Lake Lanier leads state in BUI arrests

GAINESVILLE, Ga. — Georgia game wardens arrested two boat operators for boating under the influence following separate incidents on Lake Lanier during the Labor Day holiday weekend.

The incidents were the only two boating accidents reported statewide through Sunday, Sept. 6, according to preliminary Georgia Department of Natural Resources statistics. Neither resulted in injuries or fatalities.

Pontoon runs aground in Forsyth County

Game wardens responded Sept. 6 to an incident near Port Royal Marina in Forsyth County, where a pontoon boat had run completely onto a shoal.

After confirming no one was injured, officers interviewed witnesses and the boat’s operator. Suspecting the operator was impaired, wardens conducted a BUI screening and determined he was intoxicated, said Georgia Department of Natural Resources spokesperson Mark McKinnon.

The pontoon was severely damaged and had to be towed from the shoal. The operator was arrested for BUI and taken to the Forsyth County Jail.

Boat strikes cabin cruiser in Hall County

Later that night, shortly after 9:30 p.m., game wardens were called to the courtesy dock at LandShark Cove in Hall County.

Witnesses and Margaritaville employees told investigators that a man attempting to move his boat from a reserved space struck a nearby cabin cruiser. He then parked his vessel in a slip at another dock.

Wardens collected witness statements and located the operator. He was arrested on charges of BUI and obstruction of a law enforcement officer and transported to the Hall County Jail.

Lake Lanier has majority of BUIs this weekend

Preliminary DNR figures show game wardens made eight BUI arrests statewide on Saturday and Sunday. Five of those arrests occurred on Lake Lanier.

No drownings, boating-related injuries, or boating fatalities were reported in Georgia Saturday or Sunday.

The holiday reporting period runs at 11:59 p.m. Monday, Sept. 7.