By JOE BOOMGAARD
Daily News Staff Writer
CUSTER TWP. — A man who got into trouble last March for running a
bobcat poaching ring recently found himself in trouble with Department
of Natural Resources Conservation Officers after he failed to abide by
his sentence.
Mark Allen Nash, Sr. 44, of 2655 East State St., Custer, was
sentenced Feb. 20 to time served, 45 days in jail, for trapping when he
was ineligible for a trapping license, stemming from his prior
conviction early last year. He was also ordered to pay $400 in fines and
court costs.
CO Brian Brosky said Nash was caught trapping in Neeland’s Marsh in
December when he was found with 18 muskrats although his hunting and
trapping privileges had been revoked. Brosky said fellow COs Jim
Espinoza and Sgt. Kevin Hackworth worked the case after getting tips
from irate individuals about Nash’s continued trapping.
“We caught him red-handed in the marsh,” Brosky said. Along with the
muskrats, the officers seized a canoe.
Nash was lodged in Mason County Jail for violating the previous court
order not to violate hunting and fishing laws.
“We went out after he was arrested, the following week, and went to
the area and pulled all of his traps,” Brosky said. “There were 58 traps
total that we seized. Some traps had been reset and because he was in
jail, he had caught five muskrat and one mink. We also found several
untagged traps.”
Nash was not ordered to pay restitution on the muskrats, which would
have cost him $100 to $500 per animal — for a total of up to $9,000. The
traps were seized in lieu of paying restitution, Brosky said.
“The cost could have gotten pretty expensive for him,” Brosky said.
“This will hopefully get the point across. If you have a license
revocation, don’t go back into the field.”
According to previous reports in April 2007, Nash confessed to
poaching eight bobcats and to misrepresenting their origin when
registering them.
