(Released May 29, 2012)
Photo by Rachel Kraft
The sharp eye of a conservation officer with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources netted Chien Van Tran, 39, of Otsego, with 413 sunfish and 30 crappies over the legal limit.
That’s a gross misdemeanor offense carrying a maximum $3,000 fine and one year in county jail. Restitution value for the fish is $2,015. If convicted, Tran could lose his fishing privileges for three years. He’s scheduled to appear in Wright County Court May 30.
State Conservation Officer Rick Reller of Buffalo watched as Tran placed a bag of fish in a locked compartment of his boat before leaving Pelican Lake in Wright County on April 4.
“I asked how fishing was and if he had any fish onboard the boat,” said Reller. “He stated the fishing was ‘okay’ and he showed me a cooler with approximately a dozen panfish in it.”
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