Jury convicts Metro Detroit man for illegal fishing violations after rejecting plea deal

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Ice fishing on Lake St. Clair. Photo courtesy of the Michigan DNR.

(FOX 2) - A 37-year-old Macomb County man has been found guilty of multiple crimes relating to illegally fishing in Michigan after he was cited for doing so without a license. 

Derek Dermyer was convicted via jury after rejecting a plea deal offered by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. His sentence includes jail time, thousands of dollars in fines and being banned from obtaining a fishing license for several years.

What we know:

The Washington Township man was fishing in December when a conservation officer contacted him while he was out on Lake St. Clair.

According to a release from the DNR, he was unable to present a valid fishing license due to it being revoked until Jan. 1.

He was given two citations, one for fishing without a license and one for fishing while ineligible for a license. The St. Clair County prosecutor received the report from the DNR before pursuing the case.

The DNR originally offered a plea deal to drop one of the charges, which Dermyer rejected. 

His case was tried before a jury in February and he was found guilty of both charges.

Derek Dermyer, 37, of Washington Township. Mug shot via St. Clair County Jail. 

Dig deeper:

Dermyer was sentenced to 30 to 180 days in jail, $2,980 in court costs and fines, a $20 reimbursement to the state for conservation fees, and had his fishing license revoked for seven more years.

Dermyer is a habitual offender, with other violations including:

• Possessing an overlimit of perch.
• Taking deer without a license.
• Failure to possess an unused kill tag while deer hunting.
• Possessing/transporting deer without an attached/validated kill tag.
• Failure to attach a validated (deer) kill tag

What they're saying:

"Habitual offenders are not only stealing resources, but they also create a bad name for the law-abiding majority of hunters and anglers," said Chief Brandon Kieft, DNR Law Enforcement Division. "The DNR appreciates the support from the St. Clair County court system in recognizing Mr. Dermyer’s repeated history of DNR offenses."