Maryland Natural Resources Police Blotter

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Baltimore City – On Wednesday, March 5, James Alexander Bush Jr., 63, of Baltimore stood trial in Baltimore City District Court for two counts of possessing wild birds without a permit and two counts of possessing endangered species of wildlife. Bush was charged on Oct. 2, 2007, after the Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) seized four taxidermal animals, two Delmarva fox squirrels, a Red-tailed Hawk and a Yellowleg Sandpiper from his residence.

Bush was found guilty on one count of possessing wild birds without a permit and was fined $1250. Bush received probation before judgment on the two counts of possessing endangered species of wildlife and other count of possessing wild birds without a permit and was fined $150 for each of those charges.

Garrett County – On Sunday, March 9, at 4:50 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police arrested an Oakland man for driving while intoxicated on Herrington Manor Road in Garrett State Forest.

NRP initiated a traffic stop on Joshua R. Reckart, 20, of Oakland for driving erratically. During the course of the traffic stop, Reckart was arrested for driving a vehicle while impaired by alcohol, driving a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, driving a vehicle in violation of license restriction, failure to drive right of center, failure to wear a seat belt and possession of an alcoholic beverage by a person under 21 years of age.

Reckart was taken before a Garrett County Court Commissioner and released after paying 10 percent of a $2,000 bail.

Queen Anne’s County – On Monday, March 10, at 2 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police arrested John Andrew Sullivan, 36, of Denton on theft and trespassing charges after a two hour search of a wooded area off of Route 404.

NRP received a call from the owner of a farm off of Route 50 near Arrington Road, advising that Sullivan was observed parked behind the owner’s barn. Sullivan was allegedly loading metal from the property into his truck. As the landowner approached, Sullivan fled the property and traveled east on Route 50. The landowner followed as Sullivan turned east onto Route 404 and then onto Willoughby Cannery Road while advising NRP of his location via cell phone. Sullivan then stopped his truck and ran into the wooded area along Willoughby Cannery Road.

Approximately 5 minutes after Sullivan fled, NRP officers and NRP helicopter Natural 2 were on the scene and started searching the area. As allied agencies arrived on the scene, a perimeter was set up and the aerial and ground search continued until NRP apprehended Sullivan behind a residence off of Charles I Boyle Road.

Sullivan was charged with trespassing on posted property, theft of property valued under $500, malicious destruction of property damage less than $500 and driving a motor vehicle while license suspended. He was held overnight at the Queen Anne’s County Detention Center on $3,000 bond and released the following day after a bail review hearing.

Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Office, Maryland State Police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement assisted NRP with the incident.

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March 12, 2008

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.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages nearly one-half million 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