LECLAIRE, IOWA – DNR Conservation Officers charged James Thiel, 44, of Pleasant Valley, with Involuntary Manslaughter and Reckless Use of a Watercraft among other charges relating to the August 16, 2020 fatal boat crash on the Mississippi River that killed Anita Pinc, 52, of Moline, IL, and Craig Verbeke, 61, of Moline, IL.
Thiel turned himself in this morning and was charged with two counts of Involuntary Manslaughter, a Class D Felony, two counts of Involuntary Manslaughter – Aggravated Misdemeanor, one count of Reckless Use of a Watercraft and one count of Operation of an Unregistered Watercraft.
Anita Pinc died at the scene, and later, Craig Verbeke died at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics as a result of the boat crash. Both Verbeke and Pinc were onboard a 19-foot Bayliner.
The crash between a 1993 19-foot Bayliner and a 2007 35-foot Triton happened on Pool 14 of the Mississippi River near LeClaire, Iowa around 7:00pm on August 16, 2020.
Brooke Jewell, 36, of Bettendorf was onboard the Triton boat and suffered minor injuries and was transported to a local hospital. There were others onboard this boat as well.