Lake St. Clair photo courtesy of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources
A Michigan man’s five-year history of hunting and fishing violations have resulted in jail time and a number of fines.
On March 10, Derek Dermyer was sentenced in St. Clair County’s 72nd District Court to 30-180 days in jail for both fishing without a license and fishing while ineligible for licenses.
But these aren’t his first Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) violations.
A History of Infractions
This past December, a Michigan DNR conservation officer contacted Dermyer while he was ice fishing on Lake St. Clair. Dermyer, 37, was unable to present a valid fishing license at the time, as both his fishing and hunting licenses were revoked until Jan. 1 of this year.
Michigan requires all individuals 17 years and older to purchase a fishing license in order to fish in its waters.
The penalties for Dermyer had been increased because of his habitual offenses. Within the past five years, he’s previously accumulated the following DNR violations:
- Possessing an overlimit of perch;
- Taking deer without a license;
- Failure to possess an unused kill tag while deer hunting;
- Possessing/transporting deer without an attached/validated kill tag; and
- Failure to attach a validated (deer) kill tag.
The Official Sentence
According to a DNR press release issued March 23, the agency originally offered Dermyer a plea deal to drop one of the charges, which the Washington Township man rejected. Last month, his case was tried before a jury; Dermyer was found guilty of both charges.
In addition to at least a month of jail time, the full scope of his sentence is $2,980 in court costs and fines, $20 reimbursement to the State of Michigan for conservation fees, and an additional seven years of a revoked fishing license.
“Habitual offenders are not only stealing resources, but they also create a bad name for the law-abiding majority of hunters and anglers,” Chief Brandon Kieft, DNR Law Enforcement Division, stated in the aforementioned press release.
The conservation officers of the Michigan DNR are fully commissioned officers of the law. They protect natural resources, ensure recreational safety, and provide general law enforcement duties in the communities they serve.
A Rare Outcome
Hunting and fishing violations don’t typically yield such stiff consequences. Dermyer’s repeat offenses were the difference between a more lenient sentence and the penalties he currently faces.
Chief Kieft noted the court’s role in the final ruling. He was additionally quoted in the DNR’s March 23 press release as saying that the agency “appreciates the support from the St. Clair County court system in recognizing Mr. Dermyer’s repeated history of DNR offenses.”
