SAVANNAH, GA (August 9, 2012) A Savannah man has been charged twice by Metro Marine Patrol Officers after two boating incidents.
Francis Mathews, 54, of a Port Royal Drive address was arrested Wednesday and released on $10,000 bond after arraignment on charges of felony removal/alteration of a boat hull identification number and illegal dumping.
The charge stems from July 25 when the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Marine Unit investigated a 20-foot Wellcraft boat that had been set adrift at the public boat ramp located under Johnny Mercer Boulevard at Turners Creek. The boat had no motor and the identification numbers had been removed.
A Marine Patrol officer traced the boat back to Mathews using a partial tag number on a pickup truck seen in the area. He admitted dumping the boat after removing the motor, thinking someone else might want it.
The following weekend, Mathews was charged with boating under the influence and operating a vessel without registration after another Marine Patrol officer noticed him ride by in another boat with an expired registration. Those charges are pending.
# # #
Leave a Reply