Courtesy: Corey Murray, Hillsdale Daily News
HILLSDALE — Authorities have arrested a Hillsdale man in connection with a fatal boating accident at Camp Michindoh this summer.
Matthew John Kovacic, 25, was arrested Oct. 3 by the Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Office on one count of marine safety — negligent crippling or death.
The rare crime falls under the natural resources and environmental protection Act 451 of 1994 and is punishable by up to two years in prison and/or a $2,000 fine.
Hillsdale County Prosecuting Attorney Neal Brady said the charge is a high-court misdemeanor, treated as if it were a felony.
Kovacic posted 10 percent of a $20,000 bond for his release from jail following his arrest and is tentatively scheduled for preliminary hearings in the 2B District Court within the next three weeks.
“It’s a sad situation,” Brady said. “And an unfortunate accident that happened.”
Kovacic is alleged to have been operating a motorcraft on Lake Michindoh on July 28. A preliminary investigation by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources showed he was pulling children riding on a non-motorized, inflatable banana boat.
When three children fell off the towed craft, Kovacic turned the boat around and struck a fourth child — identified as an 11-year-old girl from Indiana — who had also fallen into the water. Kovacic nor a second adult on the boat noticed the girl had also fallen in, authorities said and she subsequently died.
Kovacic worked as a lifeguard at Camp Michindoh and had a valid boater safety certificate, the DNR previously stated.
— Corey Murray is a staff writer for The Hillsdale Daily News and can be reached at cmurray@hillsdale.net. Follow him on Twitter: @cmurrayHDN.