The man who was boating drunk when he caused a crash that killed two Gwinnett County brothers is back in jail for failing a urine test and violating his parole, according to police and the Hall County District Attorney.
Paul Bennett was convicted in November 2012 of boating under the influence, reckless operation of a vessel, and failure to render aid in the crash that killed the Prince brothers. Bennett, who was acquitted of homicide by vessel charges, was sentenced to 30 months in prison, followed by 18 months on probation and 400 hours of community service.
On June 18, 2012, Bennett was driving drunk when his boat collided with a pontoon boat on Lake Lanier around 10:30 p.m. The Prince family of five was among 13 people on the pontoon at the time of the crash, which sent the two youngest Prince brothers, Jake, 9, and Griffin, 13, into the dark lake.
After the boats collided, the oldest Prince brother, Ryan, jumped into the lake and pulled Jake from the water, but Jake could not be revived. It would be nine days before divers located Griffin’s body, 113 feet under water.
Bennett was arrested the day after the fatal crash and charged with boating under the influence. Several weeks later, charges against Bennett were upgraded to include homicide by vessel, failure to render aid and reckless operation of a vessel. He was released from jail in May 2015.
Earlier this month, Bennett failed to show up for a urine screening, Hall County DA Lee Darragh said Wednesday. Three days later, Bennett’s urine had a highly diluted concentration, Darragh said.
On April 11, Bennett was arrested for violating the terms of his probation, according to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office. At a hearing Tuesday, he was sentenced to 60 days in jail and given credit for time served.
Video: How dangerous is Lake Lanier?
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