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Northern Region Officer Ocampo followed up on information received
from the Vernon Township Police Department. They advised that a large party had
occurred on the Hamburg Mountain WMA and that a tree was cut down, landing on
utility lines that supply power to a police radio tower. The tower was without
power for several hours, leaving three (3) police departments without radio
communications. Vernon Police responded and were able to apprehend several
individuals that were still on scene. They documented everyone who was on scene
and developed a lead on additional suspects. Officer Ocampo interviewed twelve
(12) individuals and obtained confessions from each of them relating to their
presence at the party. A total of twelve (12) summonses were issued for "After
Hours on a WMA" and "Maintaining a fire on a WMA". The party that was
responsible for cutting down the tree has not yet been determined; Officer
Ocampo and the Vernon Township Police are still actively investigating
additional leads. Officers Driscoll and Ocampo, along with Lt. Sutton,
responded to a complaint from the West Milford Township Police Department
regarding closed season deer hunting. West Milford Police responded to a
residence regarding a deer that had died in the person's back yard. The
resident stated that she had heard a gunshot and shortly after, observed the
deer come into her yard and lay down. The Officers were able to back track the
blood trail from the deer and foot tracks in the snow, where they located a
cell phone, a pair of camouflage gloves and various food wrappers and cigarette
butts. The Officers continued following two (2) sets foot prints to a gas
station on Route 23. They reviewed the surveillance footage from the gas
station and observed a Dodge Ram truck leaving the parking lot shortly after
the complaint was received. A reverse 911 was performed by West Milford PD,
which produced the identity of the owner. Officer Driscoll responded to the
suspect's residence, where he obtained a written confession from the suspect
and the identity of the second suspect. He then responded to the second
suspect's residence and obtained a confession from him. The first individual
was issued summonses for "Hunting Without a valid Firearm Hunting License",
"Hunting deer with a muzzleloader during closed season", "Failing to fill out
the harvest report immediately upon killing" and "Taking a antlerless deer with
a muzzleloader, without a valid permit". The second individual was issued
summonses for "Hunting without a valid Firearm Hunting License" and "Hunting
deer with a muzzleloader during closed season". While driving westbound on State Highway 22 in
Clinton Township, Hunterdon County, Officer Paey saw a man walking down the
eastbound shoulder of the divided highway carrying an antlered deer skull.
Officer Paey turned his vehicle around, and as he approached the man, saw him
throw the deer skull into the woods along the highway, run back to his vehicle
and drive away. The vehicle then pulled into the parking lot of a local restaurant
down the highway and almost struck multiple cars parked in the lot. Officer
Paey contacted the driver at his vehicle and immediately noticed the strong
smell of burnt marijuana coming from the vehicle. When asked, the man produced
a large bag of marijuana from the passenger seat. Officer Paey was also able
to see eight (8) leghold traps in plain view in the vehicle. The man claimed
that the deer skull was one that he had "found" previously, but he did not have
any documentation for it. The man also claimed that the leghold traps were
only used in Pennsylvania, but a record check with the PA Game Commission
showed that he has never had a trapping license there. Clinton Township Police
responded and arrested the man for the marijuana. Officer Paey issued the man
one (1) summons for possession of unregistered deer parts and eight (8)
summonses for illegal possession of leghold traps. Officer Paey responded to assist the Frenchtown
Borough Police, in Hunterdon County, with a complaint involving a man who saw
his neighbor shoot at squirrels with a pellet gun, out of his window, in a
densely populated area. While at the complaint, Officer Paey found where three
(3) air rifle pellets had struck the complainants detached garage and were
lodged in the wood siding. Lt. Applegate assisted with the investigation,
removal of the pellets, and collection of evidence from the scene. Frenchtown
Borough Police had already recovered the .177 caliber air rifle from the
shooter, who did not have a valid NJ Firearm Purchaser's ID Card. Frenchtown
Borough Police filed 2C criminal charges in the case related to the illegal
