Jeffry Knight was arrested Monday and charged with eight felony counts, including leaving the scene of a boating accident involving death and/or serious bodily injury.
Knight, 62, was operating the 37-foot pleasure craft that collided with the commercial Clearwater Ferry April 27, leaving one passenger dead and 10 injured. There were 46 people on board the slow-moving vessel, including the captain and a crew member.
Additional misdemeanor charges to be filed with the Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney’s Office include failure to maintain a safe speed, as well as failure to maintain a proper lookout, resulting in a fatal boating accident.
Knight, an owner of the St. Petersburg concert venue Jannus Live, has maintained – through letters submitted to investigators by his attorney, J. Kevin Hayslett – that the ferry did not have proper lighting. The Clearwater Bay collision occurred at approximately 8:40 p.m., as the last light was disappearing from the sky.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, which investigates accidents on the water, said investigators determined that Knight had left the scene of the crash and traveled south toward his residence, where the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office stopped him on the water.
Hayslett, in his correspondence, insisted Knight remained on the scene for approximately 10 minutes, rendering aid, but left when his boat began taking on water.
In a prepared statement, FWC said its officers “conducted a thorough investigation, which included reviewing surveillance video, analyzing physical evidence, and interviewing numerous witnesses. The United States Coast Guard conducted a concurrent investigation into the commercial vessel involved in the crash.”
Several passengers have filed lawsuits against Knight.
