Open water chase results in $6,000 in fines

A case that began more than two years ago has ended with an Indian Brook man receiving fines totaling $6,000. Getting to that point is not something Department of Fisheries and Oceans officer Kevin Juteau will soon forget.

On Sept. 27, 2007 in Comeuaville Provincial Court, Derek William Neven pleaded guilty to a series of charges before Judge Jean-Louis Batiot. The charges included unauthorized lobster fishing, fishing lobsters during a closed time, and obstructing fisheries officers in the line of duty. The conviction stemmed from events the night of Aug. 10, 2005. A night that could have turned deadly.

"In the summer of 2005, we had quite a time on St Mary's Bay," recalled Juteau in an interview. "That night it got pretty hairy."

Fisheries officer routinely patrol at night using radar and a nightscope-equipped spotter to nab poachers in the act. That night, eight officers in two boats spotted Neven and two other suspects engaged in suspicious activity. They drew closer, hoping the sudden wash of spotlights would surprise the suspects into quick compliance.

It was not to be as the suspects led the officers on a lengthy chase over the water. Finally, officers pulled alongside the boat, but the suspects were not quite ready to give up.

At first they pretended to pull guns on the officers, then pretended to pour gas and set the boats ablaze. Juteau said it was getting to the point where officers were about to draw their weapons when he received a dose of pepper-spray.

"This particular night it got quite violent," said Juteau. "We finally got the situation in hand and placed them under arrest."

He said fisheries officers seized 11 boats, arrested 31 people, and laid over 131 charges for lobster-related activities that summer.

"We were out for 45 nights straight trying to stop these guys from unauthorized fishing because it was out of control," said Juteau. "Sometimes there's no problems, sometimes they continue trying to steam away. They don't want to stop, so (we) have to stop them. When we have control, then we make the apprehension."