Florida DUI Lawyer:: Erin Brockovich Charged with Boating While Intoxicated

June 13, 2013

Movie namesake and environmental activist Erin Brockovich was arrested last week on suspicion of operating a boat under the influence of alcohol at Lake Mead in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The district attorney in Las Vegas decided Tuesday to charge Brockovich with a misdemeanor charge of boating while intoxicated.

Brockovich, 52, is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 7 to face the charge.

According to reports, she was arrested Friday evening at a marina on the Colorado River reservoir behind Hoover Dam.

A Nevada state game warden apparently saw Brockovich arguing with her husband aboard the 26-foot Cobra motor boat and witnessed her throwing a cellphone into the water before having trouble mooring the vessel at the Las Vegas Boat Harbor.

The warden claims he had to help Brockovich dock the boat. She allegedly complied with two breath tests, which apparently measured her blood-alcohol level at twice the legal limit of 0.08 percent.

If convicted of DUI in Nevada as a first-time offender, she could face six months in jail, a $1,000 fine, up to 96 hours of community service and court-ordered alcohol and drug counseling.

Brockovich was freed on $1,000 bail late Friday.

She did not immediately respond to the charge against her.

However, later she did release a statement: “At no time was the boat away from the dock and there was no public safety risk. That being said, I take drunk driving very seriously, this was clearly a big mistake, I know better and I am very sorry.”

Brockovich is best known for her efforts to sue Pacific Gas & Electric for polluting the water supply of a small Southern California town. Her journey became the subject of a 2000 movie that earned Julia Roberts an Academy Award for playing Brockovich.

Brockovich is now the head of a consulting firm and was featured in the 2011 documentary “Last Call at the Oasis,” about the planet’s diminishing and progressively more polluted water supply.

Boating under the influence is viewed as a very serious crime in the state of Florida. If you are charged with boating under the influence you will be facing the same charges as if you were driving a car, truck or SUV. Depending on the severity of the charges, you could be looking at potential consequences of jail time, hefty fines and the very real possibility of losing your privilege to operate a boat. Because these charges are not taken lightly, you must act fast following a charge of boating while intoxicated and make sure you secure sound legal representation from a DUI lawyer.

If you have been charged with boating under the influence anywhere in Florida, contact a Florida DUI Attorney at Whittel & Melton online or call us statewide and toll-free at 866-608-5529. We can review the facts of your case and determine if the charges against you can be reduced or even dropped.