Smokey Bear Helps FL Police Arrest Man Stealing His Forest Fire Safety Signs
Mark Price
Miami Herald
(TNS)
An unusual crime spree involving stolen Smokey the Bear signs led investigators to discover they were being sold online for as much as $1,900, Florida officials say.
The iconic signs, which promote fire safety, were taken from Florida Forest Service lands where dangerous wildfires erupt in dry conditions.
“Our Ag Law Team has a suspect in custody who traveled from Pensacola to Orlando stealing Smoky Bear signs from our state forests and selling them on Facebook Marketplace,” Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson said in a Facebook post.
The 29-year-old suspect lives in Milton in the Florida Panhandle, and was arrested July 30 on “multiple charges of felony grand theft,” state officials said. He is being held in the Okaloosa County jail on $5,000 bond, records show.
Investigators did not reveal how many signs were involved in the case.
“The arrest follows an investigation into the recent thefts of Smokey the Bear signs at Florida Forest Service locations across northwest and central Florida,” the state said in an email to McClatchy News. “The investigation is ongoing, and additional charges are expected.”
Simpson’s July 30 Facebook post had more than 2,700 comments and reactions as of July 31, many questioning the wisdom of posting government property for sale online.
The post included photos of someone dressed as Smokey the Bear aiding in the arrest.
“Imagine getting arrested by Smokey the Bear,” Taylor Barton wrote on Simpson’s Facebook page.
“Sometimes you get the Bear, sometimes the Bear gets you,” Robert Shorback said.
The Florida Forest Service manages 38 state forests and one ranch, totaling over 1,185,632 acres. Its mission includes preventing and mitigating forest fires.
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