{"id":6369,"date":"2026-07-03T15:05:49","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T15:05:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6369"},"modified":"2026-07-03T15:05:49","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T15:05:49","slug":"florida-man-faces-10-years-for-stealing-smokey-bear-signs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6369","title":{"rendered":"Florida man faces 10 years for stealing Smokey Bear signs"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Florida man faces up to 10 years in prison for federal charges related to the theft of Smokey Bear signs from the Panhandle to Orlando and sell them on Facebook Marketplace.<\/p>

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A federal grand jury on Monday indicted Hunter Drake Lovett, 30, of Pace, for theft of government property, according to the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office, Northern District of Florida.<\/p>\n

The indictment charges that starting in June 2025, Lovett obtained signs \u201cbelonging to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, United States Forest Service, National Park Service, United States Air Force, and United States Army Corps of Engineers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The indictment placed their value at more than $1,000.<\/p>\n

Lovett appeared for his arraignment, and a jury trial is scheduled for July 20.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Hunter<\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Lovett had been arrested in 2025 by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff\u2019s Office and released. A federal indictment on the case began in May.<\/p>\n

\n

What happens when dumb criminals poke the bear? <\/p> \n

Our Ag Law Team has a suspect in custody who traveled from Pensacola to Orlando stealing Smoky Bear signs from our state forests and selling them on Facebook Marketplace for $1,900 each. Big thank you to @smokey_bear for\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/swA1c3WPpG<\/p>

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\u2014 Wilton Simpson (@WiltonSimpson) July 30, 2025<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

At the time of his arrest, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson posted on X a suspect being taken into custody while a costumed Smokey Bear stood by.<\/p> \n

\u201cWhat happens when dumb criminals poke the bear? Our Ag Law Team has a suspect in custody who traveled from Pensacola to Orlando stealing Smoky Bear signs from our state forests and selling them on Facebook Marketplace for $1,900 each. Big thank you to @smokey_bear for personally assisting in the arrest,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

The case\u00a0was investigated by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and U.S. Forest Service with assistance from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement, Eufala Alabama Police Department and Florida Forestry Service.<\/p>

Read more Australian officials ask fans to respect the privacy of Neil, a 1-ton seal who respects nothing<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Florida man faces up to 10 years in prison for federal charges related to the theft of Smokey Bear signs from the Panhandle to Orlando and sell them on Facebook Marketplace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6367,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime-and-public-safety","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nFlorida man faces 10 years for stealing Smokey Bear signs - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6369\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Florida man faces 10 years for stealing Smokey Bear signs - 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