|
|
|
|
||
|
|||
|
|||
|
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2007 NEWS |
|
OYSTER OPENING BUSY FOR L.D.W.F. AGENTS TWO MEN CITED FOR RED DRUM VIOLATIONS IN PLAQUEMINES PARISH FRANKLIN PARISH MAN CITED FOR CLOSED SEASON SQUIRREL HUNTING ON BIG LAKE W.M.A. L.D.W.F. AGENTS EXCEL IN LITTER ENFORCEMENT POACHERS LOSE HUNTING PRIVILEGES FOR FIVE YEARS L.D.W.F. ENFORCEMENT DIVISION TO OFFER MARITIME SEARCH AND RESCUE COURSE TO QUALIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS FIVE JENA MEN CITED FOR MIGRATORY VIOLATIONS NATIONAL HUNTING AND FISHING DAY RECOGNIZED ACROSS STATE FIVE MEN CITED FOR ALLEGED ALLIGATOR VIOLATIONS
OYSTER OPENING BUSY FOR L.D.W.F. AGENTS Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division agents from Region 8 and the Oyster Strike Force issued a total of 59 criminal citations to alleged oyster violators and 441 sacks of oysters were seized on the public seed grounds east of the Mississippi River between the opening of the season on Sept. 5, 2007 and Sept. 21, 2007. Agents made daily patrols in the area checking for compliance with minimum size requirements for oysters. State law mandates that the minimum size for oysters taken from the public seed ground at 3 inches in length from the hinge to the mouth. Among the citations agents issued, 29 were for taking undersized oysters from a natural reef, 11 for failure to display proper numbers on a vessel, six for sanitation code violations, five for taking commercial fish without a commercial gear license, four for violations of the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission rules and regulations due to the illegal taking of oysters from a closed cultch area in Black Bay, two for no running lights, and one for taking or possessing commercial fish without a vessel license. The violations ranged from Class 1 to Class 3 and can carry penalties from $50 to $500, or jail time between 15 to 90 days, or both plus court costs. These citations were a result of a group enforcement effort and long hours put in by the agents of Region 8 and the Oyster Strike Force.
TWO MEN CITED FOR RED DRUM VIOLATIONS IN PLAQUEMINES PARISH Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division agents cited two men for alleged recreational fishing violations on Oct. 6 in Plaquemines Parish. Derrick A. Jones, 44, of Harvey, and Dwayne A. Jackson, 44, of Avondale, were each cited for allegedly taking over the legal limit of red drum, taking undersized red drum, taking over the legal limit of black drum and taking undersized black drum. Agents stopped the two men near the Jefferson Lake Canal as they were fishing from a boat and found them to be in possession of 45 red drum, 40 of which were under the legal length of 16 inches, and 13 black drum, 10 of which were under the legal limit of 16 inches. The daily limit on black drum and red drum is five fish per person per day. If convicted, the penalty for possessing over the limit of red drum on the water carries a fine of up to $950, or jail time up to 120 days, or both, plus court costs and forfeiture of anything seized. Taking undersized red drum, taking over the limit of black drum and taking undersized black drum are each punishable by fines of up to $350, or jail time up to 60 days, or both plus court costs. The state shall also assess a civil penalty for the value of each illegal fish. All the fish were seized and later donated to charity. Agents participating in the case were Sgt. Adam Young, and Senior Agent Villere Reggio.
FRANKLIN PARISH MAN CITED FOR CLOSED SEASON SQUIRREL HUNTING ON BIG LAKE W.M.A. Joshua Wade Dunn, 22, of Winnsboro was cited on Oct. 2 for allegedly squirrel hunting during a closed season and violating Wildlife Management Area regulations on Big Lake WMA by possessing a firearm when no gun season was in progress. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Sgt. Larry May and Agent John Hendrix observed Dunn as he left the WMA and made his way back to his residence. Dunn’s residence was approximately 100 yards from the boundary of the WMA. Dunn had 12 squirrels and a .22 rifle in his possession. The penalty for hunting squirrels during the closed season is a fine of up to $500, jail for not more than 90 days, or both plus court costs. The violation of WMA rules and regulations carries a fine of up to $350, jail for up to 60 days, or both plus court costs. Squirrel season opened in Louisiana on Saturday, Oct. 6.
