(Editor’s note: A criminal charge is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed a violation of the criminal law, and it is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the state of New York’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.)
Social media post leads to tickets
(Monroe County)
On the morning of May 4, ECOs Spencer Noyes and Evan McFee patrolled a section of the Genesee River in Rochester after receiving a tip from a social media post that claimed people had been keeping smallmouth bass in recent days, well before the opening of the season. Images from the post showed individuals posing with numerous bass lined up on the shoreline. The ECOs positioned themselves to watch fishing activity in the river and noticed one individual with a white five-gallon bucket with a large fish tail sticking out. The fisherman made his way back to the parking area with the bucket. Noyes and McFee approached the man and discovered he had caught and kept both a large bass and a northern pike, both out of season. The fisherman claimed he didn’t know the rules and that he had never “caught one so big,” with the bass weighing in at just over 6 pounds and measuring 22 inches in length. The subject said he was going to take his chances breaking the law, as he planned to get the trophy bass mounted. The individual turned out to be one of the fisherman in the Internet photos. He was issued two tickets for taking fish out of season, returnable to Rochester City Court.
State record crappie
(Cattaraugus County)
On May 6, ECO Nate Mead was contacted by fisherman William Wightman of South Dayton, who stated he had caught a possible new state record black crappie from Lake Flavia in Cattaraugus County. He asked Mead to check the validity of his catch so that he could begin the records submission. Mead was present for the weigh-in and measured the fish, an impressive 18.5-inch crappie weighing in at 4.1 pounds and exceeding the 1998 state record by 5 ounces. On May 9, DEC biologist Scott Cornett from the Allegany office confirmed Mead’s identification of the fish as a black crappie.
Busy day busting illegal turkey hunters
(Cattaraugus County)
On May 6, ECO Robert Nosal investigated a report in the town of Otto regarding a man shooting a turkey from his vehicle. Witnesses said they observed a vehicle pull to the shoulder of the road and then heard two gunshots. The vehicle then drove past the witness’s residence and back to the scene, at which time the hunter was then confronted by the property owner. The subject left but not before his license plate was recorded. Nosal located and interviewed the suspect and was shown the dead turkey recovered from a ravine at the scene. The man admitted to shooting the turkey from his vehicle and was charged with illegally taking a wild turkey, possession of a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle, and discharging a firearm from a public highway. The subject is set to appear in Otto Town Court.
After issuing those tickets, Nosal investigated another complaint in the town of Yorkshire, where it was alleged that a man killed a hen turkey, which is illegal to take during the spring season. The complainant showed Nosal a picture of a man caught on his game camera on May 3, carrying a long gun and what appeared to be a hen turkey. The complainant recognized the hunter, leading Nosal to track down and interview a Colden area man. After a brief interview, the man confessed to killing the hen. The subject gave Nosal part of the turkey from a freezer and dug up the head and feathers buried in a plastic bag in the yard. Nosal checked the remains for signs of a beard and confirmed what he had already suspected, that the bird was a hen. Additionally, Nosal determined that the hunter did not have a valid turkey permit. The man was charged with killing a hen turkey out of season and hunting turkey without a permit. He was scheduled to appear in Yorkshire Town Court.
ECOs patrol with U.S. Coast Guard
(Suffolk County)
On May 9, ECOs Ike Bobseine and Rob McCabe joined the U.S. Coast Guard out of Montauk for a combined patrol on Great Peconic Bay. The patrol included radiation screening of vessels, fishing regulation checks, and boating safety compliance checks. Throughout the day, multiple vessels were boarded and inspected. The officers found both equipment and fishing violations. While aboard one vessel with four passengers, the ECOs determined that the fisherman, who claimed he was fishing commercially, was using his commercial license to keep short fluke for his friends who were fishing recreationally. When asked to produce the required vessel trip report for commercial fisherman, the subject was unable to do so. He was issued a ticket returnable to East Hampton Town Court.
Rabbits out of season, and an opossum
(Orange County)
On May 12, ECO Adam Johnson received a call from the New York State Police just after midnight asking for assistance in the town of Crawford for possible small-game hunting violations and shots fired in a residential neighborhood. Johnson and ECO Jason Smith responded and met with a Crawford police officer who had secured the scene. The ECOs found a skinned and butchered rabbit on the porch, and the suspect quickly admitted to shooting three rabbits and attempting to shoot an opossum near his house. The subject showed the ECOs where he was shooting at the opossum and they observed numerous spent shell casings in the backyard of the residence. After measuring the shooting locations, the officers determined the subject fired multiple rounds within 500 feet of a nearby residence. The rabbit meat was seized from a freezer at the residence. All small-game hunting seasons were closed. The subject was issued multiple summons for illegally taking protected wildlife, taking small game out of season, hunting without a license, and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling. The shotgun and ammunition used to take the rabbits were seized as evidence, and all the summons were returnable to Crawford Town Court.
Your goose is cooked
(Schuyler County)
On the morning of May 12, ECOs Ron Gross and Travis McNamara were patrolling for turkey hunting violations in Schuyler County when a gray pickup truck approached them. The driver was wearing full camo, so the ECOs asked if he had any luck that morning. The driver said he hadn’t, but appeared nervous. The ECOs spotted a .17 caliber rifle and a 12-gauge shotgun laying across the center console of the truck. Both were loaded. The officers also found another unloaded shotgun on the back seat of the truck. Gross observed a recently killed Canada goose in the bed of the truck. The driver admitted that he had just shot the goose with the .17 caliber rifle. The ECOs took the driver back to the field, where the goose was shot and determined that although it had not been shot from inside of the truck, the hunter did not have permission to be on the property. He was issued two tickets for possessing a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle and one ticket each for trespassing on posted property, illegally killing a goose out of season, and Illegally killing a goose with a rifle, all returnable to Tyrone Town Court.
