Accused Turtle Rider Arrested in Florida

A 20-year-old Florida woman faces criminal charges after authorities say she posed for photos while “riding” a sea turtle.

The search for the Melbourne woman kicked off in early July when photographs of two women who appeared to be riding or sitting on top of sea turtles hit social media channels. Since it is illegal to possess, sell or molest marine turtles or their eggs within the state of Florida, the state’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission received numerous complaints about the photos.

Those complaints, the Melbourne Police Department said, prompted an investigation. While a warrant had been issued for Stephanie Marie Moore’s arrest, she hadn’t been brought into custody until officers received a call on Saturday about a disturbance in the 600 block of Espanola Way. When they arrived, they discovered a woman at that address had a warrant out for her capture in relation to the July turtle incident.

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• $18K Reward Offered for ‘Turtle Terrorists’ Capture

“The subject was one of the females seen taking photographs on the sea turtles,” the Melbourne Police Department wrote on its Facebook page.

Moore was booked into the Brevard County Jail for violating the state’s anti-turtle molestation law. She was later released in lieu of $2,000 bond, jail records indicate.

Sea turtles are protected under federal law. It is illegal to harass or interfere with them in any way or to disturb a nest. Anyone who sees someone disturbing a sea turtle is asked to call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922) or local law enforcement.

In July, another high-profile case involving sea turtles also broke in the Sunshine State. That incident involved a hunt for a man and woman accused of running over endangered sea turtle nests. The search for the “turtle terrorists” drew enough attention that an $18,000 reward was offered for their capture. That case remains open.

Photos courtesy of Inform/WFTX and the Brevard County Jail