Petaluma skipper arrested for DUI after passenger dies in boat's propellers

On Sunday at 3:44 pm a Sonoma County Sheriff’s patrol boat on Lake Sonoma was flagged down by another boater advising of a possible boating accident on the Warm Springs arm of the lake near Jet Ski Cove. The Sheriff’s boat responded to the scene and requested the Sheriff’s helicopter and the Army Corps of Engineers marine unit for assistance.
Upon arrival, deputies found an adult male stuck in the propeller of a ski boat. He was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to the coroner’s office after extrication. The identity of the male is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
After a preliminary investigation, it appears that the deceased male was a passenger in the same boat and had been sitting on the rear deck near the propellers, while the boat was backing, just prior to the accident.
The operator of the ski boat was arrested for boating under the influence of alcohol with injury, and was booked into the Sonoma County Jail. He was identified as Will Dawson, age 25, a resident of Petaluma. The investigation into the incident is ongoing. Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Sgt. Pacheco at the Lake Sonoma Marine Unit at 707-433-0728.