Four charged with 165 short lobsters

Four Marathon men face dozens of charges each after state marine officers found 165 short lobsters and three out of season and undersized hogfish on their boat around midnight Saturday.

Arrested on the bayside of Marathon were the Perseverence captain Alfredo Gonzalez-Tapia, 48; Frank Gonzalez, 20; Yordany Rodriguez Mormol, 26; and Fernando Garcia, 47. Each is charged with one count of felony violation of conservation rules.

Gonzalez-Tapia is also charged with 334 misdemeanor counts. The other three also face two misdemeanor charges each, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

FWC Keys spokesman Bobby Dube says four officers were patrolling when they saw the boat and stopped it. The commercial lobster boat was escorted back to a dock by the officers and once on land, another inspection was performed on the vessel and the remaining lobster traps that were aboard.

All 173 of the traps had trap and buoy violations that resulted in more charges. The vessel was seized along with the GPS units. The four were taken to jail and then released on their own recognizance the following day.

This story was originally published January 17, 2018 at 9:51 AM with the headline "Four charged with 165 short lobsters."