(Wahpeton)– Charges have been filed against a Sioux Falls man in connection with the August 12th hit-and-run boat crash on West Lake Okoboji that claimed the life of 51-year-old Michael Brosnahan and injured his wife, 50-year-old Jill.
At a news conference late Tuesday afternoon, Terry Klooster, a Special Agent with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation announced the arrest of 29-year-old Justin Allen Nearman of Sioux Falls…a seasonal resident of the lakes area. Nearman has been charged with operating a motor boat while intoxicated resulting in the death of another person, a class “B” felony; and operating a boat while intoxicated resulting in the serious injury of another person, a class “D” felony. He’s being held in the Minnehaha county jail on bond of 42,250-dollars. An initial appearance is tentatively set for 1:00 p.m. Wednesday in Minnehaha County District Court. Authorities say Nearman will eventually be extradited to Dickinson county.
If convicted, Nearman faces no more than 25 years in prison on the class “B” felony and no more than five years on the class “D” felony.
Authorities wouldn’t say exactly what evidence they had that resulted in them filing the operating while intoxicated charge, but KUOO news has learned it’s based on interviews DCI agents conducted with the operators and employees of several lakes area establishments.
Klooster added that as of right now, no charges have been filed against another person that was allegedly with Nearman at the time of the crash, 21-year-old Ryan Deighton of Sioux Falls.
Authorities won’t say who owns the boat Nearman and Deighton were on. It was seized from a boat hoist on West Lake Okoboji late Friday.
Klooster credits good investigatory skills and a lot of hard work and cooperation among the various agencies involved in taking the investigation to this stage.
