Monday, July 2, 2012
Another Cumming man was charged with BUI and homicide by vessel, in connection with a collision on Lake Lanier in April that killed one person and seriously injured another.
- POLICE & FIRE
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Monday, July 2, 2012
A Cumming man has been charged with homicide by vessel and boating under the influence in connection with a collision on Lake Lanier on April 21 that killed one person and seriously injured another, officials with the Department of Natural Resources announced Monday. In a press release, the DNR said that Steven Brent Parker, 32, of Cumming has been charged with four counts: homicide by vessel (felony), serious injury by vessel (felony), BUI and reckless operation of a vessel. Officials said conviction on both felony counts would carry a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison. These charges were filed following an investigation by DNR Wildlife Resources Division rangers, working with the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office. DNR…
Thursday, June 28, 2012
The body of Griffin Prince was found Wednesday evening by searchers at Lake Lanier.
Finally, there can be closure for the Prince family of Buford after last week's fatal boat collision on Lake Lanier. Wednesday evening, divers from the Hall County Sheriff's Office and the FBI recovered the body of Griffin Prince, 13, who was thrown overboard in the collision June 18. The incident also killed Griffin Prince's brother Jake, 9. Griffin Prince's body was recovered from an area where they were conducting their most dangerous dives yet. Dive crews said he was found about 113 feet down in the water. "We do hope the recovery of Griffin helps them put some closure on this tragic event at this time," Hall County Sheriff Steve Cronic said at a news conference. "It's so important to have that closure, and all of our guys understand …
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Griffin Prince, 13, had been missing since last week's fatal boating collision on Lake Lanier.
Updated (8:45 a.m. Thursday) The rescue efforts on Lake Lanier apparently have found the body of Griffin Prince, the Buford teen who had been missing since the recent boating collision on Lake Lanier. In a press release, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources gave the details of the recovery on Wednesday evening. Officials said divers had recovered the body of Griffin Prince, 13, in about 113 feet of water in the Shoal Creek area on southern Lanier at approximately 6 p.m. on Wednesday. The search had lasted nine days and involved more than 10 agencies and organizations officials said. The incident began at about 10:30 p.m. on June 18 when a pontoon boat carrying the teen and 12 other people was hit by another boat in Shoal Creek on …
FBI divers are involved in the effort for missing 13-year-old Griffin Prince.
The search for missing Griffin Prince of Buford entered Day 9 on Wednesday at Lake Lanier, with divers from Hall County and the FBI involved in trying to find one of the victims of the June 18 boating tragedy. According to the WSB-TV Web site, divers are focusing on an area the size of a football field about 300 feet south of the crash where the water is well over 100 feet deep. Members of the Prince family have been at the command post the entire time, waiting for any word. Griffin Prince, 13, was thrown overboard and his brother Jake, 9, was killed when another boater drove his craft into a pontoon boat being piloted by the Prince boys' father, Michael Prince Jr. The collision happened late at night when the pontoon boat apparently was …
Monday, June 25, 2012
Additional high-tech help is available in the search for Griffin Prince.
More high-tech help was expected as divers resume search Monday for missing Griffin Prince at Lake Lanier. WSB-TV.com reported that the FBI will bring in new equipment Monday that will allow divers to stay under water for more than six minutes at a time in an effort to complete their search. Previously, an underwater remote device was shipped in from California to aid in the search. Prince, 13, of Buford has been missing since last week's boating collision, which also took the life of his brother Jake, 9. Paul J. Bennett has been charged with boating under the influence in connection with the crash. Bennett was piloting a boat that collided with a pontoon boat piloted by the Princes boys' father, Michael Prince Jr. WSB also reported that …
Friday, June 22, 2012
A witness to the fatal boating collision recounts details.
Divers were expected to resume their search Friday morning at Lake Lanier for missing teen Griffin Prince, according to media reports. However, the busy nature of weekends at Lake Lanier means they likely will suspend their search then. Prince, 13, has been missing since a boating collision Monday that also killed his 9-year-old brother, Jake. Also, a witness to the crash scene told WSB-TV that Paul Bennett, who faces boating under the influence charges in connection with the crash, did not leave the scene immediately. "It wasn't a hit-and-run, by what people may think, that he left the scene immediately. He didn't do that," Phil Johnson said. Johnson said Bennett left sometime after rescue crews showed up. Bennett, who is from Cumming, …
A Cumming man was charged with boating under influence in collision that killed boy, 9. A teen is still missing, and DNR confirms the boys are brothers.
Update (3 p.m. Tuesday) Melissa Cummings, spokesperson with Georgia DNR, Wildlife Resources Division, confirms that the 9-year-old boy who was killed and the 13-year-old boy who is still missing are brothers. Update (12:05 p.m. Tuesday) An arrest has been made in the case involving a fatality from a boating collision Monday at Lake Lanier, according to the Wildlife Resources Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR). At a news conference Tuesday morning, DNR officials announced the arrest of Paul J. Bennett, 44, of Cumming, the operator of the boat that struck a pontoon boat, and charged him with boating under the influence. According to investigators, Bennett left the scene of the crash. A DNR ranger responding to the …
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Prince Sr., the victims' grandfather, relates details of the incident.
A memorial Facebook page has been set up for Jake and Griffin Prince, the Buford youths who were victims of this week's boating crash on Lake Lanier. Jake, 9, was killed in Monday's collision, and Griffin, 13, still is missing. Diving teams have been searching for his body since the collision occurred late Monday. The Facebook page already has accumulated more than 1800 likes, and many comments and photo uploads. The boys' grandfather, Michael Prince Sr., told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that a party led by his son, Michael Prince Jr., was aboard a pontoon boat on Lake Lanier when the collision occurred. "They were on their way home," Prince said. The force of the collision sent all 13 on board into the waters of Lanier. Ryan Prince…
The Grass Shack, a boating business owned by the Prince family, is open, but ...
The Grass Shack, a boating business near Lake Lanier, was open Wednesday morning, but it definitely was not business as usual. "As of now, I'm the only one here," Grass Shack employee Jean Aubin said by telephone. The reason is understandable. The Grass Shack is owned by the Prince family of Buford, which lost a 9-year-old son in a boating collision Monday night on Lake Lanier. A 13-year-old Prince son still is missing because of the crash. "I just came in," Aubin said. "I don't know if anyone else will." He noted that normally, the business would be buzzing with employees and customers. Michael Prince Jr., active in the family business, was piloting a pontoon boat Monday with family members aboard when the collision occurred. Killed was …
As divers resumed their search Wednesday for the missing teen, a bizarre twist to the tragic story is being reported.
Update (3:10 p.m. Wednesday) Paul Bennett, the Cumming man responsible for the death of a 9-year-old boy in the fatal boat collision on Monday, purchased his boat from The Grass Shack, according to a media report. Michael Prince Sr., principal owner of The Grass Shack near Lake Lanier, told 11alive.com that he sold Bennett the boat involved in Monday night's crash that took the life of his grandson. Prince said Bennett was a regular customer, according to the report. Original Post (9 a.m. Tuesday) Authorities have released the names of the victims from Monday's fatal boating accident on Lake Lanier, according to the Wildlife Resources Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Nine-year-old Jake Prince was killed when a…
Donea' Kimbrough
6:31 pm on Thursday, July 12, 2012
My prays are with the family during this horrific tragedy. I pray that God be with you all. So so sorry that this unfortunate event had to occur to your family. May God Bless You. more ›