Smokey the Bear helped law enforcement arrest a man for stealing his signs from across Florida and selling them on Facebook Marketplace.
The suspect was posting the signs on Facebook Marketplace for $1,900 apiece, according to Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson.
“What happens when dumb criminals poke the bear?” Simpson wrote Wednesday on social media.
“Our Agricultural Law Team apprehended a suspect who journeyed from Pensacola to Orlando, pilfering Smoky Bear signs from state forests and later selling them on Facebook Marketplace for $1,900 apiece,” he noted. “A big thanks to Smokey the Bear for his direct involvement in the apprehension.”
The suspect was posting the signs on Facebook Marketplace for $1,900 apiece. (Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson)
“[Smokey] visits schools, is beloved by children, recognized by families, and is famous throughout the United States,” Simpson pointed out. “Who decides to steal Smokey the Bear’s likeness and attempt to profit from it?”
The state has boosted efforts to prevent forest fires, which destroyed 24,000 acres last year.
Fox 13 reported that the Agriculture Department, which has its own law enforcement branch, conducted controlled burns over 277,000 acres last year, invested $93 million in new equipment, and sent Smokey out to educate residents on how to prevent forest fires.
The suspect, whose identity was not released, was transported to jail following his arrest. (Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson)
“If you’re contemplating committing crimes in our forests, you should probably reconsider your location,” Simpson advised the outlet. “In addition to smoke in some forests, you’ll encounter our law enforcement officers.”
“We’re the most pro-law enforcement state in the union,” he said. “Smokey Bear is on the job also.”
