Summer is the season of trespassing when it comes to local waterways, according to the Warren County Sheriff’s Department.Deputies have been responding to numerous complaints about people swimming, fishing and driving in local creeks that run through private property.Authorities want residents to know: Anyone caught on private land without permission will be ticketed and fined.“All of our creeks, ponds and lakes are private property. Even if the property is not posted ‘No Trespassing,’ you still cannot be there without permission,” the sheriff’s department stated in a post to social media.The only exception to that rule is public lands, such as Reifsnider State Forest, Sheriff Kevin Harrison said.Many of the people caught playing in local streams assume that every creek is part of a public right of way for anyone to use, but that’s not true, Harrison said. Only streams that are navigable, or deep enough for a small boat under normal conditions, are considered publicly accessible — and there is only one of those in Warren County, he said.“In their normal state, there’s not even water flowing through (the creeks),” Harrison said. “It’s a little wading pool here, it’s a deep swimming hole here. ... It’s called an ‘intermittent stream.’”Only part of Charrette Creek in the southernmost portion of Warren County is navigable.This is a problem that Harrison said has existed for all of his 29 years with the department. People, young and old, are issued trespassing fines, he said. Some might have been visiting the same swimming hole for years and this is just the year they got caught.Assuming you have the right to swim or fish in any creek you want is like assuming you can swim in your neighbor’s pool without permission, Harrison said.In the last year it also has become more popular for off-road enthusiasts to drive their ATVs or Jeeps down sections of mostly dry creek bed, he said. That, too, is illegal trespassing if done without the owner’s permission. Even driving through an open field can lead to legal trouble and cause damage that the driver isn’t aware of. Any damage to farm crops can impact a farmer’s livelihood, and vehicle ruts can erode into ditches that present a hazard for large farm equipment.Trespassing on land marked as private property is a Class B misdemeanor crime, punishable by up to a $1,000 fine or six months in jail. Trespassing on unmarked property can also result in a fine.“Don’t be frustrated at me or the deputies for protecting the rights of our landowners and enforcing the no trespass laws of Missouri,” Harrison said. “Ask permission first, and if told ‘no,’ respect the rights of the property owner.”No Trespassing