Hey, FYI: The Missouri Department of Conservation and Benton County Prosecutor Karen Woodley take cheating in fishing tournaments seriously. Like, one year in jail and a $1,000 fine seriously. Yeah.
David R. Gann, 72, found that out earlier this month after he allegedly tried to use bass he had trapped before in a tournament on Truman Lake. According to an MDC press release, fishers found a box holding three bass (one dead from stress) in the lake a couple of days before the tournament. They thought something was fishy (tee hee hee) about the box. Then, conservation agents laid a trap to nab Gann.
The conservation agents clipped off fins on the two living bass,
took pictures for identification purposes, and left the fish in the box.
When the day of the tournament rolled around, the MDC staked out the
box in the lake and allegedly observed Gann collect the two living fish
and put them into the live well in his boat.
At the tournament weigh-in, Gann allegedly passed off the two fish as if he had
just caught them. Water Patrol officers took the fish, noted the clipped
fins and matched the bass to the photos. MDC busted Gann and gave him
citations for wanton waste of fish and for having an unlabeled live box
in the lake.
As if getting caught for allegedly cheating in a tournament and paying fines wasn't
humiliating enough, Woodley charged Gann with attempt to steal by
deceit, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in the slammer and
another fine of up to $1,000. Gann pleaded not guilty to the charge. I'm
guessing it wasn't worth this giant pain in the ass to win some fishing
tournament.
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