SALT LAKE CITY — Two southern Utah men accused of cheating at a fishing competition now face criminal charges.
Two men, ages 45 and 34, both of Washington City, were charged Wednesday in Kane County’s 6th District Court with bribery or threat to influence a contest, a third-degree felony; unlawful release of wildlife, a class A misdemeanor; and unlawful captivity of protected wildlife, a class B misdemeanor.
The incident allegedly happened in October of 2018. The men caught several bass fish from the Quail Lake Reservoir near St. George “without the proper authorization or permits and then transported the fish to Lake Powell,” according to charging documents.
The men then turned in the fish caught in Quail Lake “to the Lake Powell bass fishing contest with the purpose of influencing the outcome of the contest,” the charges state.