Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - July/August 2013 - 22

Donation

After citing an individual for
operating a motorboat with an
expired registration on Conneaut
Lake, Crawford County, an interesting
call was received at the Northwest
Region office regarding this incident.
The individual told my supervisor
about receiving the citation and that
she did not want to pay the fine,
but would rather make a donation
to the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat
Commission (PFBC). She even offered
to take the officer (me) out to dinner.
My supervisor explained to her that
this was not possible and that she
should request a hearing at the local
district court. During the summary
trial, I presented my evidence. The
defendant testified and told the judge
the same things she stated to my
supervisor. “Yes, you will be making
a donation to PFBC today,” said the
judge when she made her ruling, “in
the amount of $122.” That amount
was the total cost of the citation.—
WCO John G. Hopkins, Indiana and
Eastern Armstrong counties.

Fridge art

Recently, WCO John Hopkins and
I were serving a warrant for a young
adult male who had failed to obtain
a fishing license prior to the act of
fishing. The gentleman still resided
with his parents. When we stopped at
the house to speak with the young man,
he stated that he had taken care of the
matter. He then retrieved the unpaid
citation from the refrigerator door.
Having raised several children, it
had always been a common practice of
my family and others we knew to post
our children’s accomplishments on the
refrigerator door. I suppose this practice
was also followed by this family.—WCO
Albert P. Colian Jr., Cambria County.

22

You can run, but you
can’t hide

DWCO Ron Gainer and I were
patrolling the Manchester Hole
area on Walnut Creek, Erie County,
when we encountered three men
walking upstream. They asked me
when the waters were closed to
fishing, and I explained that these
waters were not open to fishing until
tomorrow morning. They thanked
me for the information and started
walking upstream.
Later, WCO James Smolko,
DWCO Gainer and I observed the
same three men at Falls Hole. We
spotted several violations. As one
of the poachers walked back down
the creek, we intercepted him and
took him into custody. Then, WCO
Smolko and I walked upstream,
looking for the other two poachers.
WCO Smolko quickly made contact
with one of them, while the other
poacher decided to make a quick
getaway. I was able to chase the
fleeing poacher and, eventually,
catch him. While interviewing this
poacher, I recognized that he had
tossed his illegal catch of steelhead in
the woods. We collected the evidence
and escorted the poachers to the
parking lot at Walnut Creek Access.
Subsequently, all three poachers were
issued several summary citations
that collectively resulted in over
$2,000 in fines, with each poacher
receiving a 2-year loss of their fishing
privileges.—WCO Brook R. Tolbert,
Erie County.

Four wheeler drive

While on patrol with WCO Scott
J. Christman, we observed four
waterspouts in the Lehigh River.
As we got closer, I could see a jeep
stuck in the river, spinning its tires.
All four tires were shooting water

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • July/August 2013

8 feet into the air as they spun. There
were several anglers in the area, yelling
at the operator of the vehicle. WCO
Christman parked our patrol vehicle,
and we followed the jeep’s tracks to
the water’s edge. Meanwhile, the jeep
was running up and down the river,
still throwing water into the air. We
could see four persons sitting in the
jeep, which had $9,200 written on the
windshield. The jeep came to shore,
and we recognized the driver from
previous encounters. We instructed
him to stop the vehicle and turn off the
engine. The driver recognized WCO
Christman and me and placed the jeep
into reverse. He traveled down the river
to an island and out of sight. There was
no license plate on the back of the jeep
as it sped away.
WCO Christman called for
police assistance, since the driver
had committed several offenses in
our presence and was determined
to escape. Our plan was to have the
Palmerton and East Penn Township
Police departments wait at the two
possible escape routes from the Lehigh
River. WCO Christman would travel
downstream in case the individuals
were to flee on foot downriver on the
far shore. WCO Aaron Lupacchini
arrived. He and I were going to walk
downstream beyond where the jeep
had stopped and attempt to drive the
individuals upstream into the hands of
the awaiting police officers. Once we
were in position, I could see the jeep
and the four persons. The driver was
exchanging clothes with another male,
possibly an attempt to confuse us.
As soon as I placed my left foot into
the river, the driver yelled, “What’s
the problem?” I told him I needed
to talk to him and to meet me back
upstream. He agreed, knowing we
could never get back there before he
would. This would give him a perfect
opportunity to easily flee from the
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - July/August 2013

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