| Press Releases | Search DNR | DNR Home |
Maryland Natural Resources Police Blotter
Anne Arundel County – On Thursday, Jan 10, at 12:15 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) charged William J. Lednum, 35, of Tilghman with unlawful use of an anchored gill net and improperly marking nets in the Chesapeake Bay near Columbia Beach.
Lednum was charged after officers observed him allegedly fishing the net just east of the western shipping channel. He was issued two citations and released on his signature.
A gill net is a net used for the commercial harvest of fish. The net is maintained in a vertical position in the water with sinkers or floats. The net captures fish by means of a mesh too small to permit passage of the body of the fish or withdrawal of the head once the posterior margin of the gill covers has passed through the mesh.
A drift gill net is a net not secured to or anchored to the bottom, including a net rigged with up to 20 pounds of weight at each end. These nets must be attended by the licensee in a boat within two miles of the net while it is in waters of the Chesapeake Bay, or within one mile when the net is in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, its coastal bays and their tributaries, or a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay.
An anchor gill net is a net that is stationary in the water and secured to the bottom by conventional anchors or heavy weights.
Charles County – On Saturday, Jan. 12, at 10:01 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police charged Robert A. Howe, 24, of Newburg and William P. Lafallett Jr., 26, of Brandywine with multiple hunting violations on Bowling Road in Newport.
NRP initiated a traffic stop after observing the van Howe and Lafallett occupied stop on Bowling Road and discharge a firearm into a field along the roadway. During the stop, officers located and seized as evidence one .22 caliber rifle and a spent .22 caliber shell casing.
Howe and Lafallett was each issued citations for casting rays of artificial light on fields or woodland while having a weapon in possession capable of killing deer, possession of a loaded weapon in a vehicle, hunting from a vehicle, hunting within a safety zone, and hunting deer during closed season. Lafallett was released on his signature. Howe was arrested on an active outstanding arrest warrant.
Montgomery County – On Friday, Jan. 11, James Franklin Butler, Jr., 47, of Culpeper, Va. was found guilty in Montgomery County District Court of operating a tree expert business without a license.
Charges were filed by the NRP in October of 2007 at the request of the Maryland Forest Service after receiving a complaint from a citizen who observed Butler’s tree company, Jimmy's Tree Service, performing tree care in Potomac. Maryland Forest Service records confirmed that Butler is not a Licensed Tree Expert and has no licensees on staff.
State law prohibits a person from soliciting, advertising, or representing himself or herself to the public as a tree expert, or assuming to practice as a tree expert without having received a license. He was fined a total of $320.
Prince George’s County – On Friday, Jan. 11, Karl K. Bell, 61, of Largo pleaded guilty in Prince George's County District Court to operating a tree expert business without a license.
NRP filed charges in August of 2007 at the request of the Maryland Forest Service after receiving a complaint from a landowner whose roof had been damaged while Bell’s company, Maple Leaf Lawn and Tree, was performing tree care on an adjacent property. Maryland Forest Service records confirmed that Bell is not a Licensed Tree Expert and has no licensees on staff.
State law prohibits a person from soliciting, advertising, or representing himself or herself to the public as a tree expert, or assuming to practice as a tree expert without having received a license. He was fined a total of $320.
St. Mary’s County – On Saturday, Jan. 12, at 9:25 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police charged Lawrence E. Copsey, 44, and George W. Bowles, 35, both of Mechanicsville with multiple hunting violations on Delabrooke Road near Mechanicsville.
NRP initiated a traffic stop after observing the van the two occupied stopped in the roadway. NRP located and seized as evidence one .243 caliber rifle with a light attached under the barrel, ammunition and a night vision monocular scope during the course of the stop.
Both men were 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 deer during closed season. A court date of April 18 has been scheduled for the individuals in St. Mary’s County District Court.
Talbot County – Maryland Natural Resources Police report a busy oyster season this winter. So far officers have charged 12 individuals with oyster harvesting violations in the Bay Hundred area.
Landon L. Janda, 28, of Wittman and Kevin S. Tarleton, 37, of Tilghman was charged with taking oysters from an area closed by the Maryland Department of the Environment.
Joseph B. Janda Jr., 21, of Wittman was charged with two counts of taking oysters on a suspended license.
The following individuals were charged with possession of unculled oysters:
Joseph C. Spurry, 66, of McDaniel, two counts, Larry S. Lynch, 56, of Grasonville, two counts, Edward H. Higgins Jr., 51, of McDaniel, John W. Scharch, Jr., 56, of Sherwood, Kevin S. Tarleton, 37, of Tilghman, Chet L. Swartz, 47, of Tilghman, William T. Cummings, 53, of Tilghman, Michael A. Lednum, 46, of Tilghman, Brian T. Hambleton, 21, of Bozman, and Philemon T. Hambleton Jr., of Bozman.
The commercial oyster season for tonging and diving runs through March 31, 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 31 in designated areas of Calvert, Dorchester, Somerset, St. Mary's Talbot and Wicomico 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.
January 19, 2008 Contact: Sgt. Ken Turner
410-260-8003 office I 443-534-5598 cell
kturner@dnr.state.md.usThe 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