On August 28, 2011, Sgt. was notified of a boating accident on the St. Mary's River. At approximately 1735 hours, the Camden County 911 Center received a call in reference to two female juveniles receiving injuries after the tube that they were riding on struck the woods on the Georgia bank of the St. Mary's River.  Reports from the 911 center were advising officers that the victims were being treated by Nassau County EMS at the King's Ferry Landing in Florida.  

Officers were dispatched to Temple Landing to in order to respond to the scene.  Cpl. was also contacted to be en route to Temple Landing as well.  Upon arrival at Temple Landing, Officers launched their patrol vessel and headed up river to the King's Ferry landing on the Florida side of the St. Mary's River.  Upon arrival Sgt. made contact with Operator of Yulee, Florida who advised Sgt. that he was operating the vessel at the time of the accident.  He advised Officers that two juvenile females, his daughter and a daughter of a friend were riding a tube behind their vessel and swung out wide and hit the trees on the bank of the river.    Operator advised Sgt. that the accident occurred up river from the King's Ferry Landing and that he was sure that the girls on the tube had hit the bank on the Georgia side of the River. Officers also learned that both girls were transported to the Shand's Trauma Unit in Jacksonville, Florida with serious injuries.  

Subject was also at the landing and she advised that she was a passenger in the vessel as well as the owner of the vessel. Owner provided officers with a written statement.  As officers continued to discuss the incident with Operator and Owner, Sgt noticed an odor of alcoholic beverage coming from Operator.  Sgt then began to conduct field sobriety exercises (see attached incident report).  Once Sgt. completed obtaining blood from Operator, he was released at the King's Ferry Landing pending results of the blood test from the GBI Crime Lab.  Officers then traveled to Jacksonville, Florida to the Shand's Trauma Unit to meet with another passenger from the vessel.  Upon arrival at the hospital, Officers met with father of one of the victims, of Yulee, Florida.  Father advised officers that he was a passenger in the vessel when the accident occurred.  He also identified the operator of the vessel and was not sure how the girls ended up into the trees on the bank of the river.  Nothing further at this time;
Investigation ongoing;

