Impaired Boater Arrested for Assaulting Police Officer

A Queen Anne’s County man was arrested July 28 for impaired operation after a vessel stop in the area of Kent Narrows.

Jeffrey Riter Pike, 64, of Chester, was charged with second-degree assault, obstructing and hindering a police investigation and two counts of impaired operation and possession of marijuana.

Maryland Natural Resources Police officers saw his boat operating in Kirwan Creek without navigational lights shortly before 9 p.m. When they began speaking with Pike, they noticed a strong odor of alcohol.

While still on his boat during the initial contact, Pike grabbed and yanked an officer.He was handcuffed, placed on a patrol boat and taken to shore. Pike failed field sobriety tests and registered a blood alcohol content of 0.17, nearly twice the legal limit, on the Intoximeter test administered by Maryland State Police.

Pike is scheduled to appear in Queen Anne’s County District Court Nov. 1. If found guilty of all charges, he could be sentenced to two months in jail and a maximum fine of $1,550.

A Grasonville man was found guilty and fined $1,000 July 20 for having 42 bushels of untagged oysters on his vessel.

Ian Noah Horney, 42, was stopped by an officer on patrol at the mouth of the Magothy River May 2. He acknowledged that the oysters should have been tagged before leaving the leased bottom area.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge. With his conviction, he faces possible administrative action by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Two Prince George’s County men were charged July 29 with illegally catching striped bass at the Wye Island Natural Resource Management Area by officers on surveillance.

Miguel Angel Granados-Nunez, 33, of Lanham, was charged with keeping 14 striped bass under the legal size limit of 19 inches and keeping 12 over the daily limit. Jose Oscar Hernandez, 27, of Suitland, was charged with keeping 28 fish under the legal size limit and 26 fish over the daily limit.

Both men are scheduled to appear in Queen Anne’s County District Court Sept. 20. If found guilty, the maximum fines could be $3,000 for Granados-Nunez and $2,000 for Hernandez.

While checking anglers at Terrapin Beach in Queen Anne’s County July 29, an officer cited a Prince George’s County man for keeping undersized striped bass and exceeding the daily limit.

Maria Ines Ojendi, 32, of Lanham, was stopped as he left the beach with a cooler that had the eight striped bass concealed under about 25 white perch.

He received two citations and is scheduled to appear in Queen Anne’s County District Court Oct. 18.