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Maryland Natural Resources Police Blotter
Baltimore County - On Thursday, March 22, at 5:10 p.m. NRP arrested and charged Michael Francis Rykowski, 43, of Baltimore City with operating a motor vessel while under the influence of alcohol and operating a personal watercraft (PWC) in excess of 6 knots per hour within 100 feet of a shoreline in Cow Pen Creek near Middle River.
Persons operating personal watercraft within 100 feet of the shore, wharfs, piers, pilings, jetties, bridge structures or abutments, an individual or individuals in the water and other vessels may not exceed a speed of 6 knots at anytime.
Calvert County - On Monday, March 19, the following individuals were found guilty in Calvert County District Court. Charges were filed by the NRP in December of 2006.
Joe Kenneth Ruark Jr., 41, of Fishing Creek was found guilty on two counts of having pound net poles that were broken, unsound, or liable to go adrift. Ruark was charged at two different net sites located off of Calvert County in the Chesapeake Bay. He received a $100 fine for each site.
Edmond Leon Lewis, 44, of Hurlock pleaded guilty to having pound net poles that were broken, unsound, or liable to go adrift at a net site off of Little Cove Point. He was fined $400.
A pound net is a visible stationary commercial fishing gear type used for the live entrapment of fish species. It is constructed by an arrangement of fiber netting supported upon a series of stakes or poles.
Caroline County - On Friday, March 16, NRP charged Jason West Janson, 25, of Smyrna, Del., and Eston David Gunderson, 38, of Greensboro with possession of a controlled dangerous substance (CDS), cocaine, and possession of CDS paraphernalia. The two men were charged on an application of statement of charges with the Caroline County District Court Commissioner.
On Thursday, March 15, at 2:50 p.m. NRP stopped the vehicle Janson was operating on Gregg Road near Whites Road after noticing Janson was not wearing a seatbelt. A check of his driver’s license revealed it was suspended. Officers then found suspected crack cocaine between the passenger seat and door, along with smoking devises in the door and center console compartments.
Talbot County - NRP recently charged the following individuals with diving for oysters in a hand tong only area in the Miles River.
Craig L. Barnhart, 49, of Cordova; Matthew B. Garrett, 19, of Easton; Ronnie S. Benton, 36, of Centreville; Charles B. Ringgold, 38, of Denton; Joseph A. Coleman Jr., 69, of Chester; Bryan R. Grimes, 32, of Chester; Thomas R. Thomison, 57, of Easton; William K. Adams III, 24, of St. Michaels; Derek L. Wilson, 19, of Tilghman; Gregory P. Wilson, 53, of Tilghman; James R. Jones, 37, of Chester; Michael J. Eber, 36, of Queen Anne; Troy S. Luongo, 44, of Stevensville; William E. Benton III, 44, of Centreville; Gary D. Hayden, 38, of Toddville; and William C. Joyce Jr., 36, of Grasonville.
The individuals were allegedly diving for oysters in the restricted area of the river reserved for hand tonging on Wednesday, March 14, when a NRP helicopter spotted them. Officers in the helicopter then directed NRP patrol vessels into the area to stop and charge the men. One vessel named “Sentimental Lady,” occupied by Barnhart and Garrett, fled the area only to be met at the dock in St. Michaels by NRP.
A court date of May 17 has been scheduled for all in Talbot County District Court.
The commercial oyster season for tonging and diving runs through March 30, Monday through Friday from sunrise to 3 p.m., with a limit of 15 bushels per licensee and not to exceed 30 bushels per boat.
The commercial oyster season for power dredge also runs through March 30 in designated areas of Calvert, Dorchester, Somerset, St. Mary's and Talbot counties, Monday through Friday from sunrise to 3 p.m., with a limit of 12 bushels per licensee and not to exceed 24 bushels per boat. A permit is required for power dredge.
Washington County - On Sunday, March 18, NRP charged Steven Lee Chaney, 36, and Ronald William Mairose, 56, both of Hagerstown, with hunting wild turkey during closed season and hunting on Sunday, on private property off of Garis Shop Road near Hagerstown.
NRP received a complaint from a concerned citizen that the two men were hunting wild turkeys in the area. Officers observed the individuals hunting with rifles and found they were in possession of two dead wild turkeys. Officers were able to track the men through the snow, locating the area where the turkeys were allegedly shot. NRP seized as evidence two rifles and the two turkeys that were juvenile male or “jake” birds.
March 23, 2007The Maryland Natural Resources Police 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 446,000 acres of public lands and 18,000 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