TALLAHASSEE -- Four Citrus County men are facing charges after fish and wildlife officials say they went fishing for stone crabs in a closed area of the Gulf near Crystal River.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says its aviation crew spotted a crab boat in closed zone 2 April 5th. The agency says the vessel "Nauti Crab" was making circles to pull up its crab traps, but the crew dropped everything to the bottom when they saw a patrol vessel heading their way. Crew members insisted they weren't crabbing, even though the agents spotted bait on the deck. FWC agents returned to the site and collected 57 stone crab traps. In fact, they've documented more than 500, and say they all belong to the captain of the Nauti Crab.
54-year-old Andrew Bertine of Lecanto, 53-year-old Scott Lefke of Homosassa, 48-year-old George Boynton of Homosassa, and 40-year-old Matthew Bransfield of Citrus Springs are charged with possession of undersized stone crab claws, as well as possession of "meth" and drug paraphernalia. They're also charged with not displaying stone crab numbers or a buoy.
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