RedactedNarrative: On September 5, 2016 I (Officer of the Maryland Natural Resource Police) was on patrol when I received a call in reference to a boat accident that occurred at Camp Merryland in Piney Point Maryland at approximately 12:55 pm. 
  
   I responded to Camp Merryland. Upon arrival an employee of the camp made me aware that the victim and his family had gone to the hospital but the operator, and a group of witnesses were still on scene. I spoke to subject1 first. Subject1 reported that there were five people, including himself, swimming in the water close to shore at the time of the accident. Two individuals, neither of which being the man who rented the boat, were on board the vessel at the time of impact. The vessel was going in circles around the swimmers and it seemed the operator did not know how to steer the boat. It was on the second pass that the boat made contact with the victim.  Subject1 went on to say that the man who rented the boat had been eating on shore at the time of accident and had given the two individuals on board permission to use the boat. 
  
   I asked Subject1 to identify the operator. He was able to identify and help translate as I interviewed the individual. The operator reported that he had no experience operating a boat and he did not have a boater safety card through Maryland. He said that he saw the children but did not know how to control the boat. He reported not drinking anything that day. I did put operator through the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test which resulted in zero clues.
  
   I also interviewed the second individual on board at the time of the accident. Occupant reported that he and operator saw the children swimming and became scared they were going to hit them as they were going in circles. Occupant also had no experience operating a boat, and reported that neither of them knew what to do in this situation. Occupant vacated the boat after it hit the victim in order to try and push it away from the swimmers. 
  
  It was at this time I inspected the vessel. It is an 11foot 4inch Craigcat pontoon boat owned by Camp Merryland with the registration numbers 3358LB. The vessel is powered by an outboard, gasoline tiller control motor capable of six horsepower. The employee of Camp Merryland reported that there were no mechanical issues with the boat. 
  
   Officer reported to Saint Marys Hospital to interview the victim and his parents. Officer reported the victim had scrapes and red marks on his back and behind his ears but there was no blood, and no open wounds. The victim's father reported he and his wife were watching their son swim when they saw the individual who rented the boat exit it and allow Operator and Occupant to get on board. Operator proceeded to attempt to operate the boat but it started to go in circles.  He believes Operator panicked not knowing what do and that is when the boat struck his son
  
    Officer also interviewed the wife and the individual who rented the boat. Both of their stories matched. 
  
     Operator was charged with 08.18.01.05B Negligent Operations. 
  
       All events occurred in Saint Marys County, case is closed.
  