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Northern
Region Central Region COs McManus and O’Rourke responded to the scene of an illegal hunting incident that occurred in Plainsboro Township. When they arrived, they noticed that the Plainsboro Police had two individuals in custody. It turned out to be a father and son who decided to go rabbit hunting on Sunday, during a closed season, on private property that was posted no trespassing and without wearing hunters orange. The weapon of choice was a .22 caliber rifle. According to the individuals, “it doesn’t make a lot of noise and won’t attract a lot of attention”. The two individuals admitted that they knew what they were doing was illegal, but felt that it was a good way to spend some time together, neither of them had valid hunting licenses. In addition, officers found drugs in both their vehicles and the father and son were transported to the Plainsboro Police Department. The appropriate summonses were issued. Officer Szulecki apprehended three individuals who had illegally entered a restricted area of the Swimming River Reservoir in order to gain fishing access. The three fishermen had no fishing licenses and were in violation for trespassing. The appropriate summonses were issued. As Officer Tonnesen patrolled a remote section of the Stafford Forge Wildlife Management Area, he encountered two individuals that were target practicing with semi-automatic hand guns. After taking control of the scene it was determined that neither of the suspects had the appropriate documents for the possession of the firearms. Summonses for operating their motor vehicles off the established roadway and the illegal target shooting on wildlife management property were issued. Additional charges are pending. CO Martiak recently concluded the illegal discharge investigation involving an Upper Freehold Township fertilizer company. An analysis of the chemical residue on the storm drains found a high concentration of Pentamethylene along with 21 other residues. CO Martiak will be charging the company with a violation of 23:5-28. Lt. Lacroix and CO's Szalaj, Mutone and Tonnesen assisted the NJ Forest Fire Service and NJ State Park Police with a large controlled burn in the Stafford Forge Wildlife Management Area. Duties included landing zone security and blocking access routes into the fire zone. Southern Region COs Risher and Vazquez were on patrol in Penbryn WMA in Camden County when they attempted to stop 3 riders on ATVs. One rider stopped while another began to flee. The fleeing rider immediately became hung up on a stump. Both officers approached the rider who disregarded the officer’s commands to turn off his bike. The rider continued to struggle to free the bike until CO Risher removed the individual from his ATV. The rider was arrested at this time. Two of the ATVs involved had defaced serial numbers. CO Kille and the Winslow Township Police Department responded to assist. All ATVs were towed and impounded. The appropriate fish and wildlife, motor vehicle, and criminal complaints were signed against these riders. CO Kille was on patrol on Cedar Lake WMA when he had several ATVs elude him. He asked COs Risher and Vazquez to respond and assist him in locating the riders. CO Risher and Vazquez also encountered the same riders who once again eluded the officers. The officers located a house nearby with trucks parked in the yard that appeared to have been used to transport ATV’s. The eluding riders soon approached this house and again fled upon seeing the officers. At this time the homeowner was contacted and was asked to contact the riders asking them to return. One rider did soon return without his ATV and driving a car. He was immediately arrested and transported to the Monroe Township Police Department. He would give a written statement about the other people who had been riding with him. CO Kille secured arrest warrants for the two riders who had fled in this incident. Several attempts were made to locate and arrest these persons but they could not be located. One of the subjects did finally turn himself in at the Southern Region Office. The second individual had 8 additional warrants issued for his arrest and it is believed that he is lodged in the county jail at this time. The appropriate fish and wildlife, motor vehicle and criminal complaints were issued to these three riders. Retired Captain Stullenburger contacted CO Risher in regard to a search warrant that was being executed at a home in Clayton in Gloucester County. The warrant was executed by the Vineland and Clayton Police Departments on the home of a burglary suspect. The search resulted in the recovery of cash and various stolen property. A detective on the warrant team noticed that there was a snake breeding operation in the home. The detective remembered former Captain Stullenburger from his days in the field. CO Risher responded and found that the snakes in the house were possessed without a permit. The appropriate complaints were issued for possession of regulated non-game animals. CO Paul Toppin graduated from the Gloucester County Police Academy and completed his in service training, and is now working in the field with COs Kille and Risher as his assigned Field Training Officers. Paul will be assigned to cover Camden and Gloucester Counties. We look forward to having Paul in the field where his enthusiastic manner will do much for the protection of the wildlife resources in that area. CO Batten and CO Ely attended Cumberland County Superior Court for a suppression of evidence hearing. The case was almost a year old and involved the illegal taking of turkeys. The defendant and his attorney repeatedly filed motions in order to extend the case out until March of this year to try to get around the two-year revocation that the charges would have caused. However, do to the strength of this current case and the abilities of DAG Neil Magnus the defendant ended up taking a plea with a fine of $1000.00 and a two year suspension of his license. CO Batten recently