Contrary to his attorney’s claims, Jeffry Knight’s 37-foot pleasure craft was not taking on water following the April 27 collision with the slow-moving Clearwater Ferry. One ferry passenger died, and at least eight were injured.
At a Tuesday afternoon press conference, investigators discussed their case against Knight, 62, including eight felony counts of Leaving the Scene of a Vessel Accident Involving Serious Bodily Injury and Death.
He was also charged with failure to maintain a safe speed and failure to post a lookout, both misdemeanors.
Knight, an owner of the St. Petersburg concert venue Jannus Live, was arrested Monday after voluntarily returning from a trip to the Bahamas.
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In letters to Fish and Wildlife Conservation investigator Richard Schefano April 29 and May 1, attorney J. Kevin Hayslett insisted that Knight, after he hit the 40-foot ferry with 46 passengers aboard, fled the scene after several minutes because his own vessel, which carried several passengers, was taking on water, causing concern for his passengers’ safety.
“We did not find any water intrusion, or any significant issues that would have limited the vessel’s capability to remain in place that night,” FWC investigator Matt Dallarosa said Tuesday.
“Mr. Knight did remain on scene for a period of time, but our evidence revealed, and a lot of 911 call evidence revealed, that there was a significant change in the demeanor of what was occurring. And there was an attempt to leave the scene.”
Knight’s boat was stopped by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office “a good distance” from the scene, he added.
“And the discussion he had with those deputies did not indicate any desire to remain at the scene, and that’s what led us to the charges we have today.”
The radar on Knight’s center console boat was not functioning, although Dallarosa pointed out a working radar is not required by law.
Other contributing factors were the 911 calls made by Knight’s passengers, during which someone (presumably Knight) can be heard pleading with the caller to “not say anything.”
Because emergency vehicles arrived within moments of the collision, there would have been no need, said Dallarosa, for Knight to remove his boat and passengers from the scene.
Knight was released from the Pinellas County Jail after posting $40,000 bond. A date for formal arraignment has not been announced.
According to Dallarosa, ferry captain Dennis Kimerer was charged with failure to main proper lighting on the stern (rear) of his vessel. Knight and his attorney have maintained that the ferry was operating without a stern light, and that it was a factor in the collision.
The three-month investigation, Dallarosa explained, included a reconstruction of the accident from both vessels’ perspective, using laser mapping techniques and the creation of digital images. They also test-drove Knight’s boat to check its functionality and dynamics.
“Boating accident investigation takes a long time,” he said. “Everything sinks to the bottom. Evidence isn’t readily available. You can’t analyze skid marks the same way you can on a roadway. You’ll see a roadway closed for hours while it’s evaluated for a vehicle accident. We don’t have that luxury when it comes to boats.
“We have to build a complete chronology, not just of the seconds that led up to the accident, but even the hours and days that preceded that. We have significant functionality testing. We did a complete forensic analysis on the GPS’ that were available, all the vessels that were there …
“All of that has to be put together so that we can present a complete chronology of the event itself, and be confident with what did occur, and apply our charges as appropriate.”
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