RedactedNarrative:   ON JUNE 13, 2021, I OVERHEARD WHITE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPUTY 1 ON THE RADIO SPEAKING IN REFERENCE TO A BOAT CRASH THAT HAD OCCURRED ON LAKE SHAFER.  I HEARD DEPUTY 1 SAY THAT A PERSONAL WATERCRAFT (PWC) WAS BEING TOWED TO THE BOAT RAMP ON THE BIG MONON WITH FRONT END DAMAGE.  DEPUTY 1 ALSO ADVISED THAT THERE ONLY MINOR SCRAPES TO THE SUBJECTS WHO HAD BEEN ON THE PWC AND THAT THEY REFUSED ANY MEDICAL ATTENTION.  I RESPONDED TO THE BOAT RAMP TO OBTAIN MORE INFORMATION.     
      I FIRST SPOKE WITH DEPUTY 1.  DEPUTY 1 ADVISED THAT HE WAS DISPATCHED TO A BOAT CRASH ON LAKE SHAFER.  DEPUTY 1 THAT A PWC HAD COLLIDED WITH A METAL PIPE AT INDIANA BEACH AMUSEMENT PARK.  DEPUTY 1 ADVISED THAT NOBODY WAS INJURED AND THAT HE DID NOT BELIEVE ALCOHOL WAS A FACTOR.  DEPUTY 1 ALSO ADVISED THAT THE PWC SUSTAINED FRONT END DAMAGE AND WAS CURRENTLY BEING TOWED IN BY ANOTHER PWC.  DEPUTY 1 ADVISED THAT HE WAS GOING TO TAKE THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT'S BOAT OUT AND SEE IF HE COULD ASSIST WITH GETTING THE BOAT TOWED IN.       
      AS I WAS TALKING TO DEPUTY 1, A PWC PULLED UP WITH A MALE OPERATOR AND FEMALE PASSENGER.  THE MALE WAS LATER IDENTIFIED AS WITNESS 2 AND THE FEMALE AS WITNESS 3.  I SPOKE TO BOTH WITNESS 2 AND WITNESS 3 BRIEFLY AT THE BOAT RAMP.  THEY BOTH ADVISED THAT THEY WERE BEHIND THE PWC INVOLVED IN THE CRASH BUT NEITHER WAS PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION TO IT.  THEY DID ADVISE THAT THEY WERE RIDING NEAR INDIANA BEACH IN THE AREA OF THE SWINGS.  THEY BOTH ADVISED THEY HEARD A LOUD BANG TYPE NOISE AND WHEN THEY LOOKED THEY SAW BOTH OF THE SUBJECTS WHO HAD BEEN ON THE PWC NOW IN THE WATER.  THEY ADVISED THE OPERATOR OF THE PWC INVOLVED IN THE CRASH WAS OPERATOR AND THAT THE FEMALE PASSENGER WAS – PASSENGER.  THEY ALSO ADVISED THAT THERE WAS WITNESS 1 ALSO RIDING WITH THEM THAT DAY ON ANOTHER PWC.  THEY ADVISED THAT WITNESS 1 WAS TOWING IN THE DAMAGED PWC WITH OPERATOR STILL ON IT AND THAT PASSENGER WAS NOW RIDING AS A PASSENGER ON WITNESS 1'S PWC.     
      AS I WAS SPEAKING TO THEM, WITNESS 1 AND PASSENGER WERE ARRIVING AT THE RAMP AND OPERATOR WAS NOW IN THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT BOAT WHICH WAS NOW TOWING THE DAMAGED PWC.  THE SUBJECTS GOT BOTH PWCS LOADED ONTO A TRAILER AND OUT OF THE WATER.  WITNESS 1 ADVISED THAT BOTH OF THOSE PWCS BELONGED TO HIS FATHER.  I ASKED WITNESS 1 TO OBTAIN THE REGISTRATION FOR ME OF THE DAMAGED PWC WHILE I TOOK SOME PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE DAMAGE.                     AFTER TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE DAMAGE, I ASKED OPERATOR TO SPEAK WITH ME NEAR MY PATROL VEHICLE.  I ASKED OPERATOR IF HE WAS INJURED OR IF HE NEEDED ANY MEDICAL ATTENTION AND HE STATED NO.  I ASKED HIM TO DESCRIBE TO ME WHAT HAPPENED.  OPERATOR ADVISED THAT HE WAS DRIVING THE PWC ALONG THE INDIANA BEACH BOARDWALK IN THE DIRECTION OF THE DAM.  OPERATOR STATED THAT THEY WERE GOING BETWEEN THE BOARDWALK AND THE SWINGS AND THAT HE BELIEVED THAT THE THROTTLE STUCK BECAUSE THE THE PWC JUST KEPT GOING TO THE RIGHT TOWARDS THE BOARDWALK AND EVENTUALLY CRASHED INTO A METAL SUPPORT POLE FOR THE BOARDWALK.  I QUESTIONED HIM ON THE THROTTLE STICKING.  I ADVISED IF THE THROTTLE WAS STUCK AND THE PWC WAS ACCELERATING AND HE WAS STEERING AWAY FROM THE BOARDWALK, THEN THE PWC WOULD HAVE STEERED AWAY FROM THE BOARDWALK.  OPERATOR AGAIN ADVISED THAT THE THROTTLE STUCK AND THE PWC WOULD NOT SLOW DOWN.  OPERATOR STATED THAT THE THROTTLE HAD STUCK A FEW TIMES ON HIM THAT DAY.  I ASKED HIM IF THE THROTTLE GOT STUCK, THEN HOW FAST DID HE THINK HE WAS GOING WHEN HE STRUCK THE METAL PIPE.  OPERATOR SAID HE FIGURED HE WAS GOING ABOUT 20 MPH.      
