RedactedNarrative: On august 14, 2016 at approximately 12:00 midnight, a boating incident occurred on lake norman approximately 2.1 miles northwest of the rusty rudder restaurant at the western side of the island forest drive point in cornelius, nc. The vessel was a 24.5-foot fiberglass 2005 cobalt bow rider with a 375 hp mercruiser inboard/outboard motor.  The boat had a starboard side console and was owned and operated by subject.  The vessel ran aground and struck a concrete retaining wall on the shoreline of the lake. 
  
  According to operator, on august 13, 2016 at approximately 18:00, he and his family went to lineburgers restaurant to eat dinner with some family friends.  He drank one amstel light while waiting to be seated and drank two beers with dinner and might have had a mix drink.  After they were finished eating and socializing, his wife then drove his family back to their house in denver, nc. At approximately 20:30.  Operator decided to go out for a boat ride.  Operator said that his family tried to prevent him from going on a boat ride and talked him into watching a movie because their family was going to carowinds the following morning.  Operator decided to go anyway.   He spent several minutes getting his stern light to turn on and then departed from his dock.  He cruised around the lake near his house attempting to stop at a few of his friends houses to socialize.  None of his friends were around so he decided to go to the rusty rudder restaurant.  When he arrived at the loading dock to the restaurant, the area was heavily congested and he had to wait approximately 30 minutes to dock his boat.  Around 21:30, operator went into the rusty rudder and walked around the bar to see if he recognized anyone there.   He walked outside on the balcony and ran into some mutual friends.  After spending several minutes talking with his friends, operator decided to head back to his house.  The couple he ran into asked him if he was alright to drive home and asked if he wanted them to follow him home.  Operator said that the couple was just being cordial and they did not ask due to his possible impairment.  He then went to the loading dock at the rusty rudder and untied his boat to begin his travel back to his house.  This was at approximately 22:30. Once he passed the no wake zone buoy leaving the rusty rudder, he said he must have blacked out because he does not remember anything that followed.  Operator also noted that he had taken anti-anxiety medication sertraline, commonly known as zoloft, around 14:00 on august 13, 2016. 
  
  *note*   operator also mentioned that he had taken his 24.5-foot, 2005 cobalt bowrider to the local marina earlier that summer to have some repairs done to the vessel.  He was unable to have his motor idling issue fixed.  He stated that when his rpms would reach 3500, the motor would cut off.  In regards to whether or not motor failure resulted in the cause of the boating incident, confirmation of the motor failure was unable to be determined.  Operator was aware of the motor issue and was aware not to throttle the engine above 3500 rpms. 
  
  According to operator, he came to later that morning on august 14, 2016 around 06:00 and realized that something had happened.  He was unable to move around inside the boat due to substantial injuries.  He said he blacked out again.  Several minutes later around sunrise (06:42) his cell phone began ringing with his daughter's ringtone causing him to regain consciousness.  He made several attempts to locate the cell phone but was unsuccessful.  He said that he could hear several boats pass by, including a couple of kayakers.  But he decided not to call out for help so that he could conserve his energy.  At approximately 10:00 someone came down to the bow of the boat from the shoreline to offer assistance.  They called 911 and asked if he wanted them to call someone from his family to notify them that he had been involved in an accident.  He gave them his wife's cell phone number.  Several minutes later rescue personnel arrived on scene and transported him to carolina medical center main campus in charlotte nc.
  
  According to operator's wife, their family left their house on august 13, 2016 at approximately 17:30 to meet some family friends for dinner at lineburgers restaurant.  Once they arrived at linbergers, operator had a couple of beers and a couple of vodka drinks at dinner.  Wife said that they left the restaurant at approximately 19:30.  She said around 20:30, her husband said he was going to go for a boat ride and attempted to get others to go with him including his 11 year old daughter.  She said she told him that if he took their daughter with him she would call the police.  Wife then said operator left on his boat with a beer in hand.  She believed that he was going to go to the rusty rudder restaurant on the lake.  She did not hear anything back from him all night.  She was then contacted later the next morning 8/15/16 at approximately 10:00 that he had been involved in a boat accident.  Before wife went to the hospital to be with her husband, she took her daughter to the scene of the accident to show her what could have happened if she was on board the boat.  She said that her daughter always rides up front near the bow.
  
  According to a witness and the property owner where the boating incident took place, she heard a loud noise at approximately midnight the morning of 8/14/16.  She said that she went outside to see what caused the noise.  She knew that it happened at midnight because she remembered seeing a papa john's delivery vehicle delivering pizza to a neighbor.  She spoke with the delivery personnel to attempt to locate the cause of the noise but was unable to see or hear anything.  She went to bed shortly afterwards.  Around 10:00 8/14/16, she walked from her house, two houses over to check on her property.  She then noticed operator's vessel had struck the concrete retaining wall on her property.  She then went down to the shoreline and spoke with operator to offer assistance and called 911 and his wife.
  
  We collected information from the responding police officers and the witness.  We took photos of the damaged vessel, damaged personal property and inspected the boating safety items of the vessel.  
  
  Lab results concluded bac level was less than .01 over 11 hours after the incident.  He tested positive for cocaine and benzodiazepines (anti anxiety meds).
  
  It appears the direct cause of this incident stems from operator's reckless and negligent operation of a vessel along with the amount of alcohol consumed and medications and possible drug use was a direct factor.
  
  On 9/2/16 he was charged with reckless/negligent operation of a vessel in a manner so as to endanger life limb or property ncgs 75a-10(a).