Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Port Canaveral Deputy Rescue Sea Turtle
By WAYNE IVEY, BREVARD SHERIFF // March 8, 2017
BREVARD COUNTY • PORT CANAVERAL, FLORIDA – Recently, while on Seaport Security Patrol in Port Canaveral, Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Evan Hightower was dispatched to the report of a sea turtle in distress.
Upon arrival in the area, Cpl. Hightower observed a green turtle that was tangled in fishing line and appeared to be hooked.
The young turtle was in need of immediate assistance so Cpl. Hightower maneuvered his assigned BCSO vessel near the Port Canaveral entrance to the jetties, where he was able to safely bring the turtle onboard.
Once the turtle was onboard, it was carefully transported to the Port Canaveral Boat Ramp where it was turned over to a staff member from the Sea Turtle Preservation Society (STPS).
The STPS staff received the juvenile green turtle, which is estimated to be between three and five years of age.
The turtle was then transported to the Brevard Sea Turtle Healing Center where it was determined it had ingested a fishing hook.
Surgery was subsequently conducted to remove the hook and the turtle is now recovering from the ordeal at the Brevard Sea Turtle Healing Center. Once fully recovered the turtle will be released back into it’s natural habitat by members of the Healing Center Team.
Ironically, Cpl. Hightower had just attended the Sea Turtle Preservation Society, Sea Turtle and Wildlife Rescue Training the day before the rescue.
There is no doubt that the training Cpl. Hightower received gave him the needed skills and knowledge to successfully conduct the rescue.
Please join me in thanking Cpl. Hightower, the members of the Sea Turtle Preservation Society, the Brevard Sea Turtle Healing Center and the wonderful citizens who initially reported that the turtle was in distress, as without their involvement this beautiful creature would not have survived.
Sheriff Wayne Ivey
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey has been a law enforcement officer for over three decades. Sheriff Ivey is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and has a Bachelor’s Degree from Daytona State College in Management and Supervision. Sheriff Ivey’s background in law enforcement is inclusive of Management, Criminal Investigations, Narcotics, Patrol Services, Public Integrity Investigations, and Corrections.
Prior to being elected in 2012, Sheriff Ivey served the citizens of the State of Florida as a Resident Agent in Charge for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. As a member of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Sheriff Ivey developed and created the country’s first ever statewide Task Force on Identity Theft. That same year the Task Force was named one of the top five most innovative programs in the country by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and investigated approximately 44 million dollars in fraud cases. Additionally, as a member of FDLE, Sheriff Ivey created the Child Abduction Response Team (C.A.R.T) that re-defined the way Child Abduction cases are conducted throughout the country today. The program was later selected as the most innovative program in the country by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and is now used as a nationwide model in the response and investigation of child abductions.
Sheriff Ivey has testified before the United States Congress on law enforcement related matters and has extensive experience in the area of Public Integrity Investigations. Sheriff Ivey was honored as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Special Agent of the Year (1996) and was also recognized by the Commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for his Outstanding Contributions to Criminal Justice. In August of 2011 Sheriff Ivey was honored by the National Organization of Victims Advocacy for his work at the national level as an advocate of victim’s rights and protection.
Sheriff Ivey speaks regularly on topics such as Identity Theft, Crime in America, Human Trafficking, Domestic Violence, and Self Defense through Mental Preparedness. Sheriff Ivey firmly believes that Crime Prevention and Education are vital to reduce our crime rate and protect our community.
