A 48-year-old Marion County man accused of illegally picking saw palmetto berries from a local wildlife management area without a permit is facing additional charges after methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia were allegedly found in his possession.
On Monday, September 9, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officer was on patrol at the Ross Prairie Wildlife Management Area in Dunnellon when a man, later identified as Daniel Ralph Brinkerhoff, was observed “carrying what appeared to be a bag full of saw palmetto berries,” according to the arrest report.
In Florida, new regulations went into effect on July 1, 2024, requiring harvesters of saw palmetto berries to obtain permits or licenses in order to collect the berries. As a result, the unauthorized harvesting of saw palmetto berries on public lands is now a felony offense.
The officer made contact with Brinkerhoff and asked if he had been “picking saw palmetto berries.” Brinkerhoff allegedly admitted to taking the berries, and the report stated that he did not have a permit to harvest them.
Brinkerhoff was ordered to place the bag of berries on the ground. The officer noted that Brinkerhoff was also carrying a backpack, which he “refused to put (it) down.”
According to the report, Brinkerhoff then “attempted to leave the area” by walking into the nearby woods. The officer mentioned in the report that Brinkerhoff ignored orders to stop and put his hands behind his back.
After Brinkerhoff allegedly resisted the first officer, two additional FWC officers at the scene “went hands on” and helped detain Brinkerhoff in handcuffs.
The report stated that during a search of Brinkerhoff’s backpack, the officers allegedly found “multiple baggies of meth,” as well as “multiple pipes along with other drug paraphernalia.”
Brinkerhoff was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail, where he is currently being held on a $3,500 bond. He is being charged with destroying, harvesting, or selling saw palmetto berries on the private lands of other or on any public land without first obtaining a permit; possession of methamphetamine; possession of drug paraphernalia; resisting arrest without violence; and resisting or interfering with an FWC officer.
Brinkerhoff is scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, October 15, according to jail records.