Vinalhaven Island Men Plead Guilty to Attempting to Kill Federally Protected Wild Life

Bangor, Maine: United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Stacey Wadleigh, 41, and Lawrence Sanborn, 31, both of Vinalhaven Island, pled guilty on January 6, 2011, in U.S. District Court in Portland, Maine, to one count each of attempting to kill federally-protected marine mammals and one count each of attempting to kill migratory birds. Wadleigh and Sanborn face possible maximum sentences of 18 months of imprisonment and fines of up to $115,000.

Court records reveal that in September 2009, with use of bows and arrows, Wadleigh and Sanborn shot and attempted to kill a harbor seal and migratory birds, sea gulls and black guillemots, all of which are federally protected wild life. Wadleigh and Sanborn shot arrows at the seals and birds from a motor boat within Carvers Harbor off of Vinalhaven Island.

The investigation was conducted by Special Agents employed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement, and investigators from the Maine Marine Patrol and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office. U.S. Attorney Delahanty praised the cooperative efforts of the local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

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