Two Connecticut residents – a man from Shelton and a woman from Berlin – were arrested on forgery charges for possession of fishing licenses they had allegedly illegally created.
During a fishing enforcement patrol along the Quinnipiac River in Meriden April 18, a Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Environmental Conservation (ENCON) Police Officer observed Bradford L. Benton, 47, of Shelton, and Kelly N. Shemeth, 24, of Berlin, actively fishing. The officer approached the two to conduct a fishing compliance check and observed that their fishing licenses did not appear to conform with the type of document now in use.
A check of records revealed that neither Shemeth nor Benton had paid for valid 2016 fishing privileges, and the document they had was similar in format to an old 2011 fishing license.
The ENCON officers applied for warrants for the arrest of both Shemeth and Benton and they were issued by Meriden Superior Court. Both turned themselves in yesterday – June 1 – at the Connecticut State Police Barracks Troop A in Southbury. At that time they were formally charged with second-degree forgery, conspiracy to commit forgery in the second degree, and fishing without a license.
Shemeth and Benton were each released on a court-ordered $1,000 surety bond and are scheduled to appear in Meriden Superior Court Tuesday, June 14.
