The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Division of Law Enforcement Weekly Report from Jan. 12 - Jan. 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.

Glades County

• Officer Watson was on patrol conducting resource and license inspections on Lake Okeechobee anglers. In this area, crappie must be a minimum of 10 inches to be legal to keep. One subject was found to be in possession of two undersized crappie. A check of the subject’s history revealed he had a previous warning and a citation for the same violation. The subject was issued a notice to appear for the possession of two undersized crappie.

• Officer Watson was patrolling a rural area known for hunting and game violations. He observed a vehicle driving slowly and multiple spotlights being displayed from both sides of the vehicle in a manner capable of disclosing the presence of game. Officer Watson stopped the vehicle to investigate and discovered three subjects in the vehicle along with a rifle, shotgun, and pistol. One of the passengers was found to be a convicted felon. At the end of the investigation, all three subjects were arrested for using a light in a manner capable of displaying the presence of game while in possession of a firearm commonly used to take deer. The felon was also charged with felon in possession of a firearm.

Palm Beach County
• Officer Harris was on patrol off S.R. 80 and the L8 levee when he encountered two vehicles not authorized to access the levee. Upon contact with the driver of the second vehicle, he discovered the subject driver’s license was suspended and there was a seize tag order on the vehicle. In addition, he located a bucket in the open-air bed of the vehicle that contained 13 black bass, four bluegill, one redear sunfish, and a cast net. None of the fish had any visible hook marks. Both drivers were given notice to appear citations for the unauthorized use of vehicles on South Florida Water Management District lands, over-the-bag-limit of black bass and possession of freshwater fish harvested by illegal methods. The second driver’s license was seized, along with the vehicle being towed.