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drunk Illinois boater decapitated a woman after slamming into her boat

noleclone2

noleclone2

Heisman
May 3, 2015
3,727
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AFM22 said:
Prosecutors successfully argued for pretrial detention by detailing Stevenson's 20-year history of dangerous driving. His record includes:
  • three prior DUI arrests,
  • three reckless driving convictions,
  • three convictions for fleeing and eluding police, and
  • multiple severe speeding violations
  • careless boat operation in Miami-Dade County, Florida, in 2022.
Stevenson is a Vice President at Bolingbrook-based Stevenson Crane Service, Inc.



Soo, think that was even his boat?
Click to expand...
Nepotism at its finest. You know this was a son or brother loser who was just as crappy a company executive as a drunk driver/boater.
 
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A

aCEOuProbablyKnow

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Jun 4, 2026
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Torbee said:
Similar incident near LeClaire, Iowa a couple years ago - asshatz with over-sized boats are a real f.ucking menace:


FATAL BOAT CRASH TRIAL

Black box reveals Thiel boat was going nearly 57 mph seconds before fatal LeClaire crash​

A "black box" in an engine of a boat involved in a fatal crash on the Mississippi River revealed a speed of about 57 mph in the seconds before the crash, according to new testimony.
View attachment 1375858
James Thiel Sr. listens to a witness testify on day three of his involuntary manslaughter trial Wednesday at the Scott County Courthouse in Davenport.


James Thiel Sr., of Pleasant Valley, is on trial in Scott County, facing four charges of involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of Anita Pinc, 52, and Craig Verbeke, 61, both of Moline.

Thiel owned the 35-foot Triton that collided with Verbeke's 19-foot Bayliner in the waters near the LeClaire levee on Aug. 16, 2020. Pinc, Verbeke's passenger, died at the scene. Verbeke died three days later.

Peter Chisholm, product safety manager for Mercury Marine, took the stand Monday to tell the jury what he learned from data collected from the event-data recorder, or black box, on one of three motors on the Triton.


A certified marine investigator trained in accident investigations on the water, Chisholm said his "conservative estimate" put the speed of the Triton at 56.9 mph in the seconds before the crash.
The driver of the Triton, a 15-year-old, testified earlier in the day that he was going 40 mph and told investigators at the scene he was doing between 35 and 40.

He also said Verbeke was "driving crazy," and maintained the Triton was not racing a jet boat owned by Ethan Mahler. That despite testimony from a dozen witnesses who have said they saw the two boats racing in front of the LeClaire levee.


The teen testified he is a certified boat operator, having successfully taken the necessary boater safety courses when he was 12 years old.

“I’ve been around boats my entire life,” he said. “I’m a very capable driver.”


The teen said he saw Verbeke’s boat in front of the Triton and he called out for Thiel, who was behind him. Thiel previously testified he was to the right of the teen.
“I instinctively turned left to avoid them; they turned back into us,” the minor told the jury. "I believe we were going 40 (mph) before we slowed up.”
Other witnesses have said the rule on the river is that both boats are to veer to the right to avoid a collision.

"I tried to avoid them at all costs," the minor told the jury. "They were cutting in front of us."

An investigator with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, or DNR, previously testified there was no evidence the Triton took any evasive action in the collision.
The teen became emotional when an audio recording of his call to 911 was played for the jury.
“We were going really fast,” he told the 911 dispatcher, saying he hit the boat.

Thiel’s wife, Gretchen, also testified Monday.


She struggled for her composure throughout her testimony, frequently sobbing, shaking and nearly yelling.
Asked whether adults on the boat were supervising the teen driver, she replied they were not. When the questions continued, she replied to the prosecutor: “I don’t know why you keep asking me that. He was a legal driver.”
The minor driver testified he frequently drove Thiel's boat and was supervised "most of the time."

Before breaking for the lunch recess, two more witnesses testified to seeing the Thiel boat racing with Mahler's boat moments before the crash.

The minor driver was asked on the stand whether the two boats were traveling side-by-side, and he replied, "Nope."
In all, 12 witnesses have testified that the boats were traveling at a high rate of speed. Several said they feared the boats were going to crash with each other or hit the Twilight riverboat, moored at the shore.
Click to expand...
"DOWNSTATE"
 
QChawks

QChawks

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Dec 17, 2022
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AFM22 said:
Prob just a glorified title for sales rep.
Click to expand...
The incident has shifted focus to Richard ‘Rick’ Stevenson's family. Here's all you need to know about them.

Stevenson Crane Service is based out of Bolingbrook. Donna Stevenson, Ricky's mother, is the solitary owner of the company. She is currently the Chief Executive Officer (CEO)/President of Stevenson Crane Service.

His brother Robert ‘Bobby’ Stevenson is also a Vice President of the family company alongside Ricky. In a 1990 Chicago Tribune profile of Donna Stevenson, it was noted that Richard was the youngest of the children.

There is already a boycott of sorts to cancel all future business with the company from the rigging union.
 
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aCEOuProbablyKnow

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Jun 4, 2026
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Torbee said:
Click to expand...
"Downstate" Dawn.
 
lucas80

lucas80

Heisman
Jan 30, 2008
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QChawks said:
The incident has shifted focus to Richard ‘Rick’ Stevenson's family. Here's all you need to know about them.

Stevenson Crane Service is based out of Bolingbrook. Donna Stevenson, Ricky's mother, is the solitary owner of the company. She is currently the Chief Executive Officer (CEO)/President of Stevenson Crane Service.

