INDIAN HARBOUR BEACH, Florida -- At approximately
5:52 pm on Monday, December 3, 2012, Indian Harbour Beach Police officers responded to a residence
along the Grand Canal where a boater had been allegedly operating recklessly and
struck a dock along the west side of the waterway.
The boat operator, 37-year-old John Burns of Satellite Beach, Florida, was thrown from the boat from
the impact. The boat then turned easterly - crossing the canal, crashing
through mango trees, and running itself into the backyard of the residence
on the east side of the canal. The boat stopped just
short of the screened-in pool structure. Police say that Burns' 4-year-old daughter, who was in the boat and wearing a life vest, was
not injured.
Burns swam out of the canal and then made contact with police. At that time, police say that they could smell an odor of an alcoholic beverage and
determined that Burns was intoxicated. Burns was subsequently
placed under arrest for BUI (Boating under
the Influence), BUI w/property damage, child abuse, out-of-state fugitive, and probation
violation. Burns was transported to the Brevard County Jail in Sharpes, Florida.