The stone crab claw was too small. That’s what got a Florida man in trouble in the Keys
A Monroe County deputy saw a man in a white Dodge Ram pickup truck pass another car by illegally using the turn and merge lane at Mile Marker 108 in the Florida Keys.
But it’s what the trooper saw in Dennis Lloyd Fearon’s pickup that got the 73-year-old Leisure City, Florida man in hot water.
Fearon was cited Thursday afternoon for possessing an undersized stone crab claw, according to court records.
He was also cited for driving through a safety zone, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said.
Fearon is to be arraigned on the stone crab citations on Dec. 23.
According to the sheriff’s office, Deputy Edward Swogger was on patrol watching northbound traffic at around 4:45 p.m. Thursday when he pulled Fearon over and found the white bucket with the stone crab and the claw in the back of Fearon’s truck near Mile Marker 108.
Swogger determined that the stone crab was smaller than the required 2¾ inches for legal harvesting, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission regulations.
Swogger returned the stone crab and the claw into the ocean, according to deputies.
Stone crab season runs from Oct. 15 through May 15.
This story was originally published December 14, 2019 at 2:28 PM.
