Department of Natural Resources 
Wildlife Resources Division Law Enforcement Section 
Field Operations 
Weekly Report June 20-24, 2011 
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) 
FLOYD COUNTY On June 4th, Cpl. Shawn Elmore, Cpl. Tommy Gentry, and RFC Chad Cox participated in the 11th Annual Floyd County Green Wings. The rangers setup and operated the archery shooting sports. There were approximately 200 kids that participated in this year's event. 
GORDON COUNTY On June 4th, Cpl. Shawn Elmore was patrolling Gordon County checking fishing locations. As he approached the Owens Chapel Rd Bridge crossing the Coosawattee River, he noticed a juvenile stumble across the road and attempted to open a car door. Cpl. Elmore stopped and got out with six teenagers at the bridge. He approached the juvenile that he saw stumble across the road and he was visibly intoxicated. Cpl. Elmore located 3 more intoxicated juveniles and a cooler of beer. All of the juveniles were turned over to their parents and charged with possession of alcohol by person under 21. 
On June 5th, Cpl. Shawn Elmore patrolled the Oostanaula River, Conasauga River, and the Coosawattee River. He located 54 people tubing the river without life jackets. He advised all that they needed life jackets if they were floating the river. 
On June 5th, Cpl. Shawn Elmore received a call from Gordon County E911 in reference to five overdue juveniles floating the Oostanaula River from Sugar Valley Rd boat ramp to the new Hwy 156 boat ramp (approximately 10.5 miles.) Cpl. Elmore met with a parent of the missing juveniles and began a search of the river. He located the five juveniles at 2030 hrs approximately one mile upriver from the old Hwy 156 boat ramp on a makeshift raft made from 55-gallon drums and plywood. He safely transported the five to the old Hwy 156 boat ramp and returned them to an adult. The juveniles still had 4 more miles to float to the new Hwy 156 boat ramp. 
On June 18th, Cpl. Shawn Elmore and RFC Roger McConkey were patrolling the Coosawattee River and came upon 4 juveniles floating the river on tubes. After checking the tubers and patrolling up river, a severe thunderstorm came upon the area. The rangers located the 4 juveniles under a rock ledge along the river and transported them safely back to the Pine Chapel Rd bridge. 
Region II- Gainesville (Northeast) 
FORSYTH COUNTY On June 18th, RFC Mitchell Crump and RFC David Webb patrolled Lake Lanier for boating and fishing activity. They issued one citation to a subject for towing a skier on a PWC without an observer. They also assisted a female that was on a PWC after dark that was lost. They assisted her back to the park where she had launched her PWC. 
 
 HALL COUNTY On June 18th RFC Mitchell Crump and RFC David Webb investigated a boating incident at Holiday Marina. No person was injured during this incident. The incident is still under investigation. 
ROCKDALE COUNTY On June 18th, Cpl. Eric Sanders responded to a complaint of a bear in the City of Conyers. Cpl. Sanders arrived on the scene and couldn't find the bear. He found where the bear had gone through a hole in the fence around the business where the bear was spotted. 
HART COUNTY On June 12th, RFC Josh Chambers and Sgt. Stan Elrod patrolled Lake Hartwell. Citations were issued for fishing without a license and failure to obey regulatory markers. 
On June 18th, RFC Josh Chambers and RFC Jade Vickery patrolled Lake Hartwell. Citations were issued for failure to obey regulatory marker and towing skier without observer on personal watercraft. 
HALL COUNTY On June 16th, RFC Eric Isom and K-9, Colt participated in a children's event hosted by the Blackshear Place Library. RFC Isom explained the different types of fish found in Georgia. Also, how and where they could go to catch these types of fish. RFC Isom and K-9, Colt also informed the children and adults on the functions of the DNR's K-9 program. They also gave a demonstration on how Colt is able to find articles hidden by the children. Nine children and six adults were in attendance. 
On June 12th, Cpl. Jason Roberson and RFC Mitchell Crump responded to two minor boating accidents on Lake Lanier. 
On June 18th, Cpl. Jason Roberson arrested a subject in Hall County on Lake Lanier for operating a vessel under the influence. 
On June 18th, Cpl. Jason Roberson responded to a capsized sailboat in Big Creek on Lake Lanier. Both victims were still in the water but were uninjured. 
DAWSON COUNTY On June 18th, Cpl Jason Roberson assisted the Amicalola Longbeards Chapter of the NWTF with a kids fishing event at Amicalola Falls. 
JACKSON COUNTY On June 14th, RFC Eric Isom and K-9 Colt participated in a Public Safety event hosted by the Jefferson Recreational Department for their summer camp program. RFC Isom explained the functions of the DNR, K-9 Unit, and answered general question for classes. The summer camp was comprised of adults and approximately 90 kids. 
 
