Maryland Natural Resources Police Officers Cite Two Impaired Boaters

A Delaware man was charged this week with multiple offenses stemming from an incident at a Chestertown marina and restaurant.

Joshua Lorenz Richardson, 30, of Newark, received citations for operating a vessel while impaired, negligent operation and failing to obtain an annual certificate of number after Maryland Natural Resources Police officers stopped him near Fairlee Creek after a confrontation with the staff of the Great Oak Marina and Restaurant.

Richardson and two companions became belligerent when they were denied drinks at the bar and were escorted out by security guards. They boarded a 21-foot sailboat and headed out of the creek.

Natural 1, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources helicopter on patrol at the time, spotted the sailboat between Fairlee and Worton creeks and directed patrol boats to the scene. The sailboat was towed to shore so that the men could be questioned.

After Richardson failed field sobriety tests, he declined to take a Breathalyzer test. He was arrested and issued five citations. He is scheduled to stand trial in Kent County District Court July 11. If found guilty, he faces a maximum fine of $2,500.

A Montgomery County man was charged with operating a boat while intoxicated Saturday after he was stopped on Deep Creek Lake by a patrol boat.

A officer noticed a ski boat without a navigational bow light traveling north on the lake toward the Route 219 bridge at 10 p.m. The operator, Eric Kyle Brown, 28, of Gaithersburg, was unsteady and smelled of alcohol. He failed field sobriety tests and a Breathalyzer test registered a blood alcohol content of 0.16, twice the legal limit.

Brown was issued three citations for impaired operation and one citation for operating a boat without proper running lights. He is scheduled to appear in Garrett County District Court July 25. If found guilty, he faces a maximum fine of $2,085.