State Environmental Conservation Police charged four people with misdemeanors Tuesday (March 29) after they allegedly found them with 38 striped bass taken illegally from the Housatonic River, the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said in a prepared statement.
The anglers were identified as Hydri Cenkoli, 60, of Woodbury, Daniel Cenkoli, 32, of Waterbury, Bilbil Cenkoli, 57, of Waterbury, and Gurali Cenkoli, 46 of Woodbury.
The EnCon police received an anonymous complaint about 10 p.m. reporting four anglers fishing in the river in Shelton, off River Road.
Officers responded and found the four men. But it was a specially trained dog that discovered 38 striped bass that were hidden in bags nearby.
All of the fish were less than the minimum legal length, which is 28 inches, the statement from DEEP said. The state also has a daily “creel limit” of one fish, DEEP said.
The men were charged with possession of 38 striped bass. The charges are misdemeanors, DEEP said, and the men are scheduled to appear at Superior Court in Derby April 12.
The picture above, from the EnCon Police’s Facebook page, shows Encon Police Officer Logiodice and his dog, Ruger.
DEEP said Ruger is specially trained to detect a variety of fish.
