Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 5, 1994 TAG: 9407050073
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By MATT CHITTUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Lt. Karl Martin of the department estimates that there may have been as many as one boat per acre on the lake this weekend, but he said that given that high volume, there were few accidents and even less drinking and boating.
Martin said that as of 7 p.m. Monday, more than 100 arrests had been made on charges as varied as reckless boating and operating a water craft under the influence to trespassing and theft. Many of the arrests were the result of the large number of people on the lake, Martin said.
"We were stretched to cover it all," Martin said. His crew has only five boats, and one of those nearly sank Friday night. Without the help of the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, his crew would not have been able to provide even minimal service, he said.
Three boating accidents had occurred on the lake since Friday, Martin said.
A man on a jet ski hit a motorboat and suffered a compound fracture of his right arm; a woman and a 7-year-old child on a jet ski hit a dock, crashed through a boat and flew 30 feet onto some rocks, suffering lacerations; and a boater pulled a man on a tube into some rocks, breaking his ribs. All three drivers were charged with reckless boating, Martin said.
The only major swimming accident occurred on Philpott Lake.
Jeffrey C. Sink, 32, of Rocky Mount drowned around 3 p.m. Sunday near Salthouse Branch Recreation Area in Franklin County.
Sink had swum out past the buoys that mark the swimming area, said Lt. Charles Wagner of the sheriff's office.
Sink's friends noticed he was missing after about five minutes and found him under water.
CPR attempts by people at the lake and the rescue squad were unsuccessful.
Martin said a sobriety checkpoint set up on the lake Friday night netted two arrests for boating under the influence. The checkpoint was set up as part of National Sobriety Checkpoint Week, June 28 through July 4.
Two other arrests for drinking and boating brought the weekend total to four, but Martin said none of the people arrested had blood alcohol levels between the old legal limit of 0.10 and the new legal limit of 0.08.
Martin said there were fewer arrests than in recent years. He said there has been a steady decline, but attributes the low number of arrests this year to awareness of the new law.
"Many people were aware that we were out in force," he said. "We found a lot of designated operators."
by CNB