L.D.W.F. AGENTS EXCEL IN LITTER ENFORCEMENT For the second consecutive year, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sr. Agent Toby Miller received the Keep Louisiana Beautiful Litter Enforcement Officer of the Year award. Miller, a Kentwood resident, accepted the award at the Oct. 4 meeting of the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission. Keep Louisiana Beautiful Executive Director Leigh Harris presented the award. She thanked Miller for his work and dedication to litter prevention. Harris also presented Col. Winton Vidrine, head of the LDWF Enforcement Division with the Keep Louisiana Law Enforcement Award, presented to the law enforcement agency that has done the most to promote a clean Louisiana in the previous year. Lt. Col. Jeff Mayne noted that in the past year the division as a whole issued 336 gross litter citations and 478 simple litter citations, more than any other law enforcement agency in the state. Col. Vidrine said that the division’s aggressive stance on litter stems from their desire to keep our natural areas and roadsides pristine.
POACHERS LOSE HUNTING PRIVILEGES FOR FIVE YEARS John N. Miller, 35, of Flatwoods, and Robert R. Bordelon, 28, of Boyce, both pled guilty on Sept. 7, 2007, in 9th Judicial District Court to several hunting violations. Judge Thomas M. Yeager accepted the guilty pleas, fined both men, sentenced each to jail and revoked their hunting privileges for five years. Miller and Bordelon both pled guilty to hunting from a moving vehicle, two counts each of hunting deer at night, hunting deer during a closed season and possession of illegal game. Yeager ordered Miller to pay $3,656 in fines and court costs, pay $500 to Operation Game Thief and sentenced him to 90 days in prison with 60 of those days suspended. Yeager ordered Bordelon to pay $3,256 in fines and court costs, pay $400 to Operation Game Thief and sentenced him to 90 days in prison with 80 of those days suspended. Yeager also ordered Miller and Bordelon each to pay $1,573.62 in restitution to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) for the deer they killed illegally. Judge Yeager placed both men on supervised probation for two years and ordered them to pay a $55 per month supervision fee. Yeager then ordered the 12-gauge shotgun used by Miller and Bordelon to be forfeited to LDWF. The guilty pleas stem from an investigation by LDWF Enforcement Division agents, which began on June 22, 2007. According to statements from witnesses and those involved, the violations were the result of Carlos A. Pickering, 38, of Boyce, allegedly asking Miller to get him some deer on June 21, 2007. Miller then killed one deer while driving along on Hwy. 8 around 10 p.m. Miller later got with Bordelon and they killed two more deer in Kisatchie National Forest near Flatwoods between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. Miller and Bordelon then took the three deer and dropped them off in the Pickering’s yard. When the Pickering’s awoke and found the deer, two of the deer had already spoiled. The two spoiled deer were hauled off and the other deer was cleaned and divided among relatives. Pickering is currently awaiting trial on three counts of possession of illegally taken deer in this case. Rapides Parish Assistant District Attorney Michael W. Shannon prosecuted the case against Miller and Bordelon. Lt. Eric Stokes, Sgt. Travis Burnett, Sgt. Rusty Perry, Senior Agent Douglas Anderson, Senior Agent Byron Cammack and Senior Agent Spencer Cole participated in the case.
L.D.W.F. ENFORCEMENT DIVISION TO OFFER MARITIME SEARCH AND RESCUE COURSE TO QUALIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Law Enforcement Division (LDWF/LED) was recently granted approval by the Louisiana Police Officers Standards and Training (POST) Council to offer the Maritime Search and Rescue Course (MSARC) to qualified POST certified peace officers. In the months after the devastating landfalls of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, several law enforcement agencies across the state of Louisiana realized a vital need to train officers in all aspects of search and rescue (SAR), especially maritime search and rescue. The LDWF/LED is the primary agency for search and rescue in the state and the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) designated lead for SAR operations. LDWF/LED agents have several decades of experience in boating safety enforcement, maritime patrol enforcement and maritime search and rescue, and the division has received several requests from law enforcement agencies to provide maritime SAR training to their officers. As a result, LDWF/LED designed and implemented the 40 hour MSARC to train other law enforcement officers in such areas as marine search and rescue, Louisiana Emergency Operation Plans (ESF-9 SAR), navigation rules, vessel handling, waterborne arrest techniques and more. The first offerings of the course have been scheduled for Oct. 29-Nov. 2, 2007 and Nov. 12-Nov. 16, 2007. Officers must be Louisiana POST certified peace officers and have successfully completed a National Association of State Boating Law Administrators or U.S. Coast Guard approved boating education course before being eligible to attend the course. Law enforcement agencies interested in having their officers attend the course or for more information on the course itself can contact LDWF/LED at 225-765-2980.