possession of a firearm. Officer Paey issued three (3) summonses for
"discharging a firearm without due caution and circumspection", one (1) summons
for "causing damage to the property of another while attempting to take
wildlife", and one (1) summons for "possession of a loaded firearm within 450
feet of an occupied building". CO
Szalaj and Lt. Szulecki responded to a report of a dog shot by a hunter at the
Kirby's Mill Elementary School in Medford Township, Burlington County. The dog
owner had taken his 4 year old Pit Bull/Staffordshire Terrier mix to run at the
school fields. He let the dog off leash and the dog started running away from
the school buildings. When the dog was approximately 200 yards away, the owner
heard one shot and saw his dog fall down. He ran up and found his dog dead on
the ground. He saw a hunter standing at the edge of the school property about
35 yards away. The dog's owner contacted Medford Township Police Department
who responded and took the hunter into custody. The hunter had been hunting on
private property adjacent to the school property. He fired one shot at what he
claimed he thought was a fox. He indicated that he was approximately 70 yards
from the dog. He was 253 feet from the baseball field backstop. A necropsy
done on the dog showed that she was killed by a six 00 buckshot pellets one of
which lodged in the brain. Lt. Lacroix and CO Mascio assisted with the
investigation. The hunter was charged with careless discharge of a firearm,
damage to property while hunting and possession of a loaded firearm within 450
feet of a school playground. Lt.
Lacroix received information regarding a vehicle being struck by shotgun
pellets while travelling on the NJ Turnpike in the area of Middlesex/Mercer
County. According to the driver, he was travelling south on the Turnpike with
additional family members following in a separate vehicle. Somewhere between
the Cranbury service plaza and exit 7A, the driver in the first vehicle and a
passenger in the second vehicle both heard a bang. The passenger turned and
saw two hunters in a wooded area adjacent to the Turnpike. When they stopped at
a rest area just over the Delaware Memorial Bridge, they noticed what appeared
to be a bullet strike in the right rear passenger door just below the window
and a hole in the taillight in the right rear side of the vehicle. After
conferring with each other, they realized the bang they had heard was a result
of the car being struck by shotgun pellets. They contacted 911 and were
eventually put in touch with NJ State Police in Cranbury. Lt. Lacroix and
Troopers met with the driver and examined the vehicle. It appeared that the
vehicle had been struck with two buckshot pellets. Lt. Lacroix also spoke with
the passenger who had seen the hunters. The witness stated that the hunters had
been in an open wooded area and she had not seen any buildings. Lt.
Lacroix and CO's Mascio and Martiak patrolled the ten mile stretch of the
Turnpike and conducted a number of interviews of hunters who had been hunting
in the area on the day in question. They were able to narrow their search down
to a patch of woods in Robbinsville Twp., Mercer County and to a specific group
of hunters. Lt. Lacroix and CO Mascio interviewed three hunters in Bergen
County that had been hunting in the area that day. From that interview, they
were able to identify the hunter who had shot at a deer and struck the car.
The hunter was charged with careless discharge of a firearm, damage to property
and discharging a firearm across a roadway. CO
Martiak received a complaint from the Piscataway PD, Middlesex County regarding
an individual who was hunting deer during the closed permit shotgun season.
The hunter told the police officers that Fish and Wildlife had extended the
deer season. The officers were hunters and knew that the season was not
extended. CO Martiak issued the hunter summonses for hunting deer without a
permit and hunting during the closed season. CO
Mascio received a complaint from the Edgewater PD, Burlington County regarding
a hunter shooting Canada geese too close to a building. The hunter told the
officers that he was shooting geese on a depredation permit. CO Mascio
investigated and found that the hunter did not have a depredation permit and
had killed eight geese. The hunter was charged with hunting Canada geese
during the closed season, hunting without a license, hunting without a federal
waterfowl stamp, hunting without a state waterfowl stamp, hunting without a HIP
number, taking 5 geese over the daily limit and possession of a firearm within
450 feet of a building. CO
McManus and Lt. Szulecki went to the residence of an individual to speak to him
about a pile of trash which was dumped at Turkey Swamp WMA in Monmouth County.
