N. Idaho powerboat operator pleads guilty following collision

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
May 18, 2013 - 5:58 pm EDT

SANDPOINT, Idaho — A northern Idaho man who crashed his powerboat into a moored sailboat on Lake Pend Oreille has pleaded guilty to simple negligent operation of a vehicle.

The Bonner County Daily Bee reports (http://bit.ly/15WYjJm) that 37-year-old Jonathan Richard Beckley entered an Alford plea Wednesday in 1st District Court. He received a suspended 10 days in jail, a suspended $300 fine, and one year of probation.

Authorities say Beckley on Aug. 12 at about 10:30 p.m. crashed a 1978 Thompson Cuddy cabin powerboat into a moored and unoccupied sailboat, heavily damaging both boats.

A female passenger aboard the powerboat told investigators she suffered a fractured tailbone. Court records say a 4-year-old boy aboard the powerboat wasn't injured.

Beckley had been charged with grossly negligent operation of a vessel, but a judge ruled the statute unconstitutionally vague.

Information from: Bonner County (Idaho) Daily Bee, http://www.bonnercountydailybee.com

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