A 36-year-old Vero Beach man is accused of lying to Indian River County sheriff’s deputies about picking saw palmetto berries, according to an arrest report.
Ralph Edward Newcamp III was arrested Aug. 9 and charged with destroying or harvesting palmetto berries without permission and knowingly giving false information to law enforcement alleging a crime, according to the Indian River County sheriff’s arrest report.
A state law criminalizes saw palmetto berry harvesting without a permit as a felony and increases the penalty for unlawfully possessing the sought-after dietary supplement ingredient, carrying a potential five-year prison sentence.
Deputies went about 2 p.m. to the 8500 block of 100th Avenue regarding a suspicious vehicle, according to the report. A vehicle had been sitting on the southwest corner of 85th Street and 100th Avenue with a Rubbermaid garbage can containing palmetto berries in the bed of the truck.
The vehicle, which was reported as stolen, had two registered owners, including Newcamp, according to the report. Both owners told deputies they were reporting it stolen from their residence, and Newcamp said he last saw the vehicle when he went to bed at 11 p.m. the previous night.
Newcamp said he didn’t have a valid driver’s license, so only the other owner drives the vehicle, according to the report. He then signed a sworn stolen vehicle affidavit.
Newcamp said he had returned from the west coast of the state, where he had a permit to pick berries, so there should still be berries in the bed of the truck.
Deputies reviewed Flock license-plate-reader cameras in the area during the timeframe the vehicle last was seen leaving their residence, according to the report.
They found the vehicle hit four different times on the Flock cameras with three of the hits being in the area of County Road 512 and 108th Avenue — and the last hit being just before 1:30 p.m. Aug. 9 with the vehicle southbound on 101st Avenue from County Road 512.
Deputies could see the vehicle was occupied by a single man who had the same physical features as Newcamp, according to the report.
They took Newcamp into custody, and he at first denied allegations he had been driving the vehicle and falsely reported it stolen, according to the report. After he was shown the Flock camera photos, Newcamp said he had been driving and picking palmetto berries on the property without permission.
When he saw law enforcement, Newcamp said he got scared because he was on probation and fled by getting a ride from a friend back to his residence, according to the report. He also said he knew the vehicle hadn’t been stolen when making the report.
Newcamp was taken to the Indian River County Jail, where he remained Aug. 11 without bail, according to the jail’s website.
Saw palmetto berries — despite their nauseating bitter taste — are a lucrative crop that grows naturally throughout Florida’s wild pinelands. The berries are harvested not for eating, but for their medicinal properties, which are marketed as treatments for prostate and urinary problems.
The saw palmetto berry harvesting season typically spans from late August to early October.
Laurie K. Blandford is a breaking news reporter with TCPalm. Email her at laurie.blandford@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida man accused of picking saw palmetto berries without permission
Reporting by Laurie K. Blandford, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Laurie K. Blandford, Treasure Coast Newspapers | USA TODAY Network
