Field operations weekly report, 2011 September 4-10

Department of Natural Resources
Wildlife Resources Division Law Enforcement Section
Field Operations
Weekly Report September 4-10, 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)
BARTOW COUNTY On August 17th, Sgt. Mike Barr received a call from RFC Bart Hendrix about a reported stolen pontoon boat on Lake Allatoona. The caller had found an abandoned boat near Bethany Bridge. The caller reported that he boarded the boat, which did not have a registration, and found some shoes on the boat. He also reported that another ski boat showed up claiming the boat. Bartow County Sheriff's Office arrived at the Red Top boat ramp and turned on their blue lights and the ski boat quickly left. A person from the ski boat boarded the pontoon boat. The Sheriff's office held the boat until Sgt. Barr and RFC Hendrix arrived. The person on the pontoon boat stated he belonged to a boat club out of Holiday Marina and paid dues to rent the boat. He could not verify the registration. The Rangers ran the hull identification and the boat did not come back as stolen. The operator was issued a citation for operating a vessel without a valid registration. The marina that owned the boat was contacted the following day and admitted they had the boat for almost a year and had not registered the boat.
On August 28th, Cpl. Lee Burns and Cpl. Chip Cox were conducting a late concentrated patrol on Allatoona Lake due to recent reports of burglaries and assaults in the Clark Creek area. At 2:00am, the two Rangers approached Bethany Bridge and noticed a boat sitting in the dark without navigational lights. As they approached the vessel, the owner used his cell phone light as an anchor light. As the rangers approached, Cpl. Burns noticed a clear bag containing a green leafy substance sticking out of the operator's pocket. The operator stuck his hand in that pocket. For officer safety, Cpl. Burns asked the operator to remove his hand from his pocket. The operator not only removed his hand, but his quickly grabbed what was in his pocket and threw it in the lake. Unfortunately, he threw his car keys in the lake along with the clear bag of suspected marijuana. The bag floated, the keys did not. The Rangers obtained the bag of suspected marijuana. The operator was arrested and charged with operating a vessel without navigational lights and violation of the Georgia controlled substance act. The Rangers assisted with obtaining a secondary set of keys to the operator's truck.
On September 2nd, Cpl. Lee Burns and RFC Bart Hendrix received a call for assistance from the Bartow County Sheriff's Office. An anonymous caller stated that a human

remains skeleton could be found on the bank near the bridge at Clark Creek and was very specific to the location. Cpl. Burns and RFC Hendrix searched the area by boat, but were unable to locate any human remains. While returning at approximately 11:30pm, the DNR Rangers encountered an intoxicated boater and placed him under arrest for boating under the influence.
On September 3rd, Sgt. Mike Barr, Cpl. Lee Burns, and a DNR Intern checked the Pine Log WMA dove hunt and then checked fields around Taylorsville in Bartow County. Very few violations were encountered throughout the day. Some HIP license violations were found but handled with verbal guidance. After dark, the Rangers checked the Etowah River at Henry Floyds hay field and found several young men rolling and smoking a combination of suspected synthetic and real marijuana. The Rangers confiscated the drug paraphernalia and suspected synthetic and real marijuana for further testing.
On September 4th, Cpl. Lee Burns patrolled the Bartow/Cherokee County line on Salacoa Road, listening for dove shoots. Cpl. Burns located two young men hunting over bait (wheat seed) and one with an unplugged shotgun. One hunter was consuming alcohol and was checked for hunting under the influence. Both people were charged for hunting over bait and one warned for hunting with an unplugged shotgun.
On September 4th, Sgt. Mike Barr, Cpl. Lee Burns, Cpl. Byron Young, RFC Brooks Varnell and his K-9 "Rock", and RFC Bart Hendrix responded to ongoing complaints of marine toilet violations, criminal activity, and people living on boats at Holiday Marina in a joint effort with the Allatoona Army Corp of Engineers. The Rangers from DNR and the Corp spent several hours walking the docks at the Holiday Marina giving advice on boat registrations, boating safety, checking marine toilet certifications, and talking to boat owners about the recent rise in criminal activity. Sgt. Barr noticed concern from a boat owner who was allowing several jet-skis to be tied up in his boat slip. Sgt. Barr checked the hull identification number of one jet-ski and found that it had been stolen from Bartow County. The jet-ski was recovered. The incident is still under investigation.

