A not-so-bright criminal learned what it means to “poke the bear.”
A Florida man (you already know this story is going to be good) was arrested after selling the signs he allegedly stole from Smokey the Bear on Facebook Marketplace.
The best part… Smokey helped nab the suspect, according to Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson.
What happens when dumb criminals poke the bear?
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… pic.twitter.com/swA1c3WPpG
— Wilton Simpson (@WiltonSimpson) July 30, 2025
Simpson called the suspect, whose identity has not been released but could face jail time, an “idiot.”
“Smokey is always around our forest and just got lucky today that he saw the bad guy and got him handcuffed,” Simpson told Fox 13, “What an idiot, what an idiot.”
“[Smokey] goes to schools, he’s known by our children, he’s known by our families, he is known throughout the United States,” Simpson continued. “Who goes and steals an image of Smokey the Bear and then tries to profit off of that?”
“If you’re going to go in and commit crimes in our forests, you probably need to find a different place,” Simpson told the outlet. “Not only will you find smoke in some of those forests, but you’ll find our car officers.”
“We’re the most pro-law enforcement state in the union,” he said. “Smokey Bear is on the job also.”
The story has all the makings of a Florida crime, where just last week, Chuck E. Cheese was perp-walked in full regalia on three felony charges related to stolen credit cards.
Meanwhile, X users had fun with Smokey the Bear and the “idiot.”
Only in Florida… A man stole @smokey_bear signs from the @FLForestService and tried selling them online for $1,900 each. Thanks to @FL_Ag_Law, Smokey got his signs back – and even posed for the arrest! #SmokeyBear https://t.co/CIJdJEklpG pic.twitter.com/IyFtEP1Iwx
— (@_EricCarr) July 30, 2025
I wish they would have let me wear the Smokey The Bear Suit as that would be awesome!! Great job by Ag Law Team as this guy’s actions are unbearable!!
— Sheriff Wayne Ivey (@SheriffIvey) July 30, 2025
Smokey Bear needs to start a video series of his own version of “COPS”… He would be in the top 5 of most watched shows for easily a generation to come.
— Grass Valley Uranium (@GrassValleyU3O8) July 30, 2025
Yes!!
Good for him. Don’t mess with Smokey!
— Jim DeBeaugrine (@JimDeBeaugrine) July 31, 2025
Smokey is an icon and an American hero!
A Florida man… should not mess with SMOKEY THE BEAR! https://t.co/FHcxL536j2 pic.twitter.com/4pnqPySCj4
— Janie Johnson – America is Exceptional (@jjauthor) July 31, 2025
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Author: Nicole Haas
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