By Daily Press staff
FEDERAL COURTHOUSE — A fishing boat captain pleaded guilty today to two federal charges for shooting at California sea lions last fall while moored off the coast of Catalina Island.
John Gary Woodrum, 38, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of attempting to kill a marine mammal. By pleading guilty, Woodrum admitted that he used a.22-caliber rifle to shoot at California sea lions on Oct. 13 and Nov. 8 of 2004.
California sea lions are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Woodrum pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John F. Walter, who is scheduled to sentence Woodrum on Feb. 28. Though the two misdemeanor charges carry a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison, Woodrum agreed in a plea agreement to serve 60 days in jail, according to Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Furthermore, Woodrum admitted to misconduct under the terms and requirements of his merchant mariner license, administered by the U.S. Coast Guard. In return for his admissions, the Coast Guard has agreed to suspend Woodrum’s merchant mariner license for a period of 50 days to run concurrently with his prison sentence.
This case was investigated by the California Department of Fish and Game; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries, Office of Law Enforcement; and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 25, 2005. Read the original PDF.