Contest-winning fish smuggled in sweatshirt

[Spiel]

Contest-winning fish smuggled in sweatshirt

 

 

2/25/2009

Theresa Schneider / Leader-Telegram

 

 

Something smelled fishy at Saturday's Somerset Youth Athletic Association Ice Fishing Contest at Bass Lake: the former winner's sweatshirt.

 

Lee Shehow of New Richmond, crowned the winner of the contest Saturday, may face criminal charges after admitting to smuggling in the fish to win the contest, keeping it alive in his sweatshirt during the tournament.

 

Shehow, 38, won Saturday's contest with a 2.42-pound northern pike. Suspicions were raised about Shehow's fish, leading to an investigation, said SYAA spokesman John Montpetit.

 

Shehow later disqualified himself and gave up the keys to the contest's grand prize, a $27,000 Dodge Dakota pickup truck.

 

The contest began at noon Saturday. At about 2:30 p.m. Shehow went to the weigh station with his pike.

 

Undercover investigators at the tournament questioned Shehow's actions. Montpetit said a primary concern was that Shehow bought water at a pace that was inconsistent with what a normal person would drink on a 14-degree day.

 

Shehow's sweatshirt also was soaked when he turned in his fish to the weigh station.

 

During the investigation Shehow admitted he hid the pike in his sweatshirt, keeping it alive and later registering it at the weigh station. Montpetit said he could not discuss where the fish came from, but said Shehow admitted to having aquariums in his house.

 

While no criminal charges have been filed, the case still is under investigation, Montpetit said.

 

The truck was given Tuesday afternoon to the second-place winner, 26-year-old Monica Slimmen of La Crosse, who caught a 1.72-pound northern pike.

 

Efforts to contact Shehow on Tuesday night were unsuccessful.