Manning allegedly told officers that he did not want the anglers near the property and that he went onto the pier carrying a flare gun and air rifle. He said he fired the flare gun into the water.
Natural Resources Police Beat / Ronald Manning charged with shooting at fishermen out of season
NEWBURG, MD. — As fisherman take to the water to shoot snakehead fish and big catfish with bows from boats sporting bright lights, new challenges await them in the form of armed persons on shore firing guns at them.
Such a scenario unfolded recently and has resulted in the arrest of a Charles County man who was arrested on criminal assault charges after anglers on Middletown Branch complained that he fired on them.
Police say that the victims told Maryland Natural Resources Police officers that they were bow fishing at about 10:30 p.m. May 13, 2017, when a man began yelling obscenities at them and shining a light on them. They then heard what they thought was a gunshot and heard a splash near their boat.
The investigation led officers and the Charles County Sheriff’s Office to Ronald L. Manning, 58, of 4125 Marshall Hall Road, Bryans Road, Md.
Manning allegedly told officers that he did not want the anglers near the property and that he went onto the pier carrying a flare gun and air rifle. He said he fired the flare gun into the water.
Court records show that Manning was charged by NRP Officer Austin with three counts each of first-degree assault, second-degree assault and reckless endangerment, and one count of disorderly conduct. He was jailed on a $5,000 bond which was posted on June 1, 2017.
Manning has a first court date in Charles County District Court on June 19, 2017.