Darwin Award winners
 

HOLYOKE - Six Holyoke men were charged Saturday with stealing 94 lobsters, most of them undersized, and damaging traps in waters off Stonington, Conn.


"It is an issue in this community," said Stonington police Sgt. Bruce R. Smith. "We have the only commercial fishing fleet in the state. Unfortunately this is common here. They find their traps tampered with all the time." Arrested were Felix O. Figueroa, 50, of 107 Newton St.; Gilberto Rivera, 19, of 95 Newton St.; Jose Lopez, 51, of 99 Newton St.; Oscar Guzman, 38, of 304 Chestnut St.; Ismael Torres, 37, and Ismael Torres Jr., 17, both of 113 Newton St.


Each was charged with taking lobsters without a license, larceny of lobsters, molesting traps and possession of undersize lobster. Police said 71 of the 94 lobsters were below legal size.


Figueroa was also charged with possession of marijuana.


Stonington police Sgt. James G. McCaffery said the men were launching a 15-foot boat just before midnight Friday at a state boat launch, when a state Department of Environmental Protection officer noticed they did not have enough life preservers and told them not to launch.


"They subsequently launched, so the DEP officer issued a ticket for insufficient life jackets. As he was leaving a ticket on the windshield, he observed marijuana in the vehicle and notified the Stonington police," McCaffery said.


"As they left the area about 4 in the morning, they were stopped by Patrolman Randy Holt for driving without lights on the boat trailer. As he approached the vehicle, he saw there were lobsters loose in the boat," McCaffery said.


Guzman and Ismael Torres Sr. were held by police until a court appearance yesterday. The others were released and are scheduled for an Aug. 4 hearing in Connecticut.


"Besides the theft, there was damage to the lobster traps which will have to be repaired," Smith said.

There's one thing you'll never have to worry about there being a shortage of.........Nitwits. There seems to be an over-abundance of those around.

Most Darwin Award winners remove themselves from the gene pool - I guess the rest of us were not that lucky this time. :smash:

Actually, there was a time when lobstermen would provide the chlorine personally if they caught someone screwing with their traps.

These fellas are probably lucky DEC got there first ;)

holyoke..... :laughs:

wow first I have heard about this.....

I used to play basketball with that Gilberto Kid....Honestly the kid could of played in the nba if he stuck with it. Was athelete of the week a few times...Some scouts would come and watch him when I play travel ball with him...Then he discovered crack.......

Theyre all from Newton st too.

You guys are all lucky you dont have to see that place.....

What a bunch of morons.