On September 10th, Cpl. Lee Burns walked in on Stamp Creek on Pine Log WMA for approximately one mile to locate fishermen. Two fishermen were found and charged for fishing without a license. Cpl. Lee Burns was en-route home, but stopped to check one last fisherman at Pumpkinvine Creek. While checking the fishermen, Cpl. Burns heard a dove shoot just down the road on the Etowah River. As Cpl. Burns pulled into the field, he witnessed four subjects running off the field. Cpl. Burns jumped out to give chase and noticed the roadway baited with wheat and millet seeds. Cpl. Burns was able to apprehend four out of six hunters. All six were charged for hunting over bait and one was charged for hunting without a license.
CARROLL COUNTY On September 4th, Cpl. Eric Brown was patrolling Carroll County for Dove activity. Late in the morning he came across a shoot located in a pasture field. Upon further investigation, it was discovered to be baited with cracked corn. Nine subjects were cited for hunting over bait and illegal possession of wildlife. Two of the subjects were given verbal warnings for failure to comply with the HIP requirements. On September 10th, Cpl. Eric Brown was patrolling Carroll County for Deer activity. Early that morning he found one subject hunting deer over bait. The subject was charged for hunting big game over bait. On September 10th, Cpl. Eric Brown was investigating a complaint of a buck deer being kept as a pet. Upon arriving on the scene he found a 5-point buck in the pasture behind the house. The buck was confiscated and the subject was cited for possessing a game animal without a permit.

CHEROKEE COUNTY On September 2nd (0230 hours), Cpl. Byron Young, RFC Bart Hendrix, and RFC Brooks Varnell responded to a boat crash on Lake Allatoona near Harbor Town Marina. Five adult males were on a 21-foot Sea Ray that ignored hazard poles and ran up on the shore 16 feet between an island and the Allatoona WMA. Cpl. Young and RFC Hendrix responded to the scene and interviewed the operator and another passenger about the events. A third party had left the scene and his exact location was unclear. The operator was not under the influence of alcohol and said he was not aware of any alcohol on the boat, however, the Rangers discovered empty beer cans and bottles all around the boat that were thrown into the lake. RFC Varnell interviewed the boat owner and victim at Kennestone Hospital. The victim suffered a broken septum and laceration to his cheek. The injured parties told RFC Varnell that a missing passenger was camping on the lake. Cpl. Young and RFC Hendrix responded to the campsite and found the individual and spoke with him and he admitted to throwing out the alcohol containers into the lake. He was charged with littering. The Rangers assisted all parties with reporting the boating crash and retrieval of their boat off of the sandbar.
FANNIN COUNTY On August 29th, a Fannin County man was found guilty of hunting from a public road, hunting from a vehicle, and hunting out of season in the Fannin County probate court. The charges stemmed from an investigation by RFC Cody Jones on January 17th 2011 where a spike buck (pictured above) was shot from a vehicle and from a public road. The defendant was fined $1,370 and given 12 months probation, during which time his hunting privileges are suspended.

On August 30th, RFC Cody Jones and Sgt. John VanLandingham executed a search warrant at a McCaysville residence. The officers located two live deer being held in an enclosure beside the residence. Game Management personnel were called in to take the two animals into custody. Charges are pending.
On August 31st, RFC Cody Jones work a boating incident on Lake Blue Ridge after a 2012 Super Air Nautique caught fire and sank while the occupants were skiing. No one was injured in the incident.
GILMER COUNTY On August 31st, Sgt. John VanLandingham and RFC Cody Jones completed an investigation into the illegal killing of a five point and an eleven-point buck. The officers seized the antlers of the deer and charged two suspects with hunting deer out of season, hunting big game from a public road, and hunting from a motor vehicle.
PAULDING COUNTY On September 1st, RFC Chad Cox along with volunteer hunter safety instructors completed teaching the hunter safety class. The class was held at Paulding Meadows Park in Dallas and 52 people were certified.
POLK COUNTY On September 3rd, Cpl. Ricky Dempsey, RFC Chad Cox, RFC James Psillis and Tech. Daniel Grey checked dove fields in Polk Co. They issued one citation for hunting without a license. The number of dove harvested was low, possibly due to the hot and dry weather.
Region II- Gainesville (Northeast)
DAWSON COUNTY On September 4th, Sgt. Lee Brown was patrolling Dawson Forest WMA at the Edge of the World. He observed several subjects consuming alcohol. Sgt. Brown encountered the subjects on the trail and escorted them to the parking lot. Written warnings were issued for this infraction.

