Clearwater boat tour captain goes overboard with 30 passengers aboard, charged with BUI: affidavit

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A boat tour captain was arrested after he fell overboard while impaired with 30 people onboard, according to an affidavit.

John Beckwith, 53, of Tarpon Springs was the captain of the Fun Boat Ice Cream Boat on the afternoon of Friday, April 12.

Employees working on the tour boat said Beckwith arrived to work stumbling, with food all over his face. Witnesses said he was so drunk that he fell off the boat.

The affidavit said the boat was carrying 30 people attending the boat tour.

Clearwater police responded to the incident and had Beckwith do a field sobriety test. Beckwith’s alcohol breath sample came back as .118 and .115, around double the legal blood alcohol content level.

The documents show that he has a history of operating vehicles while impaired, as he has a 2004 conviction out of Michigan for operating while impaired in a vehicle and a 2018 conviction out of Arizona for an unknown disposition for extreme DUI.

Beckwith was arrested and charged with boating under the influence on a $500 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court on April 30 at 1:30 p.m.

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