His name and address were found on letters amongst the pile of trash. The
suspect was not home on this occasion. CO McManus returned on future dates,
but even though it appeared that someone might be home, no one would answer the
door. On the first visit to the residence CO McManus and Lt. Szulecki spoke to
one of the neighbors. This neighbor told them the name and location of where
the suspect was presently employed. CO McManus went to this location and
interviewed the suspect. After a brief interview, he admitted to dumping the
trash but he said that he only did it to lighten the load on his truck because
he was stuck in the mud. The suspect was issued a summons for dumping on a
State WMA. On 2/11/14, the suspect pled guilty to the offense in Freehold
Township Court and agreed to pay a penalty of $1000.00 for the offense. CO
McManus received information that an individual had an unregistered set of
antlers at a taxidermist in Manchester Township. During an inspection of the
taxidermist's log book, it was uncovered that the hunter had given the
taxidermist the same confirmation number for two different sets of antlers that
he had brought in to be mounted. After speaking to the hunter, it was
determined that only one of the deer had been legally registered. The hunter
was issued a summons for failing to register his deer. He later pled guilty to
the offense in Manchester Township Municipal Court and paid a penalty of
$100.00. CO Toppin investigated an on-going trespassing
complaint on posted private property in Franklin Township, Gloucester County.
CO Toppin conducted a foot patrol of the area and observed a hunter placing
bait out for deer hunting near his deer blind. However, the hunter did not
hunt that evening. CO Toppin returned the following day and again the hunter
did not use the blind, but he observed the same individual setting snares
between the trees in the area of the bait pile. After watching him set all the
snares CO Toppin apprehended the unlawful trapper. The trapper admitted to
setting the snares to catch deer for meat. CO Toppin continued to interview
the suspect and was invited into the house so the suspect could write a
voluntary statement. While in the house CO Toppin conducted an interview and
obtained the written statement Based on information provided during that interview,
Conservation Officers from the Southern Region executed a search warrant
several days later. The officers recovered processed deer meat, 41 leg hold
traps, 5 unregistered turkeys and parts, 12 unregistered deer and parts, a
bobcat, an endangered species in New Jersey, a red tailed hawk tail section and
a beaver without a possession seal. The hunter/trapper was cited for
attempting to snare deer, trapping without a license, not having a snare
certificate, setting untagged snares (16 counts), setting snares with an
opening greater than 12" (16 counts), setting snares above 24"(16 counts),
setting snares without deer stops (16 counts), did hunt within 450' of a
residence, did unlawfully possess five turkeys, did fail to tag or register
all the turkeys, did hunt turkey without valid permits, did fail to use harvest
data tag and record harvest data via electronic deer check system (12 counts),
did hunt without a license, did hunt deer without archery permits (6 counts),
over the daily bag limit for fall bow season (two antlered deer), trespassing
for purpose of trapping and hunting, possession of beaver without a possession
seal, possession of red-tailed hawk parts and unlawful possession of an
endangered species (bobcat). CO's Fox and Vazquez worked a complaint they
received from an archery hunter when he heard gun shots in a zone that was
closed to firearm deer hunting in Vineland City, Cumberland County. The
officers conducted a foot patrol and located evidence that a deer was killed
and followed the drag marks and foot prints back to the residence of a local
hunter. They conducted an interview and he admitted to unlawfully harvesting
an antlered deer. CO Vazquez called Lt. Risher for assistance and he responded
to the scene because he had prior contact with the suspect. Once the voluntary
statement was complete, Lt. Risher conducted his own interview with the suspect
about a deer that was unlawfully harvested during the six-day firearm deer
season of 2012. Lt. Risher showed the hunter a photograph he received
depicting an 8 point buck killed in Upper Deerfield Township in the bed of the
suspect's truck. The suspect tried to deny the deer was killed in zone 28, but
when faced with all the details that Lt. Risher knew, the suspect admitted the
deer was killed by his cousin while trespassing in Upper Deerfield Township.
