Fish-Shocking Contraption Lands Nashville Man In Hot Water

NASHVILLE, TN -- If you have an outstanding warrant, perhaps it isn't in your best interest to go into a crowded police precinct while carrying a convoluted device made of pipes and wires that you use for catching fish illegally, not just because its illegal on its own but also because someone might just mistake your contraption for a bomb.

Kalvin Frierson, 39, walked into the Metro Nashville Police Department's Central Precinct at noon Monday and was arrested on an outstanding warrant. He was carrying a backpack which was, of course, searched upon his arrest.

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Inside, officers found what "appeared to be an improvised explosive device," according to an affidavit.

"The device consisted of a section of PVC pipe with two endcaps. There was a hole in one of the end caps with a wire going inside the device. There was also some type of filler in the pipe as well as batteries," the affidavit continues.

Predictably shocked, the officers asked Frierson what this gadget was for.

"The defendant stated he will place the device into the water and attach a battery to it causing some kind of detonation under water that results in the fish being stunned and floating to the surface," the police report explains.

The practice, known as electrofishing, is a cousin to the more well-known dynamite method of fishing, working with similar effect, though presumably safer to the angler than its more explosive relative. Though sometimes used by researchers to conduct fish counts - electrically stunned fish typically return to normal behavior within minutes - the use of dynamite or electricity by recreational or commercial fisherman is a Class B misdemeanor in Tennessee.

MNPD's bomb squad checked out Frierson's equipment and deemed it safe. Nevertheless, he is charged with possession a hoax weapon, a Class C felony, punishable by three to 15 years in prison.

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