A Hermitage man and a Cleveland man face a sentencing hearing on Thursday after pleading guilty earlier to cheating in a fishing tournament.

Jacob Runyan, 43,  of Cleveland, and 36-year-old Chase Cominsky of Hermitage are scheduled to appear in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court at 11 a.m., where they will be sentenced on charges of cheating and unlawful ownership of wild animals.

Prosecutors agreed to dismiss charges of attempted grand theft and possessing criminal tools as part of a plea deal.

The charges stem from an incident in October of 2022 in which Runyan and Cominsky cut open fish and placed lead weights inside the fish. The video of the discovery went viral on social media.

As a result of the discovery, Runyan and Cominsky were disqualified and removed from the park.

Runyan and Cominsky were disqualified from the competition and escorted from the park.

The boat and trailer used by Runyan and Cominsky were seized at the home of Cominsky to help with the investigation.
 

Participants paid $35 entry fees to join what is billed as Lake Erie’s largest walleye fishing tournament that offers some sizeable prizes.

In addition to a total of $25,000 in weekly prizes over the four weekend-long tournaments, first-place anglers could have won a $125,000 boat.