RedactedNarrative: On August 2nd, 2022 at approximately 10:52 AM Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, was notified by dispatch of a boating accident involving two vessels on Newnans Lake.  The information provided to me was that two vessels had collided, two people had been ejected from one of the vessels into the water, and one of the vessels was still running in a circle in the area of the collision.  Dispatch also advised that there were no injuries and that all three subjects involved in the accident were back on land at the ramp with the vessel that was struck.  Alachua County Sheriff's Office had responded and were at the ramp, but they did not have a vessel to attempt to stop the unmanned running vessel.
  I proceeded to the DOT Gainesville compound, retrieved our patrol vessel, and was enroute to the Earl Powers boat ramp on Newnans Lake.  I arrived on scene at 11:12 AM.  At the ramp were the three subjects involved and the struck vessel.  The struck vessel, (Vessel #2) was a red 1997 16' Fisher fiberglass bass boat, operated and owned by OP2.  The striking vessel (Vessel #1) was a white 1993 18' Osprey fiberglass center console boat, operated by OP1.  The passenger on OP1's vessel was OCCUPANT 1.  This vessel was currently running in a circle on the lake.  
  OCCUPANT 1 and OP1 boarded my vessel and we proceeded to OP1's circling vessel.  The vessel was circling clockwise in the vicinity of the collision area approximately 1134 feet NNE from the fishing pier.  I estimated the speed of the vessel to be about 10 mph.  After several attempts, we were able to stall the motor by deploying a rope, buoyed on each end by a PFD, into the path of the vessel.  Once the propeller contacted the rope, it wound tight around it and stalled the motor.  OP1 boarded his vessel and was able to operate it back to the ramp.
  I interviewed each subject to determine the cause of the accident.  The three subjects knew each other and had launched to go fishing together.  OP1 was the operator of his vessel and his OCCUPANT 1 sat to his left on the center seat.  He said they had motored out of the canal from the ramp along with OP2 who operated his vessel slightly ahead and to the starboard side of OP1's vessel.  OP2 explained that he was going to just test the motor out a bit, before joining OP1 and OCCUPANT 1 on their vessel.  OP1 explained that they weren't going that fast and weren't "racing or doing anything stupid."  He simply said they were just too close.  I asked if he had looked down or was distracted, but he would only say that they were just too close.  OP2 said that they hadn't traveled too far out into the lake, when he reduced the throttle to idle so that he could trim the motor.  He said that was when he heard, "Oh shit!", and then OP1's vessel struck his on the port side bow.  The collision caused OCCUPANT 1 to be ejected into the water on the port side of the vessel, and OP1 said he went into the water on the starboard side.  He also stated that he wasn't sure if he had jumped overboard or was thrown out, being that it happened so fast.  OP1's vessel continued traveling with the steering to the hard right, causing the vessel to travel in a clockwise circle at approximately 10 mph with an approximate radius of 150 feet.  OP1 and OCCUPANT 1 were able to climb aboard OP2's vessel.  After trying unsuccessfully to stop the runaway vessel, the trio returned to the ramp in OP2's vessel.
  I examined and photographed the damage to the vessels.  OP2's vessel had extensive damage to the port side and front of the bow, to the trollng motor and wires, and to the operator console.  Several cracks were observed in the port side hull along with a good chunk mis
  