Natural Resources Police Blotter

Three hunters were charged Wednesday with bear poaching on state land in Garrett County and another hunter was charged in Allegany County by Maryland Natural Resources Police officers.

Garrett County
Shirley Louise Miller, 52, Lana Elaine Howard, 49, and Brian James Marsh, 82, all of Lonanconing, were charged with hunting bear with the aid of bait and hunting/baiting on state-owned land. In addition, Miller was charged with littering on state land. Marsh also received a warning for placing a permanent tree stand on state property.

Acting on a complaint, officers on Wednesday went to Savage River State Forest off Lower New Germany Road and found corn and apples on the ground near the location where Miller shot the 135-pound black bear on Monday at 7:50 a.m. Howard was the permit holder and Miller and Marsh were the sub-permit holders.

The bait was consistent with what was found in the digestive tract of the bear that was checked in at the Mount Nebo station on the opening day of black bear season.

The bear was seized and donated to a food program.

A court date has not been set. The maximum fine for hunting over bait is $1,500 and the maximum fine for hunting/baiting on state land is $500.

Allegany County
James Bruce Froelich, 58, of Cumberland, was charged today with killing a bear with the aid of bait.

An officer on patrol found several tree stands, one of which was baited with carrots and a deer carcass tied to a tree, off Williams Road in Cumberland. Froelich acknowledged shooting the bear on Monday shortly after 6 p.m.

Froelich is scheduled to appear in Allegany District Court on Dec. 22. If found guilty, he could be fined as much as $500.