The cousin was also in possession of the unlawfully killed deer that had just
recently been killed. The officers went to the second residence and recovered
both illegal deer. CO Fox charged the hunter with hunting with a firearm out
of season, fail to report harvest data correctly, fail to complete harvest data
tag, unlawful possession of deer and harvesting a deer without three antlered
points on one side. Lt. Risher charged the second hunter with trespass for the
purpose of hunting, failing to complete a harvest data tag correctly, failing
to report information correctly with the automated deer check system and for
the unlawful possession of deer. CO's Toppin and Vazquez apprehended a
group of late waterfowl hunters along Big Timber Creek in Bellmawr Borough,
Camden County. They observed the group hunt one hour after sunset and return
to the ramp. The officers conducted and inspection and found that one hunter
did not have his federal duck stamp as well. Each of the hunters were issued a
summons for hunting waterfowl after sunset and one additional summons was
issued to the hunter that did not have a federal duck stamp. CO Toppin also
issued warnings for boating violations. Lt. Risher attended the Salem County Federation
monthly meeting. Lt. Risher gave a Division presentation to Boy
Scouts Troop 60 in Upper Pittsgrove Township, Salem County. Lt. Risher responded a homeowner's complaint of
hunters within the safety zone and trespassing in Washington Township,
Gloucester County. Unfortunately, the hunters completed their drive and were
parked along the road when he arrived. Lt. Risher conducted an inspection of
the deer club and cited two hunters for not having a valid shotgun permit and
failing to exhibit a license upon request. He issued a verbal warning for
failing to complete a harvest tag. Lt. Risher was patrolling in Lawrence Township,
Cumberland County when he observed a pick-up unlawfully blocking a road with
the doors open. He observed two men get back into the truck and leave the
area. Lt. Risher suspected illegal hunting and conducted a motor vehicle stop.
The two men were out hunting because there were several freshly killed ducks in
the bed of truck. Lt. Risher issued a summons to one hunter for failing to
exhibit a license upon request and possessing an open container of alcohol and
issued a written warning to the driver for blocking the road. Conservation Officers of the New Jersey Division of
Fish and Wildlife conducted a joint investigation with the Pennsylvania Game Commission
involving the commercialization of striped bass (Morone saxatilis) in both
Salem and Cumberland Counties. The investigation was initiated when
Conservation Officers identified an organized ring of commercial fisherman
illegally selling striped bass. Currently the striped bass is classified as a
game fish in New Jersey and under state law (NJSA 23:4-27 and 23:5-45.3) no
person shall sell or offer striped bass for sale. This includes all fish
caught as a directed fishery and as part of a bi-catch or incidental catch
while participating in another commercial fishery. The investigation, which spanned a period of over
two years, resulted in criminal and civil charges being filed against eight
individuals involved in the commercial sales. Charges included criminal
offenses for the sale of striped bass, which is prohibited under NJSA 23:4-27
and is a crime of the third degree for commercialization of wildlife in excess
$500. In addition to the indictable offenses, civil charges for the unlawful
possession of striped bass over the daily limit and the manner they were
harvested have also been filed. Seizure orders for a vehicle and a boat
involved in the unlawful sales of wildlife are also pending against two
individuals. The investigation culminated with the execution of
search warrant at the residence of Charles A. Franklin, Sr. (57, Salem) who has
been charged with two counts of commercialization of wildlife (23: 4-27), 144
counts of possessing striped bass over the daily retention limit (23:4-45.1a),
144 counts of taking striped bass with illegal gear (23:5-47) and 110 counts of
filleting striped bass at sea (23:45.1b). Additional individuals have been
charged with the following violations: Charles A. Franklin, Jr. (37, Salem),
one count of possessing striped bass during a closed season (23:5-45.2a) and
one count of taking striped bass with illegal gear (23:5-47); Mark E. Franklin,
Sr. (49, Bridgeton), three counts of commercialization of wildlife (23:4-27),
130 counts of possessing striped bass over the daily retention limit
(23:5-45.1a), 82 counts of possessing striped bass under the legal size limit
(23:5-45.1a) and 130 counts of taking striped bass with illegal gear (23:5-47);
Mark E. Franklin, Jr. (28, Bridgeton), three counts of commercialization of
wildlife (23:4-27), 130 counts of possessing striped bass over the daily
retention limit (23:5-45.1a), 82 counts of possessing striped bass under the
legal size limit (23:5-45.1a) and 130 counts of taking striped bass with
illegal gear (23:5-47); Stephanie M. Franklin (31, Salem), one count of
commercialization of wildlife (23:4-27) and 110 counts of possessing striped
bass over the daily retention limit (23:5-45.1a); Linwood H. Donelson (57,
Salem), one count of commercialization of wildlife (23:4-27) and 110 counts of
possessing striped bass over the daily retention limit (23:5-45.1a); John W.
