Luzerne County Council approves residency requirement for some management

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Plymouth Historical Society discusses borough’s 150th anniversary celebration

<p>HARRISBURG &#8211; Two local men and a third from New York face charges after an 18-month undercover investigation into the illegal purchase of reptiles and wildlife.</p><p>Gustave Salazar, 60, of Tunkhannock, and Roger Lee, 51, of Brooklyn, New York, both face two summary counts each of buying and selling game and wildlife for alleged illegal activity in Luzerne County, according to court records.</p><p>Aede Sanchez, 41, of Wilkes-Barre, faces one count each of failing to provide vaccination against rabies and failure to license a dog, according to court records filed in Luzerne County.</p><p>According to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, charges also were filed against the men in Monroe and Wyoming county courts on Feb. 29 and include 15 summary offenses, 12 misdemeanors and one felony.</p><p>Lee faces a felony charge of buying and selling wildlife in Monroe County, according to court records.</p><p>&#8220;The individuals face fines between $300 and over $10,000 as well as possible jail time if convicted,&#8221; Col. Corey Britcher, director of the PFBC Bureau of Law Enforcement, said in a prepared statement.</p><p>&#8220;Convictions would also result in the individuals losing their hunting and fishing privileges in not only Pennsylvania but also each state which participates in the Interstate Wildlife Compact, a cooperative agreement designed to prevent poachers from moving from state to state without fear of prosecution,&#8221; Britcher said.</p><p>The case started in July 2014 when a Pennsylvania State Police trooper made a routine traffic stop on Interstate 80 in Monroe County and observed 30 live snapping turtles in the vehicle. PFBC waterways conservation officers subsequently interviewed the suspects and determined that the turtles had been sold without the required permit, according to the PFBC.</p><p>Further interviews with the seller led the WCOs to believe the original suspects were interested in purchasing additional illegal wildlife. With the cooperation of the seller, PFBC undercover officers were introduced to Lee, the PFBC said.</p><p>Over the next 18 months, PFBC undercover officers allegedly made numerous illegal sales of reptiles and wildlife, including timber rattlesnakes, bears, beavers and bear gallbladders, to Lee. Officers were assisted by law enforcement personnel from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the PFBC said.</p><p>Pennsylvania law requires individuals to obtain an annual state permit to trap and sell or trade snapping turtles. The permits are $50 for residents and $100 for non-residents. The daily limit for harvesting snapping turtles is 15 and individuals may not have more than 30 turtles in their possession at any one time.</p><p>Individuals are allowed to hunt and keep one timber rattlesnake per calendar year, provided they have a $25 state resident or $50 nonresident permit. The snake must be at least 42 inches long.</p><p>But state law strictly prohibits individuals from selling and purchasing most native reptiles and amphibians, in whole or in parts, including the timber rattlesnake and game species like bear and beavers.</p><p>&#8220;Seasons, sizes and creel limits are specifically designed to protect species from being over-harvested and potentially added to the threatened and endangered species lists,&#8221; added Britcher.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Steve Mocarsky</p><p>smocarsky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Steve Mocarsky at 570-991-6386 or on Twitter @TLSteveMocarsky.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Poaching charges filed after 18-month undercover investigation