From the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Baltimore:
On February 4, 2015, U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Sullivan sentenced Larry Eugene Harding, age 57, of Friendsville, Maryland, and Wallace A. Harward, age 58, of Forest Hill, Maryland, to pay a fine and restitution totaling $8,000 and $5,000, respectively, after the defendants pleaded guilty to violating Maryland black bear hunting regulations. In addition, Magistrate Judge Sullivan sentenced Harding and Harward to five years of probation and ordered each to perform 25 hours of community service for the Maryland Department of Natural resources. During their probation, Harding and Harward are precluded from any guiding activity involving commercial hunting, and are precluded from personally hunting for three years.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Colonel George F. Johnson IV, Superintendent of the Maryland Natural Resources Police; and Honora Gordon, Regional Special Agent in Charge for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
“The combined penalties in this case represent one of the most substantial sentences for a Maryland wildlife poaching case in more than two decades,” said Colonel George F. Johnson of the Maryland Natural Resources Police. “Because Maryland is a member of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, Harding and Harward are also barred from hunting or guiding in 44 other states in the U.S. during the term of their suspensions. In addition, Harward’s Maryland waterfowl outfitters license will be immediately revoked and he will be prohibited from renewing during the term of his license suspension,” added Superintendent Johnson.
According to their plea agreements, between 2008 and 2010, Harding who operated Harding’s Wild Mountain Herbs, Inc., and Harward, who operated Timber Creek Services, engaged in commercial hunting activities for American black bear, mostly in Garrett County, Maryland. Hunting for black bear is highly regulated in Maryland. Restrictions included a prohibition on the use of bait to attract the bear, as well as requirements that hunters associated with each other on the same hunting permit remain within view of each other while hunting.
During the course of an undercover investigation by the Maryland Natural Resources Police and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, law enforcement discovered that Harding and Harward were using bait to attract bears to locations where hunters – who had paid Harding and Harward to be guided in their pursuit of the bear – could more easily kill one of the animals. The undercover officers also learned that the defendants were violating the Maryland regulations that required a sub-licensee on a black bear hunting permit to remain in visual contact with the licensee.
During the course of the investigation, undercover officers posed as clients, paying Harding and Harward for guided bear hunts. Their investigation found Harding and Harward were illegally baiting bears for paying clients, some of whom came from outside Maryland to hunt.
During the hunts, Harding and Harward placed apples to bait the black bears, then led the hunters to those locations. For example, on October 25, 2009, Harding directed the undercover officers to the Raven Rock area near Friendsville, showing them where the bears would likely show up the next day. The following day, two hunters–one of them an undercover officer—taking part in a guided hunt led by Harding and Harward each killed a black bear over bait. The undercover officer shot his bear from a spot suggested by Harding, overlooking a pile of illegal bait. Harward also violated the terms of his hunting permit by remaining out of visual contact when the other hunter shot his bear. The bears killed by the hunter and the undercover officer were subsequently taken to a cooler located in the building where Harding conducted his business. Harding took photographs of the bears and the hunters, while Harward was recording the event with a video camera. Inside the cooler where the bear carcasses and skins were placed, the undercover officers saw five plastic 25 gallon garbage cans full of apple skins and cores, consistent with the apple pieces in the bait pile seen by the undercover officers
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the Maryland Natural Resources Police and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney P. Michael Cunningham, who prosecuted the case.
scumbags should have gotten a $500K fine and 20 years in jail
You should put on a black bear costume and run around your property AH
I doubt that you understand much so I won’t bother.
Another Internet tough guy.
Interesting neither show up in md case search. Any ideas?
i take a piss and i get a record on md case search
You should use a depends AH, than your freakin wife can change it for you or your “Partner”, most likely “Partner”.
You are so clever! You are calling him gay! You think that’s an insult, so, in my opinion, you have revealed yourself to be a bigot.
Not going to appear in Maryland Judiciary Case Search, it’s literally a “federal case.”
