Maryland Natural Resources Police Charge Hagerstown Man and Three Juveniles with Multiple Illegal Hunting Violations

Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Maryland Natural Resources Police Charge Hagerstown Man
and Three Juveniles with Multiple Illegal Hunting Violations
WILLIAMSPORT — On Sunday November 5, Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) charged a Hagerstown man and three juveniles from Williamsport and Hagerstown with illegal shooting of deer at night and other poaching charges.

Gary Wayne Sweeney, 20, of Hagerstown was charged with casting rays of light on fields or woodland while having a weapon in possession capable of killing deer, possession of deer during closed season, hunting deer at night, three counts each of hunting without a hunting license and hunting without written permission and two counts of hunting with a bow and arrow without an archery stamp.

The 17-year old male from Williamsport was charged with two counts each of casting rays of light on fields or woodland while having a weapon in possession capable of killing deer, possession of deer during closed season, hunting deer at night, hunting from a motor vehicle, shooting from a roadway, hunting deer with rifle not capable of producing 1200 ft-lb of energy and hunting without written permission.

The 16-year old male from Williamsport was charged with hunting deer with rifle not capable of producing 1200 ft-lb of energy and two counts each of casting rays of light on fields or woodland while having a weapon in possession capable of killing deer, possession of deer during closed season, hunting deer at night, hunting from a motor vehicle, shooting from a roadway and hunting without written permission.

The 16-year old male from Hagerstown was charged with four counts each of casting rays of light on fields or woodland while having a weapon in possession capable of killing deer, possession of deer during closed season, hunting deer at night, hunting from a motor vehicle and hunting without written permission. He was also charged with two counts each of shooting from a roadway and hunting deer with rifle not capable of producing 1200 ft-lb of energy.

NRP began working the case back in August when they received reports of deer being shot in and around the Williamsport and Downsville area. After the deer were shot, the heads and antlers were removed and the remaining portions of the deer were left in the field.

NRP began to develop leads based on information obtained from several concerned citizens. Police say these four individuals are allegedly connected to at least five illegal kills, including four bucks and one doe, which occurred mainly during the month of August. A December 19 trial date is currently scheduled for Sweeney in Washington County District Court. The three juveniles were referred to the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services in Washington County. The maximum penalty for a person found guilty of these offenses is $1500 per offense for a first time offender.

NRP remind people that they can report illegal activity 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by calling the Catch a Poacher Hotline at 1-800-635-6124. The anonymity of the caller is guaranteed.
November 8, 2006
The Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) is the enforcement arm of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). With an authorized strength of 280 officers and a dedicated staff of civilian and volunteer personnel, the NRP provide a variety of services in addition to conservation and boating law enforcement duties throughout the State of Maryland. These services include homeland security, search and rescue, emergency medical services, education, information and communications services on a round the clock basis. NRP is the only police force aside from the Maryland State Police that has statewide jurisdiction.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 449,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 12 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov