Paul “The Captain” Watson was not arrested this week as he came on land in Los Angeles, California after 15 months at sea. Watson, who appears to be the head of an ocean going environmental group known as Sea Shepherd, gained worldwide notoriety after his group was filed and the film became a successful series on the Animal Planet called Whale Wars.
Normally, this is not the type of story I would write about, but one of The Captain’s former staff and crew members is currently working as my private investigator. When I asked my PI about the article, he indicated that he was on the crew who helped bring the Captain safely to land this week.
Watson was said to have come to ground in order to testify at a trial in Seattle. The Seattle matter stems from Sea Shepherd activity in Antarctica. Watson was said to be fearful of being arrested when he came on land because of an international request for his arrest from Interpol, a French based international law enforcement agency.
Watson was not arrested upon landing in Los Angeles and is expected to make his upcoming court appearance in Seattle, Washington. Watson’s fears of being arrested stem from apparently skipping bail in Germany after he was arrested after an incident in the ocean off of Costa Rica.
Watson’s methods of blocking whalers and other fishing vessels have been described as “terrorist” and he has ruffled feathers in many countries throughout the world.
Watson was arrested in May last year in Frankfurt on a warrant from Costa Rica, where he is wanted on charges stemming from a high-seas confrontation over shark fining in 2002.
He was released on bail after paying a fine, and was ordered to appear before police twice a day. But he skipped bail on July 22, 2012 and fled Germany.
The following month, France-based Interpol issued an international request for his arrest.
If you would like to hear more about Captain Watson and the Sea Shepherd crew, please send me an email and visit my sites: www.4criminaldefense.com and www.westlakecriminaldefense.com or call the office at (818) 783 5700 and ask for actual crew member Dave Hance.