I doubt the fines will do more than cover the cost of the investigation. Good work, Fishcops…
Well there is a Wallace A. Harward in harford county but he’s an ex cop?
Same person?
Wasn’t he a Bel Air Cop? If so he messed with my son all the time hassling him over small crap
Maybe your son deserved it, but still if this guy was a cop, thats scary he was out breaking the law. Makes you think how credible he is/was as a cop.
Yes, same person
A federal case prosecuted by the US Attorney’s Office will not show up on the Maryland Judiciary website. (federal system vs. state system)
Because it’s Maryland Judiciary Case Search. Not Federal. You may want to check PACER
PACER isn’t free. You have to create an account and they bill you per use. Leave it to the FEDS to figure out a way to make money off of supposed PUBLIC RECORDS……
PACER gives you 150 pages free per quarter.
Really? I didn’t know that. I stand corrected…..
It would be more prudent and judicious if United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein, spent more government resources going after “Islamist Terrorists” and less time pursuing hunters and black bears!
Note: I am not a hunter.
maybe they will start shooting deer on your property from a moving car next.
illegal hunting is illegal hunting
Freakin tree huggers, maybe the feds should put as much effort into the IRS scandal, Benghazi, fast and furious, Al Sharpton not paying taxes. What a bunch of BS!!!
Most legal hunters are conservatives and conservationists. Poachers are criminals. You have made it pretty clear who you stand with.
What are the odds? A black bear trial during Black History Month.
The funny thing about the conviction for not being within view of each other?
That regulation was dropped for 2014.
According to the article the investigation took place between 2008 and 2010. It was illegal then even if it isn’t illegal now.
I’m wondering why when the guide takes the undercover officer to the area where the bears are obviously being baited in – which they know they’re going to arrest the guide for – one of them proceeds to kill a bear. What was the point behind the officer breaking the law and shooting the animal that had been illegally baited in? Would he have killed it if it were being held in a cage for him? Why not just whip out a badge and arrest the guide? Why not take a shot and miss if he wants to keep his undercover status? Do undercover narcotics officers routinely smoke crack to put their quarry at ease? Did he pull the trigger on the bear because they consider it justifiable to illegally kill the animal in order to apprehend the guide? As for the punishments, I just wish they’d be as harsh on people that hunt other people as they are on the ones that hunt animals.
While it sounds good to whip out your badge and start arresting people, the reality is you are in the middle of the woods with a bunch of armed criminals actively breaking the law.
Think about it…. take all the time you need.
These fine “sportsmen” should be hanging their heads in shame. Black bears 1 Elmer Fudds 0
What a joke of a case. why waste federal money and time on something so small and stupid. It’s ok to bait for deer and other game but OMG not the black bear that would probably kill you if you came across it. Could they possibly have put bait out for deer and a bear happened to be around the same area? And the undercover agent is the one that shot the bear. Why doesn’t he get in any trouble. He’s the one that actually killed the bear and broke the law. The guides were just helping them through the woods. Government is a JOKE!!!!
Poachers are criminals.Those who defend the actions of criminals are no better than those that they defend.
Says a lot about attorneys doesn’t it?
Ok poachers may be criminals. But did the guides pull the trigger thst killed the bear? NO the under cover fed is the one that killed it knowing that there was bait. So if you want to give the guides a lawsuit. Why doesn’t the person that actually committed the crime get in trouble? Just a little ridiculous that federal government can break the law to get other people in trouble. So if you ask me, where is the justice? Like I said before our government is a joke.
Killing a bear was not illegal, putting out bait was. You people really aren’t that bright are you.
Yeah baiting is illegal for bear but what if the bait was out for other game? You can’t tell the bear to stay away from bait you put out for something else. if you read the story that undercover agent knew the bait was there. So he did break the law just to get the guides in trouble! So maybe you’re not that bright.
There is the thing called hunting seasons which for big game never overlap. Unless they were putting out Apples in october for deer season the end of November. The fact you are suggesting people paid a guide to take them hunting and they didn’t know what they are hunting for shows you are clueless.
