Article author:
Associated Press
Savannah, GA (AP) — A Georgia man has been charged with murder on a boating charge after a Memorial Day weekend boating accident that killed five people.
Mark Stegall was charged Wednesday with 10 counts of first-degree murder by boat, six counts of serious bodily injury by boat, drunken driving and reckless manipulation, local news outlets reported.
It is not known if Stegall has a lawyer to defend him.
On the Wilmington River near Savannah, a six-man boat collided with his three-man boat, and some bodies were not recovered until the next day.
His four members of the Leffler family — Chris, 51, wife Lori, 50, and sons Zach, 23, and Nate, 17 died in his May 28 accident. A passenger on Stegall's boat, Robert “Stephen” Chauncey, also died. others were injured.
Stegall was arrested and charged with boarding a boat under the influence of the wreck.
Authorities say Stegall was under the influence of alcohol and recklessly steered the boat to the other side of the river. Boaters are supposed to pass each other on the right.
A local businessman said he died in the Wilmington River on May 5th. The boat in which he was riding collided with an unlit navigational sign and was struck in the head by an unexplained object.
