To Flex, or Not to Flex?
Retired Game Warden Norman Anthony has a deep voice that befits his 6’6”, 250-pound frame. In addition, he has a kind of John Wayne strut that, in conjunction with his voice, gives him quite the authoritative air.
You’d think guys like that wouldn’t get messed with very much – especially when they’re wearing a gun and a badge - but you’d be surprised at the number of banty-rooster-types that feel compelled to bow-up to guys like Norman over stupid stuff.
Case in point: one hot summer night in Riviera Beach back in the day. Norman and Game Warden Matt Robinson (retired) were checking piers.
Now, the best way to check piers is to watch a while from a good ways away before checking anyone so you can document who was, and wasn’t, fishing and what fish were kept and where. That’s exactly what Norman and Matt did that night.
When they got it all sort of figured out, they headed on down to check everyone.
You know, as a game warden, it’s sometimes amusing to walk a pier you’ve watched for a while and notice that some of the people who, through your binoculars, you had seen feverishly fishing just moments before to, as you approach, be nowhere near a pole. And indeed, as Norman and Matt approached a family group, one shirtless young man fit that bill.
When the wardens got within earshot, Norman said something to the effect of, “State Game Warden. Having any luck?”
After some polite small talk, he continued, “Well, we just need to take a quick look at your licenses and any fish y’all have.” The shirtless young man seemed disinterested.
After seeing everyone else’s license, Norman looked directly at the young man and said, “I need to take a look at YOUR license.”
Shirtless guy said, “I don’t have one.” Mind you, Norman and Matt were professionals who knew how to handle things.
Whenever possible on a crowded pier, they would instruct whoever was fixing to receive a ticket to accompany them back to their patrol vehicle. It just made things easier and was certainly less embarrassing for the person getting ticketed.
But when one of the wardens said, “Follow us back to our vehicle,” the shirtless guy wasn’t having it. So, Norman grabbed shirtless guy’s arm for more encouragement, and things went downhill fast.
Shirtless guy was about 5’10” and 165 pounds, and he was young and dumb and hard to get a hold of on account of how sweaty he was. Every time Norman thought he had a hold of him, dude slipped out of his grasp. Matt wasn’t much help, because he was busy keeping a small child in the group from getting bumped into the bay during the scuffle.
Anyway, Norman finally got the handcuffs on shirtless guy and placed him under arrest. Sheriff’s deputies arrived and transported the young man to jail.
In the post-scuffle-assessment, Norman discovered that he had ripped his pants between his legs all the way from his belt in the front to his belt in the back. Luckily for Norman, and anyone within eyeshot on the pier, his underwear had remained intact.
When the wardens got back in their patrol vehicle, Matt pointed out the obvious. Norman responded in a way that acknowledged the formidability of his young, wiry adversary and said matter-of-factly, “Well, I had to flex.”
Yep, as a law enforcement officer, you can’t get complacent, because oftentimes it’s the little things – like checking fishing licenses – that escalate and make you have to flex the most. Just ask Norman.
For fishing license purchase options and information, go to the Texas Parks and Wildlife webpage. And as always, if you still have questions, contact a game warden.
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