Four St. Mary’s County Men Charged with Striped Bass Poaching

Four Lexington Park men were charged with poaching after a Maryland Natural Resources Police officer caught them with 42 undersized striped bass.

Francisco Morales Vallardes, 51, Douglas Francisco Morales, 34, Roberto Jesus Mejia Lopez, 33, and Oscar Saul Mejia Lopez, 35, were each charged with exceeding the daily catch limit of two striped bass and possession of undersized striped bass.

An officer observed a boat approach the St. George Island Bridge boat ramp without proper navigational lights at about 9 p.m. on Sept. 17. A man on shore ran to the boat to get a cooler and began to take it to a car in the parking lot.

The officer stopped the man and asked to inspect the cooler, which contained 42 striped bass ranging in length from 10 to 16 inches.

All four men are scheduled to appear in St. Mary’s District Court on Dec. 3. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of $1,000.