James Phillip Nelson, age 40. In November 2015, Nelson had his commercial license permanently revoked.Serial violator with revoked license charged again
A St. Mary's County man, whose commercial license was revoked for oyster harvesting violations in 2015, and another waterman were charged Wednesday after they were seen taking oysters from a closed area.
James Phillip Nelson, 40, and Melanie Ann Wheeler, 38, both of California, were hand-scraping for oysters in an area of the Jones Shore bar that is designated for hand tongs only. Officers determined that the two were well inside the marked boundary.
They were issued Potomac River Fisheries Commission citations and are required to appear in St. Mary's County District Court Feb. 2.
In November 2015, Nelson had his commercial license permanently revoked by a St. Mary's County District Court judge after he was convicted of harvesting oysters from a polluted area and keeping oysters that were between 28 and 48 percent undersized, a second offense on both counts.
He was fined $3,750, with $2,000 of it suspended, and was ordered to pay court costs. He also was sentenced to three years of unsupervised probation on each of the three charges.
Nelson has a history of poaching convictions dating back to the mid-1990s involving illegal crabbing, oyster harvesting and hunting.
Lusby waterman cited for undersized oysters
A Lusby waterman was cited for having two bushels containing undersized oysters aboard his boat when he was checked Wednesday by officers near Solomons Island in Calvert County.
Milburn Alexander Buckler III, 59, received two citations, each of which carries a pre-payable fine of $155. If he chooses to plead not guilty, Buckler has been given a court appearance date of Feb. 13.