Sounds a Bit Fishy

[Bobcat]

Witness in lobster case may be missing at sea
BY ADAM LINHARDT Citizen Staff
alinhardt@keysnews.com
Coast Guard crews are searching for an overdue Big Coppitt Key commercial fish dealer who pleaded guilty in an illegal spiny lobster harvesting case last month.

Dennis Dallmeyer, 67, was supposed to return to Stock Island by sunset Tuesday, said Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Max Franco. A Sea Tow crew first found his 25-foot Mako center console with the keys in the ignition after responding to a emergency Coast Guard broadcast late Tuesday night, adrift about eight miles south of Key West near navigational Marker 32, known colloquially as "Toppino," Franco said.

The Coast Guard began searching for cellphone pings in areas where Dallmeyer was known to fish. It then instructed Sea Tow to go a general area where it found recent cellphone activity, Franco said. He added that there was no direct distress call made by Dallmeyer from the boat.

Sea Tow found the Mako taking on water and did not see Dallmeyer, so they left the area, said company dispatcher Tanya Ross.

Dallmeyer was believed to be alone and out for a quick fishing trip, Franco said.

Despite reports of the boat taking on water, the Coast Guard was searching for both Dallmeyer and his boat as of Wednesday afternoon. Whether the boat sank or remained adrift is also under investigation.

"We're actively searching for both," Franco said.

The St. Petersburg-based 87-foot Coast Guard Cutter Alligator and two helicopters from Coast Guard Air Station Miami were taking part in the search, as well as crews from Station Key West, Franco said. A Coast Guard airplane took part early in the search.

A Navy helicopter out of Boca Chica Field was also assisting in the search, said Naval Air Station Key West spokeswoman Trice Denny. The search encompassed more than 780 nautical miles as of Wednesday afternoon.

Dallmeyer is a well-known and experienced lobster, stone crab and fin fish commercial angler who has been fishing out of Stock Island for decades, said Ted Lund, a Key West charter fisherman and member of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council.

Dallmeyer is also a government witness in an illegal lobster harvesting case after taking a plea agreement with federal prosecutors last year.

He pleaded guilty to conspiracy for his role in the case that also snared three other men -- brothers Charles, Ryan and Tyson Veach. Dallmeyer faces a maximum of five years in prison when he is sentenced on Jan. 27. The Veach brothers case is pending trial.

Dallmeyer was charged with "failing to make accurate and timely reports to the State of Florida of all harvested lobster as required by law, and by fraudulently attributing lobster harvested in excess of the legal daily limit to others who were not party to the lobster harvesting and sales," according to his indictment.

The Lower Keys brothers face allegations of harvesting spiny lobsters from illegal habitat, also know as casitas, catching more than their daily commercial bag limit and falsifying commercial fishing reports to conceal their take, according to court records.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Watts-Fitzgerald, the prosecutor in the case, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

alinhardt@keysnews.com

[fund razor]

That poor drain plug will never be found. :(

[Ratickle]

So, he was Veached?????

[Bobcat]

KEY WEST
Angler search continues
The Coast Guard continued to search Friday for Stock Island commercial fisherman Dennis Dallmeyer, 67, who was supposed to return to Stock Island by sunset Tuesday.

Dallmeyer went missing about eight miles south of Key West. A Sea Tow crew found his boat taking on water, but no sign of Dallmeyer. The search has encompassed more than 3,700 miles, said Lt. j.g. Max Franco.

Dallmeyer also is a government witness in an illegal lobster-harvesting case, after taking a plea agreement with federal prosecutors last year.

[Ratickle]

Any big sharks in the area?

[Bobcat]

79458

[Bobcat]

Search called off for fisherman
The Coast Guard suspended its search at 8 p.m. Saturday for Stock Island commercial fisherman Dennis Dallmeyer, 67, who was supposed to return to Stock Island by sunset on Thursday.

Dallmeyer went missing about eight miles south of Key West. A Sea Tow crew found his boat taking on water, but no sign of Dallmeyer. The search has encompassed more than 3,700 miles, said Lt. j.g. Max Franco.

