Police Charge Virginia Man with Spearfishing in Potomac

September 27, 2017

Maryland Natural Resources Police officers patrolling the Potomac River in Montgomery County Sunday charged a Virginia man with fishing with a spear gun and fishing without a license.

Witnesses said two men were in a boat and one man caught a smallmouth bass with a spear gun. The officers questioned the two men, who denied the account. However, officers found fishing gear and a set of wet goggles in their vehicle and a smallmouth bass in their cooler. Then, they found a spear gun in the tall grass near the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal.

Kevin Ernesto Posada Medrano, 18, of Herndon, received citations for the fishing violations and a written warning for keeping a smallmouth bass from a catch-and-return area. The spear gun and goggles were seized as evidence and the fish – still alive – was returned to the river.

A hearing date in Montgomery County District Court has not been set. If found guilty, he could be fined as much as $250.

A tip from the public led to the arrest last week of a Carroll County man on multiple hunting violations.

Andrew Martin Klein Jr., 28, of Sykesville, was charged with hunting in a closed season, hunting in a safety zone, failing to report a deer kill, failing to record the kill on the Big Game Harvest Record, and removing the deer head before check in.

Officers received information about illegal hunting and found a social media post that showed Klein posing with an 8-point buck in velvet that was hanging in his garage. A check of state records indicated that Klein bought a hunting license and bow stamp on Sept. 7, but had not checked in any deer this year or in previous years.

When questioned, Klein first claimed not to have shot any deer, but then said he killed the buck with a crossbow after investigators told him they had seen the social media post. The suspect then acknowledged that he shot the buck with a 0.308-caliber rifle from a window in his home and led officers to where he buried the deer head.

A hearing date has not been set yet in Carroll County District Court. If convicted of all five counts, Klein could be fined as much as $2,000.

An officer on foot patrol at Kent Narrows Sunday charged two men with illegal fishing for striped bass.

Hugo Leonel Gomez Rosales, 44, of Takoma Park, and Mario Rivas, 31, of Hyattsville each were charged with keeping undersized fish, exceeding the catch limit by two fish and possessing striped bass between midnight and 5 a.m.

Both men are scheduled to appear in Queen Anne’s County District Court Nov. 3. If found guilty, each man could be fined as much as $3,000.

Four men from the Washington area were charged with poaching crabs and striped bass during a recent surveillance operation at the Matapeake public pier and launch ramp.

An officer saw a vehicle towing a boat commit a traffic violation as it left the parking lot and stopped the driver. The officer inspected their coolers and found 21 striped bass, 20 of which were undersized, and 50 female crabs.

Manfredo Gonzales, 43, and Jose A. Viera Torres, 59, both of Hyattsville, Jubaldo Acosta, 42, of Mount Ranier, and Luis Umanzor Ramos, 41, of Washington, were each charged with possessing undersized striped bass, exceeding the daily catch limit for striped bass, and recreational possession of female crabs.

The violations require their appearance in Queen Anne’s County District Court Nov. 16. If found guilty, the men could be fined up to $3,000. The crabs were returned to the water and the fish were donated to a local food bank.