Pennsylvania Man Charged with Poaching

Deer poaching topped the docket of cases handled this week by the Maryland Natural Resources Police.

Acting on tips, officers charged a Pennsylvania man Thursday with 10 counts of deer poaching in Frederick County.

With the assistance of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, it was determined that Zachery Lee Stultz, 19, of Blue Ridge Summit, shot a six-point buck in September in Thurmont.

The investigation further uncovered that Stultz killed an eight-point buck October along Kelbaugh Road, using his vehicle’s headlights to illuminate the deer. Stultz also killed in nine-point buck at night in early November along Hessong Bridge Road.

During an interviewed with officers, Stultz turned over the three sets of antlers.

Stultz was charged with hunting without a Maryland license, hunting without a bow stamp, two counts of cast rays (jacklighting), two counts of shooting from a vehicle, two counts of having a loaded crossbow in a vehicle and two counts of hunting at night. He also received seven written warnings.

He is scheduled to appear in Frederick County District Court Feb. 27. If found guilty of all charges, Stultz could have his hunting license revoked for two to five years and be fined a maximum of $9,500.

Two men were charged Thursday with illegal fishing and tampering with state boundary markers in Talbot County.

Officers on surveillance watched Nov. 29 as Walter Woodrow Fields, 34, of Trappe, and Vaughn Avery Watson Sr., 52, of Goldsboro, moved a buoy  designating a “hand tong only” area at the mouth of Broad Creek.

Shortly before sunrise, the boat “Searcher,” pulled up next to one of the buoys, attached a line to it and dragged it off position. The vessel then began power dredging in the area set aside for hand tonging.

Officers met the vessel at the Oxford landing and seized five bushels of oysters. The oysters were sold and the money is being held, pending the outcome of the court case.

After checking the coordinates of the markers against state hydrographic records, officers charged Fields and Watson with moving a state buoy and power dredging more than 150 feet inside an area set aside for hand tonging.

The two men are set to appear in Talbot County District Court March 16. If found guilty, each man could be fined as much as $2,000.

Officers on patrol on the Choptank River Tuesday evening charged a Dorchester County man with commercial fishing without a license and illegally catching white perch and striped bass.

Joseph Reinhold Laber, 32, of Woolford was seen running his boat off Hambrook’s Light after sunset and in the fog without navigational lights. When officers stopped him they saw gill nets on board with fish in them.

Laber gave officers the tidal fish license number belonging to his father but records indicated he was not an authorized user.

As the nets were emptied on shore, officers found undersized white perch and striped bass. They seized and sold 760 pounds of legal-sized white perch. The money will be held, pending the outcome of the court case.

Laber is due in Dorchester County District Court March 15. If found guilty of all charges, he could be fined as much as $3,000.