(5-11-23) Chase Cominsky (36) of Hermitage, Pa and Jacob Runyan of Broadview Heights, Ohio (43) have both been sentenced after pleading guilty to cheating in the Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament near North Marginal Road and Lakeshore Boulevard.
In late September of 2022 during the weigh-in the two were caught cheating by putting lead bricks in the fish they had caught.
The two were ordered to pay a fine of $2,500 with half of that fine being waived provided the two agree to make a charitable donation to an organization focusing on children and fishing, plus they had their fishing licenses revoked and cannot fish for three years, they were also sentenced to 10 days in jail followed by a year and a half of probation. The boat they had used in the tournament, valued at $130,000, was forfeited to the Ohio Division of Wildlife.
Walleye tournament cheaters 
NOEoutdoors You Tube Video
***warning- inappropriate language use
Earlier the two had pled not guilty, but have since entered a plea deal in March causing the charges of Attempted Grand Theft and Possession of Criminal Tools to be dropped.
Both are charged with cheating and ownership of and title to wild animals.
After tournament officials found that the two were cheating they were disqualified from the competition and removed from the park.
Why cheat? The tournament winners would have received a total of $25,000 in weekly prizes over the course of the four-week long tournament along with a $125,000 boat.
Mercer County Outlook 