KSCO eyes charges for abandoned boats
Members of the Kootenai County Waterways Advisory Committee voted in December to support the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office in pursuing the addition of abandoned vessels to the current county ordinances. From left: Jeff Stagner, Tom Torgerson, Doug Harris, Mike Pelissero, Don Warner and Gary Schmidt.
CAROLYN BOSTICK/Press
The marine division within the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Offic is looking into changing an ordinance for derelict docks and float houses to include abandoned vessels.
Sgt. Ryan Miller said KCSO is working with attorneys to amend the 6.2.113 code and potentially add a misdemeanor charge for owners of derelict boats.
“When it comes to charging people with crimes, the best we can come up with is littering, which is an infraction. We want a little bit more of a penalty,” Miller said.
Miller said the county has considered changing the policy for a few years and presented the matter to the Waterways Advisory Committee meeting earlier this month.
“Recently, we had a sailboat that was intentionally abandoned," Miller said. "The vessel was found with a hole in it by Tony's (On the Lake), and the owner was cited for infractions."
The committee unanimously supported amending the ordinance.
“Go get 'em,” said Waterways Advisory Committee Chair Doug Harris.
Current code for abandoned float houses and docks states that “owners of floating devices such as docks and float houses who fail to properly secure them will be subject to payment of recovery and abatement costs.”
Miller said that deterring boat owners from deliberately leaving their boats for others to clean up would also be an upside in terms of expenses.
“The tow company who wound up coming in to help with that wound up giving a bill of $10,000," he said.
Miller said the marine division usually encounters only one or two abandoned vessels each year on Kootenai County waterways but said there has been an increase in recent years.
“Once the boats actually sink, Idaho Department of Lands is responsible for removing them,” Miller clarified. “This ordinance would deal more with boat abandonment.”
Marine division deputies will be pursuing deliberately abandoned vessels in Kootenai County.
“It would make the crime a misdemeanor. This wouldn't be for boats accidentally drifting away. If they were purposefully abandoned, we likely wouldn't have a timeframe, (we) would just have to articulate the abandonment,” Miller said.