Waterman Charged with Dumping Animal Carcasses, Hunter Cited for Poaching

Dead fish dumped on private property

Illegal dumping of animal carcasses and deer poaching were among the cases handled recently by the Maryland Natural Resources Police.

A Charles County waterman, charged earlier this month with poaching geese, was cited Thursday by officers for dumping dead geese and fish on private property.

Reid Nathan Franklin, 22, of Port Tobacco, received three criminal citations for littering in connection with the carcasses he left at the edge of a homeowner’s driveway early last week.

Officers acting on a complaint to the Department of Natural Resources customer service portal thought the fish were similar in size to those seen in Franklin’s truck on Feb. 3, when he was charged with poaching. They questioned people in the neighborhood and other sources, and came to the conclusion Franklin was responsible.

When questioned, Franklin acknowledged that the fish he dumped were caught on both Maryland tidal fish and Potomac River Fisheries Commission licenses.

The criminal citations mean Franklin must appear in Charles County District Court. If found guilty, he could be fined as much as $30,000 and/or five years in prison.

Franklin is scheduled to appear in Charles County District Court on April 20 on charges that he and another hunter had 24 geese over the daily bag limit, and that they were hunting without written permission. The maximum fine for both charges is $1,500.

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Officers acting on a tip charged a Hagerstown man last Saturday with deer poaching.

Gardner Shumaker II, 21, received a citation for hunting deer out of season and is scheduled to appear in Washington District Court on April 14.

Shumaker acknowledged killing a doe on his family’s property and loading it into the bucket of a tractor. But he told officers that he did not realize landowners were subject to deer hunting seasons.

The maximum fine for the violation is $1,500.