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Florida wildlife officers say four men are behind bars after sneaking into a massive Charlotte County cow field with guns in hand. They were allegedly chasing hogs or deer without the owner’s permission.
According to reporting from Gulf Coast News, deputies used a drone over the weekend to locate and arrest the group inside a 25,000-acre private property off Berman Road.
FWC says the suspects (Dayner Cordero Gonzalez, 31; Yurislandy Castro Marquez, 32; Juan Pablo Diaz Montesino, 23; and Yuriel Diaz Barrios, 41) had been on the land several times before, despite the area being posted with clear “Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted” signs.
An affidavit says the four climbed a fence into the cow field on Saturday, carrying firearms. Neighbors told Gulf Coast News the activity isn’t new.
One nearby resident, Mark Erickson, said he recently had to chase off four men in camouflage driving up his road with guns. He noted that hog hunters often target the area.
Erickson said that the rising price of pork has only fueled the problem.
“Happens all the time out here. I just ran four guys out of my place Thursday. Driving up my road, going to the back of the property,” he explained.
“Prices in the grocery stores real high,” he continued. “So people are out feeding their families a lot cheaper.”
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FWC officers indicated that once the suspects noticed the sheriff’s drone overhead, they tried to ditch their firearms. A K-9 later found two shotguns and a rifle hidden in the brush.
“I’m proud of the excellent work by Officers Garcia and Hazelwood, who partnered with a local landowner to resolve a very serious trespassing issue,” said Maj. Evan Laskowski. Laskowski is the FWC Southwest Regional Commander.
“And I continue to be impressed by our K-9 team. K-9 Jenny demonstrated her skills once again by locating the firearms,” he added.
All four men were booked into the Charlotte County Jail, where they now face a third-degree felony charge for trespassing with a dangerous weapon. Two of the suspects have also been referred to ICE.
For Florida hunters, the takeaway is simple: private land is private land.
Even if hogs are plentiful, permission matters. And ignoring those “Posted” signs can turn a weekend hunt into a felony arrest.
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is a seasoned outdoorsman, lifelong hunter, and the kind of guy who’d rather track whitetails than scroll social media. As an editor for GunsAmerica, he’s got a sharp eye for spotting both solid gear and bad gun laws. Whether he’s deep in the woods or deep in editorial deadlines, Larry brings a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach to firearms, hunting, and the great American tradition of self-reliance. If there’s a hot debate on gun rights or the latest in hunting tech, you can bet Larry’s got an opinion—and it’s probably backed up with both facts and field experience.
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