Grand Jury Indicts Boater Involved in Deadly Lake Belton Accident
A Killeen man believed responsible for the deaths of a young girl and her father in a boating accident on Lake Belton has been indicted by a grand jury.
KWTX reports that 44-year-old Jason Bernal was indicted on two counts of criminally negligent homicide and two counts of intoxication manslaughter.
Authorities allege he was inebriated on the night of June 24, 2017 when he backed his boat into an area where several people were swimming. 4-year-old Kaitlyn Oliver was caught in the boat's propeller and fatally injured. Her father, 37-year-old Patrick Oliver, tried to rescue her and lost both legs in the attempt. He passed away as a result of his injuries on July 6.
Bernal's attorney insists that Bernal was not intoxicated at the time of the accident, and that he was operating the vessel responsibly.