Driver Pleads Not Guilty In Powerboat Crash That Injured Eight On Lake Of The Ozarks

CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo. — The driver of the powerboat that crashed into a Lake of the Ozarks home on July 22 has pleaded not guilty for multiple felony counts of Boating While Intoxicated resulting in physical injury.

Court documents have revealed that Adam Ramirez, 47, of Huntington Beach, Cali., reportedly acknowledged to a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper that he’d been drinking alcohol about two hours before the crash. According to the probable cause document, a blood sample showed Ramirez’s blood-alcohol content to be 0.185%. In Missouri law, intoxication is considered to be 0.08% and higher.

The trooper also spoke with passengers on the boat. Two of them reportedly said the 2014 NorTech powerboat was going between 50 and 60 miles per hour when the boat struck the shoreline at the peninsula around 11:55 p.m. The nighttime speed limit on Lake of the Ozarks is 30 mph.

Ramirez is facing seven charges:

Two counts of Boating While Intoxicated - Serious Injury (Class D Felony, up to seven years in prison)
Five counts of Boating While Intoxicated - Injury (Class E Felony, up to four years in prison)

Judges may decide whether a person found guilty of multiple crimes should serve their sentences consecutively or concurrently.

The next court date is scheduled for Nov. 27, 2023 at 9 a.m. Ramirez waived a formal arraignment and requested continuance for review through his counsel on Monday, Oct. 16.