In a shocking incident over the weekend, a boat crash on the Fox River in Illinois resulted in the tragic decapitation of a woman. Authorities say the incident was caused by an intoxicated Illinois boater with a prior record of driving under the influence, who collided with her vessel while speeding at 80 miles per hour.
Richard Stevenson, aged 45, is accused of recklessly driving his 31-foot pontoon into the back of a smaller boat, resulting in the death of a 48-year-old woman and injuries to her husband. The collision occurred in a no-wake zone following a day of excessive drinking, according to the McHenry County State Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors announced that the woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, was decapitated and pronounced dead on site. The tragic details were revealed during Stevenson’s court hearing on Monday, where it was decided he would remain detained until his trial, as reported by ABC7 Chicago.
“This man’s actions were like a ticking time bomb that finally exploded on the Fox River this past Saturday,” Deputy Chief Brian Miller stated during Stevenson’s detention hearing, emphasizing the imminent danger posed by his conduct.
When the police arrived, Stevenson was found standing near his pontoon, away from the scene. Subsequent testing at Northwestern Hospital in McHenry revealed his blood alcohol content was approximately .200, significantly exceeding the legal limit for driving.
Two other passengers of the pontoon boat had left by the time cops showed up.
Multiple witnesses told investigators that Stevenson had been drinking throughout the day, and surveillance video shows him zipping the watercraft at extremely high rates of speed on both the Fox River and adjoining Chain O’Lakes leading up to the crash, which occurred around 2:30 p.m. Saturday in McHenry.
Prosecutors said he was going as fast as 80 miles per hour when he plowed over the 20-foot Crownline, prosecutors said.
Stevenson was arrested and charged with reckless homicide and two counts of aggravated driving under the influence.
Stevenson had been charged with drunk driving on three previous occasions, as well as reckless driving three times, and has four misdemeanor speeding offenses, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Stevenson is due to appear in court next on Aug. 5.