[vmfa] Re: Us good guys win one!
- From: "Dr. Ronald E. Milliman]\\\\`" <rmilliman@xxxxxxx>
- To: <vmfa@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2015 19:53:52 -0600
Good bust!! Thanks for sharing it with us.
Kevin, you are accredit to all of us! Glad the governor recognized your assets.
Ron M.
From: vmfa-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:vmfa-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
Kevin Frankeberger (Redacted sender "k_frankeberger@xxxxxxxxx" for DMARC)
Sent: Friday, February 06, 2015 7:01 PM
To: vmfa@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [vmfa] Us good guys win one!
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/> 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>
http://wdfw.wa.gov/news/graphics/feb0615a_rodney_allan_clark.jpg
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