You just threw that Jewfish in the water. You cannot keep that. Put Come here. What are you doing? I'm fishing, but the the fish I I release is Hey, Jake, it's right here. That's a Jewfish. Jewfish? You cannot keep them. It's bleeding. You threw it in the water. Because he he swallowed my Sir, it doesn't matter. You're here every day. Listen to me. Every day you're fishing with undersized snapper to catch them. You just caught that. And you saw us and you threw it. I'm sorry. No. It's against the law. Oh, okay. It's I need a mask and I can retrieve it. It's dead. Not dead. It is dead. It's blood. But he's still alive. Sir, you cannot keep them. Okay, I listen to you. No, you don't because you've been doing this for days. For days I've been watching you. Okay? But I I I don't do that the first time. Sir, you do it every day. People call you. People call on you. Yeah, they call me that I release. No, you don't. I know you don't. I know for a fact you do not release. Sir, you you believe me? No, I don't believe you. Last time I caught a 28-in snow >> Sir, sir, you just threw the fish in the water and it was dead. It was dead. Don't lie to me right now. I was watching you. I saw you catch it. I saw you put it in your cooler, then you saw us and you started going. And as soon as we pulled up, you went in the cooler and you threw it in the water. Did you not? Yes. Yes. >> fault. You did cuz it's an out-of-season 8346 West Palm. I'm sorry. Sir, you cannot do that. I obey the law. No, you're Sir, right now right now you are detained. You are probably going to jail. Okay? A couple of feet. Yeah, but if I get my mask and I jump in the water and I get it, guess what? You're going to jail. Okay, I'm sorry. No, you're not sorry cuz you've been doing this for weeks. For weeks. I just fish I I I caught Sir, you've been doing it for weeks and every So, listen. I've been watching you for a week now, okay? I'm just going to tell you this. What you do, catch an undersized snapper. It could be a lane snapper, it could be a mutton snapper, and it could be a mangrove snapper. The ones that are legal size, you put them into your cooler cuz they measure them. The ones that are not legal size, you hook them on this pole right here, right here. That's why the line's not on it, and you drop them down, and you try to catch a grouper with undersized fish. Do you not? I do not know. What do you mean you do not know? I will catch you sometime. Last time You will catch little snapper, and what will you do with them? Listen, don't lie to me cuz I've been watching you. What do you do with the little snapper? We do snapper. I won't get the snook. Snook don't eat the little snappers. This is exactly what people do. They catch undersized snapper, like you do, they put them on the hook, like you do, and then they catch Goliath grouper, okay? Sir, you're Why are you playing dumb right now? This is mind-blowing. Yeah, I I release I've been watching you, okay? And then exactly what fish you had in there was a Goliath grouper. And as soon as you saw me, what did you do? Tell me, what did you do? Next time I will What did you What did How How can you release something that's dead? What is that called? No, I will immediately release, cut the line, let them go. Sir, you tell me to keep them alive. Sir, Yes, sir. totally mind-blown right now. What did you do when you saw me come up here? Answer that question. When I drove When we drove the boat up here, what did you do? This time What did you just do? What just happened right now? I I I'm I feel guilty. You feel guilty? Okay, cuz what did you do? I want to keep that grouper. Okay. Jake, how deep is it? I need to get a mask. If I get a mask, I can get it. You don't think it's eaten by now? I don't think it's eaten by now, but it the fish was 100% dead. Do you know of anyone who might have a mask? Uh John or uh James. Mark County SO I'll call him. He'll probably be on his boat. Do you have I don't have James' number. All right. It's going to be right below you. Sir, don't give me this last time. I've been watching you. I know your game. I know what everyone does when they poach the Goliath grouper, and you did it. It's my first time. Sir, it's not your first time. There was a guy down here told me that you were doing it before. Why do you think I've been watching this every single day? Using undersized mangroves now? >> day. Every day. Um Last week I Sir, don't just It's off. And it wasn't live. There's all blood in your cooler. >> Yeah, it was. >> Okay. So, listen. This is what we're doing. You're getting a few charges right now, okay? So, I need to call call the courthouse. Oh, you're going to have a court appearance. 