PORTLAND, Conn. — Editor's Note: The video above is from July 2023.
A Rocky Hill man is facing manslaughter charges in connection with a boating incident that killed a person and injured several others on the Connecticut River in Portland earlier this summer.
Kerry Sheltra, 55, was arrested by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Environmental Conservation (EnCon) Police on Friday. In addition to manslaughter, he is facing assault and risk of injury to a minor charges.
The arrest is related to an incident on July 10.
Fire responders were called to the Connecticut River just north of Petzolds Marina for a report of a serious boating accident. An initial investigation reported that a 21-foot Yamaha jet boat lost control and crashed into the rocks along the shore, ejecting everyone on board.
Seven people – including two children ages 6 and 12 – were injured and hospitalized. Two people had life-altering injuries.
An eighth person on the boat – identified as 60-year-old Wayne Hamler, of Waterford – was pronounced dead at the scene.
On Friday, EnCon police said Sheltra was driving the boat at the time of the crash.
Sheltra was released on a $50,000 bond. He is expected to appear in court on Dec. 7.
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