RedactedNarrative: On 9-18-21, at approximately 4:09 pm, i, indiana conservation officer cpl., was contacted by steuben county communications, and asked to respond to a boating accident on jimmerson lake in steuben county, indiana.  I was advised that there were two victims who had been struck by the boat and struck by the boat's propeller, and the operator of the boat may be intoxicated.  I was told that the victims were out of the water and the boat had pulled up to a dock.      
         
  At approximately 4:20 pm i arrived in the area and saw an ambulance.  I parked my truck at this address and as i exited my truck and was heading down the hill to the dock, i was met by two subjects, who were standing.  I asked subject1 if he was involved in the accident and he advised me he wasn't but pointed to a male sitting on a chair on their deck with a young girl.  I approached operator, identified myself, (i was in full uniform) and asked him if he was involved in the accident.  He nodded in the affirmative.  I then asked him if he was operating the boat and he advised me that he was.  At that time ems and firefighter personnel brought one of the victims up the hill past our location on the back of a golf cart.  I could tell she was in extreme pain by her cries.  I was also advised by emergency personnel that both female victims had severe lacerations to their legs and feet from being struck by the propellor of the boat.      
         
  I then spoke to operator again and asked him if he had a driver's license on him.  He advised me that he did not due to his wallet being in the truck at the ramp.  I asked him if they were parked across the basin at the jimmerson lake access site, and he advised me they were.  I then asked him if he had a valid driver's license and he advised me he did not.    
  
  I then asked him what had happened, and he advised me that he had been operating the boat and pulling the victims on an inflatable tube.  He advised me that while pulling them, the throttle of the boat stuck, and he ran into them.  I asked him how that could happen if he was pulling them behind the boat, and he advised me that he was turning towards them when that happened.  I then asked him how much he had to drink, and he advised, “2 beers, maybe 3.”  I then advised him to walk up to my truck with me so i could gather information pertaining to the accident.  I asked subjects if they could stay with the young girl, who operator advised was the daughter of one of the victims.      
         
  As we arrived at my truck, operator asked me if he was going to jail.  I advised him that he was not under arrest, but rather being detained to investigate the accident. As i was walking with operator, i did not notice any apparent signs of intoxication or smell any alcohol on him. I then advised him the first thing i was going to do was administer a preliminary breath test to confirm how much alcohol he had consumed.  I then asked him if he had anything in his pockets, and he advised me he had a cell phone and some cigarettes.  I then patted him down and confirmed he did not have any weapons on him.  While patting him down i could tell that the shorts he was wearing were wet.  He was wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and work boots.  He had also carried a pair of jeans up to the truck which i also checked for weapons.      
         
  I then instructed him to stand next to the rear, driver's side tire, then opened my truck to reach into the back seat to get my preliminary breath test unit (pbt) from a bag it was stored in.  When i looked back at operator he was running away from me to the west, across the road, and south of the residence.  I went to the back of my truck to see which direction he was running, called steuben county communications, and advised them that the subject was fleeing to the west, and returned to my truck.  As i was getting in my truck to go after operator the homeowner came up to me and advised me that operator had asked her to hide a cooler of beer from us and she had it.        
         
  I then drove my patrol truck across the road and into the field i had watched operator run into.  I did not see him, so i drove to the southwest, which was the first available thick cover.  At this time, i also spoke with responding steuben county deputies who were responding to my location.  I parked my truck in the field and began to search the thick grass and trees.  After searching this area and not finding any sign of operator, i searched for signs of him crossing 425 west, and behind the residence.  During this time, i also coordinated with deputies who were on the road and asked deputy to go to the jimmerson lake access site and try to find the truck and trailer they had driven to the lake.      
         
  A short time later deputy advised me that the husband of one of the victims had returned to the access site with the boat and was loading it up.  I asked deputy to obtain all the information that he could from subject2 and to contact bill's marathon to impound the boat and trailer.  I also contacted the indiana conservation officer's central dispatch and asked them to contact a conservation officer near ft. Wayne and have them respond to the parkview regional medical center (prmc) to interview the victims and document their injuries.  I then drove to the jimmerson lake access site.  
  
