Dec 17, 2014 3 min read

A Canton Township man reached a tentative plea agreement Wednesday with prosecutors who allege he boasted of hunting and collecting endangered reptiles without a permit from the state Fish and Boat Commission.

John L. Mendrola, 23, of 3 Elizabeth St., also is accused of fraudulently issuing a York teenager two permits to possess Eastern hognose snakes under his company that was advertised as a nonprofit organization, even though it wasn’t properly registered in Pennsylvania, a state fish and boat investigator stated in the criminal complaint.

The investigation began in March 2013 after the commission became concerned about a report Mendrola was conducting scientific studies on bog turtles and Eastern Massasauga rattlesnakes, as both species are listed as endangered in Pennsylvania, according to the affidavit supporting the criminal case. Scientific collection is extremely limited and those who do must have a scientific collector permit, which Mendola did not, the affidavit continues.

The investigation revealed Mendrola discussed his collection and pending research papers online and also claimed that he was employed as a herpetologist/field biologist at the Laurel Highlands Conservation Landscape Institute. He also claimed to have been president and founder of Pennsylvania Woodland Herpetological Society, which conducted scientific studies on reptiles and amphibians, including endangered species.

“After contacting representatives of Laurel Highlands and several (state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources) facilities it was determined than many of Mendrola’s claims were false,” investigator Sean Sauserman stated in the court record.

Eventually the Pennsylvania Department of State issued Mendrola a cease and desist order to stop collecting donations on his website.

Investigators on Aug. 12, 2013, received another complaint about Mendrola issuing permits to the 17-year-old York boy, after the two formed an online friendship. The teen told investigators Mendrola claimed he could get him the permits from the Pennsylvania Department of Wildlife and Fisheries as a holder of a scientific collector permit as long as he named the teen as an assistant.

During one message thread, Mendrola posted several photos of snakes he claimed to have had and stated he had 1,500 specimens, including endangered species from the United States and abroad, the affidavit indicates.

The commission and state police obtained a warrant to search Mendrola’s residence on Dec. 13, 2013, and seized numerous records from his bedroom. The complaint further indicates he illegally possessed two Easter box turtles and hunted reptiles in 2012 and 2013 without a fishing license.

Sauserman charged Mendrola Oct. 27 with theft, forgery, fishing without a license and under the state’s permits for the protection of fish law. He is free on unsecured bond set by District Judge David Mark.

Under the tentative agreement reached at Mendrola’s scheduled preliminary hearing, he will be admitted for 18 months to Washington County Court’s Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program. He also must undergo a mental health evaluation.