In the shadow of night on Shiloh Rd, Windsor police engaged in an unexpected brush with wildlife crime. On Wednesday, around 10:30 pm, Windsor Police Department Deputy carried out a routine check on an occupied vehicle that led to the detainment of a local man on suspicion of abalone poaching, according to a social media post by the Town of Windsor Police Department. The driver, identified as 46-year-old Jason Ramos from Santa Rosa, was found to be under active Post Release Community Supervision (PRCS) and misdemeanor probation, with two outstanding misdemeanor warrants from Lake and Mendocino Counties.
As the investigation unfolded, the vehicle's contents unveiled a trove of illicit items. In the company of Ramos was Nichole Lee, 35, from Santa Rosa, who disclosed possession of methamphetamine and related drug paraphernalia upon query by the deputy. Though she complied without incident, revealing the substance initially hidden, Lee's admission led to her temporary detainment as officers sifted through the vehicle's haul.
Continuing their search, officers uncovered approximately 35 live abalone, a protected northwestern pond turtle, and the tools of illegal harvest—a collection of wet clothing and gear used to pry the slow-reproducing snails from their rocky homes. Red abalone, known for its status as a delicacy and a cultural keystone, has been under a permanent harvesting ban since 2017 due to devastating environmental pressures ravaging their populations along the California coast. Ramos confessed to poaching the mollusks near Elk in Mendocino County, claiming personal consumption rather than trade on the black market.
After the search, Ramos and Lee were arrested and booked at the Sonoma County Jail. While Ramos faces charges of probation violation and illegal possession of wildlife, according to the police department's statement, Lee was booked for possession of a controlled substance. The discarded abalone, unable to be returned to their natural abode, were disposed of, and the pond turtle was handed over to animal control and released into the wild.
