Two fishermen caught red-handed with lead weights in the bellies of the walleye they caught in a tournament in Cleveland were indicted Wednesday on felony charges of cheating and attempted grand theft, among other charges.
Jacob Runyan, 42, of Broadview Heights, Ohio, and Chase Cominsky, 35, of Hermitage, Pa., were also charged with possessing criminal tools, a felony, and unlawfully owning wild animals, a misdemeanor, according to the Associated Press.
They are due to be arraigned Oct. 26. Neither responded to requests for comment.
For the three fifth-degree felonies, the two men could face up to 12 months in prison and fines of up to $2,500 for each offense, according to the Toledo Blade.
“The fourth-degree misdemeanor charge of the unlawful ownership of wild animals, which is related to the fish fillets that the pair allegedly had in their possession and stuffed inside their catch, carries up to 30 days in jail and up to $250 in fines, and a conviction on that charge could also result in an indefinite suspension of their fishing licenses,” The Blade reported.
The discovery of cheating was made at the weigh-in of the Lake Erie Walleye Trail event on Oct. 30. The two fishermen were declared the leaders and eventual winners with a total weight of 33.91 for the walleye limit of five fish.
But when tournament director Jason Fischer cut into one of the fish, he discovered lead weights and immediately held it up and screamed, “We got weights in fish!”
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The fishermen who had been milling about nearby immediately congregated around Runyan (Cominsky was onsite nearby) and began assailing him with expletives and chastising him, as Fischer cut into other fish, discovering more weights. Online commenters chimed in with their disgust as well.
They were immediately disqualified; they would have won $28,760 in prize money.
Five walleye contained a total of eight, 12-ounce lead weights and two, 8-ounce weights, as well as fish fillets, according to the search warrant affidavits.
From AP:
Officers from ODNR, the Hermitage Police Department and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission seized a boat, trailer and fishing gear belonging to Cominski on Tuesday in Pennsylvania. The anglers had used the boat during last month’s tournament, the affidavits said.
One of the affidavits disclosed that Runyan and Cominski were investigated by Rossford police in northwest Ohio in April after being accused of cheating in a different walleye tournament. According to a Rossford police report, an assistant Wood County prosecutor concluded that although the men may have cheated, there was not enough evidence to charge them.
Photo courtesy of Jason Fischer