  I spoke with deputy1 and obtained the information he had gathered from subject2, who he had released with the children.  He advised me that subject2 had checked the truck for operator's wallet but did not locate it.  He also advised that the boat and trailer belonged to subject2's wife, and one of the victims.  He also advised deputy1 that he only knew the person who had been driving the boat as operator, and did not know his last name, but provided a phone number from his phone.  Subject2 also advised that victim1 had only owned the boat for two days.      
         
  The boat was a white and tan, 1984 bayliner capri, with registration number in7644ea, which expired on 9-14-21.  The hull identification number on the boat was bl1j73cr0484. An idacs check of the registration number showed that it was registered to someone else.
         
  The boat trailer was a 1986 century boat trailer with michigan registration c537211, with a registration effective date of 8-3-12.  An idacs check of the trailer showed it was registered to another person.
         
  The truck that the group pulled the boat to the lake with was a white, 2012 gmc sierra.  An idacs check of the truck showed it was registered to victim1.        
         
  I then spoke on the phone with conservation officer, who as at prmc, and had interviewed the victims (audio recordings are included with this report.)  Victim2 first advised me that he discovered that the suspect's full name was operator, he is from out of state, but has been living with victim1 and her husband.  Victim1 owns a painting company and operator works for her.  He could not get a date of birth to obtain more information.  He also advised me that while interviewing victim1, she called operator, and he answered.  He told her he was sorry, and he tried to stop the boat.  She then convinced him to talk to officer but they either got disconnected or he hung up.  Operator then sent a picture to victim1 of himself in front of a light blue dumpster.  I advised the deputies who were in the area looking for him of the picture and the dumpster, and then drove back to speak to the witness who had taken the cooler for operator.     
  
        
  
  When i arrived at 60 ln. 230 jimmerson lake i spoke with the homeowner.  Homeowner advised me that she did not see the accident but went out when she heard a female screaming.  The boat was tied up to her pier, and after providing them with some towels, she asked them if there was anything else she could do to help them.  Homeowner advised that operator asked her to take a cooler and dispose of it.  Homeowner advised the cooler was full of beer bottles, and she had no intention of disposing of it, but she took it.  When she lifted it from the boat the styrofoam cooler broke and several beer bottles fell into the lake.  Two more of the bottles then fell on the sea wall and broke as she was walking away.  After she took the cooler up to her house, operator came to her door with the broken glass from the beer bottles that he had put into his hat and ask her to throw the glass away.  Homeowner then took me to her garage and showed me the broken styrofoam cooler.  It contained 3 corona beer bottles, 6 smashed twisted tea cans, 1 bottle of yahoo, and plastic container with lunch meat and cheese.  I placed the items in a trash bag and took them from her.  I later disposed of the items after taking photographs.  I then asked her if the witnesses next door were home.  This was 80 ln. 230, where operator had originally been when i arrived.  Homeowner advised me that they had left but left their names and a phone number to reach them. I then continued to look for operator until dark without success.     
  
        
  
  The next morning, sunday, 9-19-21, i reviewed the audio recordings of the victim's statements that were sent to me by officer.  Officer interviewed both victims at the emergency room of prmc the night before.     
  
        
  
  Officer first interviewed victim1.  Victim1 suffered deep lacerations to her left foot and big toe (pictures are included with this report).  Victim1 advised that they were out on the lake tubing and her husband advised operator to go towards the truck in case something happens. (this would reference going into the 3rd basin of jimmerson lake where the jimmerson lake access site is located and where the accident occurred.)  Victim1 then advised that her and subject2 then decided to get on the tube together.  She stated that while they were going “he just turned the boat towards us and came straight at us.”  She stated that subject2 bailed off the tube, then she did.  She then stated that she could feel her foot get chopped up by the propeller and subject2 was screaming.  They were both then pulled into the boat and went shore.       
  
