ANNAPOLIS - The Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) today released the following incident and arrest reports. NRP is the enforcement arm of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). NRP is the only police force aside from the Maryland State Police that has statewide jurisdiction.
ST. MARY’S COUNTY: KILLING BALD EAGLE: Francis Gary Long Jr., 31, of Bushwood pleaded guilty in federal court for violating the Bald Eagle Protection Act. The charge was the result of an investigation begun by the Maryland Natural Resources Police and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement. The investigation started after NRP received a report from a concerned citizen of a bald eagle shot in the 22,000 block of Colton Point Road area of Bushwood on March 21 of this year.
Officers and agents set up surveillance in the area and learned that Long allegedly shot in addition to the bald eagle, turkey vultures, skunk and woodchuck from the back porch of his apartment. Long was fined $2,500, placed on one-year probation and his hunting privilege revoked for one year.
CHARLES COUNTY: CDS: On Saturday, August 18, at 9:52 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police charged two Virginia men with possession of a controlled dangerous substance (CDS) on the Potomac River in the area of the Quantico Marine Base.
Officers stopped a vessel operated by Joseph Barkley Baer, 21, of Stafford, Va. at 9:50 for operating after sunset without displaying proper navigational lights. Upon stopping the vessel, officers observed in plain view, a clear plastic bag of suspected marijuana on the console of the vessel. Baer and his passenger, Justin Edward Hardy, 21, of Stafford, Va. were placed under arrest, and a subsequent search found another bag of suspected marijuana on the deck of the vessel as well as a pipe containing suspected marijuana in Hardy's pants pocket.
Both men were transported to the Charles County Detention Center where a Charles County District Court Commissioner released them on their own personal recognizance. Baer was also charged for operating a vessel without proper navigational lights.
CHARLES COUNTY: DUI: On Sunday, August 19, at 9:56 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police charged Edward Lew Miller, 39, of Alexandria, Va. with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol on the Potomac River off of Leesylvania State Park.
Miller was stopped for operating his vessel after sunset without displaying proper navigational lights. Miller displayed signs of intoxication and after failing several field sobriety tests, was placed under arrest and transported to the Maryland State Police La Plata Barrack. Miller took a breath test, which showed a blood alcohol concentration of .11 percent. He was charged with operating a motor vessel while under the influence of alcohol, operating a motor vessel while impaired by alcohol, operating a motor vessel while under the influence of alcohol per se, negligent operation, and operating a vessel without proper navigational lights. Miller was released on his signature to a friend.