FIVE JENA MEN CITED FOR MIGRATORY VIOLATIONS On the opening day of the special September teal season Sept. 15, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division agents cited five men for taking over the limit of teal ducks in LaSalle Parish. Agents cited Steve C. Norris, 50, Bard D. Lambuth, 50, Daniel Keith Ganey, 23, Jesse Lee Parker, 26, and Justin Conley Norris, 26, all of Jena for taking over the legal limit of migratory waterfowl. Agents observed the five men shooting ducks from a blind. An individual from the blind retrieved the downed birds on three different occasions and placed them into a burlap sack positioned approximately 100 yards behind the blind. When agents made contact with these five individuals, they were found to be in possession of 45 teal. The daily bag limit for teal is four and the possession limit is eight per person. Agents seized the teal as evidence and later donated them to charity. Taking over the limit of ducks carries a fine up to $15,000, or jail time up to six months, or both, plus special conditions of probation which may include loss of hunting privileges world wide. Agents participating in the case were Sgt. Brian McDowell, Lt. Kenneth Hedrick, and Senior Agent Joseph Merrill.
NATIONAL HUNTING AND FISHING DAY RECOGNIZED ACROSS STATE More than 6,700 people throughout Louisiana celebrated National Hunting and Fishing Day (NHFD) with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) on Sept. 22 at events in Baton Rouge, Minden, Woodworth and Monroe. At the Baton Rouge event, almost 1,500 people enjoyed skeet shooting, a catfish pool, youth fishing contest, archery and canoeing among other activities. Once again, the “Paradise Louisiana” outdoors show was on hand to capture the day’s events. The wild game tasting booth featured fried alligator, cochon de lait with wild berry barbeque sauce, fried catfish, deer sauce piquant and shrimp salsa. The Baton Rouge event was sponsored in part by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation, The Advocate, Louisiana Fish Fry, Associated Grocers, Progressive Insurance, Coca-Cola and Roy’s Ice. More than 240 volunteers helped with the day’s events. Over 3,000 folks made their way to Woodworth’s NHFD event. Woodworth’s NFHD featured alligator skinning demonstrations and the local LDWF Hunter Education staff provided shooting instructions. In Minden, more than 1,000 visitors participated in NHFD. The LDWF Hunter Education staff manned the skeet and muzzleloader shooting activities, which were busy all day. Deer skinning demonstrations and fishing instructions also received a lot of attention by the public. Bayou State Bowhunters Association members and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers personnel were there to offer archery lessons. At the Monroe NHFD activities, over to 2,200 people attended a day full of skeet shooting, archery, bait casting lessons, fishing and pony rides. The U.S. National Guard also brought a climbing wall that simulates rock climbing. At each location, LDWF personnel provided displays and demonstrations to help educate kids and families about different aspects of the outdoors in Louisiana. Other exhibitors were also on hand to demonstrate different hunting and fishing techniques and to provide more information about the state’s valuable outdoor resources.
FIVE MEN CITED FOR ALLEGED ALLIGATOR VIOLATIONS Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division agents cited Vincent Lester, 56, John Price, 40, Dean Adams, 44, Aubin Landry, 50, all of Morgan City, and Robert Lester, 48 of Meta Mora, Illinois, for alleged alligator violations on Aug. 30, 2007. On August 29, agents received a complaint of baited alligator lines in the Atchafalaya Basin in St. Martin Parish. The season for alligators in this area was not scheduled to open until Sept. 5. Upon investigation of the complaint, agents discovered several baited alligator lines. Agents then set up surveillance of the lines and allegedly observed Vincent Lester and Dean Adams approach a caught alligator and shoot it on Aug. 30. After further investigation, agents also found out that Vincent Lester had John Price, Aubin Landry and Robert Lester assisting him on the hunt in another vessel in the same area. All five men were cited for taking and possessing alligators during a closed season. Agents seized a total of 12 alligators. Three bids were obtained and the alligators were sold to the highest bidder for a total of $2912.55. Agents also seized 28 unused alligator tags, two aluminum boats with outboards and three rifles. If convicted for taking and possessing alligators during a closed season, the subjects could face fines of $400 to $950, or jail time up to 120 days, or both plus court costs and forfeiture of anything seized. Agents participating in this case were Sgt. Winston Michel and Senior Agent Scott Dupre. |