THUNDER BAY — A man operating a boat while impaired that hit a break wall and sent several people to hospital with injuries has pleaded guilty to a single impaired operation charge.
Gary Wenzel appeared in a Thunder Bay courtroom last week where he pleaded guilty to one count of operating a conveyance with blood alcohol over 80mg/100mg of blood.
Wenzel was originally charged with five counts of impaired operation causing bodily harm and five counts of dangerous operation causing bodily harm.
The incident took place the evening of Aug. 22, 2019 on Lake Superior. Officers with the Thunder Bay Police Service responded to reports of a boat colliding with the break wall outside the Marina at approximately 11 p.m.
First responders, including the Coast Guard, attended the scene where six people were located with various injuries. The victims were transported to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre for treatment.
The investigation by the Thunder Bay Police Service’s Traffic and Forensic Identification Units determined Wenzel, the operator of the boat, was impaired by alcohol at the time of the collision and he was charged in November 2019.
As a result of the guilty plea, Wenzel was sentenced to 30 days in custody to be served intermittently, a one-year prohibition from operating a vessel, and 12 months of probation.
All other charges were withdrawn at the request of the Crown.
