Behind the Badge - Suspicious Behavior
Suspicious Behavior
District Game Warden Erik Schmidt
Over the years, on occasion, I've had routine checks of fishing licenses turn up other violations I don't typically encounter while checking anglers. One of those instances occurred while checking ice fishermen on one of the many prairie lakes in my patrol district.
Wentz Lake in Logan County had a hot walleye bite that winter and there were a fair number of anglers on the lake that day.
While most of the anglers were on the south side of the lake, there was one lone angler on the northwest corner of the lake. When I contacted this particular angler, who I'll refer to as Don, I immediately recognized him from previous contacts.
I also came to understand why he was fishing away from the crowd.
On the north side of his Suburban were eight holes drilled in the ice, each with a baited fishing line. North Dakota law only allows an angler to fish with four lines while ice fishing.
After checking Don's fishing license and the few walleyes he had, I inquired why he was using four extra lines. In a rather blunt manner, he informed me four of the lines belonged to his girlfriend who had to run into Napoleon about 20 minutes away to use the restroom and would be returning shortly.
I informed Don that when his girlfriend left the lake, she needed to reel her lines up before she left. I also informed him that I could wait for his girlfriend to return so I could talk with her.
While we waited, I glanced in his Suburban where I noticed the stock of a rifle sticking out from under a blanket in the front passenger seat.
Based on my prior contacts with Don, I knew he was a convicted felon and could not possess a firearm. When I asked Don about the rifle, he hung his head and acknowledged he could not have the rifle.
After notifying the local sheriff’s department for assistance, Don looked at me and said his girlfriend was in fact not fishing with him that day, and all eight fishing poles were his.
A short time later one of the sheriff’s deputies arrived, and after conferring with Don's probation officer, we searched the Suburban.
In addition to the rifle, we also found narcotics and a vile of fake urine used to fool a drug test.
Ultimately, Don was cited for fishing with extra lines and arrested for being a felon in possession of a firearm.