[vmfa] Us good guys win one!
- From: "Kevin Frankeberger" <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> (Redacted sender "k_frankeberger@xxxxxxxxx" for DMARC)
- To: "vmfa@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <vmfa@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 7 Feb 2015 01:00:52 +0000 (UTC)
I am so darn excited. Note the news release that I'll post below my signature
line.
No, I was not directly involved with this investigation and the surrounding
everything but I was briefed and interviewed. For the state of WA, the
Governor has appointed me to the Game Management Advisory Council (GMAC),
Americans with Disabilities Act Advisory Council (ADAAC), Hunter Retention and
Recruitment Advisory Group and the Allocation Board. LOL It is all good as
I'm the only one at the various tables with an obvious disability so I get my
floor time. smile
Where or where is our spring? Best, Kevin with guide dog Tomasso
WDFW NEWS RELEASE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
http://wdfw.wa.gov/ February 6, 2015
Contact: Lt. Paul Golden, (360) 302-3030 x 306 or (360) 731-7111 Poacher draws
5½ years in prison
after investigation by WDFW Police
SEATTLE - The former owner of a shellfish company based in Jefferson County was
sentenced today to 5½ years in prison after a poaching investigation by the
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) proved he and his employees
had stolen millions of oysters and clams off Washington beaches. Rodney Allan
Clark, 50, former owner of G&R Quality Seafood in Quilcene, pleaded guilty in
King County Superior Court to 17 counts of trafficking in stolen property and
one count of reckless endangerment for selling shellfish to the public without
a state health certification. Clark was also ordered to return to court next
month for a hearing to determine restitution for the shellfish he and his
employees stole from beaches in Jefferson and Kitsap counties. Eight of Clark's
former employees, some of whom cooperated with the investigation, pleaded
guilty to misdemeanor fishing violations in previous court appearances and
received a combination of fines and jail time. Clark's sentencing marked the
end of a high-profile case that was delayed for nearly a year after the former
convict jumped bail in 2013 and fled the state. He was finally extradited from
Hawaii under a warrant signed by Gov. Jay Inslee the following year. Court
records describe how a tip from a shellfish inspector for the Washington
Department of Health prompted WDFW to open its investigation of G&R Quality
Seafood in April 2009. According to the health inspector, a shellfish buyer
reported buying thousands of Clark's oysters, which made some of his customers
in Yakima and the Tri-Cities sick. For the next 11 months, WDFW detectives
developed a case on Clark and his employees, documenting their activities as
they illegally harvested shellfish at night on isolated beaches in Jefferson
and Kitsap counties. The detectives also monitored the movement of the stolen
shellfish to King County, where Clark and his employees sold it at a profit to
restaurants, fish markets, and seafood wholesalers. WDFW Police Chief Steve
Crown estimates that Clark and his employees illegally harvested more than $2
million worth of oysters and clams from publicly and privately owned beaches,
but said the true value of the stolen shellfish may never be known. "These
poachers stripped entire beaches of oysters and clams, and recklessly sold
uncertified shellfish for public consumption," Crown said. "This was a crime
against the people and the natural resources of our state, and we made it a
priority to get their ringleader off the street and shut his operation down."
In March 2010, the WDFW Police seized thousands of documents detailing the
operations of G&R Quality Seafood after obtaining a warrant to search Clark's
office in Quilcene and other properties. Several other agencies participated in
those raids, including the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, the National
Marine Fisheries Service, and the U.S. Coast Guard. Based on WDFW's
investigation, Clark was charged in King County Superior Court in December
2011, but was released on bail pending trial. In December 2013, he failed to
appear for a pretrial court date, leading to an interstate search that led
first to Alaska, then to Hawaii. Clark, who previously served a prison sentence
for drug offenses in Montana, was eventually arrested in Hawaii and extradited
to Washington state under a warrant issued last year by Gov. Inslee. "We'd like
to thank all the agencies that helped us bring Rodney Allan Clark to justice,
particularly the King County Prosecutor's Office," Crown said. "If the
prosecutor hadn't agreed to pursue this case, Rodney Clark would probably still
be out on the oyster beds, plundering the state's natural resources."
For a photo of Rodney Allan Clark, see
http://wdfw.wa.gov/news/graphics/feb0615a_rodney_allan_clark.jpg
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