Yorktown Man Charged With Boating While Intoxicated

Putnam County Sheriff Donald B. Smith reports the arrest of a Yorktown man accused of operating a watercraft while under the influence of alcohol.

On September 5, 2016 at 4:18 p.m., while on marine patrol duty on Lake Mahopac, Sergeant Michael Szabo was dispatched to a report of a sinking boat. Upon arrival, the deputy observed several jet ski operators in the process of rescuing the three passengers of the boat, which had sank to the bottom of the lake. Upon safely arriving ashore, Michael E. Ahearn, 25, of 2103 Laurel Court, Yorktown stated that he had been the driver of the boat. The sergeant observed that Mr. Ahearn exhibited signs of intoxication. Mr. Ahearn admitted that he had been drinking prior to the incident. The sergeant arrested Mr. Ahearn and charged him with Operating a Vessel While Ability Impaired by Alcohol in the Second Degree, a misdemeanor, after the man failed a series of standardized field sobriety tests. The defendant was processed at the Putnam County Correctional Facility and held pending arraignment.

If found guilty of the misdemeanor charge, the defendant could face up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.00.