The Maryland Natural Resources Police issued citations during August for operating a boat while under the influence of alcohol and illegal crabbing.
Dorchester County – On August 26, an officer was dispatched to Warwick River, Dorchester County, for an unoccupied vessel running in circles. Upon arrival, the officer found that the operator and sole occupant of the vessel had swam ashore along Green Point Road in Secretary.
The operator, Mark Jason Jastram, 29, of Hurlock had been driving his vessel back to his home port when he was thrown from the vessel for unknown reasons. Further investigation revealed that Jastram had been consuming alcoholic beverages prior to operating the vessel. Jastram failed field sobriety testing and refused a breath test for alcohol concentration. He was subsequently charged with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol, and negligent operation of a vessel. A trial date has been set for November 19, 2014, in Dorchester County District Court.
Jastram was arrested for DWI on Oct. 14, 2007 at 1:27 am while operating a 1987 Mercury on Rt. 213 at Rt. 50. He was charged by Maryland State Trooper Turpin and was defended in Queen Anne’s County District Court by the very talented criminal defense attorney David M. Williams, of Chestertown. Williams was able to scare off the States Attorney who dropped the DWI charge on Jan. 18, 2008.
Jastram was charged with assault on Jan. 24, 2011 and when he appeared in Dorchester County District Court he entered plea agreement which concluded with him being put on probation without judgment until Nov. 23, 2012, assessed a fine of $250 as well as court costs. Jastram was represented by Michael C. Maloney of Cambridge.
CRAB POACHING ALLEGED
Queen Anne County – On August 16, an officer charged Scott A. Latshaw, 45, from Baltimore with setting crab pots in a restricted area. The charges stemmed from an investigation where 18 crab pots were found in the Chester River, approximately nine miles inside the illegal crab pot area. He is scheduled to appear in Queen Anne’s County District Court on September 17.
Talbot County – On August 4, an officer charged Dayne Schultz, 48, and Patrica Shahan, 47, both from Trappe with harvesting and selling hard crabs without possessing a commercial license. Two bushels of crabs were seized and returned to the waters of the State. A trial date of October 14 has been set in Talbot County District Court.
On July 11, 2014, Schultz was cited by St. Michael’s Police Officer Adams for driving on a suspended license.
On May 8, 2014, Schultz had been charged by Maryland State Trooper M. Lockhart with driving while suspended while westbound on Rt. 404 at Park Lane. On July 21, he entered a guilty plea in Caroline County District Court and was sentenced to 14 days in jail, all of which was suspended. He was ordered to pay a fine of $42.50 and court costs of $22.50.
His legal fees for the outcome were paid for by the taxpayers of Maryland for his Public Defender from Denton, Md.
Shultz was arrested by St. Michaels Police Officer Adams on Oct. 19, 2013 at 10:10 am for operating a motor vehicle while suspended. On Feb. 10, 2014, he appeared in Talbot County District Court and was represented by Public Defender Tamara V. Stofa who arranged a plea deal Talbot County States Attorney Scott Patterson, which netted Schultz a fine of $242.50 and no jail time.
Over the past fifteen years, Shultz has been cited five times for possession of undersize crabs and oysters.
Maryland State Police Trooper Lockhart charged Schultz with multiple counts of burglary on March 20, 2014. In a plea deal with Dorchester County States Attorney William H. Jones, who has been the county’s chief prosecutor since June of 2009, worked a deal for Schultz with the Public Defender of the Cambridge office.
Two counts of burglary and one count of theft were agreed to by Schultz in return for no jail time and the charge to be placed on the stet docket, in a court appearance on Aug. 13, 2014. In addition to no jail time, there were no court costs or any fine levied against Shultz.
