In support of Operation Dry Water, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Enforcement Division arrested nine boaters statewide for alleged driving or operating a vessel while intoxicated (DWI) from Friday, July 5 to Sunday, July 7.
On July 5 agents arrested:
Ryan Jackson, 25, of Mooringsport, on Caddo Lake in Caddo Parish;
James Hasting, 48, of Alexandria, on Kincaid Lake in Rapides Parish;
Melissa Strother, 47, of Alexandria, on Cane River in Natchitoches Parish;
Evan P. Daigle, 28, of Lafayette, on Lake Bruin in Tensas Parish;
William Persac, 65, of Baton Rouge, on the Joseph Harbor Canal in Cameron Parish;
Jonathan Arnold, 32, of Baton Rouge, on the Amite River/Diversion Canal in Livingston Parish; all for DWI on the water.
On July 6 agents arrested:
Holly Duet, 32, of Thibodaux, on Bayou Chevreuil in St. James Parish;
Morgan Meginley, 30, of Alexandria, on Kincaid Lake in Rapides Parish;
John D. Guerin Jr., 37, of Ventress, on the False River in Pointe Coupee Parish; all for DWI on the water.
In Louisiana, a DWI on the water carries the same penalties and fines as on the road and includes jail time, fines and loss of driving and boating operator privileges.
Anyone cited for a DWI on the water or on the road will lose his or her driver's license and boating privileges for the specified time ordered by the judge in the case. Also, each offense of operating a vehicle or vessel while intoxicated counts toward the total number of DWI crimes whether they happened on the water or road.
In Louisiana a DWI can be issued to anyone operating a moving vessel or vehicle while impaired. First offense DWI carries a $300 to $1,000 fine and up to six months in jail.
Operation Dry Water was started in 2009 and is a joint program involving the LDWF/LED, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) and the U.S. Coast Guard. More information is available at www.operationdrywater.org.