The owner and captain of the tour boat that capsized on Lake George in 2005, killing 20 elderly tourists, have been indicted by a grand jury.
Kate Hogan, a district attorney in New York, says the grand jury found that Shoreline Cruises of Lake George and Richard Paris violated a state law by not having a second crew member on board the Ethan Allen when it capsized on a calm day in October 2005.
Today’s indictment charges Paris and his employer with misdemeanor counts of violating the state navigation law that required at least two crew members for the 47 passengers who were on board that day.
Paris was the only crew member. He and 27 other passengers survived. Of the 20 passengers who died, 19 were from Michigan and one was from Ohio.
The Ethan Allen was certified to carry up to 50 people, but federal investigators said the vessel was unstable because of prior changes to its structure and was overloaded the day it capsized.