A Tequesta man was arrested Friday in connection with the theft of more than 100 sea turtle eggs from a beach behind a home on Jupiter Island, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The man was identified as Glenn Robert Shaw, 49.
FWC said that it had contacted law enforcement after receiving tips that someone had been poaching sea turtle eggs.
After increasing patrols in the area, FWC officers at 10:30 p.m. on July 1 saw a man taking eggs from a female loggerhead sea turtle as she was laying them, and arrested him, according to investigators.
The man had a total of 107 eggs in his possession. Authorities kept 15 of them for evidence, while the other 92 were reburied by FWC biologists, investigators said.
“Protecting Florida’s natural resources is something we take seriously and we’re thankful that this individual was prevented from doing further harm to this imperiled species,” FWC Capt. Jeff Ardelean said in a statement.
Shaw is being held on a $3,000 bond and faces a fine up to $5,000 and up to five years in prison on a third-degree felony charge.
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