Remember that video that made the rounds last year of guys at a fishing contest in Ohio discovering that one of the competitors was cheating? Well the two men who admitted to stuffing fish with lead weights and fish fillets in an attempt to win thousands of dollars were sentenced yesterday to 10-day jail terms and other penalties, including the forfeiture of a boat valued at $100,000.
Back in September, Jason Fischer, Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament director, became suspicious of the fish turned in by Jacob Runyan, 43, of Ashtabula, Ohio; and Chase Cominsky, 36, of Hermitage, Pennsylvania. These fish weren’t your typical walleye, they were somehow significantly heavier. A crowd of people at Gordon Park watched as Fischer cut the freshwater fish open, and found weights and walleye fillets stuffed inside.
As part of their plea deal, Runyan and Cominsky pleaded guilty in March to cheating and unlawful ownership of wild animals and agreed to three-year suspensions of their fishing licenses. Cominsky also agreed to give up his bass boat worth $100,000. Once the pair complete their county jail terms, they’ll serve a year and a half on probation and must each pay a $2,500 fine, although half the fine will be waived if they each make a $1,250 donation to a nonprofit organization that promotes fishing with children. If either of them violate their probation, they could face an additional 30-day county jail sentence. For reference, they would have received a little over $28,000 in prizes for winning the tournament.
Side Items
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