 On June 18th, RFC Eric Isom ran the fishing simulator for the public at Jefferson Park. Later that day, RFC Isom participated in a fishing rodeo with approximately 65 kids in attendance. 
Region III- Thomson (East Central) 
LINCOLN COUNTY On June 12th, Cpl Ryan Swain assisted a stranded boater on Clarks Hill Lake. 
On June 15th, Cpl Ryan Swain assisted Lincoln County in patrols and welfare checks due to strong storms that hit the area. 
COLUMBIA COUNTY On June 15th, RFC Robert Timmerman assisted a stranded boater on Clarks Hill Lake. The boater was a handicapped male whose vessel was caught in a massive storm and had to be beached in a remote area. 
On June 18th, RFC Robert Timmerman and Cpl Michael Crawley worked a marine event at Fort Gordon Recreation Area on Clarks Hill Lake. 
ELBERT COUNTY On Monday June 13, Cpl. Julian Wilkins was checking fishing activity around Lake Russell. Cpl. Wilkins checked a fisherman coming out of Middleton boat ramp who had 71 crappie in possession. The fisherman was charged and the fish were confiscated and donated to the senior citizens center in Elbert County. 
On Saturday June 18, Cpl. Julian Wilkins along with Elbert county EMS responded to Broad River at Broad River Wildlife Management Area. A group was floating the river from Hwy. 17 to the Management Area and one of the rafters had an allergic reaction with something along the river. The subject was treated and released. 
OGLETHORPE COUNTY On Friday and Saturday, Rfc Phillip Nelson and Cpl. Julian Wilkins attended a training course for hunter safety instructors at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center. 
MORGAN COUNTY June 13-17, RFC Ricky Boles, RFC Larry Mills, RFC Niki Spencer, and Cpl. David Allen participated in the 10th annual Morgan County Sheriff's Office Junior Deputy Camp. During the week rangers taught firearm safety and boating safety, assisted with handcuffing techniques, crime scene investigation, and running the pistol range where participants shot BB pistols. 
 
