Two fishermen caught stuffing fish with weights at Ohio tournament plead guilty to cheating
Competitive fishermen Jacob Runyan and Chase Cominsky made headlines last fall after being accused of stuffing fish with weights and fillets during September’s Lake Erie Walleye Trail fishing tournament.
On Monday, the two pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including cheating, for their actions at the event where teams competed to catch the five heaviest walleyes at Cleveland's Gordon Park.
After growing suspicious of their haul, weighing 33.91 pounds, significantly more than five average walleye collectively would total, tournament director Jason Fischer found the duo filled their fish with weights. Cleveland19 reports that 10 lead-weighted balls and multiple walleye fillets were found inside the fish after they were cut open.
Runyan and Cominsky were automatically disqualified and later indicted on three felony counts, each carrying a one-year prison sentence and a misdemeanor punishable by 30 days in jail. Initially, the two were to stand trial Monday, but they reached an agreement to plead guilty instead.
According to Cleveland19, the men would have won $28,760 in prize money had they not been disqualified.
In a video from the weigh-in posted to Lake Erie Walleye Trail's Facebook page, spectators questioned the legitimacy of Runyan and Cominsky's catch. A separate video shows an outraged crowd of competitors surrounding Runyan, threatening him with legal action following the findings.
Both Runyan and Cominsky pleaded guilty to cheating and unlawful ownership of wild animals Monday. They agreed to three-year suspensions of their fishing licenses, with Cominsky also agreeing to turn over his bass boat worth $100,000 to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The prosecution dropped charges of attempted grand theft and possessing criminal tools.
This incident wasn't the pair’s first time facing cheating allegations. CBS News reports that court records show that they became subjects of an investigation after being accused of cheating during a walleye tournament near Toledo, Ohio, last spring.
In the past year, Runyan and Cominsky have won three Lake Erie Walleye Trail competitions, indicating they've likely been cheating for far longer than previously thought. Per the Toledo Blade's Matt Markey, the anglers took home tens of thousands of dollars and various prizes, including the now-seized boat.
Runyan and Cominsky will receive their sentences on May 11, with prosecutors recommending a six-month probation sentence.
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