Fishing tournament disqualification adds to woes at Dunkirk marina

Bart’s Cove Walleye Duel tournament director Mark Mohr knew it was going to be a long weekend. Fishing tournaments, especially those impacted by weather and major prizes, have a way of doing that.

But what he witnessed on Sunday was overly fishy — and indicative of a growing trend that has been taking place for years across far too many competitions. “The cheating is out of hand and it’s been like that for a long time,” he said Tuesday in a phone interview.

It was Mohr who made the decision Monday to disqualify recently embattled participant Peter Smith, 57, of Forestville after he was allegedly caught by tournament officials shoving fish inside of the walleye he captured to make them weigh more. Mohr said all fish in the tournament’s top five are opened to make sure they pass inspection.

This group did not.

In a posting on Facebook, Mohr shared the decision with the fishing community.

“I appreciate everyone’s patience to let me get to the bottom of this mess,” he wrote. “People who cheat and get caught are permanently banned from fishing this event. People who cheat have no respect for me or there fellow fisherman. I now have a list of seven names that are banned for life.”

Named operator of the Dunkirk Marina in late June, Smith has been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons in the last week. This incident could add to the troubles.

State Department of Environmental Conservation officers confiscated the fish, those at the tournament noted. An official in the public relations department of the DEC noted he would get back to the OBSERVER and The Post-Journal with more information on the incident in which more charges could be forthcoming.

Mohr credited Bart’s Cove with its support in making the decision. “It’s all about protecting the integrity of Bart’s Cove,” Mohr said, noting the event has a high standard of transparency with participants. “Ours is 100% payout. Mine is the only tournament on the lake like that. ... (Participants) know who’s in there and how much money is up for grabs.”

Winners announced for the tournament included: Ship of Fools for the trip to Panama for two with a value of $14,500 and Fishing Traditions for winning the Kansas whitetail hunt.

The alleged actions against Smith mirror what two men did in stuffing fish with lead weights and fish fillets in an attempt to win thousands of dollars in an Ohio fishing tournament last fall. The allegations surfaced in September when Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament Director Jason Fischer became suspicious when the fish turned in by Jacob Runyan, of Broadview Heights, Ohio, and Chase Cominsky, of Hermitage, Pa., were significantly heavier than typical walleye.

Both would have received a little more than $28,000 in prizes for winning the tournament.

Before the local tournament, Smith has been charged in connection with a pair of incidents that took place on July 17 and 24 in the town of Sheridan. On July 26, New York State Police filed an extreme risk protection order against Smith in state Supreme Court of Chautauqua County.

According to the New York State Unified Court System, the extreme risk protection order filing is a court order issued when a person may be dangerous to themselves or others. It prohibits a person from purchasing or possessing guns and requires the person to surrender any guns they already own or possess.

In August 2019, New York state’s “red flag” law went into effect. It allows law enforcement, school officials and families to ask a court to order the seizure of firearms from people considered to be dangerous.

According to documents from Sheridan Town Court, Smith allegedly entered a property on Creek Road and fired three rounds from a .45-caliber pistol at a padlock on a locked barn door 50 feet from the residence occupied by a victim and child on July 17. Charging documents indicate he went into the victim’s barn to locate stolen property from a previous incident.

Smith was charged by state police with burglary with a weapon and reckless endangerment, both felonies, as well as criminal mischief. He was taken to Chautauqua County Jail in Mayville for arraignment where bail was set at $100,000 cash, $200,000 bond. He later posted bond and was released.

In the second visit to the same property earlier this week, between 5:30 and 7 p.m., Smith is accused of writing “Confes or die” on the side of victim’s home in bright orange chalk marking paint, which was later located at his home. The paint caused damage to the home’s vinyl siding, court records state.

Police said Smith had been told to stay away from the residence. In this incident, he was charged with second-degree menacing, criminal mischief and stalking, all misdemeanors.

Mark Geise, chief executive officer of the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency, issued a statement this week in regard to the IDA board approving a debt transfer from the Dunkirk Marina’s prior owner to Smith.

“Before the vote, Vince DeJoy, the director of planning and development for the city of Dunkirk, read a statement from Dunkirk City Mayor Willie Rosas supporting Smith’s assumption of the marina’s operation and for the CCIDA to move forward with the transfer,” Geise said in the statement.

Last week, Dunkirk Mayor Wilfred Rosas released a statement in response to the recent criminal charges against the tenant. “The new operator has initiated changes at the marina, all to the good,” Rosas said. “We understand that Mr. Smith has charges pending in the Chautauqua County Court. The allegations do not involve the city or the marina.

“Whatever might come because of these charges, I am committed to continuing to move forward and make progress around development of the marina and our waterfront.”

Common Council has not discussed the issue of Smith’s lease in public session during the last three meetings. Smith did, however, present plans to council during a workshop session for marina upgrades on July 18.

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