A Miami Beach man was arrested after police said he chose an illegal place to sit down at the beach to watch July 4th fireworks: a protected turtle nesting area.
The man, identified by police as 33-year-old Brandon Bowen, was seen on video verbally arguing with beachgoers after they found him sitting on top of the turtle nesting area.
When first encountered by police, Bowen denied any wrongdoing, saying he was just sitting in the sand, according to an arrest report.
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However, Miami Beach Police interviewed a witness that had video of the incident showing Bowen sitting on top of the nest with a towel over the protected area.
After watching the video, which showed Bowen yelling profanities at beachgoers who told him to get off the nest area, police confronted Bowen and arrested him, the report said.
Police said the area Bowen was sitting in is marked with a caution sign regarding the turtle nest. There are also signs in both English and Spanish that read "Do Not Disturb Sea Turtle Nest."
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Marine turtles are protected under the Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 and Florida's Marine Turtle Protection Act, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Florida statutes restrict the taking, possession, disturbance, mutilation, destruction, selling, transference, molestation, and harassment of marine turtles, nests or eggs.
Bowen was charged with molesting or harassing marine turtle eggs and booked into jail. Attorney information wasn't available.
