A man accused of causing a deadly boat collision in Illinois over the weekend appeared in court on Monday after police allege he struck another boat at “an extremely high rate of speed,” killing a woman
In a press release from the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office, authorities announced that Richard M. Stevenson, 45, of Lisle, Ill., appeared in his initial appearance on two counts of aggravated driving under the influence causing death and one count of reckless homicide
Judge Cynthia D. Lamb granted the state’s petition to deny pretrial release for Stevenson following his arrest on July 25
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Evidence presented at Stevenson’s detention hearing established that Illinois Conservation Police Officers responded to a fatal two-vessel crash at 2:30 p.m. local time on July 25 on the Fox River
“Upon arrival, officers located a severely damaged 20-foot Crownline and a 31-foot Southbay pontoon that had run aground nearby. Officers discovered a 48-year-old woman deceased aboard the Crownline after she sustained catastrophic injuries in the collision,” the press release said
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After an investigation, it was determined that the pontoon, allegedly operated by Stevenson, struck the rear of the Crownline at “an extremely high rate of speed before riding over the smaller vessel,” the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office said
“The defendant, while intoxicated, drove his vessel at about 80 mph in a no-wake zone, even when warned by a passenger, the defendant continued to operate in that manner, the vessel went over the top of another vessel and crashed,” Judge Lamb alleged in court documents, viewed by ABC News
“When the defendant’s boat was on top of the victim’s boat, it decapitated one of the passengers of that boat,” Lamb said
Global News has not independently viewed the court documents
Following the crash, Stevenson was located in the trees off the shoreline near where his pontoon had come to a stop
It’s alleged that two other occupants of Stevenson’s pontoon left the scene before law enforcement arrived
Stevenson was transported to a nearby hospital, where his blood tests revealed a blood alcohol concentration of approximately .2, according to police. The legal limit in Illinois is 0.08
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Witnesses told investigating officers that Stevenson had been consuming alcohol throughout the day while operating the vessel and “was driving at high rates of speed on both the Chain O’ Lakes and the Fox River just prior to crashing into the Crownline,” according to the press release
Further evidence shared at the hearing revealed that Stevenson has been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol on three prior occasions as well as reckless driving on three prior occasions and has previously committed four misdemeanour speeding offences, according to the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office
“This man was a ticking time-bomb and that bomb went off this past Saturday on the Fox River,” Deputy Chief Brian Miller said during the hearing
McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi L. Freese said that rivers and lakes “should be places where families can safely enjoy time together, not places where reckless and impaired can turn a summer day into a tragedy.”
“No family should have to endure the unimaginable loss suffered in this case. Our prayers go out to the victim’s family, and while nothing can undo the tragedy that occurred on the Fox River, our office is committed to pursuing justice for her, her loved ones, and our community,” Freese added
Stevenson’s next scheduled court date is Aug. 5
