Natural Resources Police Charge Men With Drunk Driving/ Drug Possession

Millington, MD 12/26/09 – On 12/7/09 - The Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) charged Mitchell James Zinnel, age 19, of Chestertown, Maryland with Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol, Driving While Impaired by Drugs and Alcohol, Negligent Driving, Driving on a Suspended License, Possession of a License restriction, and Displaying a Suspended License.

NRP officers stopped Zinnel’s vehicle after it was observed spotlighting a field at night in violation of Natural Resources law. Zinnel displayed signs of being under the influence of alcohol and was taken into custody after failing several field sobriety tests.

During their investigation, NRP officers discovered that Zinnel’s passenger, David Wayne Porter, age 21, of Rock Hall, Maryland was in illegal possession of Suboxone, an opioid available by prescription only, and drug paraphernalia. Officers served a criminal summons on Porter on 12/12/09.

Zinnel and Porter are scheduled to appear in Kent County District Court on February 18, 2010.

The Maryland Natural Resources Police is the enforcement arm of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). With an authorized strength of 247 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), which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 461,000 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