It had been two days since Ben Laing agreed to hop in a state wildlife agency law enforcement truck and stake out the $2.2 million Redington Beach home.

No one but the suspect’s wife had been seen coming and going from the waterfront property. But Laing and four officers believed the man was home and would eventually emerge. When he did, they had a warrant ready for his arrest.

This case was different from the drunken boating arrests and undersized snook citations Laing spent the start of his career prosecuting at the Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney’s Office.

When video of a man on an electric scooter striking a young protected shorebird on the beach surfaced on social media, it caused a local uproar.

Laing and the lead officer assigned to the case, Jody Criswell, worked quickly. They

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