TAMPA, Fla. — The iconic Smokey Bear, the longtime face of the U.S. wildfire prevention campaign, helped law enforcement arrest a man accused of stealing his signs from state forests across Florida.

Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson posted on social media that the suspect traveled from Pensacola to Orlando, stealing Smokey Bear signs along the way and selling them on Facebook Marketplace for $1,900.

"What happens when dumb criminals poke the bear?" Wilton said in the post.

Simpson shared pictures of the unique arrest where Smokey helped open the back of a Department of Agriculture patrol truck for the suspect to get inside. Another picture shows Smokey in the front seat of the truck giving a thumbs up.

The signs that the person was allegedly stealing showed the bear holding a sho

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