Fishermen indicted after allegations of cheating

CLEVELAND -- Two anglers accused of stuffing food with pb weights and fillets successful an effort to triumph thousands of dollars successful an Ohio sportfishing tourney were indicted Wednesday connected charges of attempted expansive theft and different counts.

Jacob Runyan, 42, of Broadview Heights, Ohio, and Chase Cominski, 35, of Hermitage, Pennsylvania, were indicted successful Cleveland connected felony charges of cheating, attempted expansive theft, possessing transgression tools and misdemeanor charges of unlawfully owning chaotic animals. They're owed to beryllium arraigned Oct. 26.

Neither antheral instantly responded to voicemails seeking comment.

The cheating allegations surfaced Sept. 30 erstwhile Lake Erie Walleye Trail tourney manager Jason Fischer became suspicious due to the fact that Runyan and Cominski's food were importantly heavier than walleye of that magnitude typically are. A assemblage of radical astatine Gordon Park successful Cleveland watched Fischer chopped the walleye unfastened and denote that determination were weights and walleye fillets stuffed inside.

An serviceman from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources confiscated the food arsenic evidence.

Fischer besides did not instantly instrumentality a telephone telephone seeking comment.

Runyan and Cominski would person received $28,760 successful prizes for winning the tournament.

According to hunt warrant affidavits, the 5 walleye contained a full of 8 12-ounce (.34 kilogram) pb weights and 2 8-ounce (.23 kilogram) weights, arsenic good arsenic the food fillets. Officers from ODNR, the Hermitage Police Department and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission seized a boat, trailer and sportfishing cogwheel belonging to Cominski connected Tuesday successful Pennsylvania. The anglers had utilized the vessel during past month's tournament, the affidavits said.

One of the affidavits disclosed that Runyan and Cominski were investigated by Rossford constabulary successful northwest Ohio successful April aft being accused of cheating successful a antithetic walleye tournament. According to a Rossford constabulary report, an adjunct Wood County authoritative concluded that though the men whitethorn person cheated, determination was not capable grounds to complaint them.