HARTFORD, Conn. (WNTH) — A Rocky Hill man faces multiple charges, including manslaughter and assault, in a deadly July 2022 boat crash on the Connecticut River in Portland.
The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Environmental Conservation (EnCon) police arrested Kerry Sheltra. Authorities said Sheltra was operating the boat around 5 p.m. on July 10, 2022, when it collided with the shore just north of Petzold’s Marina.
Eight people, including Sheltra, were on board the 21-foot Yamaha jet boat heading north when it suddenly veered toward the shortline, DEEP officials said. The boat collided with rocks on the banks of the river, causing several people to be thrown off the boat.
Wayne Halmer, 60, of Waterford, died at the scene, DEEP officials said. Authorities said two people on board sustained severe life-altering injuries, including a young boy whose family said he underwent an amputation. Three others were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
The video below is from a News 8 newscast in July 2022.
Sheltra was charged with second-degree manslaughter, three counts of second-degree assault and two counts of risk of injury to a minor.
He was released on a $50,000 bond and is due in court in Middletown on Dec. 7.