 LAKE OCONEE On June 18th, Cpl. David Allen, Cpl. Derrell Worth, and Sgt. John Harwell patrolled Lake Oconee issuing several citations for numerous violations. Some of the violations noted included Operating a PWC without a PFD, Skiing without a PFD, as well as wake zone violations. 
Region IV- Macon (West Central) 
Region V- Albany (Southwest) 
EARLY COUNTY On June 18th, RFC Tony Cox and RFC Jon Penuel responded to a boat incident with injuries on the Chattahoochee River. According to witnesses, a collision occurred as one boat attempted to pass another, injuring one passenger. The injured subject was transported to a hospital in Alabama for non-life threating injuries. During the investigation of this incident, the rangers made contact with another vessel operator, who displayed signs of impairment. He failed field sobriety exercises and was arrested for operating a vessel under the influence. 
CLAY COUNTY On June 18th, Cpl. Steve Robinson and Cpl. BJ Foster conducted a boating patrol on Lake Walter F. George. They encountered multiple violations and issued citations and warnings for failure to obey regulatory marker, allowing underage child to ride in vessel without wearing a PFD, operating a vessel without Coast Guard approved PFD's, operating vessel without registration, towing skier with a PWC without observer on board, operating a vessel with insufficient PFD's and fishing without a licenses. 
DOUGHERTY COUNTY On June 18th, Cpl. Scott Carroll received information regarding marijuana plants being grown near a popular public use area. Cpl. Carroll and Cpl. Robbie Griner were able to locate the grow site and coordinated the destruction of the plants with the Albany/Dougherty Drug Unit. 
Region VI- Metter (Southeast) 
CHARLTON COUNTY On June 13th, Cpl. Gary Simmons learned of a call for assistance in Charlton County. A wildfire was threatening homes on Carter Community Road in the Race-Pond area. Cpl. Simmons assisted officers with the Georgia State Patrol and Charlton County Sheriff's Office with evacuating numerous residences. One bed-ridden resident had to be carried out by the officers. 
WARE COUNTY On June 15th and 16th, Cpl. Gary Simmons and RFC Jason Shipes assisted Ware County Sheriff's Office due to the wildfire threat in the Manor, Waresboro and Millwood areas. 
 
 Homes had to be evacuated and roads closed due to the wildfire danger. Both officers also assisted with escorting fire trucks to different areas. RFC Shipes continued to assist with locating hot spots and escorting additional fire units that were unfamiliar with the area. ECHOLS COUNTY On June 18th, Sgt. Patrick Dupree assisted Echols Sheriff's Office with search of a hunting club in the Needmore area for a subject wanted in Florida for assault. After several hours of tracking by the officers and Department of Corrections Special Ops K9's, the individual was apprehended. JEFF DAVIS COUNTY On Saturday morning June 18 at 8:00am, RFC Barry Britt organized and participated in a litter clean-up detail with teenage community service workers at an Altamaha River access point on Bullard Creek WMA. 8 bags of trash, most of it being beer cans and bottles, were collected from the area. Later that day, he charged two men with littering for sinking their beer cans in the Altamaha River adjacent to Town Bluff Park day use area. 
On June 19th, RFC Britt charged 2 men with driving ATVs around a closed gate on Bullard Creek WMA. DODGE COUNTY On June 17th, while patrolling along the river, Cpl. Johnny Ashe heard a call of brush fire threatening a residence nearby. Once arriving on scene he found the owner pulling into the driveway and they began using shovels to extinguish the fire from around the house being built. They then started to put out the fire attempting to cross a landline until the Georgia Forestry arrived and plowed breaks around the area. No damage had occurred to the new home being built. 
 
 EFFINGHAM COUNTY On June 18th Cpl. Dave Sims and Intern Jason Burgess patrolled the Savannah River and Ebenezer Creek checking vessels and fishermen. During the patrol numerous vessels involved in two local bass tournaments were checked and no violations were noted. However violations were documented on non-tournament operators and fishermen for fishing without license and operating a vessel without sufficient PFDs. Verbal guidance was issued for violation of the 100ft rule and improperly displayed registration. 
On June 18th, RFC Brandon Pierce and Cpl. Eddie Akins patrolled the Savannah River for boating safety and fishing activity. A total of ten boats were checked. As a result, two violations of operating a vessel 100 foot of object/shore above idle speed were documented. 
BEN HILL COUNTY On June 18th, Cpl. John A. Stokes received a call from 911 at 9:30 p.m. advising a party of floaters, floating down the river on tubes, hadn't returned to the landing. Cpl Stokes met with the sheriff at the landing and talked with the family. There were seven people in the party one of which was a two year old. Cpl Stokes put the patrol boat in the river. The sheriff accompanied Stokes to help find the party. The party was found about seven miles up the river. Two women, the father and two year old where put in the boat to be taken to the nearest landing on the other side of the river. After about an hour of trying to get to the landing Cpl Stokes turned the boat around and went back down stream and met back up with the other three stranded. Cpl Stokes told them that the water was too shallow and they were going to have to go back down river and that a fog was setting in making visitation too dangerous for a return trip. Cpl Stokes told them he would call for a helicopter to pick them up on a sand bar or the three could sleep till daylight and walk out in the morning. They choose to stay. The others were taken back to the county landing. 
BERRIEN COUNTY On June 12th , Cpl. Morty Wood assisted the Berrien County Sheriff's Office in the search for an escaped inmate. Cpl. Wood used a hand held FLIR unit and located the subject hiding in a ditch near a railroad track in Nashville. The escapee was arrested without incident. 
On June 15th, Cpl. Morty Wood assisted deputies with the Berrien County Sheriff's Office with an alleged in-progress "meth cook" taking place in the West Berrien area. Being familiar with the area, Cpl. Wood lead 2 deputies through the woods and conducted surveillance on the mobile home. After a short period of time, enough evidence was seen by the officers and five people were subsequently arrested. 
Region VII- Brunswick (Coastal) 
WAYNE COUNTY On June 16th, Cpl Bobby White responded to an in progress stranded boaters call at 
 
