A woman was decapitated after an “intoxicated” boater allegedly drove around 80 miles per hour on a river in Illinois and catapulted over another vessel, authorities told ABC News.
Richard Stevenson, 45, is facing numerous charges — including aggravated DUI and reckless homicide — in connection with the boating accident on the Fox River near McHenry, the news network said, citing court records. The incident occurred Saturday afternoon.
‘It collided with vessel 2, resulting in the decapitation of a female passenger on the second watercraft.’
Stevenson has a history of driving while under the influence, according to court records, and ABC News said a judge on Monday ordered Stevenson held without release, indicating that his pretrial release poses a “real and present threat” to the community’s safety.
“The defendant, while intoxicated, drove his vessel at about 80 mph in a no-wake zone. Even when warned by a passenger, the defendant continued to operate in that manner. The vessel went over the top of another vessel and crashed,” Judge Cynthia Lamb alleged in court documents, citing evidence presented by prosecutors, according to the news network.
“When the defendant’s boat was on top of the victim’s boat, it decapitated one of the passengers of that boat,” Lamb added in documents, ABC News said.
A witness told responding officers that Stevenson’s boat was “at full throttle as it entered in a no-wake. It collided with vessel two, resulting in the decapitation of a female passenger on the second watercraft,” the news network reported, citing a criminal complaint filed Monday.
Court documents indicate that the boat Stevenson allegedly was operating overtook another vessel before he crashed into the timber on the west bank of the river, ABC News added.
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Stevenson remained at the scene and soon was taken to a hospital, the news network said, citing court records.
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A medical draw showed Stevenson had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.2, according to court records. The legal limit in Illinois is 0.08.
Stevenson allegedly told a witness after the accident that he was operating the vessel and that he had been drinking, according to court documents.
Stevenson also has a criminal history, including four misdemeanor speeding charges, most recently in 2023; three reckless driving charges, one with supervision and two with convictions. He also has two convictions for driving while under the influence, according to court records.
Stevenson is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 5, the news network said, citing court records.
ABC News added that an attorney for Stevenson did not immediately respond to its request for comment.
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