Cruise Line Pleads Guilty
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QUEENSBURY, N.Y. (AP) – A cruise line and the captain of a boat that capsized on Lake George on a tranquil day, killing 20 elderly tourists, pleaded guilty Monday to a misdemeanor charge.
Shoreline Cruises and Captain Richard Paris pleaded guilty to not having enough crew members aboard the Ethan Allen tour boat when it flipped over on Oct. 2, 2005, throwing passengers into the cold water of the Adirondack Mountain lake. Captain Paris was the only crew member aboard; state navigation law required at least two for the 47 passengers on board that day.
Warren County Judge John Hall imposed maximum $250 fines on Paris and the company. Also, Captain Paris agreed to serve more than 200 hours of community service in lieu of 15 days in jail.
Warren County District Attorney Kate Hogan has said a more serious charge of criminal negligence was not supportable because there was not enough evidence to show the operators knew the boat would capsize.
Paris said he was eager to get the whole situation behind him.
“It’s over,” he said outside of court.
James Quirk, Shoreline Cruises’ owner, declined to comment.
There are at least nine civil lawsuits pending. Nineteen of the victims were from Michigan and one was from Ohio.
