The results are in:
Montana State Senator Greg Barkus has officially been charged with three felonies in connection with the August 27th boat crash that injured Montana Congressman Dennis Rehberg and four others.
A judge signed the motion Wednesday morning which calls for Barkus to be charged with criminal endangerment and two counts of negligent vehicular assault, which are a result of the injuries sustained by Congressman Dennis Rehberg and staffer Dustin Frost.
Records show that the hospital blood alcohol sample drawn from Barkus an hour and 45 minutes after the crash was .16. The other sample, which was taken four hours after the accident by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials registered .12.
Different people process alcohol at different rates. But by any standard, a BAC of .16 is drunk.
In the know zone:
BAC = .12-.15 = Vomiting usually occurs, unless this level is reached slowly or a person has developed a tolerance to alcohol. Drinkers are drowsy.
Drinkers display emotional instability, loss of critical judgment, impairment of perception, memory, and comprehension.
Lack of sensor-motor coordination and impaired balance are typical. Decreased sensory responses and increased reaction times develop. The vision is significantly impaired, including limited ability to see detail, peripheral vision, and slower glare recovery.
Obviously Barkus was unfit to drive a boat, at night, at excessive speeds, and in treacherous waters. I'm glad he's being charged with felonies, and I hope he's punished to the fullest extent of the law.
And because Barkus was drunk, and excessively so, it is fair to question Dennis Rehberg's judgment -- not for climbing in a boat with someone who was obviously drunk, which simply makes him a fool -- but for bringing two staffers with him, which made him accountable for their safety.
Some very, very bad decisions were made that night, and those on the boat almost paid for those decisions with their lives. Justice, in Barkus' case, seems be in motion. |
