If you’ve been following fishing news lately, there’s a great chance you’ve heard about Jacob Runyan and Chase Cominski, the Ohio fishermen who were caught stuffing their walleye with eight pounds of sinkers and filets to cheat their way to victory at a fishing tournament on Lake Erie in Cleveland, Ohio.
The videos speak for themselves, as fellow fishermen were irate (rightfully so) and practically calling for their heads when the sinkers were discovered in front of the large crowd.
It wasn’t pretty…
To put things into perspective, the five walleye in the winning bag looked to be about 20 pounds by the eye test, and their batch weighed over 33 pounds.
It’s also believed that the two have cheated in previous tournaments they’ve won before, as one of the two failed a lie detector test after winning a tournament late last year, costing them a $100,000 fishing boat as a prize.
Needless to say, these guys are in some deep shit, and is a terrible look for a sport that’s filled with so many honest people.
With that being said, Runyan and Cominski have officially been indicted for their actions, according to TMZ.
The scumbag duo have been charged with multiple felonies, including attempted grand theft, possessing criminal tools, and the misdemeanor of unlawfully owning wild animals.
Their boat and trailer has also been seized.
Pete Acker, the district attorney in Mercer County, Pennsylvania said:
“There have been a lot of rumors over the years, not just of these guys, but of cheating in tournaments.”
It’s good to see that the two are finally paying the price for their actions, and I just hope this doesn’t leave a forever blackeye on the great sport of fishing.
But still, it’s pretty sad to know that there are people out there who can look someone in the eye with no guilty conscious, and steal from them.
These guys should be blackballed from the sport forever.
