Dunsmuir Cafe Owner Busted

[Terry Thomas]

Saw this post on the Cal Fly FBB. There's a great piece in today's S.F. Chron by Tom Stienstra that outlines a bust in Dunsmuir of a local cafe owner.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/03/SPB9UOP3U.DTL

[Ed Wahl]

Very nice job by the wardens. Wish we had about 150 more of them. Ed

[Bill Carnazzo]

Amen, Ed. Even though these were only hatchery fish, the fact is that in thoe two places he was "fishing" there are also wild fish and he undoubtedly poached some of those also. Sounds like the fellow is a bit IQ-challenged because his choice of spots, being quite public, probably doomed him. Anyway, nice catch--excuse the pun.

[Scott V]

I read the paper article but have a few questions.

1.) The warden decided to cruise over to the restaurant, it sounds like he did this on his own and not as part as a follow up to the poacher call.

2.) The most he saw caught in one day was 18 fish. They watched him for 3 days as he caught 33 fish, why the wait to arrest? Do you get more time for more fish?

Just wondering why an arrest was not made once a crime was seen. They waited for him to commit the crime a few more times.

[Terry Thomas]

I guess the same reason they don't bust a person selling one "joint" when they can catch him with a whole bale of weed. :twisted:

[Bill Carnazzo]

Yes, and I think that they wanted to build as close to an ironclad case as they could since they found a good example to publicize, and to keep a judge from tossing it out for insufficient proof.

[fallriverfish]

That article made my day. Thank you for posting it.
Billy Downs