-progress complaint of hunting without permission on a local plantation. Upon arrival at the scene and after a brief investigation, it was determined that one subject, who had permission to hunt land adjacent to the plantation, was actually hunting on the plantation. The subject stated that he had seen the turkeys on the neighboring plantation and just had to shoot one. The subject was charged with non-resident hunting without a license and non-resident hunting without a big game license. The subject was also warned for hunting without permission per the plantation owner's request. Region VI- Metter (Southeast) BACON COUNTY On April 13, Cpl Jimmy Williams checked a fishing without permission complaint. Three subjects were located fishing at the pond and were charged with fishing without permission. They could not produce identification and posted a cash bond and were released. BULLOCH COUNTY On April 19th Cpl. David Sims along with Sgt. William Vickers offered a firearm safety program to a local church youth group. EFFINGHAM COUNTY On April 20th Sgt. William Vickers checked a jet-ski operator on Ebenezer Creek. The jet-ski had no registration numbers or decals. Upon closer inspection and a discussion with the operator it appeared that the jet-ski had no current registration and had not been registered for several years. The operator was issued a citation for operation of a vessel without registration. EVANS COUNTY On April 17th RFC Debbie Brannen checked a vessel on the Canoochee River at U.S. Hwy. 301. She observed the vessel being operated above idle speed while passing under the bridge. Ranger Brannen stopped and inspected the vessel. One citation was written for no life jackets on board and 2 warnings were written, one for operating with expired registration and another for operating a vessel above idle speed while passing under a bridge. The boat operator was given a handout and an explanation of laws pertaining to boating safety. On the afternoon of April 17th, RFC Brannen answered a complaint from a landowner in reference to someone fishing in their pond. Ranger Brannen found an individual fishing in the pond and cited the subject for fishing w/o permission. He was also given a written warning for fishing without a license. Twenty-five fish were confiscated. On April 19th, RFC Debbie Brannen checked the Evans County Public Fishing Area. Several individuals were cited and warned for fishing without licenses and no WMA license. One individual was written a warning for insufficient life jackets. Another was given warnings for an undersize bass and illegal consumption of alcohol on a public fishing area. All the subjects were given a copy of the current fishing regulations and the laws were explained in detail. WARE COUNTY On April 13, RFC Brad Cox conducted a patrol for fishing activity along Kettle Creek in Ware County. RFC Cox checked 10 fishing licenses and issued two warnings for fishing without license. Region VII- Brunswick (Coastal) BRYAN COUNTY On April 8, Cpl. Cindy Miller received information that a subject was hunting turkeys after he had killed his three turkeys for the season. Cpl. Miller drove to the area and waited for the subject to return to his truck. The subject came out of the woods using a box call to call for turkeys. He was dressed in camouflage with a turkey vest and had a loaded shotgun with turkey shot. The subject admitted to killing three turkeys and was cited for hunting after obtaining the season bag limit. On April 19, RFC Isaac Strickland and Cpl. Cindy Miller requested the help of Ranger Justin Heyward, Cpl. Curtis Wright, and Cpl. Jay Morgan, to help check baited hog stands on the Backwaters Boar Hunting Club on the Ogeechee River. This club is a guided club that has been under observation for several months by RFC Strickland and Cpl. Miller. Eight subjects from Pennsylvania were cited for hunting hogs over bait. On March 19, Cpl. Jay Morgan and RFC Isaac Strickland were at Morgan's Bridge boat ramp checking fishermen when they observed four men walk back to the parking lot from the riverbank. Three of the men had open containers of beer in their hands, which is illegal at DNR owned or operated boat ramps. The rangers cited the three men with the alcohol, for possession of open container at a DNR boat ramp. In addition, a deputy cited one of the men for underage drinking and giving false information and took all three men to the county jail to post bond because no one had ID on their person. On April 18, Cpl. Phillip Scott and RFC Isaac Strickland patrolled the salt waters of Bryan County checking commercial crab traps. The officers seized two illegal traps for no identification on the floats. No charges were filed because the owners of the traps were unknown. LIBERTY COUNTY On April 18, Cpl. Cindy Miller checked a baited area for turkey hunters. A subject was found hunting over the baited area and cited for hunting big game over bait. CAMDEN COUNTY In early April, Cpl Chris Hodge received information that a subject in Camden County had been attempting to sell several live alligators. After a couple of weeks, Cpl Hodge learned of the subject's intent to meet with a buyer. On the night of Sunday, April 13, Cpl Hodge setup to watch the area. After approximately one hour, Cpl Hodge observed a male drive into the meeting location. After a brief period of time observing the two subjects and the sell of the two alligators was complete, Cpl Hodge approached the subject and identified himself as a Conservation Ranger. After a brief discussion, the subject admitted to attempting to sell, as well as taking the alligators illegally from Crooked River State Park. Cpl Hodge cited the subject for possession of wildlife without a permit, taking wildlife from a state park, and confiscated two live alligators. On April 17, Cpl Hodge was conducting a nighttime boating safety patrol with the Camden County Sheriff's Marine Patrol in the area of Cumberland Sound near the entrance to the St Mary's River. Cpl Hodge observed a vessel displaying improper lights and approached the vessel to investigate. While discussing the light violation with the operator, Cpl Hodge noticed a strong odor of marijuana coming from the cabin of the vessel. Cpl Hodge boarded the vessel and the operator admitted to smoking marijuana earlier that night. Cpl Hodge also confiscated a small amount of a substance believed to be marijuana. The operator was cited for misdemeanor possession of marijuana, operating a vessel with improper lights, and operating a vessel with expired registration. GLYNN COUNTY On April 20, Sgt. John Harwell checked several fishing piers and boat ramps on St. Simon's Island. One subject was cited for fishing without a license, another for not landing his fish with heads and fins in tact, and having improper life jackets. WAYNE COUNTY On April 6, RFC Randy Aspinwall responded to a call at Lake Grace in reference to reckless operation of a boat. Upon arriving he saw the boat in question pulling a skier without a personal flotation device. He stopped and boarded the boat and found a strong smell of alcoholic beverage coming from the operator. The operator failed six field sobriety exercises and was placed under arrest for boating under the influence and towing a skier without a personal flotation devise.