100% you are. I need your driver's license. Where is it? >> No, I I don't want to appeal. I will listen to them how much the money how much they will fine me. You have to go to court. You either go to jail or you go to court later. I'll go to the court later. Where's your driver's license at? In my back pocket. Okay. Which pocket? This one. Come over this way. Anything that's going to poke me? Uh this thing my phone and Phone and okay. And this inside. All right. You know you've been doing this all the time. You know this isn't just a one-time thing. You can shake your head, you can say that anything you want. I know this isn't a one-time thing. You know that day that I checked you down there? You know I watched you for over an hour and I saw how many undersized snapper you put on a hook and how many times you were trying to catch them and as soon as you caught a littler snapper, you changed out the hook and you put them on the hook, okay? So don't don't play me this innocent game that you don't do this, that you don't do that. I already know that you do. Multiple people have called me and multiple people have told me to watch out for you. All right, sir? You're almost in the same outfit every single day that you're out here fishing. Okay. So as soon as I see that hat, I know it's you. So please don't play this innocent game that you don't do this, that this fish was alive, that I was just releasing it, but listen, you were fishing all the way down in that corner, you came and rinsed off your gear, but then you just got a uh uh a a sign from God came to you that you need to release it because you saw our boat coming up. Does that not sound like It doesn't sound like It it is true. What's true? You saw me get the fish and you I saw you catch the fish at that corner? Yeah. Okay. I saw you put the fish into the cooler cuz it was flopping around on the ground and I told my partner, he just caught one. There's something flopping on the ground right now. You came to this station right here, okay? You rinsed off your fishing poles, okay? You rinsed off your hands. Okay? Did you not? Yes. Okay. Then from this station, you started walking, you saw our boat come into this slip right here, okay? Once you saw our boat come into the slip, you started walking a little more and then it clicked to you, that's the fish peeps the fish police. All right? And then you came here and then all of a sudden when you got here, you just had a change of heart and said, I need to release that fish now. Does that make sense? Yes. It does make sense? so is that exactly so what I'm saying is you were going to keep that fish if we weren't here thank you okay so do you want to say how many yards is that away from that fishing pole to here I'd say that's around 30 yards so you had 30 yards to walk to make your decision that you were going to get rid of that fish and you didn't get rid of that fish until you saw us am I right? Yes. Okay. So this isn't a one-time thing you're notorious for doing this okay? And that's why we're here right now where is your driver's license at? In the by the this one? This one? This side? All right we're not going to lose this this is going back in your pocket. That side all right what's in the other side? This is the key. Your key for your car do you have any other fish in your car cuz I know you like to walk kind of walk back and forth is there any fish in your car? Maybe I can what? No no I'm not going to check it do you need to sit down do you need to sit down? If I sit down I'm really hard to stand up. Okay. Okay. Okay. So I need to everyday step 1,000 steps. 1,000 steps okay. Uh the fish that he threw over on us is a protected species and he can't harvest it. So we're already killing a lot of species out here you guys worried about a It's our job sir it's our job. All right. Yeah just All right sir. So right now you are going to receive copies and you need to show up to court for, okay? I'm going to I'm going to show you all that stuff in a second. I'm going to take those handcuffs off you. But listen, the next time I catch you doing this, cuz I already know your game. I already know what you do. Like I said, I've been watching you for a week. The next time I catch you doing this, even if you're fishing with undersized snapper, no matter what, you're going to Martin County jail, no matter what. So, if I see you fishing with undersized snapper again, I'm going to come out here >> So, I need to put me in the water immediately. You cannot fish with them. What if if I if I my bait so Sure, sure, sure, sure, sure. Listen, I understand that he bites your bait, but it's one thing when he bites your bait, and then I see I see what you do. You take them off the hook. Listen, you take them off the hook, you have