The Kelowna RCMP police boat is pictured in this contributed photo.
Image Credit: Contributed/Tami Quan
October 25, 2017 - 11:36 AM
WEST KELOWNA – A 27-year-old West Kelowna man has been charged for using rented jet skis to endanger the lives of several boaters, including a two-year-old child, in July.
On July 6 around 4 p.m. a group of personal watercraft operators performed a “power slide” around another vessel, according to Kelowna RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey.
He said in July the vessel was swamped with water and a two-year-old child was knocked overboard, but luckily was wearing a life jacket.
O’Donaghey also said at the time a second man told police a group of Sea Doo operators were “ripping around on the water extremely close to his boat” earlier that same day.
“Police later learned that not only was the man's boat swamped with water, which soaked his BBQ rendering it inoperable and caused some of his personal items to be lost overboard, but his vessel was actually struck by one of the personal watercrafts," O’Donaghey said in a media release.
Today, Oct. 25, O’Donaghey says they have concluded their investigation and have charged a West Kelowna man with unsafe operation of a vehicle and leaving the scene of a collision.
“The RCMP investigation revealed the company from which the personal watercrafts were rented and later returned to,” O’Donaghey says. “Anonymous tip information from the public, also aided in the development and eventual conclusion of the police investigation.”
RCMP have not released the name of the boat operator, but say he was fined $690.
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