Robinson, Jr. (42, Vineland), one count of commercialization of wildlife
(23:4-27), 34 counts of possessing striped bass over the daily retention limit
(23:5-45.1a) and 34 counts of taking striped bass with illegal gear (23:5-47);
Donghyun Suh (33, Philadelphia, Pa), seven counts of commercialization of
wildlife (23:4-27), 136 counts of possessing striped bass over the daily
retention limit (23:5-45.1a), 11 counts of illegally possessing black bear
parts (23:4-1) and seven counts of failing to maintain proper fisheries records
(23:2B-9b). The maximum penalties for each individual if convicted would be:
Charles A. Franklin, Sr. $1,196,000; Charles A. Franklin, Jr. $6,000; Mark E.
Franklin, Sr. $1,029,000; Mark E. Franklin, Jr. $1,029,000; Stephanie M.
Franklin $331,000; Linwood H. Donelson, Jr. $331,000; John W. Robinson, Jr.
$205,000; Donghyun Suh $440,000. On
January 18th, COs Woerner and Moscatiello inspected a crab dredge vessel in the
commercial port of Belford, Monmouth County. The vessel had been dredging for
blue claw crabs in the New York Harbor prior to landing in Belford. During the
inspection CO Woerner noticed a half full bushel of hard clams on the deck. As
the captain and crewman offloaded their catch of crabs, empty bushel baskets
were placed on top of the bushel of clams in order to conceal them. Crabs and
conchs are the only species that can be landed under New Jersey's commercial
crab dredge regulations. After speaking with the captain and crewman, CO
Woerner boarded the vessel and took possession of the clams. CO Moscatiello
photographed and counted the clams while CO Woerner issued a summons to the
captain for the possession of 122 containerized hard clams, while engaged in
the catching and taking of crabs by dredges. On February 10, the captain
pleaded guilty to the charge and paid a penalty of $400.00 plus court costs. On
January 18th, COs Klitz and Scott inspected the party fishing vessel out of
Point Pleasant Beach, Ocean County. Despite extremely cold weather and rough
sea conditions that day the boat had almost 30 patrons on board. The COs
inspected patrons as they exited the vessel and made their way through the parking
lot toward their vehicles. Almost immediately CO Scott inspected an individual
that was in possession of two ocean pout, which is a federally protected
species. Minutes later, CO Klitz saw an open cooler that also contained
several ocean pout. No one was currently present in the vicinity of the
cooler so CO Klitz sat back and waited for someone to take possession of it. A
short time later two men, a father and son, walked up and grabbed the cooler.
