www.syracuse.com/articles/news/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1183971371227840.xml&coll=1

Two Die in Crash On Skaneateles Lake
Police charge boater with DWI, manslaughter, accuse brother of lying Monday, July 09, 2007By Mike McAndrew and Michele Reaves Staff writers
After drinking about a dozen beers, Craig Cordes crashed a boat into and over another boat in Skaneateles Lake early Sunday, fatally injuring its two occupants, and fled without aiding the victims, Sheriff Kevin Walsh said.

Cordes stopped to rescue from the lake two pals with whom he had been drinking and who were ejected from his boat during the 2:40 a.m. crash.

Õ7KellyÕ But Cordes did not stop to help John E. Kelly, 32, a vacationing police officer from Richmond, Va., or Kelly's girlfriend, Heather D. Wilkins, 26.
 

Instead, Cordes drove about four more miles to his family's camp, leaving Kelly and Wilkins behind in the dark in a damaged boat a short distance from the East Lake Road property where Kelly's parents own a house, the sheriff said.

"They didn't give any first aid to the injured people. It's inhumane to say the least," Walsh said.

Kelly was dead when Skaneateles firefighters reached the scene. Wilkins was flown by helicopter to University Hospital, where she later died.

Cordes, 32, a 1993 Westhill High graduate who is in law school in Tuscon, Ariz., was arraigned late Sunday afternoon in Skaneateles on two counts of vehicular manslaughter and boating while intoxicated.

Cordes suffered a small cut on his forehead in the crash. He was released Sunday night from the Justice Center jail after posting a $10,000 bail bond.

Witnesses told detectives that Cordes and friends had consumed about a dozen beers before the accident while bar-hopping in Skaneateles.

Cordes' arrest came about 11 hours after the crash - and after Cordes' younger brother took the blame for the accident, Walsh said.

Shortly after the crash, someone who was on the Cordes boat called the 911 center from the Cordes family camp, Walsh said.

When deputies arrived, Brian Cordes, 25, of 4565 Ashfield Terrace, town of Onondaga, told them he had been driving the 19-foot boat when it crashed into Kelly's craft, Walsh said.

Brian Cordes was arrested and taken to the sheriff's department headquarters.

For hours, deputies were not aware Craig Cordes had even been in the boat, Walsh said.

"Craig was nowhere to be found," the sheriff said.

After deputies got a court order to draw blood from Brian Cordes to check his alcohol content, a passenger who was in the Cordes boat told deputies that Craig Cordes had actually been driving, Walsh said.

Deputies contacted the Cordes family to question Craig Cordes and were told that Craig Cordes would surrender later with his attorney.

Hours passed, Walsh said, before Craig Cordes showed up at about 1 p.m. at the sheriff's headquarters. He said Craig Cordes did not give detectives a statement about the crash.

Detectives had blood drawn from him to check his blood alcohol level, but the results were not available on Sunday, Walsh said.

Deputies dropped the boating while intoxicated charge against Brian Cordes. He was issued a ticket charging him with third-degree hindering prosecution, Walsh said.

Everyone involved and their families are deeply saddened over this tragic accident," said Richard Priest, the attorney for Craig Cordes. "We are all heartbroken."

This is the second time that Craig Cordes has been accused of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.

In 1999, Syracuse police charged him with driving while intoxicated and refusing to submit to a blood alcohol content test. Cordes was convicted that year in Syracuse City Court of driving while his ability was impaired, according to state Department of Motor Vehicle records. A judge fined him $350 for that offense.

Kelly joined the Richmond Police Department in 2000, according to Richmond police.

"Officer Kelly was a pleasant, positive, and dedicated employee," said Richmond Third Precinct Commander David Martin in a news release. "He was an officer who enjoyed interacting with the community."

"This is a tragic set of circumstances," Walsh said. "It makes it harder for us knowing Kelly was a police officer."

According to witnesses, Craig Cordes and his brother were part of a group of nine people that spent Saturday evening and early Sunday drinking at Morris Grill, Blue Water Grill and Doug's Fish Fry in Skaneateles, the sheriff said.

Three or four of them took a cab home.

The Cordes brothers and three unidentified passengers boarded a 19-foot Sea-Ray, Walsh said.

About a mile from the village, their boat broadsided Kelly's 21-foot Mastercraft boat, cracking the hull.

Everyone in the Cordes's boat knew that Kelly and his passenger were injured, Walsh said.

"The people in the boat say they never saw (Kelly's) boat," Walsh said.

But Skaneateles firefighters found the boat lights on and the engine off, Walsh said.

Kelly's boat was found by firefighters in front of Fire Lane H, near Kelly's family's residence, Walsh said. He may have been pulling into the dock or heading towards it when the crash occurred.

Assistant Fire Chief David Card said firefighters searched the lake for about 20 minutes before they found Kelly's boat floating in about 40 feet of water.

He said firefighters were originally dispatched to search the west shore of the lake because a resident there reported hearing a crash.

After finding Kelly's boat, firefighters were preparing to launch a full-scale search for people in the water but the sheriff's department was then contacted by someone from the Cordes boat, Card said.

Walsh said it's not uncommon for people to head back to their camps in boats after the bars close at 2 a.m.

He said a "relatively high" speed was needed for the Sea-Ray to go over the Mastercraft, but there is no speed limit on the lake.

Despicable.

Quoted: I see the future lawyer has learned his lessons well. Leaving two people to bleed to death after chopping them up with a propellor then getting his brother to take the fall. Nice family there.

I agree, well except for the "future lawyer" part. There have been a strangely large number of police officers killed in upstate New York in the past year and a half or so, mostly in shootings but one local officer was killed chasing a kid on a motorcycle. Generally Onondaga County isn't as tough as the surrounding rural Republican counties but I suspect they're going to make it ugly for this kid if they can.

Most of the "camps" on that lake are very very expensive.

But Skaneateles firefighters found the boat lights on and the engine off, Walsh said.

I assumed the leo had his boat lights on from that.

Quoted: There is a lot of screaming going on in the boating community in Texas.  Lots of folks are pushing mandatory training and licensing for boat operators.

We are taking a different route and most of our local lakes and some areas of the river are going "dry."  Both the water and public beaches are no alcohol.

I did notice a difference working the fourth without the alcohol, but it's yet another case of the few ruining it for the rest.

Quoted: Notice how he had a previous conviction for DUI even with a refusal. I feel very confident he will be found guilty. What do you think the sentence will be? 20+?

They may only have him on a D felony. I could have sworn they increased both of those.


legal gibberish edited out

Oiginally Posted By Boomer8450: Better/worse, more/less incidents?

Better for LE/fire with less calls for service/drunk asshats/BUIs, worse for the people who drink responsibly and wanted to enjoy a few cold ones on the holiday.  

Crowds bigger/smallers? How many people ignore the ban?

Same crowds, less problems than last year (On the single day I worked the river.)

As with all recreation areas, those who want to drink WILL, albeit just a bit more covertly.  Can't go around sniffing gatorade bottles all day.  I do not agree with the year round prohibitions on alcohol on the water.

Damn JBDRUNKS