Oyster Violations Charged
- MICHAEL’S MD. — Natural Resources Police report that in Talbot County, an Easton man was charged on Tuesday with multiple violations after officers observed him working in San Domingo Creek in St. Michaels.
Kevin August Smith, 24, was cited for harvesting oysters recreationally after hours; being over the recreational limit; possessing a bushel with 12 percent undersized oysters and harvesting oysters 150 feet or more inside the pollution line.
He is scheduled to appear in Talbot District Court on Jan. 15. If found guilty of all charges, he could be fined a maximum of $4,000.
Truckload of Poaching Wins Pair Date with Judge
The Maryland Natural Resources Police charged two men with illegal oystering in Queen Anne’s County and two men with illegal hunting in St. Mary’s County.
In Queen Anne’s County Monday, NRP officers charged two watermen with multiple oyster violations as they attempted to check their catch at a Kent Island seafood dealer.
Christopher Shannon Lewis, 42, of Queen Anne, and Henry Paul Saia, 18, of Greensboro, are scheduled to appear in Queen Anne’s District Court on Jan. 7.
Officers were conducting inspections at Harris Seafood Co. in Grasonville when 24 bushels of oysters arrived by truck shortly after 4 p.m. They noticed that 13 bushels were untagged, as required by regulation, and the tags on 11 bushels were improperly filled out.
Lewis was issued eight citations for possessing untagged oysters and one warning for failing to display his tidal fish license number on his truck. Saia was issued five citations for possessing untagged oysters and one warning for having one bushel of oysters in which 7 percent were smaller than the minimum size of 3 inches.
The 13 bushels of oysters were returned to state waters.
Two nabbed with lots of undersized oysters
EASTON, MD. — In Talbot County, Herlen Vernon Lynch, 63, and Darnell Galen Lynch, 58, both of Centreville, were charged by NRP Officer Brandon Garvey on Nov. 11, 2014 with 20 counts of possession of undersized oysters after officers checked their harvest from Broad Creek. Upon measuring the oysters in the possession of the two men, officers discovered bushels with anywhere from 6 to 30 percent undersized oysters.
The two men are scheduled to appear in Talbot District Court on Jan. 15. Each charge carries a maximum fine of $1,000.
Earlier this year, in a joint NRP and Coast Guard operation, two Kent Narrows head boat captains ─ Tyrone Antone Meredith, 53, of Stevensville, and Herlen Vernon Lynch, 63, of Dover, Delaware ─ were charged with operating passenger vessels without required safety equipment and failing to have the appropriate licenses. A third boat, the Fishing Lady, was removed from service after it was found to have numerous safety violations and was taking on passengers despite an order earlier this year from the Coast Guard not to do so.
On Oct. 29, 2014, Herlen Lynch appeared in Queen Anne’s County District Court and was fined $500.00 for failing to have a charter license, a citation issued by NRP Officer Devin Corcoran. He was put on probation until April 29, 2016. Herlen Lynch was represented by attorney Daniel D. Rosendale.
Darnell Lynch apparently cares about the same for rules regarding driver’s licenses as much as rules for working the water. On Oct. 31, 2014, he was cited for failing to have any type, kind or manner of registration or license to drive, perhaps giving the cop who stopped him writer’s cramp. A half dozen tickets were written by Maryland Transportation Authority Officer Barzai on Rt. 50.
On Nov. 2, 2013 Darnell Lynch was caught for driving with a suspended registration and ticketed, this time by Easton Police Officer Maxwell Howard on Rt. 50 at Dutchman’s Way. On Jan. 6, 2014, Darnell Lynch entered a guilty plea and was granted probation before judgment and fined $24.50.
Violations by the Bushels
SALISBURY, MD. — In Wicomico County, just before noon on Monday, an officer on patrol in Salisbury noticed a truck filled with 24 bushel baskets of oysters. The truck did not display a tidal fish license number, as required by state law, and the bushel baskets were not properly tagged.
Severn Reid Mister Jr., 57, and Cody Eugene Cavalier, 23, both of Easton were each charged with 12 counts of failing to tag oysters.
They are scheduled to appear in Wicomico District Court on Jan. 6. If found guilty of all counts, each man could be fined a maximum of $6,600.
Spotlighters Not as Smart as Wild Turkeys
In St. Mary’s County officers charged two men with illegal deer hunting in St. Inigoes.
Mark Michael Spears, 27, of Huntingtown, received citations for spotlighting and having a loaded weapon in his vehicle. Robert Wayne Oyaski, 22, of Lusby, was charged with spotlighting. Officers seized a shotgun and other hunting items.
