Posted on 07/02/2005 3:09:02 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A boat operator accused of carrying two spear fishermen into an ecological reserve where one of them killed a protected giant sea bass has pleaded no contest to a charge he ignored posted signs in the area.
A lawyer for Navid Adibi, 22, entered the plea yesterday in San Diego Superior Court. The charge – violation of posted "no fishing/no boating" signs – was reduced from a misdemeanor to an infraction.
Commissioner Sandra L. Berry ordered Adibi to pay a $500 fine.
Prosecutors dropped other charges against him, including conspiracy and unlawful possession of a protected species, as part of a plea agreement.
Deputy City Attorney Kathryn Lange said after the hearing yesterday that Adibi, as the driver of the boat, was the least culpable of the three men charged.
A hearing for scuba diver Omid Adhami, 34, who authorities said speared the fish, and his diving partner, Nima Hodaji, 26, was postponed to Aug. 18. Adhami faces four charges, including conspiracy and possession of a protected species. The charges carry a maximum penalty of three years in jail and $22,000 in fines.
Hodaji faces a maximum penalty of 2½ years in jail and $21,000 in fines if convicted of conspiracy and possession of a protected species.
San Diego lifeguards watched with binoculars as the three men drove a boat into the San Diego-La Jolla Ecological Reserve on April 24, passing one of several bright yellow buoys that mark its boundaries, according to court documents.
Two of the men put on scuba gear and loaded spear guns. About 20 minutes after they entered the water, the men surfaced and appeared to be struggling with something.
The boat operator drove up to the divers and helped them lift what appeared to be a giant sea bass onto the boat, court documents show.
Authorities intercepted the boat as the three men tried to leave the area.
Adhami was arrested and booked into county jail. He was later released on $1,000 bail. The San Diego City Attorney's Office filed misdemeanor charges against all three men about three weeks later.
Adhami has six felony convictions from 1992 to 2000 for auto theft, receiving stolen property, burglary and insurance fraud, and he has spent more than two years in state prison. He is an undocumented emigrant from Iran who could be deported at any time pending permission from that country.
On Dec. 29, Hodaji pleaded guilty to fishing without a license after he was cited for illegally taking 10 undersized lobster and an undersized sheephead.
I love that preserve. Teeming with life. I just wish they'd relocate the seals and sea lions to the outer islands so we can use the whole area. They contaminate the water and I suspect they'll attract great whites eventually.
Did he get to keep the fish? Sea Bass is good eating.
But, but, was it a genetically-modified, ill-tempered sea bass with a frickin' laser beam attached to its head?
----------------------------------------------------
Dr. Evil: You know, I have one simple request. And that is to have sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads! Now evidently my cycloptic colleague informs me that that cannot be done. Ah, would you remind me what I pay you people for, honestly? Throw me a bone here! What do we have?
Number Two: Sea Bass.
Dr. Evil: [pause] Right.
Number Two: They're mutated sea bass.
Dr. Evil: Are they ill tempered?
Number Two: Absolutely.
Dr. Evil: Oh well, that's a start.
Who needs to ask Iran's permission? Strap him to an ICBM in Nevada and use it for practice to verify that, yes, we can hit Iran.
They taste good, too. Somewhat bony, though.
Take a look at that fellow in the upper right.
These eco-nuts are insane terroristic people.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.