NRP officers rescue eastern box turtles and eastern painted turtles from a Hollywood residence in October. Maryland DNR photo.
The Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) issued various citations and made numerous arrests for violations of criminal and natural resource law throughout the fall season of 2024. Charges filed against individuals include hunting out of season, baiting game animals, theft, weapons violations, spotlighting deer, commercial oyster violations, and other crimes.
Two Individuals Charged for Poaching 9-Point Buck with Air Rifle on Private Property in St. Mary’s County
On September 21, Maryland Natural Resources Police officers received a call about possible illegal deer hunting occurring on an individual’s private property in the Great Mills area of Lexington Park. Arriving officers found blood and trail-cam photo evidence that a deer had been recently killed on the property.
Officers requested K9 assistance to track the deer’s blood trail, which led officers about one mile away to a residence where a group of men were actively cooking the deer in question. An air rifle pellet gun equipped with a scope and laser, air rifle pellets, and the skull and antlers of the deer were recovered at the scene.
Two men – a 24- and 29-year-old from Lexington Park – admitted to being in the trail-camera pictures harvesting the deer. They were charged with trespassing, hunting without a license, hunting on private land without permission, failure to check in the kill, nighttime hunting, and other offenses.
Carroll County Men Busted For Hunting Baited Duck Pond in Sykesville
On October 5, NRP officers observed a group of individuals duck hunting on a pond in Sykesville. After making contact with the hunters, officers found numerous violations including hunting without a license, hunting waterfowl with a shotgun capable of holding more than three shells, and hunting over bait.
As a result of the baited pond, all seven wood ducks that were harvested were seized and donated to Friskies Wildlife to feed injured birds. The two men charged – a 65-year-old Sykesville man and a 38-year-old Westminster man – face a combined $4,500 in total possible fines.
Charges Filed Against Havre De Grace Man in 2023 Susquehanna River Fatal Boating Accident
Richard Christopher Clements, 64, of Havre De Grace was indicted by a grand jury on October 29, 2024, resulting in 12 charges relating to a fatal boating accident on the Susquehanna River in 2023.
Clements was operating a 29-foot Wellcraft near the Amtrak bridge on October 2, 2023. when his boat collided with a 17-foot Lowe jon boat with two passengers on board. The operator of the jon boat – Daniel Allan Siebert, 51, of Hydes – was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other passenger was treated for minor injuries at a nearby medical center. Clements was uninjured in the accident.
On November 2, 2024, Clements was arrested and charged with various misdemeanor and felony charges. Among the charges are manslaughter, operation of a vessel under the influence, and negligent operation.
Myersville Man Charged for Taking 9-Point Buck Out of Season With Rifle
On October 12 at about 9:30 p.m., NRP officers responded to a call for shots fired in a Myersville field.
The following morning, responding officers met with the landowners at their residence, where a 66-year-old man admitted to shooting a 9-point antlered white-tailed deer the night before with a Savage .223 bolt-action rifle. He voluntarily showed officers the carcass of the freshly-killed deer and surrendered the deer’s skull cap. The individual was issued citations for hunting with firearms out of season, and removal of deer parts prior to check in.
Two Cumberland Men Charged with Spotlighting Deer
On October 23 at about 8:40 p.m., NRP officers were conducting a patrol check in Allegany County when officers observed a truck shining a LED light bar across multiple fields on a dead-end road.
Officers initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle and observed a loaded crossbow, crossbow bolts with broadheads, and a rangefinder in the back seat within arm’s reach.The occupants of the vehicle – a 19-year-old male and a 70-year-old male, both of Cumberland – were charged with spotlighting and hunting game birds or mammals at nighttime.
Animal Cruelty Charges Filed Against St. Mary’s County Man
On October 21 at about 7:30 a.m., NRP officers were dispatched to a Hollywood residence for a report of illegal box turtles being kept on the property.
Arriving officers, Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) wildlife staff, and St. Mary’s County animal control agents found an enclosure containing a black vulture, a plastic swimming pool containing three eastern painted turtles and 43 eastern box turtles, and several other animal cages and enclosures in disarray covered with waste. The pool which contained the turtles was filled with dirty water containing hay, bug larvae, maggots, and unidentified grains.
The property owner – a 71-year-old Hollywood man – stated that he found the animals in the wild and kept them as pets. DNR biologists transported the vulture and turtles to Phoenix Wildlife Center in Baldwin for evaluation and wildlife treatment, where several turtles required euthanasia due to illness and malnourishment. The man was charged with 48 counts of animal cruelty, 53 counts of possession without permits, and 3 counts of failure to obtain permits. He faces up to $1,000 per offense if convicted.
Caroline County Man Charged for Poached 8-Point Deer
On October 31 at approximately 5:30 a.m., NRP officers on scene at a search and seizure warrant at a Caroline County residence located an 8-point antlered white-tailed deer in a freezer.
Officers found the deer to have a bullet entrance wound, while the deer had not been tagged nor had it received a confirmation number from check-in. The individual residing at the property – a 51-year-old Henderson man – failed to explain where the deer came from and why he had it in his possession. He was charged with failure to report the harvest, failure to attach a field tag, removal of head/hide/parts prior to check-in, and hunting during closed season.
