Posted on 07/06/2026 3:47:47 AM PDT by DFG
A Florida man accused of stealing Smokey Bear signs from state parks across the state and attempting to sell them online has been indicted by a federal grand jury on a charge of theft of government property, the Department of Justice announced Monday.
Hunter Drake Lovett, 30, of Pace, was indicted on the federal charge, according to U.S. Attorney John Heekin for the Northern District of Florida. If convicted, Lovett faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
Lovett is scheduled to stand trial beginning July 20.
The case stems from Lovett's arrest in July 2025, when authorities accused him of stealing Smokey Bear signs from state parks in Pensacola, Panama City and Orlando. Federal investigators said he then attempted to sell the signs on Facebook Marketplace for $1,900 each.
At the time of the arrest, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson highlighted the case in a post on X.
"What happens when dumb criminals poke the bear?" Simpson wrote on July 30, 2025. "Big thank you to @smokey_bear for personally assisting in the arrest."
Simpson added that the department's Agricultural Law Team had taken the suspect into custody, who allegedly traveled throughout Florida stealing Smokey Bear signs from state forests and selling them on social media.
The investigation was led by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service, with assistance from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement, the Eufaula, Alabama Police Department and the Florida Forest Service.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
What are you called if you’re a native Floridian with a family that’s been there over a hundred years, but you’re female? Floridudette?
Guess he shoulda stole Medicare funds instead.
That would be me and they called me “Sunshine.”
Excellent, I came in here for the "only you" jokes. At sentencing, the judge needs to work in "only you go to prison".
I don't know, but if you've ever gone out with one, you've Fluoridated.
Love it!
Clever!
Must have had some takers if he was driving all over Florida to get them.
All he had to do was hire a halfway decent artist to make them for him an he could have made a profit without getting arrested.
I wonder how much the Forest Service pays for a sign ?
He should have just said he was from Mexico looking for work.
Sounds like a brand of toothpaste.
“Florida man accused of stealing Smokey Bear signs and selling them on Facebook faces up to 10 years in prison”. “Only you can prevent wildfires”.
It’s government, so probably about $35,000 each.
As a retired state police detective once commented to me, “There is no entrance exam to a life of crime”
That be a Florida ma’am
Works for me!
If he stole these signs from state parks, why is this a Federal case?
Why is this character stealing Smokey Bear signs? If anyone should be stealing them it’s me. I remember when I was a kid, I saw Smokey on TV telling me that I’m the only one who can prevent forest fires. I’ll admit I never found out what qualified me for this honor.
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