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Maryland Natural Resources Police Blotter
Anne Arundel County — On Monday, March 26, William Hunter Hardesty, 19, of Riva pleaded guilty in Anne Arundel County District Court to hunting deer during closed firearms season and hunting deer without written permission.
Maryland Natural Resources Police (MNRP) charged Hardesty last November after investigating a call from a concerned citizen of possible illegal hunting activity in the area of Patuxent River Park near Davidsonville. The property is owned by Anne Arundel County. Hardesty was also charged with failure to wear fluorescent orange but as part of a plea agreement, the state dropped that charge. Hardesty was fined a total of $950 for both offenses.
Worcester County - Daniel Wesley Donoway, 18, of Mardela Springs, faces drug charges after MNRP found Donoway sitting in a car off of Old Furnace Road in the Pocomoke State Forest, Sunday, March 25, at approximately 5:30 p.m. Donoway said he had run out of gas, but after questioning by officers he allegedly admitted there was marijuana in the car. Upon search, officers found a small amount of suspected marijuana. Donoway faces charges of littering, possession of a controlled dangerous substance (CDS), marijuana, and possession of CDS paraphernalia.
Montgomery County – Patrick Michael Stidham, 20, of Poolesville pleaded guilty in Montgomery County District Court on March 23, to dumping deer parts along Comus Road between Old Hundred Road and Barley Field Lane near Barnesville.
MNRP charged Stidham in January after investigating a call from a concerned citizen of possible illegal dumping. Stidham, who worked with his uncle who holds a contract with the county to remove road kills, explained that he got paid according to the number of deer he picked up. He went on to state that he had picked up the deer and did not have time to drop them off at the county facility, later dumping them onto the road and shoulder after they began to decompose. He was fined $250.
Garrett County - The Maryland Natural Resources Police (MNRP) conducted ATV safety enforcement patrols this past Saturday and Sunday, March 24 and 25, in the Garrett, Potomac, and Savage River State Forests. The goal of these patrols is to reduce the number of personal injuries due to reckless and negligent operation of ATVs, and to protect the natural resources in the forest from damage caused by ATV use in non-designated areas.
The patrols utilized MNRP aircraft and vehicles strategically placed throughout the forest. The MNRP helicopter flew over the forest locating riders operating in an unsafe manner or in non-designated areas and directed officers to the violators. Twenty-eight citations and 43 warnings, mostly for driving in a non-designated area of a state forest, were issued during the patrols.
The following individuals were charged by MNRP with one or more violation:
Chad Anthony Cerrito, 22; Brandon Mathias Zeri, 18; James Lee Nicholas, 42; Timothy Lee Rounds, 29; Thomas Browning Thayer, 54; Brandon Allen Bowman, 21; Nicholas Deane Rush, 22; Randy Robert Paugh, 42; Jerry Lee Paugh, 44; Michael Eric Paugh, 43; and Richard Eugene Tasker, 50, all of Oakland; Clinton Leonard Sisler, 25, of Friendsville; Richard Eric Dewitt, 22, of Swanton; Shawn Ranjun Lane, 35, of Laurel; Edward Lee McDonald, 41, of Elk Ridge; Daniel J. Johnson, 19 of Jessup; Johnny Lee Tasker, 45, of Gainesville Va.; Cory Wayne Borrell, 20, of Aurora, WV; and 2 juveniles from Glen Burnie and Pasadena.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) provides trails for off-road vehicles, or ORV’s, in Garrett, Potomac, Green Ridge, Savage River and Pocomoke State Forests. Off-road vehicles utilizing these trails must be registered annually with DNR and display a registration sticker. Registration stickers are available from any DNR regional service center, and stickers and trail maps are available at the five state forests where ORV use is permitted. It is recommended that you call the State Forest and Park Office you will be visiting before using the trails to be advised of current trail closures or hazards.
March 29, 2007The Maryland Natural Resources Police (MNRP) 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 MNRP 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. MNRP 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