CO Klitz stopped the men and inspected their cooler. The men had three ocean
pout. Since these were federal fisheries violations, CO Scott gathered all of
the individual's information and completed a referral form, which was then sent
to a Special Agent of the National Marine Fisheries Service for further action. On
January 19, 2014, CO's Nicklow and Tomlin conducted an at sea patrol in the
Great Egg Harbor River and Bay. During their patrol, the officers inspected
multiple fyke nets. Three fyke nets with the same gear number were found to
have numerous decaying striped bass and white perch within the fykes. When the
officers utilized the automated license system to identify the commercial
fisherman whose gear number was on the nets, they discovered the commercial
fisherman had failed to purchase a valid 2014 fyke net license for any of the
nets being fished. Summonses were issued to the commercial fisherman for
wanton waste of marine fish and failure to obtain a valid license for the fyke
nets. On
February 8, 2014, CO Swift observed a 32' Regulator with 5 fishermen onboard
enter a lagoon in Ocean City. When CO Swift observed the vessel tie up to a
private dock behind a house, he proceeded to go around the block and make
contact with one of the fishermen in the cul-de-sac in front of the house. CO
Swift stymied an attempt by the fisherman in the street to text his fishing
partners that they had an unwanted guest. An inspection of the vessel revealed
292 black sea bass during the closed season. The fish were sold for fair
market value and weighed 566 lbs. Each fisherman was charged for possession of
58 season black sea bass during the closed season. The owner of the vessel was
issued 3 additional summonses for landing black sea bass in excess of 100 lbs.
without a NJ black sea bass landing permit, land black sea bass in excess of
10% bycatch limit, and land black sea bass during the closed commercial
season. On
Saturday, February 8, 2014, conservation officers observed five oyster
harvesters in separate vessels harvesting oysters from waters classified as
'special restricted' in Delaware Bay, wherein harvest is prohibited due to
health concerns for consumption of shellfish from these areas. They were
observed harvesting outside the seasonally approved waters otherwise known as
the oyster tonging area in Maurice River Cove. Resultant to these observations,
a total of 104 bushels of contaminated oysters were seized and interdicted from
three separate shellfish dealers along the Delaware Bay, thus preventing this
tainted product from reaching public consumers. On
Monday, February 10, 2014, five oystermen in separate vessels were apprehended
in the same condemned area of Delaware Bay with another 33 bushels of
contaminated product. The
combined total of 137 bushels had an ex-vessel value of $5,480. In total from
both days observations, six commercial fishermen were found to be harvesting
oysters in condemned waters. Four of the oystermen are facing a petty
disorderly persons offense which carries up to $500 fine and/or up to 30 days
imprisonment, loss of their commercial shellfish license for three years,
forfeiture of their vessel, outboard engines, and gear used to harvest the
oysters. For the remaining two oystermen, this is a subsequent offense which
carries up to $1000 fine and/or 6 months imprisonment, loss of their commercial
shellfish license for five years, forfeiture of their vessel, outboard engines,
and gear used to harvest the oysters. Training Unit Highlights Despite the brutal cold and large amounts of snow the Bureau kept right on training. The winter range cycle provided a 13 degree day for officers and wildlife control personnel to lie prone in the snow to complete the Attorney General's required course of fire. The weather was not much warmer and there was certainly more snow when all officers travelled through poor conditions to be trained in night handgun techniques. Additionally officers completed a challenging shotgun skill series of drills. Conservation Officers Bryan Mascio, Christopher Moscatiello and Lt. Tom O'Rourke completed the Methods of Instruction course at Monmouth County Academy. They are now certified by the New Jersey Police Training Commission to be police instructors. The New Jersey Conservation Officers have a higher level of instructor certified officers than most municipal police agencies. The Bureau of Law Enforcement hosted a Glock Arms armorer course at Colliers Mills in February. Conservation Officers Paul Toppin and Brian Scott attended and became certified Glock Armorers. ARCHIVED HIGHLIGHT PAGES 2009 February May August October November 2008 January February March April May June July August September October November December 2007 January February March April May June July August September October November December 2006 March April May June July August September October November December |
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December 20, 2009