Natural Resources Police Charges Impaired Boater, Deer Poachers, Felon with a Gun

An intoxicated Va. man ran his vessel aground in St. Mary’s County

An intoxicated boater who ran his vessel aground, a felon in possession of firearms, and cases of deer poaching were recently handled by the officers of the Maryland Natural Resources Police.

On Saturday evening, a Virginia man was charged with three counts of impaired operation and one of negligent boating after he ran his 22-foot recreational boat onto a rock jetty at the mouth of the Patuxent River in St. Mary’s County.

Jose Antonio Sanchez, 54, of Sterling, and his passenger, Toni W. Castellon, 41, of Stafford, Va., were not ejected from the vessel, but complained of pain after impact. They were flown by Maryland State Police helicopter to Prince George’s Hospital Center for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

Sanchez will be scheduled for an appearance in St. Mary’s District Court. If found guilty of all four charges, he could face maximum penalties of $2,000 and up to a year in jail.

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Donald Joseph Ringer II, 37, of Oakland was arrested last Wednesday by officers for a firearms violation detected during a traffic stop in late November in Potomac-Garrett State Forest.

An officer on patrol on Snaggy Mountain Road stopped a pick-up truck in which Ringer was a passenger. The officer saw a rifle in a white, plastic shopping bag. A background check found that Ringer was convicted of arson in 2011 in Preston County, WV, and of second-degree assault in 2015 in Garrett County.

Ringer was arrested on a warrant issued by Garrett District Court and later released on a $5,000 unsecured bond. He will be tried on charges of possession of a rifle after a felony conviction, possession of a rifle after conviction of a disqualifying crime and illegal possession of ammunition. If found guilty of all charges, he could face 15 years in prison and $2,000 in fines.

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A Frostburg man received eight citations and 16 warnings last Saturday for killing two does and two bucks, and attempting to hide his actions.

Acting on a tip, an officer questioned Patrick Ellsworth Finzel Jr., 37, who admitted shooting two does the previous day and not reporting the kills. A third deer, he said, was shot by a juvenile.

Finzel then admitted he killed a button buck with his muzzleloader on Oct. 22 and a three-point buck on Nov. 30 with his rifle. He checked both bucks in on his mother’s hunting license.

All four deer were killed without written permission of the land owner.

The officer seized the deer and donated them to a charity food program. The juvenile’s case is still under investigation.

Finzel is scheduled to appear in Allegany District Court on Feb. 18. If found guilty of all charges, he could be fined in excess of $2,300.

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A Westernport man received three citations and four warnings last Thursday after he was caught poaching deer on private property in Garrett County.

When confronted by officers, James Richard Lease, 30, admitted killing two does while trespassing. He also did not have a hunting license and shot both deer the day before the firearms season started.

Lease received citations for hunting during a closed season, hunting without written permission and hunting without a license. He received warnings for failing to field tag the deer, trespassing on posted property, hunting during a closed season and driving on a revoked license. A Garrett County deputy sheriff accompanying officers arrested Lease on a warrant for theft.

Lease is schedule to appear in Garrett District Court on March 17. If found guilty of the three charges, he could be fined as much as $4,500.

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Acting on a tip, an officer caught two poachers Sunday who shot a deer from a cabin porch at night in Garrett County.

Gerhard Carl Hebner, 46, of Severna Park, was charged with hunting at night, hunting without a license and removing the head and hide before checking the deer. He also received four warnings: failing to field tag the deer, failing to check the deer, possessing untagged deer parts and hunting without written permission.

William Elliot Bonney, 53, of Oakland, was charged with removing the head and hide from the carcass before checking it in. He received the same four warnings.

After receiving the tip, the officer followed tracks from the site of the shooting to a trailer about a half-mile away. There, he found Hebner and Bonney sitting on all-terrain vehicles with the remains of two deer in a cart. The officer seized the deer and donated them to a charity food program.

Both men are scheduled to appear in Garrett District Court on Jan. 21.

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