His brother Robert ‘Bobby’ Stevenson is also a Vice President of the family company alongside Ricky. In a 1990 Chicago Tribune profile of Donna Stevenson, it was noted that Richard was the youngest of the children.

There is already a boycott of sorts to cancel all future business with the company from the rigging union.
Click to expand...
Sounds like quite the stunted family tree, but I don't see the practical reason to boycott such a highly specialized company, or why a union would care? Looking at the jobs they do there cannot be a ton of competitors. If you got large pieces of equipment to move there can't be that many companies with the equipment and staff capable of doing the work.
 
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lucas80

lucas80

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Jan 30, 2008
16,136
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Moral said:
Fireball chugging, reckless drunks with money are exactly the type of people I want to hang recently.
Click to expand...
It's acceptable to look down at anyone who chugs Fireball. It's just a given that they are backward hat wearing drunks.
 
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Hydro2.0

Hydro2.0

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Jun 25, 2018
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Torbee said:
The owner of the Treehouse Pub in Bettendorf has THIRTEEN DUIs.

But he's friends with the mayor, so he is allowed to operate the place under his wife's name on the liquor license.
Click to expand...
Clearly has substance abuse issue and thank god he never killed anything, yet.

judge hydro says a 9mm and a 2.50 dollar bullet sounds appropriate
 
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noleclone2

noleclone2

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May 3, 2015
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QChawks said:
The incident has shifted focus to Richard ‘Rick’ Stevenson's family. Here's all you need to know about them.

Stevenson Crane Service is based out of Bolingbrook. Donna Stevenson, Ricky's mother, is the solitary owner of the company. She is currently the Chief Executive Officer (CEO)/President of Stevenson Crane Service.

His brother Robert ‘Bobby’ Stevenson is also a Vice President of the family company alongside Ricky. In a 1990 Chicago Tribune profile of Donna Stevenson, it was noted that Richard was the youngest of the children.

There is already a boycott of sorts to cancel all future business with the company from the rigging union.
Click to expand...
Fredo. Given his last name but “only” being a VP with that list of DUIs and you knew he was an empty suit due to family wealth. Probably worked 5 hours a week.
 
bagdropper

bagdropper

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AFM22 said:
Prosecutors successfully argued for pretrial detention by detailing Stevenson's 20-year history of dangerous driving. His record includes:
  • three prior DUI arrests,
  • three reckless driving convictions,
  • three convictions for fleeing and eluding police, and
  • multiple severe speeding violations
  • careless boat operation in Miami-Dade County, Florida, in 2022.
Stevenson is a Vice President at Bolingbrook-based Stevenson Crane Service, Inc.



Soo, think that was even his boat?
Click to expand...

My bet is it's daddy's company and money.

I bet he's truly proud how his son has turned out.

Edited to add...OK, Mommy's company. She's no doubt proud too
 
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Tailgater371

Tailgater371

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to be drunk behind the wheel of a boat/car is bad enough. But this jackass is just reckess. This could have killed someone if he was stone sober. He should go to jail for a while.
 
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Jonathan Assbutt Jr.

Jonathan Assbutt Jr.

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QChawks said:
Richard Stevenson, a 45-year-old executive from Lisle, Illinois, has been denied pretrial release and ordered held in jail following a fatal, alcohol-fueled boat crash on the Fox River near McHenry.

The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon, July 25, 2026, and Stevenson made his first court appearance on Monday, July 27, 2026. He faces multiple felony charges, including reckless homicide involving a watercraft and aggravated driving under the influence (DUI) causing death. Stevenson was operating a high-powered, 30-foot pontoon boat equipped with three outboard motors. Witnesses and passengers stated he was traveling at full throttle estimated at 80 miles per hour through a designated no-wake zone. He ran directly over a smaller Crownline boat. A 48-year-old female passenger on the smaller boat was killed instantly and decapitated by the impact. Her husband, who was driving, was hospitalized in critical condition and placed on life support.

Court documents allege Stevenson was drinking Fireball whiskey throughout the day and stopped at a bar for more shots shortly before the crash. A hospital blood draw later revealed his blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was 0.20 to 0.236, nearly three times the legal limit of 0.08. Following the collision, Stevenson's boat crashed into the riverbank timber. He was found in the shoreline trees, while two female passengers on his boat fled the scene before police arrived.

Prosecutors successfully argued for pretrial detention by detailing Stevenson's 20-year history of dangerous driving. His record includes three prior DUI arrests, three reckless driving convictions, three convictions for fleeing and eluding police, and multiple severe speeding violations. He was also cited for careless boat operation in Miami-Dade County, Florida, in 2022. Stevenson is a Vice President at Bolingbrook-based Stevenson Crane Service, Inc.

His professional social media accounts were taken down immediately following the crash. A McHenry County judge ruled that electronic monitoring or home confinement could not protect the public from Stevenson, calling him a "ticking time bomb". He remains incarcerated at the McHenry County Jail and is scheduled to return to court for a preliminary hearing on August 5, 2026. The Illinois Conservation Police are actively leading the ongoing investigation and are asking anyone with cell phone video, security footage, or eyewitness details to submit an online report.

Click to expand...

Court documents allege Stevenson was drinking Fireball whiskey throughout the day

Imagine her husband reading that after he wakes up
 
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hawkbirch

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glad I read this after boating today. Thankfully everyone on East Lake Okoboji were good boaters today.
 
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