KELSEYVILLE ? Officers on personal watercrafts herded recreation vessels to sheriffs on boats Saturday during Clear Lake”s first boating under the influence checkpoint.
Sheriffs did not make arrests from the 160 vessels screened in the Anderson Island area, but gave one citation for not having proper flotation devices and another for a person younger than 16 operating a personal watercraft, said Deputy Gavin Wells. Officers also gave out fact sheets to drivers about the dangers of alcohol and boating, Wells said.
Sgt. Dennis Ostini was glad they didn”t make arrests and got a mostly positive response from boaters, he said.
On land drunken people will usually swerve in and out of their lane but there are no lanes on the lake, Ostini said. Boats will do donuts in the water and officers aren”t sure why.
“It”s hard to differentiate if somebody is doing this because they”re impaired or they”re having a good time,” he said.
Officers from Sacramento and Sutter county sheriffs, state parks and California Department of Fish & Game wardens joined Lake County Sheriff officers with boats and personal watercrafts to stop every boat that entered the screening area. They gave eight field sobriety tests.
It”s not illegal to drink alcohol on a boat or to have open alcohol containers, Ostini said. It is illegal to drive a boat with a blood alcohol content of .08 percent or more.
Officers looked for signs of possible intoxication such as slurred speech, loud and boisterous behavior and open alcohol containers, Ostini said. If officers were suspicious, they had drivers perform tests such counting fingers and reciting the alphabet. Law enforcement had preliminary alcohol sensors that are calibrated weekly to check the amount of alcohol on boaters” breath.
The checkpoint had no additional costs to taxpayers because the program is subsidized by the state and departments lend aid to each other, Ostini said.
Disney”s Water Sports leant the sheriff”s department a personal watercraft for the day, he said.
Ostini has wanted to set up a BUI checkpoint since he started more than three years ago. He plans to do more.
“It”s another technique to enforce the law and make the public more aware of the dangers of boating under the influence,” Ostini said.
Contact Katy Sweeny at ksweeny@record-bee.com or call her directly at 263-5636, ext. 37.