FORSYTH COUNTY On September 4th, Sgt. Lee Brown went to Northside Forsyth Hospital in Cumming to interview subjects that were in a boating accident. The accident occurred in Baldridge Creek on Lake Lanier. This incident is still under investigation.
GWINNETT COUNTY On September 4th, Cpl. Eric Sanders and Cpl. Eddie Tompkins responded to a drowning that occurred on Peachtree Creek in Norcross. The creek was high due to the heavy rain. The next morning Cpl. Freddie Hays went to the area to assist with the search for the subject. The subject was located about 1.5 miles from where he went missing.
HALL COUNTY On September 4th, Cpl. Freddie Hays and RFC Mitchell Crump responded to a drowning in Shoal Creek on Lake Lanier. A subject jumped off of a boat and did not come back up. Divers looked for the subject until dark without any success. The body was recovered the next day by the Hall County Sheriff's Office dive team.
On September 10th, RFC Mitchell Crump was working the Rowing Venue event on Lake Lanier. He encountered one violation of "Failure to obey regulatory marker."
WHITE COUNTY On Saturday, September 3rd, RFC Anne Alexander, Wildlife Technician Brandon Walls, and Wildlife Technician Eric Wood assisted the US Forest Service with a road check on Chattahoochee WMA and Hwy 75 North. Citations included possession of marijuana, open container, and seat belt violations.
TOWNS COUNTY On Thursday, September 8th, while on patrol, CPL Jesse Cook responded to a motorcycle accident with injuries on Highway 75 between Helen and Hiawassee. Upon arrival CPL Cook assisted EMS with a white/female that had been injured in the crash. He also assisted with traffic control with the Towns County Sheriff's Office. This stretch of Highway 75 is extremely dangerous and has seen many motorcycle accidents.
MADISON COUNTY On September 4th, RFC Shane Sartor and Sgt. Stan Elrod patrolled dove fields. Several fields were checked. One citation was written for possession of over the daily bag limit. One hunter was found to be in possession of 17 doves.
FRANKLIN COUNTY On September 4th, Cpl. Bill Bunch and Cpl. Craig Fulghum patrolled Lake Hartwell. One subject was arrested for boating under the influence. The two Rangers also issued various other cases and warnings for boating violations.

Region III- Thomson (East Central)
WARREN COUNTY On September 10th, Sgt Doyte Chaffin and RFC Brian Adams conducted a concentrated hunting patrol for dove and deer activity. Two subjects were warned for hunting without a license.
COLUMBIA COUNTY On September 11, Sgt Doyte Chaffin and RFC Brian Adams conducted a I and E program at Camp Tangle Wood for the Girl Scouts on Canoe Safety.
LINCOLN COUNTY On September 10th, Cpl Ryan Swain and Park Manager III Chris Hawn conducted an investigation on an alleged aggravated assault at Elijah Clark State Park involving a handgun.
RICHMOND COUNTY On September 10, Cpl. Ben Payne patrolled Richmond and Burke County checking hunters on Phinizy and Yuichi WMA. Minor violations were noted. He also checked one dove field in Richmond County that morning.
BURKE COUNTY On September 4, RFC Jeffrey Billips patrolled Burke County for dove hunters. No violations were observed. RFC Billips assisted RFC Grant Matherly in Jefferson County with a baited dove field. On September 5, RFC's Billips and Matherly investigated a hunting incident in Johnson County that occurred on September 3.
ELBERT COUNTY On September 4, Cpl. Julian Wilkins and Cpl. Greg Colson caught 2 subjects hunting doves over a baited clear cut. The clear cut had been baited with wheat. Several violations were addressed including hunting over bait.
WILKES COUNTY On Sunday September 4, RFC Phillip Nelson and Wildlife Tech. Mark Patterson caught 5 subjects hunting doves over a pasture baited with wheat. When the subjects learned that the officers were on the property they ran. All of the subjects were eventually found and violations that were addressed included hunting over bait, fleeing and attempting to elude, and hunting without a license.
OGLETHORPE COUNTY On Wednesday September 7, Sgt. Brian Carter was going to meet a subject about a baited dove field when he saw a dark black cloud of smoke. Sgt. Carter eventually found the source of the smoke and it was a car that had caught fire in the owner's front yard. After making sure no one was in the vehicle Sgt. Carter notified Oglethorpe County Fire