The two men are scheduled to appear in St. Mary’s District Court on Feb. 5. If found guilty, Spears could be fined as much as $3,500 and be sentenced to up to six months in jail. Oyaski could be fined a maximum of $2,000 and be sentenced to up to six months in jail.
Bozos out jacklighting were wearing their camos!
HAGERSTOWN, MD. According to Maryland Natural Resources Police, five hunters are not such great sports.
In Washington County, two men were charged on Thursday in connection with a continuing investigation into illegal deer hunting in Clear Spring on Nov. 4 that involved five people.
Ryan Scott Young, 18, of Hagerstown, and Jordan Landon Ray, 24, of Hancock, were each charged with casting rays with an implement (jacklighting), hunting deer during a closed season and hunting deer at night.
On Tuesday, Kenton Zonteke Martin, 18, of Knoxville, and Robert Austin Frey, 22, of Hancock, were charged with the same violations. Martin also was charged with having a loaded weapon in a vehicle.
A fifth person, a juvenile, was issued three written warnings.
An officer on patrol saw a Jeep SUV moving slowly on Indian Springs Road with a beam of light coming from the passenger side illuminating a field. All five occupants were wearing camouflage, and a search turned up a .410 shotgun loaded with a slug, a .22-caliber rifle with .22-caliber ammunition nearby and a flashlight. Martin was the driver, and Frey was operating the light.
The firearms, ammunition and light were seized.
All the defendants are scheduled to appear in Washington County District Court on Jan. 13. If found guilty on all charges, Young, Frey and Ray could be fined a maximum of $5,000. Martin, the driver, could be fined a maximum of $6,500.
He does his best while hunting drunk
FROSTBURG, MD. — In Garrett County, a Frostburg man was arrested on multiple alcohol charges after he was stopped on Nov. 1 in Savage River State Forest for a hunting check.
James Charles Clise, 46, was charged with hunting under the influence, driving under the influence, driving while impaired, consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle and violating his license restriction.
An officer on patrol questioned Clise, who was leaving the forest, and detected the strong odor of alcohol. Clise had a .22-caliber rifle and a compound bow, and told the officer he was deer and coyote hunting. He failed a field sobriety test and was taken to the McHenry State Police Barracks. He registered a .11 blood alcohol content during his breathalyzer test. A driver can be charged with DUI when his or her BAC is .08 percent or higher.
Clise is scheduled to appear in Garrett District Court on Dec. 3. In Maryland, a DWI conviction is punishable by a maximum fine of $1,000, up to one year in jail and a license suspension of six months.
Deer poachers could get all the deer they wanted by hitting them with their trucks
In Garrett County, an Oakland man was charged on Sunday with hunting deer out of season.
Acting on a tip of a gunshot after dark, officers went to a home and saw fresh blood and deer hair outside.
Bushrod Kenneth Hardesty Jr., 34, told officers that while he was bow hunting, he shot a deer with a rifle that appeared to be limping. Hardesty had not field tagged the 10-point buck.
Hardesty was charged with hunting deer out of season. In addition, he received warnings for hunting at night and failing to field tag a deer. The deer was donated to a food program.
He is scheduled to appear in Garrett District Court on Dec. 11. If found guilty, he could be fined $500.
Also in Garrett County, two Oakland men were issued seven citations and 11 warnings for violations of state hunting regulations.
Acting on a complaint, officers went to a home and questioned Howard Lee Lancaster, 45, and Ricky Allen Miller, 49. The men admitted they shot a deer with a rifle from their vehicle along Table Rock Road.
Lancaster was charged with hunting out of season, hunting deer at night, hunting from a vehicle and shooting from a roadway. If found guilty of all charges, he could be fined a maximum of $1,650.
Miller was charged with hunting out of season, hunting at night and hunting in a safety zone. The maximum total fine for all charges is $1,400.
The two men are scheduled to appear in Garrett District Court on Jan. 15.
- SALISBURY, MD. -- In Wicomico County, just before noon on Monday, an officer on patrol in Salisbury noticed a truck filled with 24 bushel baskets of oysters. The truck did not display a tidal fish license number, as required by state law, and the bushel baskets were not properly tagged. Severn Reid Mister Jr., 57, and Cody Eugene Cavalier, 23, both of Easton were each charged with 12 counts of failing to tag oysters. They are scheduled to appear in Wicomico District Court on Jan. 6. If found guilty of all counts, each man could be fined a maximum of $6,600.