Dallmeyer also is a government witness in an illegal lobster-harvesting case, after taking a plea agreement with federal prosecutors last year.

[Bobcat]

Boat found; fisherman still missing
BY ADAM LINHARDT Citizen Staff
alinhardt@keysnews.com
A good Samaritan found Stock Island fisherman Dennis Dallmeyer's boat Monday night washed up on a shallow sandbar off Miami, and federal agents were sent there Tuesday to investigate, federal officials said.

"It's on a very shallow flat, I believe, near Elliott Key that's difficult to get to," said Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) resident agent in charge Paul Shultz. "We're 100 percent positive it's his boat. We have pictures of the FL (registration) numbers and identified the vessel."

Dallmeyer, 67, is a government witness in an illegal lobster-harvesting case after taking a plea agreement with federal prosecutors last year. He was supposed to return to Stock Island by sunset Jan. 6 after leaving port for a short fishing trip.

As of Tuesday, there was no information gathered from the boat to suggest where Dallmeyer is or what happened to him, Shultz said.

"We (the CGIS) are still actively looking for him," Shultz said. Regular search-and-rescue Coast Guard crews suspended their search for Dallmeyer on Saturday. The CGIS is the criminal investigative branch of the Coast Guard.

"There's nothing to suggest where he is, aside from speculation that I can't comment on," Shultz said. "There's no concrete evidence of where he's at."

A U.S. Border Patrol plane flew over the boat and took pictures after the good Samaritan found it, Shultz said.

"We're still trying to recover the boat and we're not sure if we're going to do it or let commercial salvors do it," Shultz said, adding that it was still "way too early" in the investigation to comment on the boat's condition or what clues it may have into Dallmeyer's disappearance.

Elliott Key is located in Biscayne National Park, just north of Monroe County and east of Homestead.

Dallmeyer pleaded guilty to conspiracy for his role in the case that also snared three other men -- brothers Charles, Ryan and Tyson Veach. Dallmeyer faces a maximum of five years in prison when sentenced. The Veach brothers case is pending trial.

Dallmeyer, of Big Coppitt Key, had been scheduled to be sentenced before Senior U.S. District Judge James Lawrence King on Jan. 27. On Friday, the judge issued an order delaying the sentencing to May 5.

King ordered the delay sua sponte, a Latin legal phrase referring to action taken by a court without prompting from lawyers or some other outside party.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Watts-Fitzgerald, the prosecutor in the case, could not be reached for comment Tuesday. It was unclear if King issued his order because of Dallmeyer's disappearance or for some other legal reason.

The Veach brothers are scheduled for trial on Jan. 26 before King, the day before Dallmeyer was to be sentenced. Judges often continue one or the other due to courtroom time constraints, but whether or not that was the case could not be verified Tuesday.

"We've heard all the rumors and the coconut telegraph doesn't sway our professional investigation," Shultz said when asked about possible details in Dallmeyer's disappearance. "We will continue to do the best we can to find him without getting caught up in rumors."

A Sea Tow crew initially found Dallmeyer's 25-foot Mako center console with the keys in the ignition after responding to a emergency Coast Guard broadcast late Jan. 6 about eight miles south of Key West near navigational Marker 32, known colloquially as "Toppino," according to the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard began searching for cellphone pings in areas where Dallmeyer was known to fish. It then instructed Sea Tow to go a general area where it found recent cellphone activity, officials said.

There was no direct distress call made by Dallmeyer from his boat, said Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Max Franco.

Sea Tow found the Mako but could not locate Dallmeyer, so they left the area, said company dispatcher Tanya Ross.

The Coast Guard searched more than 5,800 nautical miles before calling off the search for Dallmeyer, Franco said.

"This case and the missing diver on the Vandenburg (that search was suspended on Jan. 6) are our two biggest SAR (search-and-rescue) cases," Franco said.

Dallmeyer is a commercial lobster, stone crab and fin fish angler who has been fishing out of Stock Island for decades.

alinhardt@keysnews.com

[Ratickle]

What's a fin fish angler? Shark fins?