Stealthy approach leads citations
(Oneida County)
On May 13, ECO John Gates was patrolling Hinckley Reservoir in Remsen when a fisherman informed him that people were keeping well over the limit of trout at the base of the reservoir’s dam. Gates, using a canoe he had in the back of his patrol vehicle, approached the two unsuspecting fishermen by water. The pair were in possession of 12 trout in an area with a limit of three trout over 12 inches in length, per person, per day. Only one of the trout was of legal length. Gates issued both fishermen two summonses, one each for taking over the limit of trout and one for possession of undersized fish. The summonses were returnable to Trenton Town Court.
Big buck case solved
(Jefferson County)
On May 13, ECO Pete Jackson solved a hunting case he had worked on for more than five months. In December 2017, he received a call from the owner of a storage unit facility in the town of Clayton. The caller had found the carcass of a large, 10-point buck on the edge of the property. With a possession tag still attached to its ear, the animal had been gutted and hidden behind some plywood. With the assistance of ECO Rob Johnson, the officers confirmed the deer had been shot with a muzzleloader. Using information from the tag, the officers identified a suspect living in a court-mandated rehabilitation facility outside the county. Jackson interviewed the woman whose name was on the possession tag and she verified that the suspect had taken the deer. Since he did not have a hunting license, she said he had asked to use her tag. In early May 2018, Jackson confirmed that the suspect was back living in Clayton. He located the suspect on May 13, and issued him tickets for hunting without a license, possessing hunting tags of another, and unlawfully taking big game. The case was to be heard in Clayton Town Court.
Fallen owl found
(Orange County)
On May 15, ECO Will Chomicki received a call from a farmer in the town of Chester. The caller had found a juvenile owl at the base of a tree where it had apparently fallen from the nest. The farmer was concerned the bird would end up in traffic and he could not tell if the animal was injured from the fall. With guidance from a wildlife rehabilitator, Chomicki determined the bird was a juvenile great horned owl and did not appear to be injured. The owl was left on the property in a safe location. With the help of the local residents, Chomicki constructed a temporary perch for the owl off the ground so the mother could tend to it.
Exposed by the tide
(Bronx County)
On May 17, ECOs Ryan Kelley and Taylor Della Rocco were patrolling in Bronx County when they observed five men fishing from the shoreline of the Long Island Sound. As the ECOs approached the anglers, the officers noticed nine striped bass – several shorter than the legal length – on stringers attached to bricks by the water’s edge. The anglers originally had the fish in much deeper water, but as the tide receded the fish were left exposed on shore. In all, four tickets were issued for possessing short striped bass and fishing without a marine registry. All charges were pending in Bronx Criminal Court.
Under the bridge
(Suffolk County)
During the evening of May 19, ECO Sean Rockefeller received a tip about three individuals fishing under the Route 114 bridge in the village of Sag Harbor and attempting to sell the fish in New York City. Rockefeller approached the bridge on foot and located three individuals fishing. Watching from a distance, the officer observed one individual catch what appeared to be an undersized striped bass and hide it in a black garbage bag in some nearby tall grass. ECO Ike Bobseine responded to assist, and when Rockefeller announced his presence, one of the startled fishermen attempted to hide his illegal catch in the rocks just a few feet from Bobseine. The officers found two porgies and one sea robin in a cooler, and when asked where the other fish were, the fishermen responded that there were no other fish. Rockefeller walked to the tall grass and picked up one of the hidden fish. In total, the ECOs found five striped bass, all under the legal 17 inches in length. All three fishermen were written tickets for possessing undersized striped bass and possessing over the limit of striped bass, returnable to the Southampton Town Court.
Outreach participation
(Sullivan and Dutchess counties)
On May 19, ECO Jon Walraven helped the Boy Scouts of Troop 31 earn their fly-fishing merit badge. In earning the badge, the scouts learned how to use a fly-fishing rod and reel, tie flies, and perform first aid, as well as trying their new skills fishing on the Neversink River. Walraven shared a basic introduction to freshwater fishing laws and the role of ECOs protecting New York’s natural resources. Also, on May 19 and 20, ECOs attended the Northeast Outdoor Show in Dutchess County to represent the agency. Vendors from around the region displayed the latest hunting and outdoor products. Popular attractions included the fishing pond, Lumberjack Classic, and the Ultimate Air Dogs. Officers Ricky Wood and Vernon Bauer performed a K-9 demonstration on wildlife meat detection and handler protection. ECOs also brought division ATVs and snowmobiles to show the public some of the tools used in everyday patrols. Hundreds of people met and spoke with their local ECOs and enjoyed the festivities.
A meeting with Spiderman
On Oct. 27, ECO Jerry Kinney compared notes with Spiderman (Logan) at a local establishment. The young man and his mother were there following a Halloween parade. Kinney kept Spiderman’s curiosity piqued for some time. Both Kinney and Logan commented that their meeting was the highlight of the week. Logan’s mother, along with a number of patrons who witnessed the exchange, commented on Kinney’s kind interaction with the young man.
The post New York Outdoor News Cuffs & Collars – Nov. 16, 2018 appeared first on Outdoornews.
from Outdoornews https://ift.tt/2Q4u0wC
No comments:
Post a Comment