Erik D. Jones’s Blog

In a less than surprising move by District Attorney Jon Hopkins, the prosecution did not call the man who was the primary witness and the driver of the speedboat that slammed into the sailboat, Russell Perdock.  Sheriff’s captain Russel Perdock was scheduled to testify on Thursday, but the prosecution rested its case without calling Perdock.  Perdock would have been the primary witness who could have testified that the sailboat’s running lights were off–a fact in the case that prosecuters believe help to bolster the boating under the influence case against Bismark Dinius.  Dinius faces up to 3 years in state prison if convicted of felony BUI.

Dinius’ attorney, Victor Haltom, is seeking the personnel files for Capt. Perdock believing “that information reflecting adversely on Russell Perdock’s general credibility may be in existence…”  Sheriff Perdock went on leave from the department on June 16th for medical reasons.  Shortly thereafter Sheriff Rod Mitchell notified Perdock that “he was the subject of an internal affairs investigation concerning allegations of misconduct.”  Perdock’s attorney, Alison Berry Wilkinson, argues that since Perdock is merely a witness in a trial and was not acting in an official capacity on the night of the accident, his personnel files cannot be released.  As for the IA investigation, the results will likely not be part of his personnel file until well after the trial has finished.

Haltom opened up the case for the defense Friday calling his own forensic engineer, Dr. William Chilcott.  Chilcott worked for the DA’s office a decade ago on another fatal boat collission and has extensive engineering training in addition to being a sailor himself. Chilcott was originally involved in the case as an expert for an insurance company investigating the accident and only later because a witness for the defense.

Chilcott rebuffed many of the claims made by the prosecution’s expert witnesses, State Department of Justice criminalists John Yount and Toby Baxter.  Chilcott testified that knowing the difference between alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC), which Baxter said he didn’t know much about, was important.  Chilcott believes that the sailboat’s electricity was cut on the initial impact with the speedboat, causing signs of a “cold break” and leading to the conclusion that the lights had not been on at all.

Chilcott went on to state several of the boating laws that would have required Perdock to remain clear and avoid the sailboat.  Chilcott said that since the sailboat was struck from behind, Perdock would have been “overtaking” the vessel and therefore it was Perdock’s legal responsibility to “remain clear” of the other vessel.  Other rules cited included that a vessel under power must remain clear of a sailboat.  There were some other questions about the definition of who the operator of the boat is.  Chilcott stated that on larger vessels, the “master of the boat” is the owner.  But on smaller vessels it is typically the person in control of the boat at the time.

Haltom he has asked to call Sheriff Perdock as a hostile witness for the defense.