The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Division of Law Enforcement Weekly Report from Dec. 29 - Jan. 4 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.

Glades County

• Officer Watson received multiple complaints about people illegally entering and hunting a piece of land owned by the South Florida Water Management District. Previous attempts to locate the subjects were unsuccessful. Officer Watson received a call from a Glades County Sheriff’s Office deputy that the subjects were caught on camera entering the property again in a dark colored truck. Officer Watson and the Glades County Sheriff’s deputy worked together and located the subject and conducted a traffic stop on SFWMD property. The subject had hunting dogs and admitted to entering the property to hunt with his dogs. The subject received citations for illegally entering SFWMD lands and for hunting on SFWMD lands posted as closed to hunting. Multiple warnings were also issued for other violations.

Okeechobee County

• Officer Dziewiatkowski was working surveillance along the Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park’s south boundary when he observed a vehicle traveling slowly along the south fence line. While watching the vehicle, Officer Dziewiatkowski observed a light being displayed from the vehicle into the state park’s interior palmettos and grasslands. The officer contacted the vehicle and through his investigations found the vehicle operator to be night hunting the state park from a roadway. The subject was issued the appropriate citation.

• Officer Dziewiatkowski was working surveillance near the same location within the Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park when he observed a vehicle traveling along the boundary displaying a light from the vehicle into the state park’s interior palmettos and grasslands. Officer Dziewiatkowski contacted the vehicle and through another investigation, found the occupants to be hunting from the roadway with the use of high-powered air rifles and spotlights. The subjects were issued the appropriate citations.