Please stop.
No i wont stop DUHHHH! The fact that you are defending the feds on this case shows you are a tree hugging fruit cake or one of them. All I am saying is I just don’t think it is ok for the UC fed to be able to kill the bear knowing there was bait out just to get the guides in trouble.
And for the guide to get in trouble for not being in eye sight of all hunters getting in trouble for something that is not even the law anymore. shows even more how big of a joke this case is. Ok it happened when it was a law, but that was 5-7 years ago. Sounds like the feds were fishing for a bigger bust and didn’t get anything so they charged them with some bull $h!t.
I defend no one, just pointing out how misguided your logic is on some very basic issues of NR laws. Austin this isn”t the tough stuff and you can’t grasp it. I beg you please stop, you are embarrassing yourself.
Embarrassing myself? I dont think so. I may be “misguided” or not know all the NR laws like yourself apparently. But tell me this Mr. know it all, why did it take 5-7 years for them to charge the guides for baiting bear and not staying in eye sight of all hunters? To me it seems like a very longtime for them to finally charge the guides on what you seem to think is such a cut and dry case.
One of the good things our government has is called freedom of speech. So Ill stop when I want to stop. Not because some guy sitting on the internet tells me too. So keep begging!
I did a little research. If an officer must commit a criminal act, he must get an Authorization for Otherwise Illegal Conduct or Activity in order for him not to be charged. This officer must have had such an Authorization or he would be in violation of DOJ Guidelines and he could be charged with the crime. I also believe this would nullify his testimony meaning that no evidence of a crime exists. I am under the impression that this Authorization would have to come directly from the District Attorney’s Office, so it would be easy to see if one exists…..
I have no clue why it took so long,.does the length of time somehow make those who break laws less guilty?
Good god man stop while you are behind… this isn’t going at all well for you.
I’m not a hunter so I need to ask. I hear about local deer hunters putting out copious amounts of corn under their stands and have never heard that was illegal. Furthermore, I have seen bear hunting documentaries where people have staked out a garbage dumps to harvest a bear. Isn’t that baiting?
Harvest is a ridiculous, soft peddle word used by radical kill it if it moves poor excuse for hunters to soften the reality of killing an animal there’s almost zero chance will be eaten.
@ Money Tree
Sorry if the word harvest ruffled your feathers (pardon the pun). I’m not a hunter and basically just asked a question. I am quite sure that wildlife experts have carefully calculated the numbers, ranges, and food needs of the black bear population and felt the need to manage the herd. That is probably why black bear hunting has been re-instituted in MD. I recently read for many years there was no bear hunting.
@ Duhhhhhhh
Thanks for helping clear things up. Maybe Money Tree hadn’t had his/her morning cup of coffee. Hence the snippy attitude.
There are different laws for different states. 40 years ago deer were an unusual sight in Maryland and had very tough regulations. Now they are everywhere and the number of hunters is dwindling so the regulations are basically harvest as many as you can using whatever method you like, baiting is encouraged to increase the harvest.
Black bear on the other hand in maryland are not so plentiful so the harvesting restrictions are very tight and closely regulated in other states where their numbers make them a nuisance the restrictions will be quite loose in comparison.
Hope this answers your question.
DUHHHH There’s this thing called statute of limitations. Ever heard of it?
yes i have so tell us all what they are on these crimes. I’ll wait.
I don’t know I’m not a lawyer and never said I knew what they were or if there even is any for this specific case. I was just stated the fact that there is a length of time a person can not be found guilty to your comment “does the length of time make those who break laws less guilty”
However If I were a betting man I would put money on 5 years.
If you really would like to know please find out yourself so you can prove me wrong
You claim to be no lawyer while claiming to kinda probably bet you sorta know what the law should be better than an ex-cop and his attorneys.
As I said previously, For your own sake, please stop,.my sides are killing me from laughing at you.