A former resident of Ketchikan has pled guilty to Lacy Act violations in connection to illegally purchased halibut in 2012 and 2013.

It was announced by United States Attorney Karen L. Loeffler this week that a former resident of Ketchikan, Donald Ray Thornlow, pled guilty to ” commercially purchasing halibut that was caught for subsistence and sport purposes.” The 66-year-old man pled guilty to the single count in a Juneau courthouse.

According to court records, Thornlow, who owned and operated the former Narrows Inn and Restaurant in Ketchikan,  “took part in a continuing scheme of purchasing subsistence and sport caught halibut for resale in his restaurant, a violation of federal regulations.” 

Assistant United States Attorney Jack S. Schmidt, the prosecuting attorney in the case, said that Thornlow purchased 997 pounds from three sources. The amount that Thornlow paid for the illegal fish was far less than the price that he would have paid if he had purchased legally harvested fish.

As a result of his guilty plea, Thornlow received a sentence of one year of probation and a fine of $5,000.

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