A man is facing a felony charge after deputies say he was illegally harvesting palmetto berries near the Immokalee Airport on Tuesday evening.
According to the Collier County Sheriff's Office, a deputy was patrolling the woods near the airport at around 5:40 p.m., when he saw a man picking palmetto berries. The man spotted the deputy and ran away, leaving behind several large rice bags filled with freshly harvested palmetto berries.
Shortly after, Jose Ramirez, 37, walked through the berry patch toward the deputy. He was carrying a red bucket of palmetto berries.
CCSO said Ramirez was arrested because he did not have the required state permit or written permission from the property owner to harvest palmetto berries. He also did not possess any identification.
The Immokalee man faces a charge of harvesting palmetto berries without permission.
Ramirez is the first arrest of this year's harvesting season. He is also the first person in Collier County to be arrested under the new law that increases the penalty for illegally harvesting palmetto berries to a third-degree felony from a misdemeanor.