Tortoise Gets Away With A Warning After Being Detained For Blocking The Road

June 24, 2019

A deputy with St. Johns County Sheriff's Office in Saint Augustine, FL, took a moment to snap a selfie before releasing a tortoise that was blocking the road.

cop turtle selfie
Credit: St. Johns County Sheriff's Office

The Sheriff's Office wrote a hilarious description of the incident on their Facebook page.

"IMPEDING TRAFFIC INCIDENT:

While on routine patrol along Nocatee Parkway, Deputy L. Fontenot conducted a traffic stop on a 'Florida Native' for Impeding Traffic flow.

At the time of the stop, the suspect identified as 'Gopherus Genus' (exact age unknown), failed to clear the roadway when ordered to do so, opting to continue his current activity of walking along the parkway.

The deputy quickly detained Gopherus and after a heartfelt conversation regarding this risky behavior was 'released on his own recognizance' in some nearby woods.

Deputy Fontenot stated, 'Gopherus was cooperative during the remainder of my encounter with him, so I chose to use discretion and let him go with a warning. In fact, our interaction was so positive, we posed for a selfie together!'"

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