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Maryland Natural Resources Police Blotter
Harford County – On Wednesday, February 21, Charles C. "Buddy" Reed Jr., 23, of Aberdeen pled guilty in Harford County District Court to casting rays of artificial light on fields or woodland while having a weapon in possession capable of killing deer.
Charges were filed by the NRP last November after investigating a report of a shot fired in the 600 block of Craigs Corner Road near Havre de Grace. Reed was sentenced to six months in jail, suspended; fined $500, $250 suspended; awarded 50 hours of community service, one year supervised probation, and his shotgun, ammunition and spotlight forfeited to the State.
On that same day, Michael Jon Orsini, 56, of Jarrettsville was found guilty in Harford County District Court for exceeding the daily bag limit of Canada geese. Charges were filed by the NRP last December after investigating a report of illegal waterfowl hunting in the area of Scarboro Road near Broad Creek. Orsini was fined $250 and 12 months unsupervised probation.
Kent County – On Thursday, February 22, Frederick Henry Eisenbrandt, 25, of Chestertown was found guilty in Kent County District Court of casting rays of artificial light on fields or woodland while having a weapon in possession capable of killing deer and shooting on, from or across a roadway.
Charges were filed by the NRP last November after receiving complaints from concerned citizens of illegal nighttime hunting activities occurring in the Worton and Fairlee areas of the county. Eisenbrandt and David Thomas Schulte Jr., 25, of Kennedyville were both charged with casting rays of artificial light on fields or woodland while having a weapon in possession capable of killing deer, hunting at nighttime, and hunting from a vehicle and shooting on, from or across a roadway. The Kent County Sheriff’s Office assisted the NRP with their investigation of the incidents.
Eisenbrandt was sentenced to 90 days in jail, fined $1150, his rifle was forfeited to the State, and a one year suspension of his hunting license was imposed. He is out on an appeals bond. Schulte’s trail was postponed.
St. Mary’s County – On Sunday, February 18, Maryland Natural Resources Police charged Donald Ray Wathen, 28, of Hollywood with failure to maintain required records as a taxidermist licensee; failure to maintain required records as a taxidermist licensee in department-issued log; and possession of untagged whitetail deer.
The charges were filed as the result of an investigation that started in January after officers inspected Wathen’s taxidermy business. NRP found and seized as evidence two improperly tagged wild turkeys; one improperly tagged mounted whitetail deer head; one untagged whole whitetail deer head; 38 sets of improperly tagged whitetail deer antlers; and 37 improperly tagged whitetail deer hides.
On February 12, NRP returned 21 whitetail deer hides; 21 sets of whitetail deer antlers; two wild turkeys and the mounted whitetail deer head to Wathen after checking the DNR harvest master records and determining that the animals were legally harvested and checked-in. The remaining seized items are still being investigated to confirm their legal harvest.
February 26, 2007The Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) is the enforcement arm of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). With an authorized strength of 280 officers and a dedicated staff of civilian and volunteer personnel, the NRP provide a variety of services in addition to conservation and boating law enforcement duties throughout the State of Maryland. These services include homeland security, search and rescue, emergency medical services, education, information and communications services on a round the clock basis. NRP is the only police force aside from the Maryland State Police that has statewide jurisdiction.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 449,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 11 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov