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OSP cites opossum rescuer CENTRAL POINT -- Charlie Herring's love of opossums has gotten her into a legal pickle, and now she will have to stop rescuing and releasing orphaned marsupials. The Oregon State Police cited Herring, 49, on Monday for caring for the animals without a wildlife rehabilitation license from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The charge is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $250,000 fine, authorities said. A court appearance is set July 14. Oregon law requires that people who care for injured or orphaned animals for later release first get a wildlife rehabilitation permit. Despite having no license, Herring said she has cared for and released more than 2,000 opossums in the past decade, including more than 200 this year. A story in Sunday's Mail Tribune detailed how she takes infant opossums from the pouches of female opossums she finds dead on the sides of roads where they were hit by cars. She rears them to 3 pounds and either releases them or gives them away to animal-lovers. State fish and wildlife troopers cited Herring Monday, said Senior Trooper Pat McNeilly. Herring promised the police that she would stop releasing the opossums, McNeilly said. It is illegal to release animals into the wild without consulting with ODFW biologists. Herring did not return telephone calls Monday. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA