Boating while intoxicated arrests spike on Lake George

PHOTOGRAPHER: Marc Schultz

The view of Lake George looking north from the village.

LAKE GEORGE — Increased awareness and enforcement led to a marked increase in drunk boaters caught on Lake George this year, area officials said.

All agencies recorded a total of 19 boating while intoxicated arrests on Lake George this summer, according to Joe Johns, director of law enforcement for the Lake George Park Commission.

Lake George saw six boating while intoxicated arrests combined over the previous three years, similar to other counties in the region, records show.

Johns attributed the increase to added awareness and complaints about possible intoxicated operators.

He also cited an added boat for night patrol through a partnership between the commission and the Warren County Sheriff’s Office. Eight of the arrests came from the beefed-up night patrol.

“The addition of this extra boat proved very successful as other patrols were available to respond to calls while the extra boat was available to patrol the waters,” Johns said via email. “This also allowed the night boats to spread out on the lake and cover a larger area.”

Johns has attributed the increased awareness to the July 2016 death of 8-year-old Charlotte McCue, who was killed in a crash involving an intoxicated boater. That boater, Alexander West, slammed into the McCue family’s boat. He later received 5 to 15 years in state prison.

The crash coincided with Log Bay Day, a yearly floating party on the lake, which authorities shut down for 2017. Authorities on the lake also participated in a national boating while intoxicated awareness effort in July.

The 19 boating while intoxicated arrests of 2017 all happened prior to this past Labor Day weekend, Johns said. None came over Labor Day.

Officials with other local counties reported summer boating while intoxicated arrests, including Fulton, Schenectady and Saratoga, though full numbers were not available.

Saratoga County reported at least two in July on Saratoga Lake.

The Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office patrols Saratoga Lake, the Great Sacandaga Lake and the Mohawk River.

In addition to the increased arrests on Lake George, the lake also saw a marked decrease in boating accident reports, Johns said.

The commission received 21 reports in 2016, then eight this year. None of the eight involved injuries. Most involved a submerged object or docking. Few involved a rental boat.

Johns attributed the rental numbers to a commission partnership with the Lake George Association and Marina. Every person who rents a boat must now watch a safety video, Johns said.

“I think a combination of the stepped-up night patrols and all the efforts to assist in boater safety have worked to make a safe summer on Lake George,” Johns said.