A North Carolina man and his girlfriend have been indicted for second-degree murder after a deadly boating crash that killed a 10-year-old girl and severely injured another woman.
Prosecutors say Quinten Gregory Kight, 40, was drunk and distracted when he drove a boat into three swimmers about 100 feet offshore at Shearon Harris Reservoir in Chatham County on Aug. 2. The crash killed Brooklyn Mae Carroll and led to the amputation of Jennifer Stehle’s left leg.
Kight and boat owner Annemarie Flanigan, 56, were already facing charges of death or serious injury by impaired boating. Flanigan, who was not driving or intoxicated, allegedly knew Kight was drunk and later gave a misleading statement claiming she did not witness the crash.
According to District Attorney Jeff Nieman, investigators found 39 beer cans in the boat, plus several more believed to have been on board at the time. Witnesses reported people were “shotgunning” beers, and Kight was looking backward at people on an inner tube instead of watching the water ahead. Ten people, including two children, were reportedly on the vessel.
Brooklyn’s family expressed gratitude to law enforcement and the community, saying they would continue to honor her life. Stehle also thanked supporters, calling their help “lifelines” during her recovery.
Kight, who has a prior DUI conviction in New Mexico (2010) and a pending hit-and-run case in Moore County, will next appear in court on Aug. 20. Blood test results from the crash have not yet been released.
Brooklyn was laid to rest Friday. A GoFundMe described her as “a light in every room” whose kindness and joy touched everyone who knew her.
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Katie is a senior who has been on staff for three years. Her favorite type of stories to write is reviews and features. Katie’s favorite ice cream flavor is strawberry.
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