Arrests Made in Oyster Poaching Case

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I.—Two men have been arrested in connection with an oyster poaching incident in Point Judith Pond that has been the talk of the town for months.

Ronald A. Miller, 58, of 146 Bedford Drive, South Kingstown; and Peter A. Santilli, 48, of 193 Arcadia Road, Hope Valley, have been charged by the state Department of Environmental Management’s Division of Law Enforcement after a lengthy investigation.

Capt. Jack McIlmail said in a statement that Miller was charged with three offenses: attempted larceny, damaging, disturbing, interfering with an aquaculture site; and prohibited activities by the public in an aquaculture site.

Santill was charged with three counts of aiding and abetting.

Both men were arraigned and released and are due to return to Fourth Division District Court on Jan. 27.

RI DEM officer Michael Stach conducted the investigation and was the arresting officer.

Miller and Santilli are accused of orchestrating the plundering of an oyster farm maintained by Dave Roebuck, a well-known oyster farmer.

According to a South Kingstown police report, Roebuck reported the theft on Oct. 16 after he said he got a tip from someone staying on Jonathan Island that two men were stealing oysters from his farm.

What followed, according to the report, was a chase by boat, an altercation on land, fight that included a throat jab and Roebuck hanging onto the hood of a pickup truck for 20-feet.

Bob Plain at the Narragansett Bay Blog reported that Santilli was a co-owner of Two Ten Oyster Bar (at least as recently as October). Andrew Bilodeau, a co-owner and also a lawyer, threatened to sue Plain for writing about the incident, which has been reported by local newspapers several times since the original Oct. 16 report. The bar has made an effort to distance itself from the incident as the connection between Santilli and the business would be disastrous for its public image. Even if Santilli is not currently listed as an owner, the fact a former co-owner was arrested for alleged involvement in oyster poaching in Point Judith Pond is affecting the business’ reputation.

The incident has been widely discussed among members of Rhode Island’s burgeoning shellfishing industry, especially as more local waters have been used for oyster farming and the remarkable success of the Matunuck Oyster Bar, owned by pioneering local aquaculturalist Perry Raso.