The trial of a Gloucester power boat operator facing a homicide charge in connection with a fatal collision last year in Buzzards Bay is slated to start tomorrow.
Fred Bevins III, 60, of 22 Honeysuckle Road, faces a charge of boat homicide by negligent operation when his trial starts tomorrow in New Bedford District Court.
Prosecutors have said Bevins was skippering The Reasons, a 63-foot Sea Ray cabin cruiser, that struck The Priority, 35-foot-sailboat on Buzzards Bay last July, killing David Walsh, 64, of Dartmouth on July 18, 2008. Walsh's sailing partner, Dartmouth resident Warren G. Hathaway, 66, publisher emeritus of Hathaway Newspapers, was hurt.
Bevins has said he was resetting his global positioning system just before the crash. But investigators determined that Walsh's boat had the right of way under international navigation rules.
If convicted of the misdemeanor, Bevins, who owns The Car Shop on Maplewood Avenue, will face no less than 30 days but no more than 30 months in prison, a fine of up to $3,000, or both.
Gregg Miliote, director of communications at the office of the Bristol County District Attorney, has said Bevins would also lose his boating license for 10 years if he is found guilty.
Material from The Standard-Times of New Bedford was used in this report.
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