66It turns out Smokey Bear isn’t just good at educating folks on how to prevent forest fires.

State officials reported Smokey recently lent a paw to help law enforcement arrest the man who had been stealing his signs all across Florida and selling them on Facebook Marketplace.

On Wednesday, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson asked on social media, “What happens when dumb criminals poke the bear?”

He answered his witty question, saying, “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.”

Accompanying the post were photos of a Smokey Bear costumed mascot appearing to “assist” with the arrest and posing behind the wheel of a squad car, as well as a snapshot of some of the presumably purloined Smokey Bear signs.

WTVT-TV reported that the suspect’s identity had not yet been released, but that he stole signs from state parks in Pensacola, Panama City, and Orlando.

Criminal charges were pending, but Simpson added that the suspect could face jail time.

He said, “Smokey is always around our forest and just got lucky today that he saw the bad guy and got him handcuffed.”

Last year 24,000 acres in Florida were destroyed by forest fires.

“[Smokey] goes to schools, he’s known by our children, he’s known by our families, he is known throughout the United States,” Simpson said.

“Who goes and steals an image of Smokey Bear and then tries to profit off of that?”

“What an idiot! What an idiot,” Simpson declared.

In Florida, the Agriculture Department has its own embedded law enforcement.

“If you’re going to go in and commit crimes in our forests, you probably need to find a different place,” Simpson told WTVT.

“We’re the most pro-law enforcement state in the union, [and] Smokey Bear is on the job also.”

So remember, not only can Smokey Bear remind you of how to help prevent forest fires, he can also arrest you if you’re up to no good in his Florida forests.

Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.