At about noon on Labor Day, a man driving a 43-foot commercial fishing vessel played \u201cbumper boats\u201d in Aurora harbor before he slammed into a dock and was arrested.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor reasons unknown at this time he drove into the main dock, broke it several places, played bumper boats and was arrested by JPD for suspected DUI or BUI \u2014 boating under the influence,\u201d Harbor Master Dave Borg told the Empire in a phone interview Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The Juneau Police Department arrested Darrin R. Hess, 51, for driving (a watercraft) under the influence and refusing to take a breath test, according to JPD\u2019s Daily Bulletin. Officers took Hess to Lemon Creek Correctional Center, where he is being held without bail.<\/p>\n
According to Borg, Hess drove his boat into the harbor looking for moorage. He drove between the M and K floats, near the northern-most section of the harbor before causing \u201cpretty significant damage\u201d to several moored boats and the dock itself.<\/p>\n
Borg doesn\u2019t yet know how much it will cost to fix the damaged infrastructure. The dock had only recently been repaired. The city has requested that engineers with a local firm assess the damages.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not even sure I\u2019ve seen all the damage,\u201d Borg said, describing the importance of the upcoming assessment. \u201cYou get those guys poking around down there and they usually find more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though he doesn\u2019t know the exact location of the boater, Borg knows exactly where the boat in question is; it never left. The 43-foot vessel, named the Nor\u2019 Gale, is moored in Aurora Harbor for now.<\/p>\n
Borg said that the vessel isn\u2019t one that usually moors in Aurora Harbor, and he described the boater as \u201ctransient,\u201d meaning that he follows the fish from town to town. He said he thinks the driver and his vessel are from Haines, but he isn\u2019t sure.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s not a local boat, I can tell you that,\u201d Borg said. \u201cThis is not a Juneau vessel.\u201d<\/p>\n
The city\u2019s Docks and Harbors division has worked since Monday to make sure the dock is usable, but Borg cautioned harbor patrons to be careful when walking near the site of the collision.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not the safest situation,\u201d he said. \u201cIf people are down there, they need to use caution while they\u2019re walking around.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Contact reporter Sam DeGrave at 523-2279 or sam.degrave@juneauempire.com.<\/p>\n
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