RedactedNarrative: At 1045 hours on 6/22/19, i was informed by dispatch of a hit-and-run boat accident on geist reservoir which had occurred early that morning which was being investigated by the fishers police department.  I contacted the victim in the accident, and he advised that the accident had occurred at 0230 hours that morning.
  
      operator1 stated he was anchored fishing for catfish in marion county 1/4 mile south of the marina when his boat was struck by another which was speeding.  He only had time to look over at the boat several seconds before it hit him and could only see the red (port side) bow light on the boat before it made impact.  The impact ejected him from the boat.
  
       operator1 had just re boarded the boat when he heard someone in the other boat say "he didn't have his fucking lights on!"  he then heard another voice ask him if he was all right.  Operator1 replied, " i think so."  the boat then immediately left the scene headed south toward the dam at a high rate of speed.
       operator1 was unable to give me any description of the boat, as it was dark and he was disoriented from the accident.  He added that the back portion of his boat had been badly damaged, including the outboard motor.  After several attempts, operator1 was able to start the motor and then went to the ramp and placed the boat on his trailer.  He then drove himself to the hospital, where he was evaluated and then released with no significant injuries.
       operator1 stated that the other boat left some white paint transfer on top of the cowling for his outboard motor, which had been crushed in the accident. He added that the boat had been deflected toward the back of the boat following impact by a stainless steel "roll-bar" he had on the back of the boat with rod holders mounted on it. Operator1 felt that without the roll-bar, the other boat would have hit him directly where he was seated in the rear pedestal mount chair. He estimated the boat was traveling approximately 30 mph when it hit his.
       i had operator1 send me several photographs of his boat showing the damage it received.  Upon examining them, it was clear that the other boat made impact from the port side adjacent to the rear pedestal mount seat, then ramped, making impact with the roll-bar, which rotated and deflected the boat over the transom and outboard motor. It was evident that the other boat must have been traveling well in excess of the night time speed limit of 10 mph at impact.
       the photographs also showed the white paint transfer which was left on top of the motor cowling.  The other boat had also crushed the fiberglass on the rear port corner of the transom, leaving a small amount of white paint transfer there as well.  Therefore, the other boat would likely have some black transfer from the cowling and some dark red transfer from the fiberglass gel coat on the port side bow section of the hull below the waterline.
       i was already on assigned boat patrol of geist reservoir, so i searched for the suspect boat the remainder of my shift.  I looked at all boats which were on lifts with a white hull where i could see above the waterline.  I was unable to locate any boats with damage or transfer consistent with what i suspected. 
       while searching, i made contact with operator1' girlfriend, who was out on a pontoon boat also looking for the boat responsible for the accident.  She gave me the name and phone number of a bass fisherman named, who had reportedly been fishing a night tournament and had witnessed the accident.
       i interviewed him two days after the accident.  He stated he had not witnessed the accident itself, but had seen the suspect boat leave the scene afterwards.  Subject1 told me he was fishing the small island south of the marina (about 200 yards west of the location of the accident) when he saw a boat turn on its navigation lights, then take off towards the dam at a high rate of speed.
      subject1 stated that the motor was very quiet and that the boat had a low profile, consistent with that of a ski boat with an i/o motor. He also noticed that the boat had lights which were brighter than navigation lights which were primarily green in color, possibly on the transom of the boat, as he observed them as the boat was traveling away from him.
       i examined operator1' boat at the geist marina on the evening of 6/25/19 and took my own photographs of the damage.  My examination confirmed my earlier findings from looking at the photographs operator1 sent me.  In addition, i noticed that the registration for the boat out of utah was expired.  The stern light was also on a short post and was not all-around.  Because of this, it would likely have been obscured by the rear pedestal mount chair with operator1 in it and the roll-bar with rod holders and operator1' fishing gear based on the relative position of the two boats prior to impact.
       i received a damage estimate from operator1 on 7/11/19.  He stated his insurance company was writing off the boat as a total loss, and that it was insured for $5,000.  In addition, operator1 estimated that damage and loss of his fishing gear was approximately $300.