LAKE POWELL — A Colorado woman is facing criminal charges accusing her of causing a boating crash on Lake Powell that resulted in a teen boy's legs nearly being cut off.
Jennifer Lynn Murillo, 44, of New Castle, Colorado, was charged Tuesday in 6th District Court with negligently operating a vehicle resulting in injury, a third-degree felony; DUI, a class A misdemeanor; and having an open container of alcohol in a boat and three navigation violations, class C misdemeanors.
Just before 6:30 p.m. on July 4, rangers with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources responded to a boating accident on Lake Powell near the Staton Creek camping area.
"Dispatchers advised that a 14-year-old male had sustained severe injuries, with both legs reportedly cut nearly to the point of amputation," a police booking affidavit states.
Rangers learned that Murillo hit another boat, causing the teen to be thrown from Murillo's boat, according to charging documents. The boy "was struck by the boat's propeller causing severe injuries to both of the victim's legs."
Murillo's blood-alcohol level was measured at 0.126% nearly two hours after the crash was reported, the charges allege.