[Bobcat]

Agent still searching for missing fisherman
BY ADAM LINHARDT Citizen Staff
alinhardt@keysnews.com
Federal agents have collected evidence from a missing Stock Island commercial fisherman's boat found Monday night washed ashore at Elliott Key, but they remain mum on what clues it may have into the man's disappearance.

"We can't comment on what evidence was collected," said Paul Shultz, Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) resident agent in charge, adding that agents are still looking for 67-year-old Dennis Dallmeyer.

"As with any missing person-type case, we want to resolve it as quickly as possible to give closure to the family, but unfortunately we can't provide a timeline on when that happens," Shultz said.

Dallmeyer has long fished out of Murray Marine, where he kept his 25-foot Mako center console. He was supposed to return to the marina by sunset on Jan. 6 after leaving for a short fishing trip, officials said.

Dallmeyer is a government witness in an illegal lobster-harvesting case after taking a plea agreement with federal prosecutors last year.

Regular search-and-rescue Coast Guard crews suspended their search for Dallmeyer on Saturday after canvassing an area greater than 5,800 square nautical miles. The CGIS is the criminal investigative branch of the Coast Guard.

The search was one of the largest performed by the search-and-rescue Coast Guard crews this fiscal year, Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Max Franco said.

Two Sea Tow captains responded to an emergency Coast Guard broadcast the night of Jan. 6. They initially found Dallmeyer's boat adrift in about 550 feet of water with the keys in the ignition, and what appeared to be Dallmeyer's cellphone in the center console.

The boat was found about eight miles south of Key West near navigational Marker 32, known colloquially as "Toppino," according to the Coast Guard.

"His cellphone was in the center console and all his fishing stuff was on board," said Sea Tow owner Mike Haas. "From what I understand, it didn't look like anything was disturbed or there was a fight or anything." Haas was not one of the captains who was on scene. He relayed information based on what his employees told him and investigators, Haas said.

"When (his employee) got on the boat the water was ankle deep, and by the time he got off it was over his knees," Haas said, adding that much of the stern was underwater.

The Sea Tow captains were in contact with the Coast Guard and were instructed by the Coast Guard to attempt to find anyone on the boat or in the water, Haas said.

The Sea Tow operators left the scene when they couldn't find anyone, he added.

The boat was deemed not worth saving financially, so the decision was made not to attempt to salvage it at that time, Haas said.

"That's not something we typically do unless we have a contract beforehand, because we typically end up losing money on it," Haas said.

The Coast Guard was initially able to locate the boat by searching for cellphone pings in areas where Dallmeyer was known to fish. They instructed Sea Tow to go to the area where they located recent cellphone activity.

There was no direct distress call made by Dallmeyer, said Franco.

It is not uncommon for a boat taking on water to drift far distances, Haas said when asked how such a boat could have traveled from an area south of Key West to a shallow sandbar east of Homestead in Biscayne National Park.

"Usually, a boat won't sink, but capsize, roll over and drift a long time," Haas said. "I've had them capsize off Jacksonville and then find them off Georgia."

Haas operates several Sea Tow companies.

Dallmeyer pleaded guilty to conspiracy for his role in an illegal lobster-harvesting case that also snared three other men -- brothers Charles, Ryan and Tyson Veach. Dallmeyer faces a maximum of five years in prison when sentenced. The Veach brothers case is pending trial Jan. 26.

Dallmeyer had been scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 27 before Senior U.S. District Judge James Lawrence King. On Jan. 9, the judge issued an order delaying Dallmeyer's sentencing to May 5.

Judges often continue one or the other due to courtroom time constraints, but whether or not that was the case could not be verified this week.

The prosecutor in the case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Watts-Fitzgerald, declined to comment on the search for Dallmeyer.

alinhardt@keysnews.com

[Bobcat]

What's a fin fish angler? Shark fins?


noun, plural (especially collectively) finfish (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) finfishes. 1. a true fish, as distinguished from a shellfish.

[Ratickle]

So, your gut feel? The guys did him in that he was supposed to testify against, or he split the country, or he actually had an accident?

[Bobcat]

The whole Seatow not "stealing" the boat sounds a bit off.....they're f*cking Pirates.

[Ratickle]

Yeah, the entire thing sure seems like an odd coincidence.....