Last October, anglers Chase Cominsky and Jacob Runyan rocked the competitive fishing world when they were caught stuffing walleye with eight pound sinkers during a walleye fishing tournament on Lake Erie in Cleveland, Ohio.
And almost got their ass beat for it…
Although they were caught red-handed, the two initially pled not guilty.
Since then, allegations have come out against the two in past fishing tournaments, where they were believed to be cheating in those as well.
Not to mention, Chase Cominsky recently had another set of unrelated charges dropped on him, as he was charged with stalking his ex-wife, and supplying his 18-year-old son with counterfeit money.
With that being said, it appears the two have had a change of heart, as they are now pleading guilty to a felony count of cheating and a misdemeanor animal ownership violation.
The boat and trailer they used when they cheated was forfeited, and the remaining charges of attempted grand theft and possessing criminal tools were dropped, according to FOX 8.
The pair was set for sentencing today, and now, Runyan and Cominsky are officially serving jail time for their actions, albeit, a very small amount of jail time.
According to Outdoor Life, Judge Steven E. Gall delivered the sentence in the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court of Ohio, and the pair of cheaters will face 10 days of jail time, and will be released on probation for a year and a half.
They were also fined $2,500, but Gall said he would suspend half of it if they made charitable contributions to a children’s fishing non-profit, like Cast for Kids and the Ike Foundation. Their fishing licenses have also been suspended for three years.
On top of that, Cominsky’s Ranger boat and trailer were forfeited as it was not only likely purchased with the winnings from illegally won tournaments, but was also a “criminal tool” the two used to cheat.
Assistant Cuyahoga County prosecutor James Gallagher said:
“When the ODNR law enforcement officers executed a warrant and seized that boat and photographed that boat, they found a compartment on that boat that literally smelled fishy.
And [it] was sort of customized to have a secret compartment that would enable these defendants to conceal—whether it be fish that they caught the day before or the lead weights that would allow them to potentially pass a boat inspection.”
The prosecution also shared pictures of a metal faceplate under the Ranger’s console, saying that the screws that normally keep it watertight were removed.
Gallagher said:
“It smelled particularly foul when they opened it up.”
Cominsky apologized to the court:
“I just want to apologize to you, Your Honor, apologize to my family, my friends, the fishing community. I feel embarrassed. Super embarrassed.
It was a bad action that we made, I will live with it for the rest of my life, and it’s something that my kids will probably end up seeing while growing up. It really hurts. I wish I could take it back.”
Runyan added:
“This is embarrassing, I’m ashamed, most ignorant decision I’ve ever made in my life.”
In conclusion, Gall told Cominsky and Runyan:
“I do genuinely believe that you gentlemen are remorseful. But there is a consideration for deterrence, which I think is also [an] equally important consideration.”
Gall initially gave them a 30-day jail sentence, but suspended it.
You can watch the full sentencing below:
