FRAZEE, Minn. – One of the owners
of Ketter's meat market here has been charged with two misdemeanors for
allegedly taking and possessing snapping turtles out of season.
Kevin Robert Ketter, 54, of
Frazee has been charged in Becker County District Court with possessing wild
animals in violation of state law and taking snapping turtles in a closed
season.
In the citation, the DNR officer
wrote, "Ketter acknowledged he purchased turtles and was in possession of
snapping turtles during June, during the closed season."
State law prohibits taking
snapping turtles in May and June.
Ketter could not be reached for
comment Friday.
Two other men were also charged
with misdemeanors in the case, which involved an undercover DNR operative,
surveillance photos and a search warrant.
Jordan Michael Ketter, 21, of
Frazee, was charged with taking snapping turtles in a closed season. On the
citation, the DNR officer wrote: "Ketter was observed on surveillance,
unloading several turtles from the back of a vehicle he is known to
drive."
Darwin Duane Bartel, 54, of
Frazee, was also charged with taking snapping turtles in a closed season. On
the citation, the DNR officer wrote: "Bartel admitted to possessing the
snapping turtle during the closed season — he brought it to the market to clean
for his personal use."
All three men were cited Oct. 19.
Besides the covert agent, the DNR
involved another secret weapon: photos.
"Based in part upon past
information related to the illegal possession of snapping turtles, surveillance
equipment was installed near Ketter's meat market in June," DNR
Conservation Office Chris Vinton wrote in the search warrant application.
"Surveillance photos show
numerous snapping turtles brought into Ketter's meat market by various vehicles
for sale and/or processing from June 13 to June 18. Some of the vehicles are
registered to employees at Ketter's."
The DNR officer checked and found
that Ketter's is not a licensed turtle seller in Minnesota.
According to the DNR, several
factors prompted concern for the snapping turtle's status in Minnesota and led
to its listing as a special concern species in 1984.
The major factor is the unknown
and possibly detrimental effects of commercial harvest on local populations.
Common snapping turtles are harvested for their meat, and used for human
consumption.
The Minnesota DNR allows
licensees to take an unlimited number of adults, provided that the shell length
is greater than 12 inches.
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