attended court for two night deer cases that he made in December and January. Both cases had multiple defendants. The December case regarded three individuals spotlighting fields in Dix WMA. CO Batten negotiated a plea for the three individuals for a total of $3000.00. The night case made in January involved two suspects caught spotlighting with a loaded weapon in Bevans WMA. This case netted a fine of $1500.00 CO Vazquez conducted a Sunday patrol of the Hamilton section of the Great Egg Harbor River WMA. The area has several areas containing endangered species as well as sensitive vegetative areas. During his patrol he was able to apprehend two different groups of ATV riders; totaling six ATVs. While in the same area he was able to apprehend two subjects that were operating off established roadways in jeeps. Appropriate summons were issued to all subjects. Marine Region On 2/22/08 CO Trembley received information that an individual had left a private dock in Bivalve at 1:00 a.m. and was actively harvesting oysters from the condemned portion of the tonger’s area at the mouth of Maurice River Cove. CO James, Lt. Canale and CO Trembley responded to the complaint and immediately investigated. The officers confirmed that the individuals had left the dock and were out harvesting in the cove. During the investigation, CO James observed another commercially licensed oyster tonger leave the same dock area at 5:00 a.m. without using navigational lights. Both vessels returned to the dock shortly after sunrise with the second vessel towing the first vessel. Individuals of both the vessels landed large quantities of oysters. The occupants of the first vessel claimed that they were stranded in the cove since 6:00 p.m. the previous night and that the operators of the second vessel had accidentally located them in the dark. Despite the denials from the occupants of the first vessel the officers confirmed cell phone contact between the two vessel operators. In addition to the officer’s knowledge concerning the activity of the operators of the first vessel, Lt. Canale and CO James obtained records from the local oyster dealer showing the harvester at the packing house during the time period he claimed to be stranded on his vessel in the cove. At the dock CO James, Trembley and Lt. Canale apprehended four individuals from the two vessels for harvesting shellfish at night, harvest of oysters from Condemned waters and forfeiture of their boat motor and tongs. Appropriate summonses were issued. In addition, the officer’s seized 22 bushels of oysters from the first vessel and 13 bushels from the second vessel. All oysters seized were returned to the condemned area of the Maurice River Cove. Additional summonses were issued for the failure of the harvester to properly tag each container of shellfish as required by Health Department regulations. On 2/28/08 while checking Maurice River Cove for harvest activity, CO James observed two individuals previously apprehended on 2/22/08 in the act of tonging oysters within the condemned area of the cove. CO James with assistance from Lt. Yunghans apprehended the individuals at the packing house. CO James seized 5.5 bushels of oysters and issued the appropriate summonses. This apprehension topped off a very busy harvest season for the Maurice River Cove tonger’s area and CO James. Thirteen (13) individuals were apprehended; 11 charged with harvest in condemned waters, 9 charges filed for forfeiture of vehicles including boats, seizure of 10 pairs of tongs and the return and/ or destruction of 68 bushels of oysters taken from condemned waters. On 2/25/08 CO Petruccelli observed the offload of the F/V Galicia I at Lund’s Fisheries in Cape May. The vessel had landed a directed-catch of black sea bass and scup and an assorted by-catch which included summer flounder. During this period of the year, vessels are allowed by-catch of 10% of their directed-catch up to and not to exceed 200 lbs. During the pack out, CO Petruccelli discovered that the vessel had landed 240 lbs., 40 lbs. over the by-catch limit. CO Petruccelli seized and sold the overage and issued the captain of the vessel a summons for violating New Jersey’s Summer Flounder regulations. Officers assisted NMFS Special Agents with the surveillance and apprehension of a fisheries dealer from Maine. The dealer had set up a mobile operation in Atlantic City which included four of his federally permitted scallop vessels and the freight division of the company. The operation involved the harvest and transportation of sea scallops harvested from the Elephant Trunk limited access area located off the coast of southern New Jersey. This area which is normally closed to all scallop harvesting was opened for a limited number of trips on 3/1/08. The dealers’ vessels have general category permits which allow them a harvest of 400 lbs. per 24 hr. period. Officers along with NMFS agents documented several instances of overages as well as elaborate movement of the product to conceal overages and limit detection. The investigation is continuing. On 3/2/08, Lt. Fresco and DCO Wotton were on patrol at the Point Pleasant Co-op for the opening of New Jersey’s March-April Directed Summer Flounder season. The trip limit for this season is 1500 lbs. After inspecting the F/V Austin, it was discovered that the vessel landed 1,601 pounds of summer flounder or 101 pounds over the limit. The captain was issued a summons for the overage and faces penalties ranging between $300-$3000 as well as a 60 day permit suspension during the next open season for summer flounder. Additionally, the value of the summer flounder overage was seized pending adjudication. Training Unit Highlights The training unit completed winter firearms qualifications for the Deputy Conservation Officers during the report period. Initial firearms training was conducted for new employees of the Wildlife Services Unit. Additionally, ATV Safety training was conducted for the same employees. 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April 17, 2008