First I would like to give my condolences to Lynn Thornton and her family; and to let them know that my prayers are with them. This is a very sad story that has hurt a lot of people.
I will begin by asking why it seems the media has to twist a story to bring attention to their stations. Are ratings so bad that they have to do whatever it takes to get people to watch their channel? I am a resident of Sacramento County and have been going to Lake County in the summer as long as I can remember.
I have enjoyed many summer days on the very same lake that took the life of Lynn Thornton. I am a current subscriber of the Lake County Record Bee and always like to stay up to date on the current events of the area. When I read the story of the boat crash that occurred on Clearlake, I was saddened not only by what happened to Lynn Thornton but also to what is happening to Chief Deputy Russ Perdock. It is sad that we live in a society that prays on the tragedy of others.
I am not saying that law enforcement should be treated any different than the general public, but I don”t feel we should not attack them in the media because they are cops. Why don”t we focus on the facts of the case? Let”s talk about the fact that Mark Weber”s (owner of the sailboat) blood alcohol level was reported to be .18, more than twice the legal limit. Shouldn”t he be held ultimately responsible for the safe operation of his vessel ? including showing running lights after sunset? Was it not the Sacramento Sheriff”s Office Marine Division who concluded that Bismarck Dinius and Mark Weber broke federal navigation laws by failing to turn on the running lights and failing to keep a lookout?
Which now brings me to Bismarck Dinius? He was tested also that evening and his BAL was .12. If Weber and Dinius were driving down a Lake County Street with their head lights off and hit a killed a 10-year-old little girl, who was riding her bike across the street, would the media be slandering the little girl?
It sounds to me that the Lake County D.A.”s office had done everything in their power to make sure this case is not one sided. They have gone as far as asking the California Attorney General”s Office review the case to determine which charges should be filed against whom.
The California Attorney General”s office also didn”t find any reason for the D.A. to step down and/or to turn the case over to the Attorney General for prosecution. It sounds to me that the media is acting like a child asking their parents the same question over and over again, in hopes that their parents will break down and give them the answer they want.
Mark Weber (the owner of the sailboat) was tested at .18, twice the legal limit. He was the one showing Dinius how to operate his sailboat; and was the one who was most familiar with the operation of his vessel. Should he not also be to blame for the accident and for not turning on the running lights, which by the way is a federal law?
Now let”s talk about Chief Deputy Perdock, who was driving the power boat. Did he break any law? It does not appear that he did. California boating laws state, “an operator should be prepared to stop a vessel within the space of half the distance of forward visibility.” With that being said, Perdock did nothing wrong. No laws were broken. It was dark and the sailboat did not have any lights on. So as far as Perdock was concerned, there were no visible barriers in front of him, which he would have to stop half the distance from.
Federal navigation laws do not state a maximum speed on Clearlake. How can you be speeding if there is not maximum speed?
In closing let”s not make this a public attack on law enforcement. Let”s contain this in the parameters of the law. This should be a case of one death, two drunks not operating there vessel in accordance of Federal laws and driver of a boat speeding on the lake.
Sean Murphy
Sacramento
