FELLSMERE — A 27-year-old who broke onto a police chief’s enclosed property to illegally pick palmetto berries, was detained Monday.
Rodolfo Deleon
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY INDIAN RIVER COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Deputies arrested Rodolfo Deleon, of the 100 block of Oak Street, Fellsmere, on charges of harvesting an endangered plant without a permit, theft, giving a false name while detained and trespassing on property. Deleon was released Monday from the Indian River County Jail on $2,000 bond.
“He trespassed on my land to steal from me,” Fellsmere Police Chief Keith Touchberry said. “When someone comes onto my property to take berries, they’re taking from my family. Unless property owners take a stand and enforce rights, people will continue to do what they’ve been doing.”
Deleon, who did not have a harvesting permit, said he did not know the private property belonged to the police chief, reports show. State regulations passed July 17, 2018, require palmetto berry pickers to obtain permits issued by the Florida Department of Agriculture and and Consumer Services.
Palmetto berries were added to the commercially exploited plant list, according to the FDACS. The berries are used for a variety of health-related reasons, including to decrease inflammation, improve urinary function and improve prostate health.
During berry picking season, from August to November, some private property owners have to guard their land from illegal berry pickers, Touchberry said.
“Private property owners are tired of people trespassing on their land,” Touchberry said.
The recent incident happened at 5:21 p.m. Monday at the property, which has a 5-foot tall barbed wire fence, wooden posts and a metal gate, reports show. Touchberry’s daughter spotted Deleon collecting the berries and called law enforcement.
Deleon told deputies he was recently laid off from work and was collecting the berries to sell to a buyer, reports show. Deleon, who initially gave deputies a fake name, said he knew he didn’t have permission to be on the property, officials said.
Deleon had a gray trash can containing 130 pounds of saw palmetto berries, worth $266.50, deputies said. Touchberry and his family were able to later sell the plucked berries after receiving their permits Monday.
Deleon was arrested and taken to the county jail. Deleon has an arraignment at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 15, court records show.
