Jacob Runyan and Chase Cominsky, two Ohio fishermen who went viral for getting caught cheating at a bass tournament by stuffing their catches with weights, received their sentence on Thursday after pleading guilty to the horrible crime.
Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Steven Gall sentenced the 43-year-old Runyan and the 36-year-old Cominsky to 10 days in county jail.
Runyan and Cominsky will serve one year of probation and must pay a $2,500 fine on their release from jail. They both face an additional 30 days in jail if either violates the terms of their probation.
“It’s something I wish I could say didn’t happen, but I can’t, your honor,” Cominsky said, according to Cleveland.com. “I’m better than that.”
Runyan echoed his sentiments.
“It’s the most ignorant decision I’ve ever made in my life,” he said.
Runyan and Coninsky were set for trial in March before striking a plea deal with prosecutors. They each plead guilty to one count of cheating, a fifth-degree felony, and unlawful ownership of wild animals, a fourth-degree misdemeanor.
Their fishing licenses are suspended for up to three years, according to the plea deal. They also forfeited Coninsky’s “Ranger bass boat, valued at $100,000, to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources,” according to cleveland.com
In return, prosecutors dropped additional felony charges.
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