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HomeCrimeGainesville man charged with battery on FWC officer after allegedly camping on Water Management District property

Gainesville man charged with battery on FWC officer after allegedly camping on Water Management District property

December 7, 2024

Staff report

HAWTHORNE, Fla. – Michael Brian Chafin, 62, of Gainesville, was arrested Thursday and charged with battery on a Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officer and six misdemeanors after allegedly camping on St. Johns Water Management District (SJWMD) property.

At about 3 p.m. on December 5, the FWC officer responded to a report of a vehicle that was illegally parked on SJWMD property near the Orange Creek Wildlife Restoration Area.

The officer reported finding Chafin sleeping in a tent on the SJWMD property. She told him he could not operate a motorized vehicle on the property and could not camp there without a permit.

While Chafin was packing up his belongings, he allegedly became noncompliant and opened his car door to get in. The officer reportedly tried to pull him away from the car, but he allegedly continued to pull away, and she reported that she tased him but it was “not effective.”

She reported that Chafin got in the car, so she reached in through the window to open the car door while Chafin grabbed, hit, and scratched her hands while trying to start the car and drive away. She reportedly opened the car door, removed Chafin from the vehicle, and handcuffed him.

Chafin has been charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer without violence, lighting a fire on water district property, removing a pole at the gate to drive into the area, driving into the gated property, and parking and camping overnight on the property. The officer also charged him with littering exceeding 15 pounds because she told Chafin he could not leave any belongings behind, but when he was trying to drive away, he said he was leaving his remaining belongings and that they could be thrown away.

Chafin has one felony conviction (violent) and one misdemeanor conviction (non-violent) but has not had any local arrests since 2004. Judge Donna Keim set bail at $11,000.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 

  • “battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer without violence”? “Chafin grabbed, hit, and scratched her hands” Sounds like violence to me.should be charged with violence. Criminals need harsher punishments. They will only continue to hurt law abiding citizens otherwise. If they do not learn to stop hurting other people or property then permanent incarnation.

  • We need that woman FWC officer to get rid of the panhandlers in street medians & right of ways and the vagrant bums squatting around town…if FWC can do it, than GPD & ASO can do it …

  • “While Chafin was packing up his belongings, he allegedly became noncompliant and opened his car door to get in. The officer reportedly tried to pull him away from the car, but he allegedly continued to pull away, and she reported that she tased him but it was “not effective.”…

    Uh, he’s trying to leave. How bout let him?

    • I thought of you when I first read this story and how this could have been you (ignorant of facts, unwilling to accede to authority). She probably wanted to check his ID since he wasn’t in the public area where he was supposed to be. I do agree that she may have overreacted, although the story leaves much to the imagination.

      • I’ve camped many times on water management property along the rivers with a permit and they still do everything they can to kick you out in the middle of the night. They do not like campers, make permits difficult to get, and are still rude and demanding even with a permit. They get high on power trips. We would always just show the permit and tell them to F off and enjoy walking three miles back to their truck.

        • You are correct Slice. FWC runs a racket with other locals for hunting purposes. If you’re camping near a hunting plot this time of year you will 100% be harassed. Basically, a neighbor or brother in law calls their FWC buddy on campers if they camp near a seeded hunting plot or a known watering hole. I grew up with these hunters and know for a fact they collude with FWC officers. The racket is well known. My advice: take the time to get a permit and tell the officers and hunters to suck it.

          • Same here…I grew up around the hunter/FWC clique but ended up enjoying camping, not hunting. So long as you know how the system works you can beat it every time. They hate it but are unable to do anything about it if you have the permit. We’ve been harassed with ATV’s and dogs at 3am several times…not just FWC officers. Too bad we’re always packing too, bitches

  • Illegal to sleep in right-of-way, illegal to sleep on public lands.. florida is so authoritarian, it will only get worse

    • It will only get worse. Why I know a convicted felon who has announced plans to squat and camp on public property starting January 21 and the government is planning to do nothing about it.

      • Yes, Kamala & sleepy Joe have crapped up Pennsylvania Ave and will moved out in Jan..

        There were bums everywhere and they catered to them…

        Trump will make DC clean & great again!

      • Don’t you guys feel silly for trying so hard to make him a “CONVICTED FELON!!!” and it doesn’t even matter? Actually, it probably helped his reelection efforts. Go shave your head and get a hysterectomy (and maybe a lobotomy, too).

        • I’m of the opinion that all politicians are felons in one way or another. Most of them don’t get caught, or buy their way out of it…….Or daddy pardons them!

    • Concerned: it’s illegal to squat on my porch and crap it up!

      They got lots of options: friends, family, churches, NGO’s…Grace Mkt…

      They are responsible for where they’re at..

      Some people are nomads and like living outside..

      Some people are just bums…

      I can’t wait to retire and camp outdoors.

  • Wow. I deal with armed hunters hunting on water management property , our local police and FWC won’t do a damn thing about it. They run dogs at night across private property – good thing this unarmed guy got arrested – I feel so much safer – NOT !!!!

  • Another idoit cop that cant be patient and is biligerent toward the public. Totally rediculous.

  • So the guy was getting into his POV once packed up or just to stay in his car? Eigther way, it should be easier to call a tow truck and remove him with car.

    • Hey Berman, go back and read the article again because you missed the part where he left his gear and told her to throw it away. js

  • DYKE FWC OFFICER MUST HAVE HAD HER PETER STUCK IN HER ZIPPPER THAT MORNING

  • Release that man..!!! Fwc should be scorned for this. Sounds to me he wasn’t doing any harm. We the taxpayers are who pays for every acre of land our crooked tyrannical government purchases…!! Therefore we the people own that land !!! This has to stop before we the people have had enough and things get really really physical going against all government..!

  • Come on nothing better to do like stopping illegal poached wildlife offenders. But no ,as usual they lazy cops get the low hanging fruit .meanwhile 5 endangered species are killed while Paul Blart ,arrests somone from a sitiation they created. Thank FWC ill sleep alot better tonite knowing you took a hardened criminal off the street..Yeah right. Sad policing guys..Sad.

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