Wayne County Resident Convicted of Illegally Killing Bear; Washington County Pair Convicted of Growing Marijuana on SGL

DALLAS, Pa., Aug. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Raymond Carl Kresge Sr., 66, of Gouldsboro, Wayne County was found guilty of unlawfully possessing a 600-pound male black bear, according to Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Conservation Officer (WCO) Jim McCarthy, who investigated the case and filed the charges on June 21. District Judge Bonnie L. Carney, of Hawley, fined Kresge $1,500 plus costs of conducting the DNA analysis.

On Sept. 29, a large male black bear was found unceremoniously dumped in the State Game Land 312 parking lot on Route 507, Gouldsboro. The bear was killed by a single gun shot to the head. It is believed to have been killed a day or two prior to being found, and evidence and information was obtained from the scene.

On Oct. 30, Lehigh Township Police officers stopped Kresge on a moving violation, for which he was charged with driving without a license. After noticing what appeared to be bear hair on the bumper, Lehigh Township Police notified the Game Commission Northeast Region Office. After confirming that bear hair was on the bumper of the truck, Game Commission officers impounded the vehicle and obtained a search warrant.  Once the warrant was secured, additional evidence was found and sent to Dr. Jane Huffman, Northeast Wildlife DNA Lab at East Stroudsburg University, for testing.

WCO McCarthy said the DNA tests confirmed that the dead bear had been in the back of Kresge's truck.

Facts from the Pennsylvania Game Commission: Under a new structure of fines and penalties that take effect on Sept. 7, those convicted of illegal possession of a black bear would face a misdemeanor charge carrying penalties of up to $3,000 in fines and the possibility of up to six months in prison. The increase in fines and penalties are the result of Gov. Rendell signing into law House Bill 1859, which was sponsored by House Game and Fisheries Committee Chairman Edward Staback.

WASHINGTON COUNTY PAIR CONVICTED OF GROWING MARIJUANA ON SGL

BOLIVAR, Westmoreland County – Two Washington County residents recently pled guilty to charges filed by Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Conservation Officer (WCO) Dan Sitler for growing marijuana on State Game Land 117 in Smith Township, Washington County.

Joshua M. Morrissey, 35, of Cuddy, and Robert N. Hoff, 32, of Cannonsburg, each pled guilty to one felony count under Title 35 - The Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act, Section 780-113 (a) (30) - for the manufacture, delivery, possession with intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance, and one count of Title 34 (Game and Wildlife Code) for the unlawful planting of marijuana on State Game Lands. District Judge Gary Havelka, of Burgettstown, sentenced Morrissey and Hoff to 23 months of probation and 90 days of house arrest with an electronic monitoring device for the felony drug conviction, and a $300 fine for the damage to SGL 117.

WCO Sitler consulted the Washington County District Attorney's office and the Washington County Drug Task Force on this case.

On June 7, Washington County Wildlife Conservation Officer (WCO) Daniel Sitler and Deputy WCO James Lorch, while on routine patrol on SGL 117, encountered two individuals who were acting suspiciously during the brief conversation.

"After this odd exchange, we decided to try and determine what they had been doing while visiting SGL 117," WCO Sitler said.  "We back-tracked where they had been and soon discovered 21 marijuana plants planted in thick vegetation along a Game Commission food plot."  

Following this discovery, the officers used video surveillance technology to establish the connection between the suspected individuals and the marijuana plants.  

"The Game Commission has a long history and tradition of passing down our investigative techniques from one generation of Wildlife Conservation Officers to the next through our training structure," said Scott W. Tomlinson, Game Commission Southwest Region Law Enforcement Supervisor. "In recent years, we've been able to incorporate new technologies, such as the use of newly-developed surveillance equipment, to our list of tools used to solve these types of crimes.

"As similar sites have been known to be booby-trapped, this type of activity poses a safety threat to both the public that uses our State Game Lands, and agency employees, such as Food and Cover Corps workers, who work there on a daily basis developing food plots and wildlife habitat."

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SOURCE Pennsylvania Game Commission