      I THEN ASKED PASSENGER TO COME AND SPEAK WITH ME.  I ASKED HER IF SHE WAS INJURED OR NEEDED MEDICAL ATTENTION AND SHE STATED THAT SHE DID NOT.  I ASKED PASSENGER TO TELL ME ABOUT THE PWC CRASH.  PASSENGER ADVISED THAT SHE WAS RIDING ON THE PWC BEHIND OPERATOR AND FOR SOME REASON HE ENDED UP HITTING THE STEEL POLE.  I ASKED HER HOW FAST SHE THOUGHT THEY WERE TRAVELING AND SHE SAID SHE HAD NO IDEA.  I PASSENGER HOW LONG SHE HAD BEEN RIDING ON THE PWC WITH OPERATOR AND SHE SAID NOT TOO LONG.  PASSENGER ADVISED THAT SHE HAD TO WORK AND DID NOT MEET UP WITH THEM UNTIL AFTER SHE WAS OFF WORK.  I ASKED PASSENGER IF AT ANY TIME OPERATOR MENTIONED TO HER OR COMPLAINED ABOUT THE PWC'S THROTTLE STICKING OR NOT WORKING RIGHT AND SHE SAID THAT HE HAD NOT.    
      I THEN SPOKE WITH BOTH HENDRESS AND CLARK AGAIN SEPARATELY AT MY VEHICLE.  I CONFIRMED WITH BOTH OF THEM THE INFORMATION THEY HAD TOLD ME EARLIER AND NOTHING HAD CHANGED WITH THEIR EARLIER VERSION.  I THEN MET WITH WITNESS 1 NEAR MY COMMISSION.  WITNESS 1 ADVISED THAT HE WAS IN FRONT OF OPERATOR AT THE TIME AND DID NOT SEE MUCH.  WITNESS 1 DID ADVISE THAT HE WAS COMING AROUND THE SWINGS WHEN THE CRASH OCCURRED SO HE BASICALLY ONLY SAW THE PWC HIT THE METAL PIPE AND NOTHING LEADING UP TO THE CRASH.  I ASKED WITNESS 1 IF THERE WAS ANY ISSUES WITH THE PWC'S THROTTLE THAT HE KNEW OF AND HE STATED THAT SOMETIMES WHEN YOU WOULD LET OFF OF THE THROTTLE FOR THAT PWC THAT IT WOULD TAKE IT A LITTLE LONGER TO IDLE DOWN AND SLOW DOWN.  WITNESS 1 ADVISED THAT OPERATOR HAD DRIVEN THAT PWC SEVERAL TIMES AND WAS FAMILIAR WITH IT SOMETIMES DOING THAT.  I ASKED WITNESS 1 IF HE KNEW ABOUT HOW FAST OPERATOR WAS GOING AND HE STATED PROBABLY ABOUT 20 MPH.  I ADVISED WITNESS 1 THAT THERE SEEMED TO BE PRETTY SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE FOR ONLY 20 MPH AND THEN WITNESS 1 SAID MAYBE 35-40 MPH BUT THAT OPERATOR WAS NOT GOING AT FULL SPEED.  I THEN WALKED OVER TO THE PWC AND SQUEEZED THE THROTTLE A FEW TIMES AND IT SEEMED TO WORK PROPERLY.  I EXPLAINED TO WITNESS 1 THAT THE THROTTLE STICKING AND OPERATOR TURNING AWAY FROM THE PIER DID NOT MAKE SENSE TO ME.  I EXPLAINED TO HIM THAT WITH THE PWC BEING A JET DRIVE WATERCRAFT, GIVING IT THROTTLE AND TURNING AWAY FROM THE PIER WOULD HAVE BEEN THE CORRECT THING TO DO.  I TOLD HIM THAT A MORE LIKELY SCENARIO WOULD BE THAT WHEN OPERATOR SAW HE WAS NOT GOING TO COMPLETE THE TURN, OPERATOR LET GO OF THE THROTTLE AND THAT IS WHY HE COLLIDED WITH THE METAL PIPE.  WITNESS 1 AGREED THAT WAS A MORE LIKELY SCENARIO LEADING UP TO THE CRASH.    
      I THEN MET WITH THE ENTIRE GROUP NEAR THE BOAT RAMP.  I EXPLAINED TO THEM THAT I WOULD BE COMPLETING A BOAT CRASH REPORT AND ASKED IF ANYBODY HAD ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME.  EVERYBODY STATED THAT THEY UNDERSTOOD AND NOBODY HAD ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME.  I THEN THANKED THE GROUP FOR ANSWERING MY QUESTIONS AND TOLD EVERYBODY THEY WERE FREE TO LEAVE WHENEVER THEY WANTED TO.