A 46-year old Astoria commercial fisherman faces federal charges after he allegedly assaulted a Federal Fishery Observer at sea. Richard Clayton Palek is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Portland on Oct. 21 to face charges that he allegedly violated the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The law prohibits anyone from forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, intimidating, sexually harassing, bribing or interfering with a fishery observer. The penalty includes up to six months in a federal prison and a fine of up to $100,000.
