An intoxicated boater from Illinois, with a record of driving under the influence, has been accused of decapitating a woman after crashing into her vessel at a speed of 80 miles per hour, prosecutors reported.
Richard Stevenson, 45, is alleged to have crashed his 31-foot pontoon into a smaller boat in a no-wake zone at high speed, resulting in the death of a 48-year-old woman and injuries to her husband. This incident followed a day of heavy drinking on the Fox River in Illinois on Saturday, according to the McHenry County State Attorney’s Office.
The woman, whose identity remains undisclosed, was decapitated and pronounced dead at the scene. Details emerged during Stevenson’s hearing on Monday, where a judge decided he would remain in custody until his trial, as reported by ABC7 Chicago.
“This man was a ticking time-bomb, and that bomb went off this past Saturday on the Fox River,” stated Deputy Chief Brian Miller during Stevenson’s detention hearing.
When authorities arrived, Stevenson was found standing near the pontoon boat along the treeline.
He was transported to Northwestern Hospital in McHenry, where tests indicated a blood alcohol concentration of approximately .200, over twice the legal driving limit.
By the time police arrived, two other passengers from the pontoon boat had already left the scene.
Multiple witnesses informed investigators that Stevenson had been consuming alcohol throughout the day. Surveillance footage captured him navigating the watercraft at extremely high speeds on both the Fox River and the nearby Chain O’Lakes before the collision, which took place around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday in McHenry.
Prosecutors stated that Stevenson was traveling at speeds of up to 80 miles per hour when he collided with the 20-foot Crownline.
Stevenson was arrested and faces charges of reckless homicide and two counts of aggravated driving under the influence.
He has previously been charged with drunk driving on three occasions, as well as reckless driving three times, and has four misdemeanor speeding offenses, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Stevenson is scheduled to appear in court next on August 5.
