BURLINGTON - Two southeast Iowa men were charged Monday for alleged illegal turtle trapping activity after a concerned citizen called the Turn In Poachers hotline.
Using information from the TIP call, conservation officers staked out the traps on July 9, and watched the individuals run nine illegally set turtle traps in the Tama Bottoms, north of Burlington.
Mike Kerr, 36, of Mount Pleasant, and Jack Schafer, 38, of Fairfield, were each charged with four counts of illegal method of take of turtle, four counts of failure to have a commercial gear tags attached to the net and one count of illegal taking/possessing of a turtle. The fines totaled $2,299. Conservation officers seized nine traps.
Kerr and Schafer are scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 12.
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Iowa Outdoors
http://www.iowaoutdoors.org/article.php/20080723143642489