Police Cite Three Poachers; Charge Two for Drug Possession

Deer poaching and drug possession cases highlight recent enforcement actions taken by the Maryland Natural Resources Police.

Two Frederick men were charged with killing three deer on the campus of Montgomery College on New Year’s Eve.

A security guard on rounds saw two men drive through the Germantown campus in a pickup truck, stop and shoot at a herd of deer. They got out of the truck and dragged a deer carcass off the steps of a building and loaded it into the truck bed.

The guard asked co-workers to call 911. Montgomery County Police stopped the truck, found three dead deer and contacted Natural Resources Police.

Jaron Randall Hall, 30, and James Andrew Fernandez, 25, volunteered that they stopped at the college and killed the deer before going to work.

Each man was charged with hunting on private land without written permission, hunting within a safety zone and hunting deer at night. Hall was additionally charged with shooting from a road and having a loaded crossbow in a vehicle. The men were issued written warnings for failing to tag and report their kills.

Officers confiscated Hall’s crossbow and case, crossbow bolts, handheld spotlight and a headlamp. The deer were too damaged to be donated to a food bank and were disposed of.

A court date has not been set.

A West Virginia man was charged Monday with multiple hunting violations after an officer found discrepancies in his deer harvesting record.

Larry Edgar Cook, 54, of Falling Waters, told police he had taken three antlerless deer this year on public land in Washington County. Two of the deer were harvested during rifle season, which was closed to antlerless deer and the third was taken during muzzleloader season, which was closed to antlerless deer as well.

The officer reviewing Cook’s license found that he had failed to complete the Big Game Harvest Record by writing down the confirmation numbers for each of the antlerless deer he had harvested this season.

Cook was issued four citations: two counts of hunting deer during a closed season, one count of exceeding seasonal regional bag limits, one count of failing to record a kill on harvest record, and 15 warnings for other harvest record and game violations.

He is due in Washington County District Court April 4.

A Delaware man stopped Monday evening in Worcester County for negligent driving and using a light to illuminate a farm field was arrested for drug possession.

Thomas Alan Peacock, 22, of Selbyville, was seen driving erratically on Swamp Road near Blueberry Road in Whaleyville, causing deep ruts in the dirt surface and making the road impassible for other motorists. He was shining his headlights onto the field.

A records check indicated that Peacock’s driver’s license was suspended. Officers found a hypodermic needle and spoon used for heroin on Peacock and a pipe used for marijuana in the vehicle.

Peacock was issued five citations: possession of heroin, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving on a suspended license, spotlighting without implement and negligent driving.

His passenger, Matthew Alan Meals, 22, also of Selbyville, was charged with marijuana possession and malicious destruction of property.

A court date has not been set.