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TWO MEN CITED FOR ILLEGAL TURKEY HUNTING IN NORTHEAST
LOUISIANA
L.D.W.F. STOPS ILLEGAL SALVAGE
OPERATION
TWO MEN CITED FOR ILLEGAL SHRIMP SALES
ACADEMY SPORTS AND OUTDOORS DONATES BOATS AND TRAILERS TO
L.D.W.F.
RAPIDES PARISH NIGHT HUNTER SENTENCED
EIGHT MEN CITED FOR UNAPPROVED OYSTER HARVEST
LITTER VIOLATORS CITED IN FOUR PARISHES
TWO ALLEN PARISH RESIDENTS CITED FOR ILLEGALLY DUMPING TRASH ON
WEST BAY W.M.A.
TWO MEN CITED FOR ILLEGAL TURKEY HUNTING IN NORTHEAST LOUISIANA
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Agents two
Louisiana men for allegedly hunting turkeys over a baited area on March 25
in Lincoln and Union parishes.
Gregory Lane Green, 34, of Farmerville was cited the opening day of turkey
season after agents watched him enter the baited area in northern Union
Parish and set out turkey decoys. The area was previously documented as
being baited after agents, acting on a complaint, located a tripod feeder
that contained corn and found corn on the ground around the feeder. Sgt.
Thomas Risser made contact with Green as he sat facing the feeder and the
decoys. Bait samples and photographs were taken for evidence.
Corbit A. Best, 52, of Ruston was cited after agents watched him shoot and
kill a baited turkey by two tripod feeders. On closer inspection, agents
located corn in both feeders and on the ground in the area of the feeders.
The turkey and a 12-gauge shotgun were seized during the investigation. The
turkey was later donated to charity.
The penalty for hunting turkeys over a baited area is a fine between $250
and $500, or jail for not more than 90 days, or both plus court cost.
Agents participating in the cases were Lt. Mike Rockett, Sgts. Thomas Risser
and Lane Kincaid and Senior Agents Mike Jeter and Stan House.
L.D.W.F. STOPS ILLEGAL SALVAGE OPERATION
Enforcement
Division agents with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and
Fisheries (LDWF) executed two search warrants on March 17 in eastern St.
Tammany Parish after an investigation revealed an illegal salvage operation
of abandoned boats left over from Hurricane Katrina.
Dennis L. Good, 45, of Slidell was arrested and charged with nine counts of
unauthorized use of a movable watercraft after he allegedly removed numerous
jet skis and pleasure boats from eastern St. Tammany Parish marshes and
waterways. The vessels were removed without owner knowledge or permission.
It was also learned that Good conducted the alleged salvage operation
without permits secured from any municipal, parish, state or federal
authority.
A total of nine vessels were seized in accordance with the search warrants,
which included three jet skis and six pleasure vessels that ranged in size
from 16 to 30 feet.
If convicted on all nine counts of unauthorized use of a movable watercraft,
Good could face fines up to $45,000 and 45 years in prison.
Agents participating in the case were Senior Agents Lee Davis, Richard
Clark, Joel Cromp and Robert Larson, Sgts. Darryl Galloway and Charles
Strain, and Lt. Eddie Laviolette.
TWO MEN CITED FOR ILLEGAL SHRIMP SALES
Louisiana
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Enforcement Division
agents cited two men in Calcasieu Parish for allegedly selling shrimp
without the required licenses on March 8.
Agents received a report on March 8 of possible illegal shrimp sales
occurring from the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office. This report led to
citations for Scott Prejean, 25, and Preston Hebert, 49, both of Rayne, for
selling commercial fish without a retail seafood dealer's license. Prejean
was additionally cited for allegedly failing to maintain proper purchase and
sales records.
The penalties for selling or buying commercial fish without a retail seafood
dealer's license and for failing to maintain records are fines up to $500,
up to 90 days in jail, or both plus court costs.
Agents participating in the case were Sgt. David Sanford, and Agent Beau
Robertson.
ACADEMY SPORTS AND OUTDOORS DONATES BOATS AND TRAILERS TO L.D.W.F.
Academy Sports and
Outdoors recently donated nine flat bottom boats and five
trailers to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF)
Enforcement Division for use in future search and rescue operations.
Academy had originally loaned the watercraft and trailers to local law
enforcement for search and rescue missions in the New Orleans area following
Hurricane Katrina. Rufus Potier, Academy Sports and Outdoors store director
of the Gretna location, said the boats were given to LDWF after they saw how
useful and vital they were in the search and rescue efforts following
Hurricane Katrina.
"Academy Sports and Outdoors is always happy and proud to assist LDWF in
their management of our great outdoors and search and rescue efforts,"
Potier said.
LDWF received one 15-foot boat, four 14-foot boats, three 12-foot boats and
one 10-foot boat along with five trailers. The boats, provided through
Academy's Gretna store, will be assigned to regional enforcement offices.
"These boats have already been very useful to the citizens of Louisiana,"
LDWF Enforcement Division Col. Winton Vidrine said. "Our agents are very
grateful for this donation and these boats will make their jobs easier the
next time we get called for a search and rescue mission."
