Westfield Man Sentenced 5 Years For Fatal Speedboat Crash
NORTHAMPTON (AP) — A Massachusetts man has been sentenced to five years in prison in connection with the death of a 10-year-old boy in a speedboat accident.
Steven Morse of Westfield was operating a speedboat on Norwich Lake in Huntington in August 2010 when it struck a kayak. Augustus "Gus" Adamopoulos and his father were fishing from the kayak. Prosecutors said Morse had been drinking beer and smoked marijuana the day of the accident.
On Thursday, a Hampshire Superior Court jury cleared Morse of six out of eight charges, including manslaughter. He was convicted of boat homicide by negligent operation, a misdemeanor, and of misleading a police office, a felony that carries a maximum of 10 years in prison.
Judge Daniel Ford handed down the 5-year sentence Friday after an emotional appeal from the boy's father.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
