Nearly a year after a ski boat and a personal watercraft collided on Lake Allatoona, killing a Woodstock woman, authorities have decided to charge both drivers.
Michael Howard Goodman, 64, of Alpharetta, and Richard Scott Goodwin, 57, of Kennesaw, face counts of second-degree homicide by vessel and failure to follow “rules of the road for boats,” according to Cherokee County Solicitor-General Todd Hayes. He said the Georgia Department of Natural Resources brought the misdemeanor charges after consultation with his office.
On Aug. 10, 2019, Goodman was operating a Bayliner ski boat, while Goodwin was driving a Sea-Doo personal watercraft, according to the DNR. Cheryl Lynn Shepard, 47, was a passenger on the Sea-Doo and was killed when the two collided about 1 p.m. just north of Little River Marina, AJC.com previously reported.
Goodwin also suffered serious injuries in the crash, but he has since recovered.
The sheriff’s office said accounts on how the crash took place differ. The Sea-Doo was damaged on the rear left side of the vehicle, while the boat suffered minor scuffs on the right front and right rear, according to investigators.
Both suspects turned themselves in to the Cherokee County jail Thursday, according to the sheriff’s office. They were each released on a $2,306 bond.
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