The Boiling Spring Lakes Police Department has charged three people with stealing Venus flytraps within city limits.
Those charged include Myra Lee Lawson, 36, of Shallotte; Betty Ann Hill, 55, of Bolivia; and William Lewis Riley, 66, of Bolivia.
According to the department, a person walking a dog Tuesday in the area of Barclay Road observed the three suspects acting suspiciously. When the witness approached them, they discarded a bag that contained several flytraps.
The witness called the department, and officers were dispatched at approximately 6 p.m. and conducted a traffic stop on the three suspects. Officers recovered between 200 and 300 flytraps from the group.
The department is working with the Nature Conservancy to replant the flytraps. The Nature Conservancy assists in the management of the nature preserve that surrounds the woodland city, which is located in the heart of Brunswick County.
Each of the three suspects faces one count of poaching and is scheduled to appear in court June 4.
Poaching of flytraps from private property is a crime according to state law, which a maximum $50 fine per offense. A separate section of state law allows a $2,000 civil penalty for subsequent convictions and for persons who buy more than 50 flytraps for the purposes of reselling or trading outside of the law.
Recognized as North Carolina’s official carnivorous plant, flytraps remain susceptible to poaching, growing naturally in the wild only within a 75-mile radius of Wilmington. Last year, more than 1,000 plants were stolen from that city’s Alderman Park carnivorous plant garden, prompting calls for greater protections.
Previous stories:
- Leads sought in massive theft of rare Venus flytraps
- Community support for flytraps converges at carnivorous garden
- Wilmington 5-year-old forgoes birthday presents, asks friends to donate money to flytrap effort
- Land Trust passes grant to flytrap garden
- More than 10,000 Venus flytraps stolen from Brunswick County business
