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#20281
Angler charged after pulling up diver
Smithsgold - 7/23/2012 11:58 AM
Category: General
Replies: 11

Angler charged after pulling up diver



BY ADAM LINHARDT Citizen Staff
alinhardt@keysnews.com



A biologist collecting data in 55 feet of water near the Western Dry Rocks last month was jerked to the surface by a fishermen apparently angry that her dive flag was in his fishing spot, according to law enforcement officials.



That fisherman, 74-year-old Donald A. Bamford of Stock Island, was arrested Wednesday on a misdemeanor battery charge after a monthlong investigation by state and federal law enforcement agencies.



Alison Johnson, a biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Marine Research Institute, was collecting data on the mutton snapper spawn on the seafloor just south of the Western Dry Rocks on May 9 when Bamford grabbed her dive flag and used the line to drag her topside in less than a minute, said State Attorney’s Office investigator Franklin Cohens.



Johnson told Bamford she needed to decompress, but witnesses said the fisherman began arguing with her about ruining his fishing spot, said Coast Guard Investigative Service Resident in Charge Paul Shultz.



Eventually, Johnson convinced Bamford to release the line so she could dive and decompress, but by that time she was suffering from a severe headache and made her way back to a FWC research boat, where fellow scientists treated her en route to shore, Cohens said.



Johnson was taken to Lower Keys Medical Center, where she was treated and released.



The Coast Guard told the FWC that Johnson was in state waters, which puts the case under the jurisdiction of the State Attorney’s Office. FWC officers asked that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, become involved because the incident involved a FWC employee, said NOAA Fisheries Special Agent Kenneth Blackburn.



Johnson, who works out of the FWC’s Marathon Marine Research Institute office, said she was not authorized to discuss the case.



Bamford, who is charged with misdemeanor battery, was released from the Monroe County Detention Center on Stock Island at 10 p.m. Wednesday after posting $2,000 bail, according to Sheriff’s Office records.



Bamford has one other violation, according to Clerk of Court records. He was cited for careless operation of a vessel in April 2011 and paid a fine.

http://keysnews.com/node/40767
#1353
joeyro16 - 7/23/2012 12:48 PM
Is it normal to tie yourself off to a dive flag line? I
#543
mikey1077 - 7/23/2012 1:13 PM
when diving or snorkeling in Florida waters a dive flag is required by law and if you need to move farther than 50 ft from your boat or you are shore diving you tow the flag with you on a float. I believe you have to stay within 50 ft of the dive flag in Florida.
#4846
Eve - 7/23/2012 2:56 PM
The fisherman needs his license pulled, I understand it is his livelihood and he feels that comes first but he is a violent person , he needs to be taught a lesson. He could have killed the diver.
#20384
LatitudeAdjustment - 7/23/2012 4:45 PM
That’s why I use a plastic clip on my line. It might not be DIR but I want it to break if a boat snagged it.
#157
Slove77777 - 7/23/2012 9:26 PM
UNREAL!!
#1328
Lonefrogman - 7/24/2012 2:42 AM
Never tie your self to the flag line. What if a boat snugged the line? I use one of those flat reels and just tuck it under my arm.
#4002
WarmWaterTurner - 7/24/2012 12:14 PM
It would be nice to see the case go federal. Assault on a government employee in a National Marine Sanctuary should be way more heartburn for him than a misdemeanor battery charge from the local level. If nothing else I hope prosecution and attorney fees bankrupt the poophead!
#92
Scubawilz - 7/24/2012 3:37 PM
I would have pulled the old sucker in to the water and left with his boat just to leave it about 200+ feet away from him then swam back to my boat
#20281
Subscribed
Smithsgold - 3/06/2013 12:57 PM