a rag, you put him in a rag, you let it sit on the ground for a second, you reel in your other pole that has a snapper already hooked on it, you reel it in, you take that snapper, you throw it back in, you grab the rag, you grab the fish, you re-hook that one on, and you drop that next to the pilings. Like I said, I've been watching you for a week, and it's very uh you're very routine-y. You do the same thing. You stand in the same spot. You do the same things. I was watching you, okay? So, I know exactly your routine. I know what you're doing. So, when you say that you catch them, and then you just release them. Yeah, you release them, but you put a hook through their back, and then you release them back into water to try to catch a bigger fish, which is a no-no. And remember what I said, this is your one and only warning. Next time, we are going to take your truck, we are going to take your car, we are going to take your fishing poles. You cannot do this. Okay. This is a protected And you can also lose your right to fish. >> You have to realize that. So, a Goliath grouper is a protected species. Yes. Martin County all the way to the Tortugas is a no-take zone. It's what they call a sanctuary for Goliath grouper. Okay. And the people that poach it know it. And that's why you threw it when we you saw us, okay? I'm going to go over this with you real quick. This is going to be my copy, okay? It says right here the statute that you're being charged with is no person no person shall refuse or object inspection from an office from an officer, state, meaning us. Okay. So, that means when we come up you can't not just throw something. You have to let us inspect that fish. You did not let us inspect that fish. All right, in here it says threw a Goliath grouper when coming up to him cuz that's exactly what you did. I'm going to write a long report and I'm going to state all these facts that I saw and how I was watching you and how I've been watching you for a week and I saw your pattern and I knew exactly what you're doing. Okay? So, this is my section right here, but on this paper too I'm going to hand this to you. This is going to This is going to be yours and this is going to be my copy. They're the exact same copy of what you have in your hand I have in my hand. On this section right here I need you to sign your name. When you sign your name it's not an admitting to guilt, it's just showing that you are going to show up to court on 9 29 2025. The same date's on yours right there. Next week you're going to call that number right here. You're going to see if this is still the date that they want you. Most of the time it's 9:00 a.m. that you have to show up to the Martin County Courthouse, okay? Am I going to go to the courthouse in the Martin County Courthouse? Martin County Courthouse is downtown Stuart. Oh, okay. Okay? East Ocean East Ocean Boulevard? Yes, East Ocean Boulevard, yes. >> On that Confusion Yep. Yep, Confusion Circle right to the uh north or east of that. All right, so when you sign this it's not admitting to guilt. It's just saying that on this day you are going to show up on that court day. All Make sure what date, Yep, the date's right here, see? 29 and it's the same thing on your piece of paper. So, 29 and next week you're going to call that number and you're going to Uh end of next week. Oh, end of next >> End of next week call this number. You mean the 5 day? In 5 days. 5 days call this number. 6 day or 5 day? It doesn't matter. Either one, just call this number and they'll confirm if this is the court date or not. 9 29 of 2025. All right, sir. Do not do this again, okay? Okay, I promise you. All right, I mean like I said, I know this week you probably took other ones, but I just didn't see you catch them. Today I saw you catch it, all right? Okay. All right, you're lucky. You could be going to jail right now. Instead, you're getting this piece of paper and promising me that you're going to show up on that date. Okay. All right, if you do not show up on that date, they issue a warrant for your arrest. Okay. Okay? Yeah. All right. That's good. Thank you. Yep, that's your piece of paper right there. You got your license back. Yeah, I'm I'm sorry to make you trouble. Sorry. No, sir, I I I I make trouble. You're not making it trouble. It's just I've been trying to catch you for a week and then today I finally did and you decided to throw it on me instead of just walk down that deck. >> Maybe maybe last week you did not see me at this road. You can see me catch a lot Yeah, I saw you catch all I saw you catch a lot of snapper yesterday. I saw you catch a lot of snapper, okay? Today saw you catch some snapper and then we saw you catch that. Okay? All right.