The MD Natural Resources Police have recently solved an abandoned boat case in Middle River. From the NRP: A Baltimore County couple was charged Tuesday, May 3 with abandoning a boat near Martin State Airport. Mark Alan Bartels, 49, and Kimberly Jan Bartels, 43, both of Essex, were charged with illegal commercial dumping, abandoning a vessel, and altering the identification number on a vessel hull.

Photo courtesy of the NRP

Neighbors in the area of Martin’s Lagoon off Middle River filed complaints with officials and police last year about the 37-foot vessel, partially sunk and tied to a dilapidated pier. Initial attempts by officers to determine the owner were unsuccessful. In April, members of the Baltimore County underwater team dove on the wreck and found that while the hull identification number had been removed, the Maryland registration number was legible. Officers talked with the previous owner, who said he gave the Bartels the title and $1,800 to tow the boat from Annapolis for salvage. They towed it away on June 29 using their own boat. The next day, the Bartels cashed the check and police began receiving complaints about a boat 60-percent underwater in Martin’s Lagoon. Using photos taken by the previous owner, officers found the tow boat at a Baltimore boat yard and confirmed it is owned by Kimberly Bartels. The Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed the case before charges were filed. The Bartels are scheduled to appear in Baltimore County District Court on June 20. If found guilty, each of them could be fined as much as $31,500 and be sentenced to more than five years in prison.