USCG Boat Crew Charged in San Diego Boat Collision *UPDATE*
*UPDATE*:
Charged are:
• Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Paul Ramos, the boat’s coxswain, who faces 16 counts on charges of involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, negligently hazarding a vessel and dereliction of duty. Among the allegations, Ramos “failed to maintain a safe speed … in order to take proper and effective action to avoid a collision and stop within a distance appropriate for the prevailing circumstances,” according to official charges filed by the Coast Guard. Ramos also is accused of failing to designate lookouts and complete a risk assessment before he and the boat crew got underway. He faces as much as 58 years and a dishonorable discharge if he is tried and convicted on all counts.
• BM2 Ian Howell, who faces 16 counts on charges of negligent homicide, aggravated assault, negligently hazarding a vessel and dereliction of duty. Howell was working as the officer-of-the-day at the Coast Guard station and was a member of the boat crew that evening but, according to the charges, he failed to advise the coxswain to maintain a safe speed and also failed to do a risk assessment or assign lookouts. He faces up to 53 years and a dishonorable discharge if tried and convicted on all counts.
• BM3 Brittany Rasmussen, who faces 14 counts on charges of negligent homicide, aggravated assault and dereliction of duty for allegedly failing to perform as a lookout, according to the official charges. Rasmussen could get as much as 51 years and a dishonorable discharge if tried and convicted on all counts.
• Machinery Technician 3rd Class Lavelle Teague, who is charged with one count of dereliction of duty for failing to perform as a lookout on the boat. Teague could get sentenced to three months and lose partial pay and benefits if convicted.
The four petty officers remain on active duty and assigned in San Diego but “have not been on boat operations since the night of the crash,” said Dan Dewell, a spokesman at 11th Coast Guard District headquarters in Alameda, Calif.
They will appear in the coming weeks at Article 32 preliminary hearings. The investigating officer who will recommend whether the charges against each of the petty officers should be heard at a court-martial, be dropped or be reduced to administrative action. The final decision on each case will rest with Rear Adm. Joseph Castillo, 11th District commander, who will serve as the convening authority in the case.
A fifth person was on the boat at the time of the collision but has not been charged, Dewell said.
The Coast Guard is continuing with work on two separate investigations into the crash, one conducted by the Coast Guard Investigative Service and another internal administrative investigation, he said.
The boy’s family, which has a suit against the Coast Guard pending in federal district court, has complained that the boat crew was speeding recklessly through the bay when it struck their boat, so the charges came as no surprise.
Associated Press -
The Coast Guard filed criminal charges Thursday against four members of the service involving the collision of one of its patrol boats and a civilian craft that killed an 8-year-old boy and injured five other people on San Diego Bay.
The Coast Guard said in a statement that four petty officers face charges ranging from involuntary manslaughter to negligent homicide and dereliction of duty. Some of the charges are punishable by several years in prison upon conviction.
The collision occurred the night of Dec. 20 as boats were gathered in San Diego Bay for an annual Christmas parade of decorated boats. Witnesses had said the 33-foot Coast Guard boat was speeding when it collided with a 26-foot Sea Ray pleasure boat.
Anthony Cole DeWeese died in the crash.
The charges were brought against the four boat crew members under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Rear Adm. Joseph Castillo, commander of the 11th Coast Guard District, was named as the convening authority in the case.
The Coast Guard charged Petty Officer Paul A. Ramos, the boat coxswain, with involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, negligently hazarding a vessel, and dereliction of duty.
Petty Officer Ian M. Howell was charged with negligent homicide, aggravated assault, negligently suffering a vessel to be hazarded, and dereliction of duty.
Petty Officer Brittany N. Rasmussen was charged with negligent homicide, aggravated assault, and dereliction of duty.
A charge of dereliction of duty was brought against Petty Officer Lavelle M. Teague.
The case will proceed to a military process called an Article 32 investigation, similar to a grand jury in civilian courts, where a decision will be made whether to move forward to a court-martial.
Involuntary manslaughter is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Other potential maximum terms are five years for aggravated assault, three years for negligent homicide, two years for negligently hazarding a vessel, and three months for dereliction of duty.
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