Janine Stanwood, Anchor/Reporter
Chris Gothner, Digital Journalist
Published: April 29, 2026 at 6:33 PM
[The Penalty: Under Florida law, this specific offense is classified as Charge Code 379.365.2c1a, which is a severe third-degree felony.]
Florida Keys man faces felony after crab trap confrontation caught on camera
BIG PINE KEY, Fla. —
A Florida Keys man is facing a felony after a commercial fisherman says he found him trying to steal his stone crab trap.
That confrontation, which authorities said happened off the Newfound Harbor Channel in the Lower Keys, was caught on camera.
Investigators said John Eric Madocks, 68, of Big Pine Key, claimed he is “deputized” to pull traps out of the water and he has the paperwork to prove it.
He later admitted to removing the trap but claimed he mixed up the trap numbers, but was “unapologetic,” authorities said.
According to an arrest report, the video made the rounds online, the victim informed officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission of a comment Madocks posted on Facebook saying, “I hate to say it but that is me.”
He is now facing a charge of molesting a commercial stone crab trap.
