Kokomo man involved in boat accident at Mississinewa Reservoir

Kokomo man involved in boat accident at Mississinewa Reservoir and jailed for operating boat while intoxicated.

DNR News
Division of Law Enforcement

Indiana Department of Natural Resources
402 W. Washington St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204-2748

For immediate release: May 30, 2015

Kokomo man involved in boat accident at Mississinewa Reservoir and jailed for operating boat while intoxicated.

(Wabash) Indiana Conservation Officers investigated an early morning boat accident at Mississinewa Reservoir and subsequently jailed the operator Adam B. Childers, 29, of Kokomo for operating a motorboat while intoxicated.

At approximately 5:58am the Wabash County Sheriffs Dept. received a 911 call from other boaters stating there was a wrecked boat on the shore of the reservoir with nobody around. Eventually the same 911 caller found Childers several yards from the boat in the water.

Conservation Officers responded along with the Sheriffs Department and Wabash City Fire Department and brought Childers and his boat which sustained extensive damage to the Red Bridge boat ramp. Cpl. Jon Engle determined that Childers had been the lone person on the boat at the time of the accident and he appeared intoxicated.

There were no witnesses to the accident so it is unknown exactly what occurred and how Childers ended up in the water. Childers was unable to tell investigators how the accident occurred. Childers was uninjured in the accident. The damage on the boat consisted of a torn away lower unit and propeller and both floats on the pontoon boat were damaged and taking on water.

Childers was transported to the Wabash County Jail where Officer Jerry Hoerdt administered a datamaster test to Childers, who tested .24% and was booked into the jail on the charge of operating a motorboat while intoxicated which is a Class C Misdemeanor. Childers is presumed innocent of the charge until if and when he is proven guilty in a court of law.


Media Contact; Indiana Conservation Officer Jerry Hoerdt, 574.275.3954
indiana dnr law district 1
@ icodistrict1

"Childers is presumed innocent of the charge until if and when he is proven guilty in a court of law."
the bad part of this is He'll probably get no more than "public intoxication" because no one SAW him operating the boat and they can't really prove that there wasn't anyone else with him . JMO and I'm NOT an attorney

I wreck my boat(now I am upset)NOW I start drinking--case solved.

thats probably what happened yes. got stranded and became thirsty, wasnt driving so why not. why was he in the water though? at least he didnt run over anyone. just about had that happen to us on the river 2 years ago. had to pull up the spot light to get his attention! i think his girl friend had something to do with the distraction. lol she looked very surprised, when she looked up. lmao we know he was drunk because of the way he sounded when scolding us for being in HIS way.:scratchhead

Coming from a guy that fishes with his kids in a small jon boat, I hope they through the book at him.