        
  
  She stated that the people in the boat were her, subject2, subject3, operator, her 4-year-old daughter subject4, her 6-month-old baby subject5, and a small dog.  Victim1 then informed officer that operator lives with her and subject3, and ever since he moved in, he has been obsessed with her.  Operator tells her that he wants her, and he loves her, and she stated that she is not sure if this wasn't intentional since he can't be with her.     
  
        
  
  Victim1 then stated that operator had only drank two beers and that he was not drunk.  She stated that they just got the boat last weekend.  At that time in the interview victim1 called operator's phone and he answered.  He answered by saying, “hello” and she asked him what he was doing, and he said, “siting here.”  Victim1 then told him that he needed to talk to officer and then officer asked him what happened, and he said that the throttle stuck, then you can't hear him and then you hear him say “i tried to stop” and then the call is disconnected.  Operator then sent victim1 a text saying that he didn't hang up, the wi-fi is bad.  He the stated he tried to stop the boat.  Following that text is when operator sent victim1 the picture of him sitting in front of the dumpster.     
  
        
  
  Officer then interviewed subject2.  Subject2 suffered several propeller strikes that caused lacerations to her left hip and thigh (pictures are included with this report).  Subject2 stated that at first, they were just individual tubing then her and victim1 decided to go together.  She stated operator took off and all of a sudden, he was coming right at them.  She stated that she pushed both of them off the raft and she felt the propeller cut her.  She stated that she could “feel every inch of it cut me.”  She then stated that she doesn't even know operator, only that victim1 is his boss.  Officer asked her if operator had been drinking and she stated that she honestly can't say if he was drinking or not.  She then stated that after it happened, operator was shaking and couldn't help subject3 get them out of the water.     
  
        
  
  After reviewing the statements, i contacted the indiana conservation officer's central dispatch and ask them to try to get information on operator through the police.  
  
         
  
   while running a driver's license check the return stated that operator did not have a license.  When i inquired with our dispatchers if they could find out if his license was suspended, revoked or what the status is, they contacted the police again and they confirmed that he had never received a driver's license.  It was also confirmed that he had a non-extraditable warrant out of waterloo, michigan for battery to a pregnant female.     
  
        
  
  I then obtained a written statement an eye- witness to the accident.  Witness witnessed the accident while sitting on the front deck of her son's house.  
  
        
  
  Witness reported in her statements to me and in her written statement that she was sitting on the porch at her son's residence when she witnessed the boat accident.  She states that an outboard speed boat was pulling two women on a raft.  There were two men in the boat, along with a young girl, a baby, and a small dog.  She then states that she saw the boat turn a sharp right and drive straight at the woman and the raft who screamed and fell off.  Witness states that the boat then hit both of them and she immediately called 911.  She then yelled at the boat and told them to come to the dock, and that help was on the way.     
  
        
  
  Witness stated that she was instructed by the 911 dispatcher to go down to the dock to check on the ages of the women and extent of their injuries.  While she was down there providing the information to 911, she observed the man who was driving the boat gathering up empty beer bottles and cans and placing them into a styrofoam cooler.  She then states that the cooler broke, and some of the bottles and cans fell into the lake.  She then identifies the boat operator as a man wearing construction boots and having tattoos on both of his arms.  Witness said the man then dropped another beer bottle on the sidewalk in front of the pier and it broke.  He then cleaned up the glass and walked up to their porch to wait for the medics to arrive. (this is where i contacted operator upon my arrival).      
  
        
  
  Witness then said she asked to take the little girl with her until help arrived.  She stated that none of the children had life vests on.  She states that after the women were transported from the scene, the mexican, who was the father to the little girl, took the children and the dog and drove the boat back to the access site and the children still did not have life vests on.     
  
        
  
  After reading witness's statement i ask her to clarify what direction the boat was going when the accident happened.  She advised that she was looking out at the lake, and they were off to her right heading towards the shore.  The boat then turned immediately to their right when the accident happened.     
  
        
  
  On 9-20-21, ico officer received information that victim1 had been contacted by operator.  During these conversations he was apologizing to her and made threats to kill himself.     
  
        
  
  End of report as of 9-20-21