Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2020 - 13

NOTES from theStreams
the violations. As I pulled away, I
thought to myself, why point the
finger at another person if your
own hands are not clean?-WCO
Matthew A. Colian, Indiana and
Eastern Armstrong counties.

Small world...err...state

The PFBC breaks the state into
six regions. Aside from statewide
trainings, there is not a lot of
interaction between all officers
and the various regions, so I was
surprised to see a call from the
Southeast Region Law Enforcement
Office. Captain Jeffrey R. Sabo
called to ask about some areas on
the North Branch Susquehanna
River, as a friend of his recently
purchased property in my district
and was looking to do some boating
and fishing on the river. I chatted
with Captain Sabo for a while and
offered some information, which he
would relay to his friend.
About 2 weeks later, while on a
focused law enforcement detail on
the Susquehanna River, I observed
a boat showing no registration.
Deputy Waterways Conservation
Officer Pat Dessoye and I conducted
a boarding of the boat. Through
the interaction, we learned that the
boat was a recent purchase and all
paperwork and safety equipment
was in order. We also learned that
one of the children on the boat
caught a nice Northern Pike that
morning before we arrived.
Before we parted ways, the boat
operator asked my name and revealed
that he was a friend of Captain
Sabo's, and he thanked me for the
intel I provided. I left thinking it was
funny that it only took a few weeks
to run into this person. I have a lot of
ground to cover, approximately 2,600
square miles, so it surprised me when
I pulled into the Terrytown Boat
Launch and saw him coming off the
water another week or so later.
Some people say they fished for
their entire lifetime without running
into a WCO, but it seems Captain
Sabo's friend cannot go fishing
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without running into one.-WCO
Jeremy L.Yohe, Western Bradford and
Sullivan counties.

Reflections

Working as the Resident Staff
Officer at H.R. Stackhouse for
the 22nd WCO class taught me to
pause and reflect upon our chosen
career as WCOs. Many workdays
begin with what seems to be a welllaid plan to patrol certain areas,
complete some required tasks, and
investigations. However, it often
ends up getting flipped upside down.
Therefore, sometimes it is hard to
explain exactly what a WCO does
in a typical day, since typical is not a
word that applies to this job.
Our new class of WCOs had a
chance to experience this firsthand
during training at H.R. Stackhouse.
They had their sights and schedules
set on the first field training session
with anticipation after spending over
8 months in an academy setting.
Unfortunately, like most of the
world, COVID-19 changed plans.
The command staff improvised
by the day in order to continue
the required training. The cadets
adapted and continued to train and
maintain professionalism during
an extended stay of an additional
2 months at the school until they
could finally leave for some wellearned field training time.
I am sure they were well-prepared
and will look back at that time in
their lives as a moment where they
persevered through adversity. In
the future, when tough days occur,
they will look back at the resilience
they showed and know they can get
through anything with a little help
from their brothers and sisters in
their new family.-WCO Troy W.
Merrell, Eastern Schuylkill County.

A life changed

Although the "Notes from the
Streams" column is often used to
discuss humorous topics WCOs
encounter in the field, I wanted to

share an experience I had recently
of a more serious topic.
While checking anglers at a
local waterway, I encountered an
individual that seemed familiar to me.
Ordinarily, this would not strike me
as odd in any way. This happens quite
often, due to the number of anglers
and boaters encountered on a routine
basis. However, this was different.
The gentleman was about 30
years old and was fishing from
shore. As I checked his license, I
could not shake the feeling that I
knew him.
We exchanged pleasantries for a
few moments, and he asked, "You
do not remember me, do you?"
I explained to the man that he
seemed familiar, but I could not
place him. He responded, "You
arrested me about 8 years ago, for
Boating Under the Influence." The
man went on to explain, "I was
pretty messed up that day. I want
you to know you changed my life."
At that moment, I remembered the
arrest. He was intoxicated that day
and belligerent due to drug and
alcohol abuse.
We spoke for a few moments,
and I observed he had put on some
weight, and his complexion was
clearer, as was his attitude. He went
on to tell me that it was during his
court ordered drug and alcohol
evaluation that he realized he had
an addiction problem. He has been
clean and sober since and has been
wanting to see me again to thank
me. He said that if he had not gotten
sober, he probably would have
wound up dead or in prison.
We spoke for a while, and we
both walked away knowing that
people certainly can overcome
problems in life. I must admit
though, while walking away, I felt
not only a sense of joy for this man
but a sense of pride in myself,
knowing that just doing my job
8 years ago, somehow changed a
person's life for the better. -WCO
Aaron B. Lupacchini, Southern
Luzerne and Columbia counties. 	

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * November/December 2020

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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2020

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