4 Fined For Killing And Grilling Protected Rattlesnake

CUMBERLAND, Md. (AP) -- Four young men from Glen Burnie have been fined $200 each for killing and grilling a timber rattlesnake in western Maryland.

Online court records show the teenagers pleaded guilty Tuesday in district court in Cumberland to possessing or destroying the snake, a state-protected species.

Each was fined $500 with $300 suspended. All received probation before judgment, meaning their convictions can be expunged after probationary periods ranging from 14 to 28 months.

Maryland Natural Resources Police say the men were camping in the Green Ridge State Forest in August when they killed the snake with a BB gun and grilled it.

The defendants are 18-year-old Austin Golas and Travis Luedtke; and 19-year-old Paul Lafon and Erick Reffitt.

A fifth defendant, 19-year-old Jared Holt, is scheduled for trial Dec. 8.

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