Redmond man gets jail time in Lake Billy Chinook BUII crash

A 24-year-old Redmond man was sentenced to 75 days in jail and three years probation Thursday for the June 2017 drunken-boating crash of a rental boat on the rocky shore of Lake Billy Chinook that injured five people, two seriously, Jefferson County District Attorney Steve Leriche said Friday.

Under the terms of a plea deal, Circuit Judge Daniel Ahern also imposed a suspended sentence on Dillon Chase Goforth of 2 1/2 years in prison, which he’ll have to serve, without eligibility for time off, should his probation be revoked for violating its terms, Leriche said.

The terms of Goforth’s probation include completing an alcohol evaluation and any recommended treatment, consuming no intoxicants, paying restitution as determined by the court and attending a victim impact panel.

Goforth, who was ordered to jail immediately, also won’t be allowed to operate a boat for the next year and will be unable to register a boat in his name for three years, the DA said.

Leriche said the jail term was established at 15 days for each victim of the crash, though one sentence was allowed to run concurrently based on a victim impact statement in support of Goforth by one of the boat’s occupants.

Goforth pleaded no contest in May to third-degree assault, four counts of fourth-degree assault, recklessly endangering another person and boating under the influence of intoxicants. Other charges of assault, recklessly endangering, criminal mischief and reckless operation of a boat were dismissed as part of the agreement.

Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies said at the time five of seven people were thrown from the boat and three were taken to St. Charles Madras, while the others refused treatment. The crash occurred on the Metolius Arm of the lake, near the Crooked River day-use area and Three Rivers boat launch.

Deputies responding to the crash initially cited Goforth for reckless operation of a boat, a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $6,250 fine, Leriche said.

The DA’s office learned of the crash in early July, and after reviewing the wreckage, reached out to the Oregon State Marine Board for assistance in the investigation. Leriche said they dispatched a Boating Accident Investigation team made up of marine officers from around the state with special training in crash reconstruction and investigation.

BAIT investigators examined the boat, a 1995 Bayliner Capri 2005, and the crash scene and re-interviewed several people involved in the crash.

Leriche said the investigation found that Goforth rented the boat at Cove Palisades Resort and Marina early in the afternoon of June 24, 2017, “and spent the rest of the afternoon drinking and boating on the lake with his passengers,” four women in their 20s and a 20-year-old male. A 1-year-old infant also was on the boat.

One victim told investigators they met up with a “party barge” on the lake and each passenger but the baby took “pulls from a bottle of Jack Daniels,” Leriche said. Another woman said she brought a half-gallon of tequila on the boat, which was half-consumed by the time of the crash, while another victim saw Goforth drinking a beer.

One witness confirmed at least one alcohol container was “sunk” in the lake after the crash, to avoid detection, the DA said.

“Goforth’s passengers described him as ‘pretty intoxicated’ and ‘buzzed,’ with one stating that “if he was sober, he probably wouldn’t have crashed,” Leriche said in a news release.

Marina employees told deputies “they witnessed Goforth jumping wakes with the boat at such speed that the entire body of the boat left the water,” Leriche wrote.

“A marine employee attempted to wave Goforth in prior to the crash, but Goforth continued boating,” the DA said. “Ultimately, the investigators determined that while swerving along the shoreline at full speed, Goforth struck the shore, ejecting passengers from his boat onto the shore and into the water.”

Leriche said Goforth was represented by Bend attorney Todd Wilson, while Chief Deputy DA Brentley Foster represented the state. He thanked the sheriff’s office and Warm Springs Tribal Police Department for their quick response and efforts to assist the victims. The DA also expressed thanks to the Oregon Marine Board and BAIT investigation team.

“Although Lake Billy Chinook is one of Oregon’s largest and most popular recreational waterways, boating under the influence investigations and crashes are rare,” Leriche wrote. “The professionalism, experience and guidance provided by the BAIT investigators was instrumental in achieving a successful result in this case.”