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September 23, 2010
Brevard County, Florida - After more than a year of intense and sometimes painful
rehabilitation, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
(FWC) Officer Vann Streety is back to work doing what he loves -
patrolling the woods and waters of the state. Streety was shot
multiple times on July 15, 2009, while patrolling in a wooded,
rural area in Brevard County locally known for poaching, illegal
dumping and trespassing.
 The man accused of shooting him is in the Brevard County jail
awaiting trial for first-degree attempted murder of a law
enforcement officer.
"Not returning to work in law enforcement was never really a
consideration for me because this is what I do. It is my passion,"
Streety said.
"The road to recovery has been long and arduous at times, but
regaining the use and strength in my shattered arm and hand was
paramount in whether I returned to work with no restrictions or to
limited duty," Streety said of his rehab and decision to return to
his job as an FWC law enforcement officer. "The latter of those
two outcomes was unacceptable to me, and through hard work, the
professionalism and talent of my physicians and therapists, and
God's grace, I am returning to duty with no restrictions."
It all started about 8 p.m. on that ill-fated night last year
while Streety patrolled along a dirt road in an isolated area in
Brevard County. Streety had stopped a vehicle driven by
Christopher Eddy, then 23, near the intersection of Satellite
Boulevard and State Road 520.
After learning Eddy was wanted on a warrant, Streety attempted to
arrest him, and Eddy opened fire.
Streety was struck in the hand, left arm and several times in the
back of his bullet-resistant vest and badge wallet. The bullet
pierced the wallet, but a challenge coin Streety kept with him at
all times stopped it.
He spent two weeks in the hospital before beginning the long
rehabilitation process.
"We are happy to have Vann back at work," said Col. Jim Brown,
director of the FWC's Division of Law Enforcement. "But, more
importantly, we are glad that he has recovered and is healthy
again."
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