The following are excerpts from recent Texas Parks and Wildlife Department law enforcement reports
Whoops
A Bexar County game warden was patrolling the southside of San Antonio when they saw vehicle tire tracks entering a water treatment facility. The warden entered the property to search for trespassers when he saw a man on a kayak along the banks of the private lake. The suspect caught a five-pound bass, weighed it, took a picture with his cell phone and then put the bass in to his kayak. When the man saw the game warden truck, he said “Hi.” The man told the warden he drove his vehicle around the gate and fence to enter the property. Water treatment security arrived at the scene to sign a non-consent form. The suspect was arrested and booked. The case is pending.
Adopt Don’t Shop
A Mitchell/Howard County game warden received a call about a Howard County resident who admitted to being in possession of a juvenile American Alligator without a proper permit. The warden met with the resident and was able to take custody of the juvenile alligator. When interviewing the resident, the warden discovered that the resident was given the alligator by another individual who could not take care of it. Later that week, the warden met with the original owner who admitted having possession of the alligator. The juvenile alligator was relocated to a rehabilitation center and charges are pending.
Oh, Crap(pie)
Three Williamson County game wardens were checking night fishermen at Lake Granger and the San Gabriel River when they saw a man and woman loading up their fishing gear and getting ready to leave. The warden identified himself and asked if they had any luck, and the woman replied and said they had caught two fish. Both individuals showed the wardens their valid fishing licenses and let the warden see the two fish they had on the stringer. The warden saw a Styrofoam ice chest and asked them if they had any fish in there. The man said, “Yes, we do but one might be small.” The warden opened the ice chest and found two undersized crappies measuring nine inches. Citations and civil restitution were filed.
Fishin' for Trouble
An Orange County game warden and a Newton County game warden teamed up to conduct a Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) patrol out of Sabine Pass into the Gulf of Mexico. On their way back to the port, they spotted a boat doing some commercial fishing and conduced a patrol stop. During their inspection, they found the boat did not display commercial fishing plates. The captain also did not have written authorization to use the license and a helper on the boat was not licensed as a general commercial fisherman. Cases pending on both commercial fishermen.
Honesty Goes a Long Way
A Newton County game warden was patrolling southern Newton County when he saw an ATV being illegally operated on a public roadway while the occupants were holding rifles. When the warden contacted the suspects and noticed they had a spotlight with them. The warden asked them what they were doing, and the group said they were riding around looking for animals to shoot from the roadway, but they hadn’t killed anything yet. Cases are pending.