Brooklyn Mae Carroll was killed in the incident, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC) said.
Quinten Gregory Kight, 40, has been charged with felony operating a motor vessel while under the influence, unintentionally causing serious injury to another person, in Saturday’s incident on Shearon Harris Lake.
Kight’s partner and the registered boat owner, AnneMarie Flanigan, was charged on Tuesday with felony death by impaired boating, serious injury via impaired boating and aiding and abetting boating while impaired, according to arrest documents.
Kight was also charged with operating his motorboat on the lake negligently, endangering the life of Jennifer Ann Stahle by not looking forward in the direction of travel and being under the influence, according to court documents.
“This was a heartbreaking accident, but one that was preventable. Alcohol was a factor, and the decision to operate a boat while impaired had devastating consequences,” Chatham County Sheriff Mike Roberson said in a statement on Monday. “We urge everyone to think twice before mixing alcohol with watercraft operation. It only takes a moment for lives to be changed forever.”
The WRC said this was a preventable act that should not have occurred, and expressed condolences to Brooklyn’s family in a statement to ABC News.
“We remain dedicated to providing a safe environment for all N Carolinians and visitors alike to enjoy our states lakes and waterways,” the WRC said.
Kight was arrested on Monday.
While his bond was initially set at $500,000, Kight has posted an amended bond of $250,000, according to court documents. He is not allowed to operate a motor vehicle of any kind and is subject to cam monitoring, court documents said.
