PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – A Florida man is accused of stealing 107 sea turtle eggs, some of which were taken from a female turtle as she was laying them.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers say they received a tip about someone poaching sea turtle eggs from a beach behind a residence on Jupiter Island.
FWC officers began increasing patrols in the area to monitor for illegal activity. On July 1, after a few days of additional patrols, officers say they saw a man taking eggs from a female loggerhead sea turtle as she was laying them.
They immediately arrested the man. FWC officers say he had 107 sea turtle eggs.
Glenn Robert Shaw, age 49, of Tequesta, was charged with destroying, selling, or molesting turtles, eggs or their nests; which is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine up to $5,000. He was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail.
FWC said that 15 of the eggs were kept for evidence and for DNA testing. The remaining 92 eggs were reburied by FWC biologists with the hope that they will hatch later this year.Learn more about sea turtles in Florida.
