Colebrook man charged in incident that resulted in wayward boat, capsized Marine Patrol vessel

GILFORD — Marine Patrol shared this week an arrest in connection with an incident this summer involving a runaway watercraft and a capsized Marine Patrol boat.

Craig F. Devlin, 50, of Colebrook, was arrested Saturday and has been charged with careless and negligent operation of a boat as well as conduct after an accident.

The charges are related to a dangerous situation that developed around 10:30 p.m. on July 19, when an emergency call was placed to report a person in the water and yelling for help in the area of Round Island. Responding Marine Patrol officers found the scene of a boating crash, with two people in the water and no one in their boat, which was at that moment running erratically on the lake. The boat had apparently struck a rock.

The victims of the crash were rescued from the water, and then transferred to a Gilford Fire Rescue boat. Both victims were taken to Concord Hospital-Laconia for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

After transporting the crash victims, the two responding Marine Patrol officers turned their attention to the unoccupied and running boat. They attempted to cause the boat to stall by throwing a line in its path, with the hope that it would become tangled in the propeller. A first attempt failed, and during the second attempt, the wandering boat suddenly changed direction and struck the stern of the Marine Patrol boat, causing it to capsize.

The two officers were thrown overboard, and for a moment were trapped under the upturned hull of their boat, which was being dragged by the unmanned boat. Both officers managed to escape the ordeal without serious injury.

The stray boat was finally brought to heel by two good Samaritans, who helped the Marine Patrol officers out of the water and then boarded the boat, slowed because of its contact with the Marine Patrol boat, and shut off its motor.