In support of Operation Dry Water and in partnership with the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and Louisiana State Police (LSP), the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Enforcement Division arrested 19 boaters statewide – including one in Webster Parish – for alleged driving or operating a vessel while intoxicated (DWI) from July 4 to July 6 as part of the National Association of State Boating Law Administrator’s Operation Dry Water campaign.

“We are proud of the hard work our agents put forth during Operation Dry Water weekend. Our Enforcement Division will continue to focus on the safety of our boaters by removing impaired drivers from the water,” said LDWF Secretary Tyler Bosworth. “We are also thankful for USCG and LSP for their continued support for boating safety in Louisiana.”

One local man was arrested on July 5.

Peyton Wafer, 22, of Dubberly, on Lake Bistineau in Webster Parish.

Anyone cited for a DWI on the water or on the road will lose his or her driver’s license and boating privileges for the specified time ordered by the judge in the case. Also, each offense of operating a vehicle or vessel while intoxicated counts toward the total number of DWI crimes whether they happened on the water or road.

In Louisiana a DWI can be issued to anyone operating a moving vessel or vehicle while impaired. First offense DWI carries a $300 to $1,000 fine and up to six months in jail.

Hit and run without fatalities or serious injuries carries up to a $500 fine and 10 days to six months in jail. Reckless operation of a vessel brings up to a $200 fine and 90 days in jail.

Operation Dry Water was started in 2009 by NASBLA and LDWF has been a participant every year since its inception. More information is available at www.operationdrywater.org.

This information has been provided by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries as public information. Persons named as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.