Investigators seize boat from Chase Kominski, Hermitage man accused in fishing scandal

Hermitage, Pennsylvania (WKBN) — Investigators seized a boat and trailer from a fisherman accused of cheating at the Lake Erie Walleye Trail Championship last month in Ohio.

Pete Acker, district attorney for Mercer County, Pennsylvania, said the items were taken as evidence because they were allegedly used in a cheating scandal.

The seized Ranger Pro Fisherman boat is registered with Fisherman Chase Kominski of Hermitage, Pennsylvania. Authorities said he and his partner, Cleveland’s Jacob Runyan, accused of putting lead weights in the fish he caught Last month at the Lake Erie Walleye Trail Championships in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

All five fish the pair caught had lead weights inside them, according to the search warrant.

News of the phishing scandal made national headlines last month when footage of the phishing tournament went viral on social media. In some clips, championship organizer Jason Fisher could be seen holding weights and confronting fishermen.

Fischer told Nexstar he was initially skeptical after feeling “a hard object in the belly of one of the fish.”

Tournament organizers immediately disqualified Runyan and Kominski, contacted police and state wildlife officials, and forwarded the report to the Cuyahoga County Attorney’s Office.

Acker said he was contacted last week by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Cuyahoga County Attorney’s Office to help obtain a local seizure warrant. Both the boat and trailer were taken out of the Hermitage home on Tuesday.

“We are working with our partners, the Cuyahoga County Attorney’s Office, the ODNR, or other law enforcement agencies,” said Acker.

In recent years, Runyan and Cominsky have won many fishing tournaments, winning major prizes such as cash prizes and fishing boats.Blade of Toledo report The pair took first place in three Lake Erie Walleye trail events this year, pocketing tens of thousands of dollars in addition to other contest prizes.

The pair were also being investigated by the Rossford Police Department in Ohio for alleged misconduct at a fishing tournament on April 22, according to the search warrant.