Department to have the fire extinguished. The suspected cause of the blaze was a battery charger. The owner was not at home at the time of the fire.
WALTON COUNTY On Monday September 5, RFC Niki Spencer responded to a night hunting complaint. The complainant saw two subjects cleaning a deer in their yard around 1 a.m. RFC Spencer arrived and after several conflicting stories from the 2 subjects, it was determined that they had been night hunting and shot the deer with a crossbow. They brought the deer back to the residence and were cleaning it when the complainant saw them. Violations that were addressed included hunting at night, hunting from a public road, and hunting from a motor vehicle.
GREENE COUNTY On September 9th, Cpl. Derrell Worth found one baited dove field in Greensboro. The field was baited with wheat. Four people were on the baited field. Cpl. Worth checked several fields in the Greene County area and only one was found in violation.
MORGAN COUNTY On September 10th, RFC Ricky Boles checked several dove fields in Morgan County. He issued one subject a warning for an unplugged shotgun.
Region IV- Macon (West Central)
BALDWIN COUNTY On the afternoon of September 5th Cpl. Bubba Stanford was patrolling eastern Baldwin County when he located a dove shoot behind a residence. A total of nine hunters were on the field and the field was found to be baited with scratch feed. Appropriate citations and warnings were issued for the violations.
On the afternoon of September 10th RFC Josh Copelan and Cpl. Bubba Stanford, along with several agents from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, checked a dove field in southeast Baldwin County and located 11 hunters. The field was found to be baited with wheat and 116 mourning doves were seized. The incident is still under investigation.
BUTTS COUNTY On September 10th, at approximately 9:00 a.m. Sgt. Tim Kendrick and RFC Billy Bryant responded to a hunting incident in Butts County. The Rangers investigated what they found to be a fall from a tree stand. A board came off of a home-made deer stand ladder causing the victim to fall nearly 20 feet.
HARRIS COUNTY On September 10th Cpl. Mitch Oliver assisted Tech. IV Mike Crumbley with checking the dove fields at Blanton Creek WMA. During the morning hunt, the officers checked 5 hunters who were on the shoot but hadn't been drawn for the quota hunt. The hunters were written warnings for the violations. During the evening hours, Cpl. Oliver went back to the area and checked an individual on one of the fields who did not have a WMA license and was also hunting with an unplugged shotgun.

JONES COUNTY On the morning of September 4th Cpl. Bill Goodson and RFC Josh Copelan checked four dove hunters in the southwest part of the county. The area they were hunting was found to be baited with cracked corn and wheat and appropriate citations and warnings were issued for the offenses.
On the morning of September 5th Cpl. Bubba Stanford and Cpl. Bill Goodson located three individuals hunting doves in a millet field on a hunting club. The officers located wheat in the field; one of the hunters admitted to placing the wheat in the field and appropriate citations and warnings were issued.
MUSCOGEE COUNTY On September 10th Cpl. Mitch Oliver, Cpl. Jeremy Bolen, and Intern Bryan Reynolds checked hunting activity on Standing Boy Creek WMA. The officers checked eight hunters. Two warnings were issued for hunting without a license.
PUTNAM COUNTY On the afternoon of September 4th RFC Josh Copelan and Cpl. Bill Goodson located a hunter hunting doves on a hunting club. The hunter had hunted over a freshly planted food plot and was given a warning for hunting doves over bait.
On the afternoon of September 5th RFC Josh Copelan responded to Crooked Creek Marina on Lake Sinclair in reference to a boating incident. A ski boat had collided with a Jetski but no serious injuries were received. The incident is still under investigation.
TAYLOR COUNTY On the afternoon of September 10th Cpl. John Harkins and Sgt. Tony Fox checked several dove shoots in the northern portion of Taylor County. One hunter was cited for hunting without a license.
TROUP COUNTY On September 10th Sgt. Jim Bradfield, Cpl. Jeremy Bolen, and Intern Bryan Reynolds checked on a complaint regarding an individual having picked up a raccoon in their back yard; the raccoon bit the individual, so he gave the animal to some family members in another county. The animal eventually bit three more people and then began acting sick. The health department determined that the raccoon was rabid and informed the parties they needed to be vaccinated. After the officers spoke with the initial person in contact with the raccoon, he was issued a citation for possession of a game animal without a permit.
UPSON COUNTY On September 4th, at approximately 8:30 am, Cpl. Susan Morris heard shots and located a group of dove hunters in Upson Co. While walking along the plowed rows in route to each hunter, she observed piles of millet on the ground. After talking with the hunters, they stated they had prepared the field, however, no one knew where the piles of millet came from. Cpl. Morris explained to them the field was baited and issued citations for hunting doves over bait and warnings to several hunters for not have the H.I.P. permit.

