Angler’s Trophy Fish Seized, Prize Revoked as Kansas’ 1964 Record Still Stands

This fish story ends with a man who says he was cheated being publicly branded as a cheater.

According to KSNT-TV in Topeka, Kansas, it all began last March when Bobby Parkhurst broke a 1964 record for the largest crappie caught in the state.

In early April, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks declared the fish a state record.

But not for long. On April 20, state officials came and seized the fish from the freezer where it had been stored. Parkhurst claimed no one gave him a good explanation.

“I did it the whole way they wanted me to do it,” he said. “I went through the procedures, I wrote down what I caught it on. I did everything they wanted me to do by the book. I did everything I was supposed to do. Their biologists looked at it more than once.”

Trending:

3 People Taken Into Custody After Nursing Student Found Dead on University Campus

In November, the state said the record Parkhurst thought was broken still stood. KDWP spokeswoman Nadia Marji said there was an issue with the application he filled out.

“There was not an error in the verification process,” Marji said, according to KSNT. “Rather, information supplied to the Department by the angler via his written application form was not ‘true and correct.’”

Do you enjoy fishing?

And then on Feb. 3, after months of radio silence, Parkhurst denounced the state in a post on Facebook.

“I caught that fish legally and honestly,” he posted. “These officers are bully’s and don’t need to be game wardens. They are dishonest. I went through all the bells and whistles as I was supposed to do. They certified and gave me the master angler award.

“I waited the 30 days that they by law have to wait for all this investigation to be done. These officers came to my house unlawfully and took my fish after the kdwp announced me State record holder. They have now slandered my name. The officers are dishonest and should be held accountable.”

That led the state to fire off its official response, saying it had been given a tip that the fish gained weight after it had been caught.

Related:

Heroic Chiefs Fan Speaks Out, Says He Started Doing ‘America Stuff’ After Tackling Parade Suspect

“To preserve the integrity of KDWP’s state record program, KDWP Game Wardens met with the angler who voluntarily presented his fish for re-examination,” Marji of the KDWP said in a news release, according to KSNT.

“When staff used a handheld metal detector to scan the fish, the device detected the presence of metal,” she said.

The next stop was the Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center, where an X-ray found two steel ball bearings in the fish.

Marji said the Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office was looped in to see if it wanted to prosecute Parkhurst for allegedly sharing false information.

Katie Garceran of the DA’s office said an investigation found there was not enough information to prosecute.

Outdoor Life took the case a step further and interviewed the bait shop owner who initially weighed the fish.

“I remember that day like it was yesterday,” said the owner, whose name was withheld.

“If it was a state record, I would have taken a picture of it. Typically when that happens, I have to fill out paperwork, measure the fish and check the weight, and I actually have to give the [angler] the serial number off my scale,” he said. “That was not done on this fish.”

The bait shop owner said he grew curious when he found the fish he weighed at 3.73 pounds was cited as a record weighing 4.07 pounds.

“Now, that’s a discrepancy,” he said.

“Wildlife and Parks brought the Department of Ag in, and they actually checked my scale. It came up perfect,” the owner said.

“I weigh a lot of people’s fish, so when they bring them here, I do my part, But I don’t lie for nobody,” he said.

Marji said Parkhurst is now able to reclaim his fish.


A Note from Our Deputy Managing Editor:

 

I heard a chilling comment the other day: “We don’t even know if an election will be held in 2024.” 

 

That wasn’t said by a conspiracy theorist or a doomsday prophet. No, former U.S. national security advisor Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn said that to the founder of The Western Journal, Floyd Brown.

 

Gen. Flynn’s warning means that the 2024 election is the most important election for every single living American. If we lose this one to the wealthy elites who hate us, hate God, and hate what America stands for, we can only assume that 248 years of American history and the values we hold dear to our hearts may soon vanish.

 

The end game is here, and as Benjamin Franklin said, “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.”

 

All of this means that without you, it’s over. We have the platform, the journalists, and the experience to fight back hard, but Big Tech is strangling us through advertising blacklists, shadow bans, and algorithms. Did you know that we’ve been blacklisted by 90% of advertisers? Without direct support from you, our readers, we can’t continue the fight.

 

Can we count on your support? It may not seem like much, but a Western Journal Membership can make all the difference in the world because when you support us directly, you cut Big Tech out of the picture. They lose control. 

 

A monthly Western Journal Membership costs less than one coffee and breakfast sandwich each month, and it gets you access to ALL of our content — news, commentary, and premium articles. You’ll experience a radically reduced number of ads, and most importantly you will be vitally supporting the fight for America’s soul in 2024.

 

We are literally counting on you because without our members, The Western Journal would cease to exist. Will you join us in the fight? 

 

Sincerely,

Josh Manning

Deputy Managing Editor

The Western Journal



Source link