The following items are compiled from recent Texas Parks and Wildlife Department law enforcement reports.

Not Just Drugs But Assault Too
After seeing two individuals in the woods on the roadside, an Ellis County game warden stopped next to a vehicle parked partially on the road and noticed signs of marijuana use. The warden searched a passenger in the vehicle and found a small bag of marijuana in his sock. The warden also searched the vehicle and found a small bag of cocaine and other paraphernalia in a cigarette box. The passenger admitted the box was his after the warden found a bank card with his name on it in the box. The warden also discovered the passenger was wanted on Texas Crime Information Center warrants for indecent exposure, aggravated assault and probation violations. The individual was arrested and multiple charges are pending.

Drowning on Lake Bob Sandlin
A Titus County game warden responded to a drowning on Lake Bob Sandlin after an 18-year-old male and his friend jumped from the bridge at Barefoot Bay Marina. The 18-year-old surfaced, but immediately went back under water and never resurfaced. His friend made it safely to shore and called for help. The warden and Titus County lake patrol officers recovered the body.

Not Gone Fishing
A Titus County game warden issued a citation for no Commercial Finfish License to an individual who sold four red snapper and 60 tilapia from his home using an online garage sale site. The case is pending.

Door Ajar
When a Titus County game warden pulled over a moving vehicle after noticing the passenger door was open, he witnessed a female passenger throw coffee on the driver and slap him. After separating the two, the warden discovered the woman was intoxicated and had just come from her great grandmother’s funeral. Her car door was open because she was attempting to jump out of the moving vehicle, having already done so once. Three Mount Pleasant police officers responded to the scene after the warden called them and told the woman they would give her a ride to the police lobby and find another driver to transport her. At this point, the woman tried to kick the officers and the police car window out with her high heels. The officers finally restrained her to an ambulance stretcher after she repeatedly hit her head against the police car window.

A Truck Goes Down with Its Boat
A Titus County game warden responded to the Lake Monticello boat ramp after a truck and boat sank in the lake. A man trying to put his boat on his trailer allowed his grandchild to drive his truck, but the child accidentally put the vehicle in reverse. Both the truck and trailer went into the lake. A second child in the back seat was safely removed from the truck before it sank.

“We thought you had left…”
As he was patrolling the border between Uvalde and Real counties, a Real County game warden approached three individuals who were about to launch a 12-foot aluminum boat to go fishing. The warden, who checked for lifejackets and did not find any, explained the men needed lifejackets if they were planning to put the boat in the water. The men said they would check the nearby store for lifejackets, and the warden left the scene to continue his patrol. However, as the warden was driving across the nearby bridge, he saw the individuals launch the boat and paddle downstream. The warden turned around and contacted with the individuals again. The boat owner said, “We thought you had left, so we decided to launch the boat anyway, even though you told us to get lifejackets.” The warden issued the boat owner a citation for insufficient number of personal flotation devices.

Underage Drinking and Other Activities
While on patrol at Canyon Lake, a Bexar County game warden and Comal County game warden found four minors drinking alcohol. The wardens also found a backpack at the scene with a bag of marijuana, a bag of a white powdery substance—which later tested positive for cocaine—and several other small bags of both substances. After sorting through the evidence, the wardens found the backpack owner had a total of 22 grams of marijuana and 13 grams of cocaine. The owner was charged with the manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance and with the delivery of marijuana, a state jail felony.

Hide and Go Truck
An Atascosa County game warden was patrolling the south end of the county when he heard a McMullen County deputy sheriff had engaged in a high speed pursuit with a truck nearby. The truck allegedly held eight undocumented aliens and was fleeing from the deputy. The warden joined the pursuit. After the truck intentionally drove through a high fence onto a 30,000-acre ranch, several agencies responded to help search the area. The warden found the truck hidden in a large open barn and discovered that it wasn’t stolen; it was a rental truck from Dallas with an amber light on the roof, similar to those on oilfield workers’ trucks. Another game warden and U.S. Border Patrol agents arrived to help track the undocumented aliens for about half a mile in the brush. The agents apprehended six of the eight undocumented aliens. The truck and all other information were turned over to the Border Prosecution Unit for follow up on human smuggling.

Shot in the Dark
An Atascosa County game warden received a call from a Lytle police officer who had detained four individuals with a freshly killed doe in the bed of their truck. They told the officer the deer was road kill, though they had spotlights and a .17 HMR rifle with them in the truck. When the warden arrived, the individuals admitted they went for a road hunting adventure and one of them shot the doe at night from a public road. Cases and civil restitution are pending.

No Prescription
After stopping a red four-door truck for not having a Texas OHV decal, a Moore and Sherman County game warden noticed both of the truck’s male occupants were a little nervous. The warden asked to search the truck and all of its contents, and the owner consented. During his search, the warden found a plastic bag with three types of prescription medications that were not in properly marked bottles, as required by state law. While arresting the individuals with the help of a Potter County warden, the Moore and Sherman County warden noticed one of the men start gagging. The warden retrieved a plastic bag from the man’s mouth with less than two ounces of marijuana and two prescription pills. The warden transported the man to the Potter County Jail, where he was charged with tampering with physical evidence, four counts of possession of a dangerous drug and possession of marijuana. The man also had a felony arrest warrant pending for him out of Michigan for possession of dangerous drugs.