The semi-pro angler Robby Rose pleaded guilty April 13 to attempted theft for cheating in a bass tournament at Lake Ray Hubbard, according to a press release from the Rockwall County district attorney's office.
Rose forced a 1-pound lead weight down the throat of a 9.5-pound largemouth bass in an attempt to win the Bud Light Trail’s First Annual Big Bass Tournament on Oct. 24, according to the release. Tournament officials discovered the trickery at the weigh in and alerted authorities.
Rose was charged in Texas with a felony for attempted theft of more than $20,000 and less than $100,000.
Rose will serve 15 days in jail, five years on probation and surrender his fishing license while he is on probation.
Rose was trying to win the competition’s grand prize — a $55,000 Legend bass boat — to be awarded to the person who caught the heaviest bass.
Game wardens and the Rockwall County district attorney’s office investigated the incident.
“We took this case very seriously,” said the district attorney, Kenda Culpepper, in a press release. “As far as we were concerned, the case was about a $55,000 bass boat, not a 10-pound fish.”
Lead prosecutor Alex Imgrund stated: "Cheating is cheating, and (neither) the fishing community, nor this office, will tolerate it."
How did they discover the weight, did they fell the hardness in the belly? And what about the fish, I imagine it died from from lead poisoning??
ReplyDeleteMy guess is they found the weight during the weigh in process. I can only guess about the fish but I would guess it would have been kept as evidence in the case. I don't think lead poisoning could happen in that amount of time. Doug
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