 3:00 A.M. in the morning on the Altamaha River. The four boaters were caught in a thunderstorm and were close to having hypothermia when Cpl White found them. He pulled them to safety at Johnston Station Landing in Long County. 
BRYAN COUNTY On June 12th, RFC Jack Thain, Cpl. Phillip Scott, and Sgt. James Shelton patrolled the Medway River to St. Catherine's Sound area. One person was cited for failure to allow inspection of wildlife (fish) and another for operating above idle speed within 100 feet of a dock. On June 18th, Cpl. Scott and Sgt. Shelton cited four persons for violation of range rules at the Richmond Hill WMA shooting range. 
GLYNN COUNTY On June 18th, while on routine salt water patrol, Cpl. Jesse Cook and RFC Rebekah Huson came upon a yacht that had grounded itself atop the rocks of the jetties between Jekyll Creek and the South Brunswick River. Officers assisted a commercial towing company with removal of the vessel by slowing boat traffic in the area. No injuries were reported from the incident. 
CAMDEN COUNTY On June 14th and 15th, Sgt. Chris Hodge, Cpl. Jesse Cook, RFC Craig Smith, and RFC Rebekah Huson assisted the Georgia Forestry Commission, Camden County Sheriff's Office, and Camden County Fire and Rescue with a 1200 acre wildfire in north Camden County. Officers assisted with evacuating residences, blocking roadways, and locating new fires for the Forestry officers. 
On June 16th, Sgt. Chris Hodge responded to a call at Borrell Creek in St Mary's in reference to a small boat floating in the creek with no one in the boat. Sgt. Hodge made contact with the boat and discovered that it had no motor and it appeared to have floated away from someone's dock. The boat was secured later in the evening. On June 18th, Sgt. Chris Hodge responded to a report of someone taking Gopher Tortoises from property of Escott Road in Kingsland. The complainant had given Sgt. Hodge the tag number of the vehicle. Using the registration information, Sgt. Hodge 
 
 made contact with a subject at his residence who advised Sgt. Hodge that he had been out looking for Gophers. Sgt. Hodge obtained consent to search the suspect's property and located seven (7) live Gopher tortoises being held in a cage on the property. The live Gophers were confiscated and the subject was cited for Taking/Possessing Non-game species. 
BRANTLEY COUNTY On June 16th and 17th, Capt. Doug Lewis, Sgt. Chris Hodge, Cpl. Chris Ridley, RFC Craig Smith, and RFC Rebekah Huson responded to Hwy 121 south of Hoboken to assist the Brantley County Sheriff's Office and the Georgia Forestry Commission with a wildfire that had burned over the highway from Charlton County. Officers assisted the Sheriff's Office with evacuating residences and escorting Georgia Forestry tractors from Camden County to the fire in Brantley County.