Natural Resources Police Blotter

Two men were charged over the weekend with hunting violations on the Eastern Shore by officers of the Maryland Natural Resources Police.

On Saturday night, officers working a surveillance detail at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge with agents of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service arrested Christopher Philip Doege, 53, of Taylors Island. Doege was using a spotlight as he hunted a deer decoy set up by officers.

When officers stopped and searched his vehicle, they found within easy reach of the driver a rifle and ammunition, which they seized.

Doege will be charged with spotlighting deer and spotlighting deer with an implement, violations of the National Wildlife Refuge Administration Act. If found guilty in federal court, Doege could face a maximum sentence of six months in jail and a $5,000 fine.

According to Maryland court records, Doege has an open 1999 natural resources case in Dorchester District Court for failing to appear on a charge of hunting with an unplugged shotgun.

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On Sunday morning, an officer on patrol in Queen Anne’s County charged a hunter with illegal hunting after receiving a report of a man with a rifle on an all-terrain vehicle along Stafford Road.

Bruce Charles Smith, 62, of Stevensville was charged with hunting from an ATV. He received warnings for hunting without a license, failing to wear fluorescent orange, hunting during a closed season and possessing a loaded weapon in a vehicle.

The officer seized the loaded Remington 6 mm rifle, which was in the basket of the ATV. When contacted, the land owner confirmed he had permission to hunt the property, which Smith used to own.

A hearing date has not been scheduled yet in Queen Anne’s District Court. If found guilty, Smith could be fined as much as $1,500.