Theft of Trail Camera in Worcester County Leads to Additional Hunting Violations
On November 16 at about 9 a.m., NRP officers were contacted for a vehicle trespassing on private hunting property in Worcester County and for a stolen cellular trail camera, which had taken pictures of the suspect.
Officers located the vehicle in question in Princess Anne, where the driver admitted to stealing the camera. Upon review of the photos taken on the camera, the offender was seen to be hunting with a rifle pointing out of his driver’s window. The individual – a 53-year-old Princess Anne man – was charged with hunting without a license, possession of a loaded weapon in a vehicle, hunting with firearms out of season, hunting private property without permission, and theft of the trail camera.
Hancock Resident Charged with Poaching 8-Point Deer on Junior Hunt Day
On November 16 at about 8:30 a.m., NRP officers were called to a residence in Hancock for a large antlered deer shot with a rifle, where the complainant witnessed the subject drag the deer with a side-by-side.
Arriving officers found the suspect, a camouflage side-by-side ATV, and a dead 8-point white-tailed deer laying nearby. The suspect – a 64-year-old from Hancock – admitted to shooting the deer with a .240 Weatherby Magnum and was subsequently charged with hunting with a firearm out of season. The deer was donated to Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry.
Hampstead Man Faces $7,500 in Fines For Shooting Deer With Suppressed, Thermal-Scoped AR-15
On November 13 at 6 p.m., officers conducting surveillance on a Carroll County agricultural field observed a group of white-tailed deer feeding on recently-harvested corn, when an individual exited a pickup truck and fired multiple gunshots toward the deer.
Officers observed the man armed with an AR-15 style rifle and detained him at the scene; he was later identified as a 37-year-old from White Hall. Officers located a deceased white-tailed deer and an additional wounded deer in the vicinity, which was donated to a local processor to distribute to local families in need. Police seized the rifle, chambered in .223 Remington/5.56x45mm NATO and equipped with a suppressor and thermal imaging clip-on optic, as well as a 20-round magazine. Another thermal-imaging monocular was seized. The man received citations for hunting game animals at nighttime, hunting with a rifle out of season, hunting with a magazine holding more than 8 rounds, failure to wear florescent orange, and failure to carry personal identification.
Firearms, Hunting Charges Issued to Trespasser on Harford County Land
On November 13 at about 3:10 p.m., NRP officers were dispatched to Havre De Grace in reference to a person possibly trespassing and hunting on Harford County property.
Arriving officers observed a pickup truck with hunting equipment located in the bed and rear passenger compartment. The suspect was then located in a tree stand within Harford County park property, hunting with a Marlin lever-action 30-30 rifle. The individual – a 35-year-old Aberdeen man – was found to be prohibited from possessing or using firearms in Maryland due to previous charges. He was subsequently charged with possessing a firearm by a disqualified person, illegal possession of ammunition, hunting on private lands without permission, hunting without using straight-walled cartridges, and hunting with a firearm out of season.
Delaware Poachers Face More Than $20,000 in Fines for Spotlighting Sika Deer
On November 9 at about 9:30 p.m., NRP officers were dispatched to a traffic stop in Church Creek where a Dorchester County Sheriffs Deputy observed 2 illegally harvested sika deer in the bed of a pickup truck.
The vehicle’s occupants admitted to shooting the deer with the aid of the vehicle’s headlights. Three loaded rifles were found in the bed of the truck: a Winchester .270 bolt-action rifle, a Henry .22 LR lever-action rifle, and a .22 Winchester Magnum semi-automatic rifle. Each of the individuals – a 57-year-old of Smyrna, Del. and a 34-year-old of Milford, Del. – were issued citations for spotlighting, hunting game animals at nighttime, hunting without a license, possessing a loaded weapon in a vehicle, hunting with firearms out of season, and hunting with improper weapons. The two sika deer were donated to a local family in Dorchester County.
Wanted Jessup Man Assaults Officers and Resists Arrest, Faces 13 Years Imprisonment
On November 8 at about 2:40 p.m., NRP officers were dispatched to a call for potential trespassing and illegal hunting on State Highway Administration property in Howard County.
Arriving officers located two subjects and a compound bow near a field edge and approached them before questioning their reason for trespassing. One individual – a 54-year-old Jessup man – attempted to walk away and became combative, eventually striking an officer and pushing him to the ground as he was being handcuffed. After the struggle, the man was restrained and found to have an active warrant for which he was taken into custody.
He was also charged with the following citations: failure to obtain a hunting license, hunting without required stamps, failure to carry identification, hunting on private lands without permission, trespassing on posted property, failure to obey lawful orders, resisting arrest, and second-degree assault on a law enforcement officer. Combined, the charges could net more than $10,000 in fines and 13 years jail time.
Two Individuals Charged after Illegal Oyster Harvest in St. Mary’s County
On November 20 at about 6:20 a.m., NRP officers were conducting surveillance of Jones Shore Bar on the Potomac River in St. Mary’s County, when a vessel was observed using hand scrapes in a hand tong-only area.
Upon inspecting the vessel, officers found 11 bushels of illegally-harvested oysters and issued both occupants – a 23-year-old man and a 46-year-old woman, both of Hollywood – Potomac River Fisheries Commission (PRFC) citations for harvesting wild oysters with a hand scrape in a hand tong only area, punishable by fines of $500.