Maryland Natural Resources Police Blotter

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The Maryland Natural Resources Police Report Busy Conclusion to 2007

Allegany County – On Friday, Dec. 21, at 11:58 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) charged a Westernport man with driving while intoxicated on Maryland Ave. in Westernport.

NRP initiated a traffic stop on Richard Allen Miller, 58, of Westernport after observing Miller’s vehicle experiencing difficulties traversing the intersection of Rt. 135 and Maryland Ave. During the course of the traffic stop, Miller was arrested for driving a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol per se, driving a vehicle while impaired by alcohol. He was released on his signature.

Baltimore County – On Monday, Dec. 31, at 8:15 a.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police charged four individuals with hunting waterfowl with bait on Seneca Creek near Carroll Island.

NRP issued Kevin D. Winterling, 40, Kenneth L. Kile Jr., 20, Arnold B. Schultz, 43, all of Baltimore and Bryan M. Winterling, 21, of Edgemere each a citation for hunting waterfowl with the aid of bait and seized as evidence four shotguns and decoys. A court date of March 21 has been scheduled for the individuals in Baltimore County District Court.

A person may not hunt, or attempt to hunt wetland game birds, by the aid of baiting, or on or over any baited area.

Baiting means the placing, exposing, depositing, distributing, or scattering of shelled, shucked or unshucked corn, wheat or other grain, salt, or other feed that would lure, attract, or entice wetland game birds to, on, or over any areas where hunters are attempting to hunt them.

Garrett County – On Friday, Dec. 21, at 8:11 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police charged a Swanton man with driving while intoxicated on Pine Hill Road in Swanton.

NRP initiated a traffic stop on Samuel Matthew Storey, 53, of Swanton for driving erratically. During the course of the traffic stop, Storey was arrested for driving a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol per se, driving a vehicle while impaired by alcohol, displaying plates issued to another vehicle, operating an unregistered motor vehicle, driving revoked or suspended, and driving uninsured vehicle. He was released on his signature.

Harford County – On Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2007, Timothy E. Mullins, 19, of Forest Hill stood trial in Harford County District Court for theft. Mullins was arrested and charged by the Maryland Natural Resources Police on Nov. 11, 2007, for tampering with vehicles at Rocks State Park, Red Bridge Road and Falling Branch Road. At the time of Mullins arrest, officers found items from previous thefts in his vehicle.

Mullins pleaded guilty to one count of theft scheme, $500 or more, and was sentenced to three years imprisonment in the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services system with all but three months suspended, three years of supervised probation upon his release and to pay $1,420 in restitution to victims. Additional charges of theft of property valued great than $500, theft of property valued under $500, theft scheme, less than $500, and rogue and vagabond were placed on the stet docket.

St. Mary’s County – On Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2007, the Maryland Natural Resources Police charged John Gabriel Middleton, 29, of Clements with 36 counts of natural resources violations and 9 criminal charges. These charges are the result of a yearlong investigation by NRP on the illegal taking of white-tailed deer.

The investigation started in Jan. of 2007 when NRP received a report of untagged deer heads allegedly belonging to Middleton. NRP located and seized two untagged antlered deer heads from a residence in Clements. The investigation continued with NRP inspecting Wathen’s Taxidermy located in Hollywood. During the inspection, NRP uncovered numerous violations involving Middleton’s deer kills and his alleged use of another person’s hunting licenses to check those deer into the Maryland State Big Game Harvest Registration Record System.

On Monday, Sept. 3, NRP investigated a report of Middleton allegedly shooting an antlered deer at night on private property off of New Market Turner Road near Mechanicsville. NRP collected evidence at the scene. With the information gathered from this incident, NRP executed a search and seizure warrant on Middleton’s residence on Sunday, Sept. 16. NRP seized as evidence one .300 Winchester Magnum caliber rifle, ammunition, a hand held spotlight, photographs of antlered white-tailed deer kills and six deer mounts.

Middleton was charged with the following violations:
13 counts of failing to field tag deer
5 counts of exceeding the deer bag limits
5 counts of harvest reporting required for deer
4 counts of using a rifle/handgun in a shotgun only county
3 counts of using another person hunting license.
1 count of failing to obtain bonus antler deer stamp
1 count of hunting from a vehicle
2 counts of hunting deer during the closed season
1 count of hunting deer at night.
1 count of casting rays of light with an implement
3 counts of Public Records – False entry
1 count of reckless endangerment
2 counts of trespassing on posted property
1 count of Off-Road vehicle on property
1 count of trespass on cultivated land
1 count of malicious destruction of property

A court date of March 21 has been scheduled for Middleton in St. Mary’s County District Court.

Washington County – On Saturday, Dec. 29, at 12:15 a.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police charged Aaron Michael Haines, 21, Courtney Lynn Beers, 20, both of Chambersburg, Pa. and Travis Westley Haines, 18, of Hagerstown with multiple hunting violations near Clear Spring.

NRP initiated a traffic stop after observing the truck the three occupied spotlight a field along Route 56. During the course of the stop, NRP located and seized as evidence two .50 caliber muzzle loading rifles, one .270 caliber rifle, one .300 Winchester Magnum caliber rifle, and ammunition for all four firearms, a hand held spotlight and a headlamp.

All three individuals were charged with casting rays of artificial light on fields or woodland while having a weapon in possession capable of killing deer and hunting at nighttime. Aaron Haines was also charged with shooting on, from or across a roadway. Aaron Haines also had an open warrant for his arrest for failing to appear in court on a May 2007 natural resource violation for allegedly throwing refuse on state waters. All three were released on their signatures.

Wicomico County – On Friday, Dec. 14, 2007, Kool Ice & Seafood Co., Inc. of Cambridge entered a guilty plea in U.S. District Court in Salisbury, for transporting in interstate commerce, two oversized stripped bass. As per a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, two additional charges for interstate commerce of untagged stripped bass and undersized white perch were dismissed against the company. Kool Ice & Seafood was ordered to pay a $595 fine.

This brought to an end, the investigation that was initiated by the Maryland Natural Resources Police and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service after a fish inspection performed in 2005 by NRP at a shipping company in Crisfield. In addition to the charges against Kool Ice & Seafood Co., Inc. the investigation had also revealed an illegal scheme by tidal finfish licensees, Christopher M. Weber, 30, of Cambridge and Dean C. Price, 32, of Woolford to exceed their legal striped bass quota by using other licensee’s striped bass harvest permits and tags resulting in charges in State court in 2005. Weber later paid $125 for harvesting a striped bass over thirty-six inches in length and paid $250 for checking striped bass on another’s license. Price also paid a $250 fine for checking striped bass on another’s license.

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January 8, 2008

Contact: Sgt. Ken Turner 410-260-8003 office I 443-534-5598 cell kturner@dnr.state.md.us

The 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.

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 12 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