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In support of Operation Dry Water, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Enforcement Division arrested 11 boaters statewide for alleged driving or operating a vessel while intoxicated (DWI) from Friday, July 2 to Sunday, July 4.

On July 3 agents arrested:

Megan Carlisle, 36, of Haughton, on Lake Claiborne in Claiborne Parish;
Hayes Meek, 20, of Ringgold, on Lake Bistineau in Bienville Parish;
Joseph W. Turnipseed, 56, of Baton Rouge, on False River in Pointe Coupee Parish.

On July 4 agents arrested:

Spencer T. Stewart, 44, of West Monroe, on the Ouachita River in Ouachita Parish;
Thomas R. Traylor, 23, of Georgetown, on Black River Lake in Concordia Parish;
Trent Theriot, 25, of Thibodaux, on Lake Palourde in St. Mary Parish;
Jesse Comeaux, 27, of Pierre Part, on Lake Palourde in St. Mary Parish;
Brandon Larose, 25, of Labadieville, on Four Mile Bayou in St. Martin Parish;
Chase A. Hattaway, 35, of Simsboro, on Lake Claiborne in Claiborne Parish;
Paige Pilkinton, 24, of Shreveport, on Cross Lake in Caddo Parish;
Eric Rushing, 31, of Denham Springs, on the Diversion Canal in Livingston Parish.

In Louisiana, a DWI on the water carries the same penalties and fines as on the road and includes jail time, fines and loss of driving and boating operator privileges.

Anyone cited for a DWI on the water or on the road will lose his or her driver’s license and boating privileges for the specified time ordered by the judge in the case.  Also, each offense of operating a vehicle or vessel while intoxicated counts toward the total number of DWI crimes whether they happened on the water or road.

In Louisiana a DWI can be issued to anyone operating a moving vessel or vehicle while impaired.  First offense DWI carries a $300 to $1,000 fine and up to six months in jail.

Operation Dry Water was started in 2009 and is a joint program involving the LDWF/LED, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) and the U.S. Coast Guard.  More information is available at www.operationdrywater.org.