State wildlife officials confirmed Friday that some bodycamera videos related to the 2022 boat crash near Boca Chita Key that killed one teen and left another permanently disabled were deleted.
State wildlife officials confirmed Friday that some bodycamera videos related to the 2022 boat crash near Boca Chita Key that killed one teen and left another permanently disabled were deleted.
In a statement, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the videos were deleted but not by officers who were at the scene.
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The videos had been marked "incidental" and the agency's system is automatically set up to delete videos with that marking after a retention period has passed.
"Based on our review, their actions were within the bounds of the policy as it is currently written," the FWC statement read. "However, it is clear that the policy did not align with our intent for our officers’ documentation responsibilities. We acknowledge that this gap in policy has led to understandable concern, and we are taking steps to correct it. The policy is now under revision to provide clearer direction, particularly regarding supervisory review and categorization expectations in such scenarios."
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Prominent South Florida real estate developer George Pino has been charged with vessel homicide/operate in reckless manner in the Sept. 4, 2022 crash.
Pino was driving the 29-foot vessel with 14 passengers on board when he crashed into a channel marker near Boca Chita Key, according to prosecutors and officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The boat capsized and all the passengers, including several teens, were thrown into the water.
The crash killed 17-year-old Luciana Fernandez, a senior at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in Miami, and injured most of the passengers on the boat, including Katerina Puig, who was 18 at the time and was left permanently disabled.
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Pino was initially charged with misdemeanor counts including careless boating but the homicide charge was later filed. He has pleaded not guilty.
