The Blade, Toledo, Ohio, Steve Pollick Column: Poachers Fined $28,000; Some Lose Fishing Privileges

By Steve Pollick, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio

Oct. 5–Eight men from Ohio and Michigan who faced 257 charges centering on taking hundreds of excess walleye from the Maumee River during the last two spring runs have been fined and ordered to make restitution totaling more than $28,000 from Maumee and Perrysburg municipal courts.

“We’re happy with the results and the way both courts handled it,” said Steve Thomson, an investigator with the Ohio Division of Wildlife.

“We hope this will be a deterrent for the future.”

Thomson was a member of a team involved in the takedown of those charged after a 13-month undercover investigation dubbed Operation Numbers. The case broke in mid-July.

Ron Ollis, special operations supervisor for the division, said at least 570 walleye were involved in the charges linked to 20 days of spring fishing in 2006 and 2007.

In part, according to Ollis, “it should be said that these subjects were excellent fishermen. They knew how and where to catch fish regardless of water conditions. Very few snagged fish were kept. They could catch plenty by legal means.

“As we find in all our cases, greed and egos took over and they overbagged excessively. No commercialization was uncovered in this group; they kept the fish for personal use. The Division of Wildlife also learned a great deal in this case about violation types and issues on the spring walleye run. We will work internally to tailor enforcement to the needs on the run.”

Those arrested included Thomas E. Crotinger, 51, of Dayton, who was described by wildlife authorities as the central figure and who faced 80 charges in Perrysburg and 30 more in Maumee.

A state record summarizing his case dispositions shows he was sentenced after a plea deal on a total of 44 charges and was fined $11,000 and ordered to pay $1,100 in restitution.

His Ohio fishing privileges were suspended for 10 years, and he was given a one-year suspended jail sentence in Maumee. Crotinger also was forced to forfeit an array of fishing equipment.

In executing search warrants at his home in July, wildlife lawmen were led to file deer and wild turkey-related charges as well, including hunting without permission and poaching deer and wild turkey, in Miami and Champaign counties.

“The down-state cases on Mr. Crotinger were incidental to the main walleye case, thus the fines and penalties were less. But he lost a lot of equipment,” said Ollis.

“He was hit hard by the Toledo-area courts. The deer cases were opportunistic.”

Seven deer and turkey violations were filed in Miami County against Crotinger, and he pleaded guilty to one count of overbagging deer in Zone A, where the annual limit is one taken legally.He was fined $300 this week, ordered to pay $700 in restitution, and directed to forfeit among other things deer meat, archery equipment, and nine firearms and related equipment.

That cache included a muzzleloading rifle, 2 shotguns, and 6 handguns.

His hunting license privileges were revoked for a year.

The wildlife division said the firearms will be returned to Crotinger if it determined that he was eligible to legally possess them.

The Dayton man also was charged with three violations of hunting without permission in Champaign County and pleaded guilty to one charge and was fined $100.

“He was the main subject, the ringleader,” said Thomson of Crotinger. He knew all the others. The others kind of hung around him, and he might have influenced their activity.”

During two of the seven searches conducted in July, “significant amounts” of suspected drugs were seized by lawmen. In one search a marijuana growing operation was uncovered.

The drug-related information was turned over to local police.

In another case several packages of suspected marijuana were seized from a freezer.

Others charged in Operation Numbers and processed through the Perrysburg and Maumee courts include:

Lloyd “Brian” Edwards, 44, of New Carlisle, Ohio, 78 charges in all, fined $7,800 on 32 counts, ordered to pay $780 in restitution, fishing license suspension for 10 years, a 240-day suspended jail sentence, and equipment forfeiture.

William Wildman, 45, of Cygnet, 34 charges, fined $3,400 on 14 charges, $340 in restitution, 10-year fishing license suspension, a 180-day suspended jail term, and equipment forfeiture.

Daniel Swiergosz, 55, Toledo, 15 charges, fined $1,500 on six counts, directed to pay $150 in restitution, fishing license suspension for three years, a 120-day suspended jail sentence, and equipment forfeiture.

Charles F. Fries, 65, of Piqua, Ohio, fined $225 on three charges, $40 in restitution, fishing license suspension for a year, and a 30-day suspended jail term.

Leslie “Steve” Szeles, 48, of Kalamazoo, Mich., 10 charges, fined $1,000 on four, $100 in restitution, a 120-day suspended jail term, and three-year fishing license suspension.

Christopher Smith, 45, Kalamazoo, Mich., four charges, fined $400 on two, $40 in restitution, three-year license suspension, and a suspended 60-day jail term.

Lloyd S. Edwards, of Monticello, Ky., identified as the father of Brian Edwards, fined $162 on three charges.

About 25,000 rainbow trout 10 to 13 inches long are to be released at 25 Ohio sites this month as part of the state’s popular out-and-take trout program.

“This annual stocking provides excellent opportunities for anglers to continue fishing through the fall all across Ohio,” said Elmer Heyob, hatcheries program administrator for the wildlife division.

The program targets smaller inland waters including state and community park lakes.

Most waters in northwest Ohio are scheduled for stocking on Thursday and they include:

Lima Lake, Allen County; Lamberjack Lake/Fostoria Reservoir No. 3, Hancock County; Norwalk Reservoir No., 1, Huron County; Swanton Reservoir, Lucas County. Grand Lake St. Marys in Auglaize County is set for stocking on Oct. 18.

A complete list of stocked waters can be viewed on-line at www.wildohio.com under natural resources news.

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Trapping units will be available for the 2007-2008 season on 2,000 acres of wetlands at Magee Marsh State Wildlife Area, 13229 West State Rt. 2, Oak Harbor.

Viewing of the units is set for Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. A public bid opening is set for Oct. 16 at 3 p.m. at the Magee check-station.

Bids can be mailed to Magee or submitted in person.

For information: Call Magee manager Denis Franklin 419-898-0960 extension 30.

Steve Pollick is The Blade’s outdoor writer E-mail him at spollick@theblade.com Read more Steve Pollick columns at www.toledoblade.com/pollick

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Copyright (c) 2007, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio

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