Three People Charged For Crabbing Violations

Annapolis, Md. (January 12, 2011) – The Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) charged three individuals with selling crabs without a commercial license.

“After a four month investigation we obtained a search warrant for the seafood dealer where the crabs were being sold, giving us what we needed to charge these individuals,” said Sgt. Art Windemuth, NRP Public Information Officer.


Stephen Mark Mullikin of Cambridge is charged with 42 counts of catching and selling crabs with out a commercial license and 39 counts of possession of female crabs without a license.

Wesley Matthew Finneyfrock of St. Michaels is charged with 12 counts of selling crabs without a commercial license, ten counts of possession of female crabs without a license and one count of possession of undersized hard crabs.

William Christopher Bradley of St. Michaels is charged with 12 counts of catching and selling crabs without a commercial license, ten counts of possessing female crabs without a commercial license and one count of possession of undersized hard crabs.

The crabs were harvested between June and September 2010. The maximum fine for each count is $1000. A trial is schedule on January 20 for Mullikin. Trials for Finneyfrock and Bradley are scheduled for February 17. All three will b tried in the District Court of Maryland for Talbot County.

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 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 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 Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov