The law student authorities say is responsible for a fatal boating collision may face additional charges for fleeing the scene as well as upgraded manslaughter charges depending on the outcome of a pending grand jury hearing, Onondaga County Sheriff Kevin Walsh said.
Craig Cordes, 32, was arrested Sunday on charges of boating while intoxicated and two counts of second-degree vehicular manslaughter, but posted a $10,000 bail bond.
The boating while intoxicated charge is a misdemeanor with a maximum jail sentence of one year, while the felony manslaughter charges could result in terms of seven years for each count, Walsh said.
“That's what the law says. In reality, that translates to what the individual judge decides,” he added.
“We're still working on putting the case together so we still have a couple days to... present the case to the district attorney,” Walsh said.
Evidence technicians from the sheriff's office currently are examining the boats.
The district attorney's office is awaiting a blood alcohol content test for Cordes, Walsh said. However, 11 hours passed between the collision and when Cordes turned himself in, which may influence the results.
Cordes claims he didn't see the boat that John E. Kelly and Heather Wilkins were riding in, however, responders found the 20-foot Mastercraft with its lights on and the engine off on Skaneateles Lake. Kelly died at the crash scene, and Wilkins died on the way to a Syracuse hospital. Authorities identified Wilkins, 26, as Kelly's girlfriend. Kelly served as a police officer for the Richmond, Va., police department.
Cordes, a University of Arizona law school student, was operating an 18-foot Sea Ray when it struck the vehicle carrying Kelly and Wilkins and continued to travel over the top.
While he circled back to collect friends who fell out of the boat, Cordes did not check on the two victims in the other boat before driving three miles south on the lake to the family's camp site, authorities said.
Cordes' 25-year-old brother Brian Cordes first told deputies he was driving the boat. Later, one of the boat's passengers fingered Craig as the driver.
Craig Cordes was accused of driving while intoxicated and refusing to submit to a blood alcohol content test in Syracuse eight years ago.
Brian Cordes originally faced charges for boating while intoxicated but instead police charged him with hindering prosecution, police said.
He and his brother spent Saturday night and the wee hours of Sunday morning drinking in Skaneateles bars and restaurants with friends.
It is unclear if a dram shop law is applicable in this case involving boating while intoxicated, Walsh said. The law can hold a commercial establishment responsible if its workers served alcohol to a visibly intoxicated person.
Between the county's reservoir, three Finger Lakes, rivers and canal system, the sheriff's office handles its share of boating incidents, often watercrafts hit objects in the water or docks.
“Boat collisions are not an everyday occurrences, not like cars. And it's rare that it results in fatalities,” Walsh said.
Staff writer Jessica Soule can be reached at 253-5311, ext. 267 or jessica.soule@lee.net
The boating while intoxicated charge is a misdemeanor with a maximum jail sentence of one year, while the felony manslaughter charges could result in terms of seven years for each count, Walsh said.
“That's what the law says. In reality, that translates to what the individual judge decides,” he added.
“We're still working on putting the case together so we still have a couple days to... present the case to the district attorney,” Walsh said.
Evidence technicians from the sheriff's office currently are examining the boats.
The district attorney's office is awaiting a blood alcohol content test for Cordes, Walsh said. However, 11 hours passed between the collision and when Cordes turned himself in, which may influence the results.
Cordes claims he didn't see the boat that John E. Kelly and Heather Wilkins were riding in, however, responders found the 20-foot Mastercraft with its lights on and the engine off on Skaneateles Lake. Kelly died at the crash scene, and Wilkins died on the way to a Syracuse hospital. Authorities identified Wilkins, 26, as Kelly's girlfriend. Kelly served as a police officer for the Richmond, Va., police department.
Cordes, a University of Arizona law school student, was operating an 18-foot Sea Ray when it struck the vehicle carrying Kelly and Wilkins and continued to travel over the top.
While he circled back to collect friends who fell out of the boat, Cordes did not check on the two victims in the other boat before driving three miles south on the lake to the family's camp site, authorities said.
Cordes' 25-year-old brother Brian Cordes first told deputies he was driving the boat. Later, one of the boat's passengers fingered Craig as the driver.
Craig Cordes was accused of driving while intoxicated and refusing to submit to a blood alcohol content test in Syracuse eight years ago.
Brian Cordes originally faced charges for boating while intoxicated but instead police charged him with hindering prosecution, police said.
He and his brother spent Saturday night and the wee hours of Sunday morning drinking in Skaneateles bars and restaurants with friends.
It is unclear if a dram shop law is applicable in this case involving boating while intoxicated, Walsh said. The law can hold a commercial establishment responsible if its workers served alcohol to a visibly intoxicated person.
Between the county's reservoir, three Finger Lakes, rivers and canal system, the sheriff's office handles its share of boating incidents, often watercrafts hit objects in the water or docks.
“Boat collisions are not an everyday occurrences, not like cars. And it's rare that it results in fatalities,” Walsh said.
Staff writer Jessica Soule can be reached at 253-5311, ext. 267 or jessica.soule@lee.net
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doodles13021 wrote on Jul 10, 2007 2:25 PM:
hmmmm wrote on Jul 10, 2007 11:19 AM: