An Alpharetta police officer faces boating under the influence charges after a serious injury on Lake Lanier over the holiday weekend, officials say.
Christopher James Harrison was arrested by the Department of Natural Resources and booked into the Forsyth County Jail on Saturday, according to Channel 2 Action News.
DNR spokesman Mark McKinnon said a person was taken to a nearby hospital with serious injuries after the incident about 6 p.m. Saturday in the Young Deer Creek area of Lake Lanier.
McKinnon said it could take six weeks to several months to finalize the results of the investigation and that additional charges may be forthcoming.
Channel 2 confirmed the victim is Josh Akins, and a GoFundMe page set up by friends said Akins' ankle was broken and his right leg was 90 percent severed after he was sucked under the boat when the engine shifted into reverse as he tried to get out of the water.
Harrison, a patrol officer in Alpharetta, was absent from the department on military leave since March 23 and remains under military jurisdiction, Director of Alpharetta Department of Public Safety Gary D. George said in a statement.
“Since the incident occurred while our employee was under military control, we must defer comment at this time,” George said in the statement. “However, per our standard procedure, the City of Alpharetta and specifically the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety will undertake an internal affairs investigation into the matter to determine if any city or departmental policies have been violated, and we will monitor the case as it pertains to the charges filed by the DNR.”
Harrison was released from jail on a $2,700 bond, according to Channel 2.
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