Region V- Albany (Southwest)
SEMINOLE COUNTY On September 10th, Sgt. Rick Sellars and RFC David Brady conducted a patrol on Lake Seminole to check for alligator and teal hunting violations. Two duck hunters were cited for hunting out of season and 1 Wood Duck was confiscated.
DECATUR COUNTY On the evening of September 10th, Capt. Jeff Swift, Sgt. Rick Sellars, and RFC David Brady patrolled the Flint River during the Drag Boat race held in Bainbridge. During the event, a ski boat attempted to bypass security personnel and travel through the racecourse. When the vessel was stopped, the operator displayed signs of impairment and failed field sobriety exercises. He was arrested and charged for operating a vessel under the influence.
WORTH COUNTY On September 4th, Cpl. Robbie Griner recovered a boat which had been reported stolen out of Worth County. Cpl Griner released the vessel to the Sylvester Police Dept and assisted them in the investigation.
Region VI- Metter (Southeast)
TOOMBS COUNTY On September 9, 2011 RFC Clint Jarriel and RFC Danielle O'Connor responded to a hunting incident in Toombs County. Upon investigation it was determined the incident to be an accidental shooting of a squirrel hunter with a twelve gauge shotgun using buckshot. Both hunters were charged for hunting w/o a license and one of them was also charged for hunting w/ illegal ammo. The victim was struck with three pellets from a single shot of buck shot. Victim was treated and released from Meadows in Vidalia Ga.
DODGE COUNTY On September 10th, while listening for dove activity, Cpl. Johnny Ashe located a dove shoot on the County lines of Dodge, Pulaski and Bleckley. After checking the (6) hunters and inspecting the field it was found to be a grass field baited with wheat seed, the field was shut down and the hunters advised of the situation. The owner of the property admitted to adding the wheat to the field and was issued a citation for the offense.
LAURENS COUNTY On the afternoon of the 10th, Cpl. Johnny Ashe received a complaint of shot hitting a house off highway 257 on Bailey lane. Once on scene Cpl. Ashe began to check the hunters of the field and noticed that in two areas of the corn field, there was a small amount of wheat and other seed scattered in the field. After speaking with the owner of the field, he admitted to putting "scratch feed" and the wheat out but did try to harrow it in. The field was shut down and all of the hunters were advised of the situation, the owner was issued a citation for the offense.

CLINCH COUNTY On Sept. 10th, Cpl. Damon Winters responded to a hunting incident in the Fargo area. The victim was walking out of the hunting area, when he stumbled and fell. The victim was carrying his bow with an arrow nocked, which stuck into his leg near the ankle, causing a serious puncture wound. Medical treatment was received and his prognosis is good.
ECHOLS COUNTY On Sept. 4th, Sgt. Patrick Dupree was patrolling for dove hunting activity near the Howell area when he discovered an abandoned diesel fuel tank that had been left on a county roadway. The tank was mounted on a trailer with double axles and both right side tires had blown out, yet the trailer had continued to be pulled until the rims were destroyed. An Echols Sheriff's deputy was contacted and the suspected stolen tank was recovered awaiting identification by the owner. On Sept. 5th, Sgt. Patrick Dupree located a dove shoot near Bethel Church. Twenty hunters were checked and two of the hunters possessed expired Harvest Information Program (HIP) licenses. The hunters did not realize that the HIP license now expires at the end of February each year. Each was given verbal guidance.
LANIER AND ATKINSON COUNTY On September 10th, RFC Tim Hutto checked several dove fields around the Willacoochee area. Violations were documented for hunting without a license and hunting migratory birds without a HIP license. Later in the evening Sgt. Patrick Dupree, RFC Tim Hutto, and RFC Keith McDonald checked several dove shoots around the Good Hope area in Lanier County. Violations were documented for hunting without a license, hunting migratory birds without a HIP license and hunting with an unplugged shotgun.
BERRIEN COUNTY On September 11th, RFC Tim Hutto, K-9 "Gauge" and RFC Keith McDonald patrolled Paradise PFA for boating and fishing activity. Later in the evening, RFC Hutto observed several subjects in the back of the PFA consuming alcohol. As RFC Hutto approached the area, he observed one of the male subjects hide something in a five gallon bucket. RFC Hutto approached the subjects and searched the bucket, which turned up a loaded 9mm handgun. The subjects were also consuming beer and liquor drinks in an area around children. The subjects were escorted off the area and charged with fishing without a WMA license on a PFA, illegal consumption of alcohol on a PFA and illegal possession of a firearm on a PFA.
BULLOCH COUNTY On the morning of Saturday September 10th, CPL. Eddie Akins checked a small dove shoot in Bulloch County. His actions resulted in violations for hunting with an unplugged shotgun and hunting without a license.
Region VII- Brunswick (Coastal)