On Wednesday, October 10, 2018, a Massachusetts Environmental Police Officer conducted a commercial permit inspection aboard a scallop vessel in New Bedford. The vessel was found to be permitted federally but did not possess a valid commercial permit to land scallops in Massachusetts.
The Officer then requested the Captain display his catch of scallops to ensure compliance of the federally permitted possession limits. The Captain presented the Officer with the vessel’s allowable catch of 600-pounds; however, further inspection of the vessel located an additional 150-pounds of scallops concealed within a beverage cooler.
The catch was seized and the vessel Captain was subsequently arrested for failure to display fish/catch upon demand. During the arrest process he was also found to be in possession of Oxycontin without a prescription.
(MEP file photo)
Massachusetts Environmental Police Dispatch can be reached 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-632-8075.
Violations can also be reported online at http://bit.ly/MEPReport.
On Saturday October 13, 2018, Massachusetts Environmental Police responded to a report of an alligator at the Comic-Con Event in Framingham. Upon arrival, the officer located an individual in possession of an alligator that was approximately five-feet in length, as well as a five-foot Burmese python and two rose haired tarantulas. The animals were found to be in poor condition and were subsequently seized and turned over to a permitted entity that is qualified in the proper c...are of reptiles.
The individual was arrested on an unrelated warrant and will also be criminally summosed for the illegal importation and possession of the alligator at Framingham District Court; this remains an active investigation.
Thank you to Framingham Police Department for their assistance throughout the booking process and to the reptile experts for their continued care and rehabilitation of these animals throughout the investigation.
On Monday, October 1, 2018, a case that began in April of 2017 in Warwick culminated in Orange District Court.
On Friday, April 28, 2017, an individual within 500 feet of a dwelling discharged a shotgun from a roadway and killed a turkey. The individual was not permitted to be in possession of a firearm.
The subsequent investigation yielded the following charges: unlawful killing of a turkey, discharge of a firearm within 150 feet of a roadway, discharge of a firearm within... 500 feet of a dwelling, possession of an untagged turkey, carrying a firearm on a public way, possession of a firearm without a valid FID/LTC, and possession of ammunition without a valid FID/LTC.
The individual was found guilty of multiple charges, subject to monetary fines, and loss of hunting license. Forfeiture of the firearm is pending.
