Labor Day Patrols Lead to Arrests and Warnings

Even though Tropical Storm Hermine kept many boaters off the water this Labor Day weekend, the Maryland Natural Resources Police were busy inspecting anglers and crabbers, checking dove and waterfowl hunters and patrolling our state parks and waters.

The state recorded five boating accidents that resulted in injury or property damage during the holiday—compared to 15 last year. None of the accidents resulted in death.

Officers conducted 1,749 boating safety inspections and arrested eight boaters for being impaired. They checked 3,646 anglers and crabbers and 398 hunters. In all, they wrote 454 tickets and 930 warnings.

One of the agency’s new K-9 units successfully found a woman believed to be in medical distress Sunday evening in Gambrill State Park in Frederick County.

Cpl. Brad Lowe and K-9 Harbor were asked by the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office to track a woman, who had left her car in a lot and taken one of the trails into a rocky and steep area.

Harbor was able to pick up her scent from the car.

Despite heavy holiday foot traffic and several diverging trails, the dog was able to track her about a mile into the woods.

Sheriff’s deputies talked to the Baltimore County woman to make sure she was feeling well enough to walk out.

Harbor received a treat from his handler.

On Sunday, officers on surveillance in Dorchester County caught three recreational anglers from Virginia with 35 undersized striped bass.

Vincente Len Eulogio, 32, and Olvin Omar Avlia Acosta, 34, both of Alexandria and Ruben Perez-Moya, 46, of Manassas, were seen fishing on Ferry Bridge on Hooper Island. The bridge is posted with “No Fishing” signs.

The three men each were charged with possessing striped bass under the legal 20-inch minimum size and exceeding the two-fish possession law.

The men must appear in Dorchester County District Court Nov. 16 for a scheduled hearing. If convicted, each man could be fined as much as $3,000.

Five Washington County men were charged Saturday with illegal waterfowl hunting after officers received a complaint of activity too close to nearby homes in Big Pool.

Adam Sutton Reid, 26, Darryl Lynn Reid, 54, Craig Alan Reid, 52, David Wayne Sword II, 25, and Kyle Leon Hendershot, 26, all of Clear Spring, were charged with wildlife hunting within a safety zone. In addition, Craig Alan Reid was charged with failing to have a federal waterfowl stamp.

The men are scheduled to appear in Washington County District Court Dec. 6. If found guilty, each man could be fined as much as $2,000.

On Saturday, two men were charged with impaired boating in separate incidents on Deep Creek Lake.

Darius Megal Holson, 44, of Springfield, Virginia, was stopped shortly before 5 p.m. for negligent operation after officers saw a passenger riding on the stern of the boat he was operating. Holston was issued three citations for impaired operation and one citation for negligent operation and was released to a sober friend.

He is due in Garrett County District Court Oct. 19.

Adam Michael Lang, 36, of Oakland, was stopped at 11 p.m. for operating a boat without proper navigational lights.

He failed field sobriety tests and later was found to have a blood alcohol content of 0.09, which is above the legal limit. He received three citations for impaired operation and one for not having the proper lights on operating on the boat.

A court date has not been scheduled.