Drunk driving a boat doesn't merit strict punishment, even if someone is killed

Fox 4 has an amazing story about a surprising legal disparity in favor of luxury vehicle operators i.e. white guys on vacation. Tess Kopplelman reports some scary details about the laws that apply to drunken boat owners (or lack thereof) that remind me why I don't like the lake - Other than the fact an ex-girlfriend once tried to drown me in the Ozarks.

Kevin Harrison was charged with boating while intoxicated and involuntary manslaughter. He's accused of hitting a woman with his boat and killing her while she was swimming at Nehai Lake near Marceline. Investigators said he was drunk, well over the legal limit, but last month a judge dismissed the case.

Harrison hit Bonnie Copper with his boat, killing her almost instantly. Investigators said he went back to shore to dump his cooler of beer before going back to the scene.

But when the case went to court last month, the judge dismissed involuntary manslaughter charge saying the prosecutor couldn't prove criminal intent. That's when the family found out that the laws for drinking and driving aren't the same if you happen to be driving a boat.

And because TKC is a very observant and diligent student of the law . . . I think I can make this story "new I can use" if attaching a sail mast and a bow to my car will get me the same exemptions. I could even wear a captain's hat to really sell the illusion!!! It just might give Yacht Rock a whole new meaning in this town and provide me another reason to yell "Jib Ho!" at several intervals throughout the day.