The skipper of a 152-foot landing craft has been charged with driving under the influence after he allegedly grounded the vessel while “highly intoxicated,” police say.
Sunday evening, the Kodiak Police Department received a call from a crewmember of the Polar Bear who said that Capt. Edward Dyer, 50, was intoxicated when he grounded the vessel, according to a statement from KPD.
The Polar Bear was spotted aground on Gull Island, near the Kodiak Harbor. When authorities boarded the Polar Bear and located Dyer, he “was found to be highly intoxicated not realizing the vessel was aground,” the police statement says.
No fuel is believed to have leaked from the Polar Bear, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Authorities helped drop the Polar Bear’s anchors and took Dyer to land. He was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, reckless endangerment and fourth-degree assault, all of which are misdemeanors. KPD declined to release more information about the case, saying that an investigation is ongoing.
The Coast Guard released the vessel Monday and its owner almost made it through a channel before the landing craft ran aground again, said Petty Officer 1st Class Kelly Parker. The Polar Bear was eventually re-floated and anchored up.