May 4, 2013 — Two alleged eel smugglers are facing numerous charges after attempting to slip away from police who were on to their operation, police said.
Matthew Kinney, 29, of Bremen, Maine, and his brother, Justin Kinney, 35, of Mount Vernon, Maine, took a "substantial amount" of baby eels Friday morning in Hampton Falls, according to Fish and Game Lt. Mike Eastman.
Matthew Kinney allegedly assaulted a police officer while he was being arrested and fled into the water near a bridge on Route 1, then the woods, with one handcuff around his wrist and having been pepper-sprayed by police. A state police K-9 unit and helicopter were used to track his path, leading police to the Hampton Falls Inn, where he was arrested.
Justin Kinney also attempted to flee, but was slowed in a marsh and was apprehended, police said in a press conference outside the Seabrook Police Department, where the suspects were booked Friday morning.
Both men face charges of disobeying a conservation officer, taking American eels less than 6 inches, and taking eels without a harvest permit. Matthew Kinney faces three counts of felony-level simple assault and resisting arrest for allegedly assaulting a uniformed police officer; his bail was set at $5,000 cash. Justin Kinney was charged with giving false information to a law enforcement officer; his bail was set at $2,500 cash.
Read the full story at Seacoast Online