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AUGUSTA - Wardens from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IF&W) arrested two Waldo county men at their homes last week in connection with an illegal guiding operation in northern Piscataquis county. A New Jersey man also faces charges in connection to these crimes. Search warrants were executed at the residences of Dennis Jones, 40, of Unity and Scott Robinson, 34, of Waldoboro on Dec. 11. Jones was arrested for possession of a firearm by a felon and Robinson was arrested for exceeding the bag limit on bear. Wardens Greg Sanborn, Skip Bates and Adam Gormely from the Greenville headquarters assisted with the arrests, said Warden Lt. Pat Dorian. "The Resource Protection Unit worked for quite awhile to break this case," Dorian said. "We identified some people who we felt needed attention and the undercover officers did the rest. It was well-coordinated." One hundred pounds of deer meat, bear parts, 12 firearms and one whole deer were taken as evidence. More charges for both men are under consideration by both Waldo and Piscataquis County district attorneys. Charges could include illegally buying and selling deer in Waldo County and also illegally buying and selling bear meat in Piscataquis county A third man, 64-year-old James Gregory of Hazlet, N.J. was charged with 18 fish and wildlife violations, including guiding without a license, illegally selling bear, and illegally selling or buying deer. Dorian said that cases like this are especially troubling because of what he describes "as a lack of respect for our wildlife resources and for the laws that protect them. If the general public could see the attitudes we have to put up with during hunting season, theyıd be shocked." An investigator from U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, conservation officers from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife as well as Maine IF&W wardens were involved in the operation. The Maine Warden Service was made aware of the illegal operation by a member of the public, according to IF&W spokesman Mark Latti. Most of the violations allegedly occured in the Chamberlain Lake area, particularly Township 8, Range 11 north of Haymock Lake. No court dates have been set for the suspects. |