Officers Arrest Striped Bass Poachers, Drug Dealers and a Fugitive

Four anglers were charged with poaching striped bass in Dorchester County, three juveniles were arrested for attempted drug dealing in a state park in Worcester County, and an unlicensed tree contractor in Garrett County was cited in cases handled by the Maryland Natural Resources Police last weekend.

Officers conducting surveillance early Sunday morning at the Ferry Bridge on Hooper Island saw two groups of recreational fishermen catching and keeping striped bass. One group had 16 fish and the other group had nine fish. The rockfish season is closed.

Edgar Fuentes DeMata, 37, and Lenin Gonzalez Fuentes, 34, both of Bladensburg, were each charged with possessing eight striped bass in a closed season. They are required to appear in Dorchester District Court rather than being allowed to pay a fine. Their hearing is scheduled for May 18. If found guilty, they each could be fined as much as $1,500.

Joel Ramos Campos, 49, and Jorge Widmar Flores, 36, both of Hyattsville, were each charged with possessing four fish in a closed season. Flores also was charged with fishing without a license. Their hearing is scheduled for May 18. Campos can avoid a trial by paying a fine of $1,000. Flores must pay a fine of $1,075 to avoid trial.

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Three juveniles found in Assateague State Park after hours on Friday were arrested for attempted drug dealing and turned over to the state Department of Juvenile Services.

Officers on park patrol just before midnight noticed a car at the marina and pulled up to check it out. They smelled marijuana as they talked to the vehicle’s driver and then found two other juveniles hiding in the nearby reeds.

While searching the car, the officers found marijuana in plastic bags and vacuum-sealed bags, several packages of concentrated tetrahydrocannabinol, two digital scales and three grinders.

The suspects, two 17-year-old boys and a 16-year-old boy, were charged as juveniles with possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of marijuana. They were released to the custody of their parents.

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A Westernport man was charged on Saturday with running an unlicensed tree contracting business and was subsequently arrested when an officer found he was wanted under two warrants.

Roy Scott Davis, 45, received a citation for failing to have a tree expert license as he worked on a property in his neighborhood. While running a background check, the officer learned that he was wanted for failing to appear in Allegany County District Court last year for driving on a suspended license and in Garrett County District Court for failing to appear for a hearing last month in a domestic case.

Davis was arrested and taken to the Garrett County jail, where he was held on $1,000 cash bond pending a hearing on the contempt of court charge. He will then be taken to Allegany County District Court to answer for that charge.