Two fishermen who got caught cheating during a $30,000 prize tournament and also suspected to have cheated in other tournaments where they racked up more than $400,000 worth of winnings have now been indicted on several charges.
On Wednesday (Oct 12), Cuyahoga County grand jury indicted Chase Cominski and Jacob Runyan for cheating, attempted grand theft, possessing criminal tools, and the unlawful ownership of wild animals during the Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament in September 2022.
The serious charges that Runyan and Cominski are facing are punishable of up to 12 months in prison.
According to the Mercer County District Attorney’s Office and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, a day before the indictment, investigators also seized a boat and trailer at Cominski’s home in Hermitage, Pennsylvania as they further investigated into the cheating allegations.
Authorities said the investigations started after the two were caught by the tournament judge after he cut open the fish and found led weights padded with walleye fillets stuffed inside their fish.
When Runyan and Cominsky were caught, the other competitors angrily confronted them. Runyan stood there saying nothing like a deer in the headlights while Cominsky quickly ran to his truck and locked himself inside.
At the time, police had to escort them off the property but fast forward to today, there is an ongoing investigation into the many fishing tournaments they allegedly won where they collected large sums of cash money and other major prizes like a fishing boat.
While some thought Runyan and Cominsky were experiencing the most incredible run of luck that has ever been seen on Lake Erie, now people are wondering if they were cheating the whole time.