PLANTATION KEY, Fla. (AP) - A judge in Florida ordered a Georgia man to two days in jail after he pleaded guilty to harvesting 10 queen conchs in 2017.
Monroe County Judge Sharon Hamilton also sentenced Turner Rentz, 54, of Marietta, Georgia, to a year of probation during which time he is not allowed to be in or on waters in the Florida Keys. He was also fined $500, ordered to pay $323 in investigatory, court and prosecution costs and must perform 40 hours of community service, according to State Attorney Larry Kahn’s office.
The judge also ordered Rentz to take a state-approved marine resources education course.
Prosecutors had sought a 180-day jail term for Rentz. They noted that he showed no remorse and gave marine officers conflicting stories for why he took the conchs.
Rentz told officers performing an inspection of his sailboat that he and his children were collecting conchs and other shells. they had no plans to eat the meat but were going to drill holes in the shells to remove the animals. He said he wanted to display the shells around his home, according to Officer Joshua Arbogast of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Rentz later told officers he wanted to use conchs to educate others about the ocean.
Officials returned the conchs to the water alive.
Queen conchs can live up to 40 years. It is illegal to harvest them in Florida.
An attorney for Rentz wasn’t listed on court records.
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