Not guilty plea in river crash case

SANDPOINT — A Washington state man accused of crashing a personal watercraft into a tuber on the Pend Oreille River is pleading not guilty to aggravated boating under the influence.

William Riley Devine entered the plea to the felony offense during an arraignment hearing in 1st District Court, records show. Devine opted not to contest the charges during a preliminary hearing in magistrate court on Aug. 31.

Devine, a 22-year-old from Pullman, is free on $2,000 bail while his case is pending.

The charge arose from a July 3 collision off Strong Island, west of Priest River.

Devine told Bonner County sheriff’s deputies that he was riding behind companions who were being towed on a tube. The boat pulling the tube was weaving in the river to give the riders some thrills, according to court documents.

Devine said he was riding the boat’s wake when it suddenly slowed, a probable cause affidavit said. Devine said he was unable to stop and struck the left side of the tube, seriously injuring one of the riders.

A 27-year-old woman from Colville, Wash., was airlifed from the scene and taken to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane. She was initially in intensive care with facial fractures and bleeding in her brain, although doctors told investigators that she was expected to recover from her injuries, court records indicate.

If convicted as charged, Devine faces up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. His motorboat operator privilege could also be docked for up to two years.