MARATHON — Two Melbourne, Florida men were charged recently with a litany of lobster-related crimes.
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Marine Deputy Wilfredo Guerra was patrolling behind Coast Guard Station Marathon earlier this month on a Yamaha WaveRunner when he observed two men spearfishing without a dive flag near an inflatable boat.
Guerra conducted a stop and identified the men as Lance O’Conner Rossbach, 19, and Clay Matthew Kerr, 22, both of Melbourne, reports say.
The deputy asked to inspect their catch, and Kerr pulled five wrung lobster tails from the pocket of his shorts, reports state. Three of the lobster were undersized. All had been speared.
Rossbach reached into his pocket and produced two wrung lobster tails, reports say. One of the lobster were undersized. Both had been speared.
The men were charged with possession of out-of-season lobster, undersized lobster, speared lobster, wrung lobster tails in the water and no measuring device in the water while harvesting lobster.
They were taken to jail. The lobster tails were returned to the water.
Information in the Crime Report is obtained from reports provided by area law enforcement agencies.
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