(CNN) Florida law enforcement detained a slow-moving Florida native after the suspect refused to clear the road when asked.

The gopher tortoise was walking along Nocatee Parkway, north of St. Augustine, when St. Johns County Sheriff's Deputy L. Fontenot spotted it during a routine patrol.

When asked to clear the road, the suspect, identified as "Gopherus Genus," age unknown, continued its stroll.

Fontenot quickly detained the suspect. The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that the two had a "heartfelt conversation regarding this risky behavior" and the suspect was "released on his own recognizance."

"Gopherus was cooperative during the remainder of my encounter with him, so I chose to use discretion and let him go with a warning," Fontenot said in the statement.

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