Six Men Charged with Striped Bass Violations

The Maryland Natural Resources Police handled oyster and striped bass cases and made a drug arrest in recent enforcement activity on the Eastern Shore.

Three men were charged Monday with illegal oystering in Talbot County after an investigation of activity in Broad Creek and Tred Avon River.

Daniel Franklin Haddaway, 62, of Bozman, and David Bryan Phillips Sr., 53, of Vienna, each received citations for harvesting oysters with power dredges in an area of Broad Creek designated for hand tonging only. Both men were observed March 9 working more than 150 feet inside the area.

Derek Anthony Spiegel, 29, of Stevensville, received a citation for harvesting oysters more than 250 feet inside the Tred Avon sanctuary March 16. Officers seized 4½ bushels of oysters and returned them to the sanctuary.

All three men must appear in Talbot County District Court. A trial date has been set for May 18.

A recreational fisherman whose fishing privileges were suspended after multiple striped bass violations was arrested Saturday in Dorchester County after he was caught fishing again.

Officers on surveillance saw Ricardo A. Alvarado, 43, of Washington, D.C., on Fishing Creek Bridge at 1:43 a.m., catching and keeping striped bass. When questioned, he gave officers a false name and said he did not have identification. Officers pieced together information and realized that Alvarado’s fishing privileges had been suspended.

A records check showed that he had been caught fishing on a suspended license in 2014, 2015 and 2016 and had been fined more than $3,000 over the last four years for a variety of fishing violations.

Alvarado received citations for fishing under suspension, possessing striped bass in a closed season and fishing without a license.

Officers arrested Alvarado after learning that he was wanted on an outstanding warrant from Virginia. He waived extradition Monday.

A trial date has not been set in Dorchester County District Court. If found guilty of all three charges, Alvarado could be fined as much as $2,625 and be sentenced to jail time.

Officers on surveillance March 18 around the Bill Burton Fishing Pier State Park charged six men with illegally catching striped bass.

Jose L. Castro, 45, of Alexandria, Virginia; Manuel De Jesus Lazo, 52, of Silver Spring; Jose Francisco Pleitez Figueroa, 30, of Washington, D.C.; Jose Guevara, 50, of Alexandria, Virginia; Juan Carlos Valladares, 40, of Silver Spring; and Elvis Rodolfo Carreto, 25, of Hyattsville were all charged with possessing striped bass in a closed season. Carreto also was charged with fishing without a Chesapeake Bay Sport Fishing License.

Officers found 13 striped bass the men had hidden near the pier.

The men are scheduled to appear in Talbot County District Court June 15. If found guilty, they could each be fined as much as $1,500. Carreto faces an additional fine of $125.

A traffic stop just outside Assateague State Park led to the arrest Saturday evening of two men on drug charges.

Alexander C. Rim, 26, of College Park, was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance – Adderall – without a prescription and possession of marijuana. His passenger, Paul Hyun Woo Kim, 25, of Laurel, was charged with possession of cocaine, Adderall and marijuana.

They were released on personal recognizance by an Ocean City court commissioner. A trial has been set for June 27 in Worcester County District Court.