CLEVELAND — Following the controversy surrounding last month's Cleveland fishing tournament that resulted in the indictments of two men accused of allegedly placing weights and fish filets inside their catch, a pair of Lake Erie tournaments are responding with new safeguards.
Both the Lake Erie B’laster Fall Brawl and the National Fishing Expos Walleye Slam will utilize devices to detect metal and other foreign objects that may be inside a fish being weighed.
According to tournament director Jason Fischer: "If a fish is seized by the B’laster Fall Brawl or Walleye Slam, the length and weight (score) will be held pending further inspection. Pending successfully passing the inspection (conducted by Craig Lewis and Jason Fischer) the entered fish length and weight (score) will be honored by both the B’laster."
Tournament organizers also plan to continue to employ a polygraph / VSA test to check winners for honesty and integrity prior to claiming their respective prize.
The fishing competition scandal that emerged from last month's Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament received national attention and the attention of investigators after video showed weights and fish filets were allegedly discovered inside the catch of 42-year-old Jacob Runyan and 35-year-old Chase Cominsky.
The two were indicted earlier this month in Cuyahoga County on the following charges:
- One count of Cheating (felony of the fifth degree)
- One count of Attempted Grand Theft (felony of the fifth degree)
- One count of Possessing Criminal Tools (felony of the fifth degree)
- One count of Unlawful Ownership of Wild Animals (misdemeanor of the fourth degree)
Had Runyan and Cominsky won, they would have received a total prize of $28,760.
According to an investigation by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), the weights were discovered after the tournament director noticed that the fish weighed heavier than they looked and proceeded to slice the fish open. Ten weights -- eight weighing 12 ounces and two weighing eight ounces along with several walleye filets -- were allegedly discovered inside the walleye. The duo was immediately disqualified and instructed to leave the tournament, with the Cleveland Metroparks Police Department responding to the scene.
According to a release from the prosecutor's office, Runyan and Cominsky's fifth-degree felonies are punishable by up to 12 months in prison and up to $2,500 in fines, while misdemeanors of the fourth-degree are punishable by up to 30 days in jail and up to $250 in fines.
3News' Ben Axelrod contributed to this story
Previous Reporting:
- 2 fishermen indicted on criminal charges in Cleveland fishing tournament cheating scandal
- Report: Boat, trailer from Cleveland fishing tournament controversy seized by investigators
- ODNR issues statement after Cleveland fishing tournament controversy
- Cleveland fishing tournament ends in controversy as winners caught with weights in walleye