RAPIDES PARISH NIGHT HUNTER SENTENCED
Jason Paul Lachney,
23, of Pineville entered a guilty plea and received
sentencing from Ninth Judicial District Court Judge Donald T. Johnson On
Feb. 21. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement
Division agents arrested Lachney in November of 2003 after an investigation
stemming from a Nov. 12, 2003 illegal night hunting incident.
After accepting the guilty plea, Judge Johnson sentenced Lachney to pay a
fine of $900 for hunting deer at night, $350 for hunting deer in a closed
area and $300 for flight from an officer. Lachney was also ordered to pay
court costs in the amount of $149 for each charge and pay $300 to Louisiana
Operation Game Thief, the state's anti-poaching reward fund. The fines,
court costs and restitution amounted to $1,999.
Judge Johnson also ordered Lachney to receive a 120 day suspended jail term,
supervised probation for two years, loss of hunting privileges for five
years and forfeiture of his firearm.
Rapides Parish Assistant District Attorney Mike Shannon handled prosecution
of the case for the state. Agents participating in the case were Lt. Eric
Stokes, Sr. Agent Rick Markway and Sr. Agent Spencer Cole.
EIGHT MEN CITED FOR UNAPPROVED OYSTER HARVEST
Louisiana
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Enforcement Division
agents cited eight Houma men for allegedly taking oysters from an unapproved
area near Cox Bay on March 16.
The Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) Oyster Water Monitoring Program
closed this area of Cox Bay due to high levels of potentially harmful
bacteria. DHH issues maps quarterly to designate open and closed oyster
areas depending on bacteria counts.
Emiliano A. Carvajal, 41, Bonifacio Duran Samites, 36, Pablo Tenorio
Valladarez, 47, Pablo T. Ruiz, 21, Conrado Lara Aguilar, 21, Armando Torres
Aguilar, 43, Camilo Aguilar, 22, and Juan M. Negrete, 50 all from Houma,
Louisiana were seen dredging for oysters near Cox Bay located in Plaquemines
Parish.
The Enforcement Division's Oyster Strike Force seized and returned 43 sacks
of oysters to the water and placed six oyster dredges and three boats under
a seizure order. Agents participating in the case were Lt. Stephen McManus
and Sgt. Bryan Marie.
If convicted, each person face penalties of up to $750 in fines, up to 120
days in jail, or both plus court costs. Additionally, each person is
subject to revocation of commercial fishing licenses.
For the first offense the license or licenses will be suspended for one
year. For the second and subsequent offenses the license or licenses will
be suspended for three years.
Furthermore, any person convicted of any violation of the provisions of this
subsection will be mandated for one year to harvest oysters from a vessel
equipped with a vessel monitoring system that LDWF will have access to
monitor.
LITTER VIOLATORS CITED IN FOUR PARISHES
Louisiana
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Enforcement Division
agents cited 30 individuals for alleged violations of the state's litter
laws during the first two months of 2006 in Ascension, East Baton Rouge,
East Feliciana and West Feliciana parishes.
Agents assigned to these parishes issued 14 litter citations in Ascension
Parish, six each in East Baton Rouge and East Feliciana parishes, and four
in West Feliciana Parish.
Simple littering occurs most often after trash is irresponsibly placed in
the bed of a truck or the back of a boat creating a condition that the
person knew or should have known was likely to result in the disposal of
litter. The fine for simple littering is $75, or the violator may be given
the option to perform eight hours of community service in a litter abatement
work program in lieu of the fine.
Intentional littering generally occurs when a person throws trash from a
vehicle or boat. The fine for intentional littering is $250, plus eight
hours of community service in a litter abatement work program.
Gross littering occurs when someone dumps household garbage, refuse, etc. at
an unapproved site. Fines for gross littering range from $500 to $1000 and
also include eight hours of community service in a litter abatement work
program.
The majority of the litter cases made in the above listed parishes were for
gross littering.
TWO ALLEN PARISH RESIDENTS CITED FOR ILLEGALLY
DUMPING TRASH ON WEST BAY W.M.A.
Louisiana
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division agents
cited two Pitkin residents for alleged gross littering on West bay Wildlife
Management Area (WMA) on March 3.
Rachael Lynn Simmons, 23, was cited for gross littering after agents
investigated an illegal dumpsite on West bay WMA in Allen Parish. The site,
near Tom Jeff Road, consisted of household items and children's toys.
Documents found in the trash pile led agents to Simmons.
Chance Lee Thompson, 20, was cited for gross littering after agents
investigated another dumpsite on West bay WMA. The dumpsite consisted of
piles of household items, a satellite television receiver, tools, shoes and
documents that led agents to Thompson.
The penalty for gross littering is a fine up to $5,000, up to 100 hours of
community service, jail for up to 30 days, possible driver's license
suspension for up to one year, plus court costs.
Agents participating in the cases were Senior Agents Joey James and Wendel
Vaughn.
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