Steilacoom mayor’s grandson badly hurt in boat crash. Boy’s father now charged
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- Steilacoom Mayor Dick Muri's son-in-law is charged for a serious boat crash last summer.
- The crash severely injured Muri's grandson.
- Muri's son-in-law is accused of operating a vessel recklessly and under the influence.
The son-in-law of Steilacoom Mayor Dick Muri faces criminal charges in connection to a boating crash last summer in Puget Sound that severely injured Muri’s grandson.
Jarod Kelpman, 50, was charged Wednesday in Pierce County Superior Court with three counts: operating a vessel under the influence of intoxicants, operating a vessel in a reckless manner and watercraft assault, court records show.
In charging Kelpman with watercraft assault, a Class B felony, prosecutors allege he caused serious bodily injury to another by operating a vessel recklessly or under the influence, according to a filing of amended charges. The two other counts are a gross misdemeanor and misdemeanor, respectively, under state law.
“This is almost like giving a death sentence to Jarod,” Muri said in an interview Thursday, adding that he had no inclination that charges would be coming against his son-in-law, especially a year after the incident. “That’s a surprise, too.”
On July 20 last year, Kelpman was with his 14-year-old son in a motor boat when it struck a piling in front of the railroad bridge that crosses the entrance into Chambers Bay, charging papers show.
The incident, reported shortly after 7 p.m. near 2709 Chambers Creek Road in Steilacoom, wrecked the boat and left Kelpman injured and his son near death.
Steilacoom police officer Robert Silivelio, who was among the authorities who responded to the scene, reported that Kelpman stood on a train track in only shorts and was covered in blood, with a severe laceration to his head and leg, according to charging papers.
Kelpman’s son, now 15, suffered a traumatic brain injury, Muri said. He needed surgery to remove pieces of his skull to relieve head pressure, broke at least two vertebrae in his back and had lacerations or contusions on various organs, court records show.
Kelpman is alleged to have been operating the boat at an estimated 30 to 40 mph, significantly faster than the 5 mph speed limit within 100 feet of the bridge, according to charging papers. Pierce County sheriff’s deputy Adam Pawlak reported he overheard Kelpman tell a medic he had been “going way too fast,” court records show.
There were several alcoholic beverage cans strewn about inside the boat — at least two were open and empty — and Kelpman smelled of intoxicants and had slurred speech, according to charging papers. He separately acknowledged drinking two beers and denied being under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the filing said.
Kelpman allegedly had a blood alcohol level (BAC) of 0.20, more than twice the legal limit for motorists, after a blood-draw test at a hospital, according to charging papers.
“It was clear that Jarod was very intoxicated when he arrived at the hospital one hour after the crash,” Pierce County Sheriff’s Office detective Montgomery Minion wrote in an incident report, court records show.
Two other results from BAC tests on the day of the crash, also cited in charging papers, showed Kelpman had BAC levels of 0.16 and 0.13 — the latter from a blood draw performed under a warrant.
Following the crash, Kelpman purportedly told medical personnel that he struck a rocky shoreline while trying to dock the boat and was thrown onto the rocks, but he was able to get himself out of the water and onto the shore next to the train tracks, charging papers said.
Kelpman wasn’t immediately available to comment on the charges, and it wasn’t even clear if he knew about the case, Muri told The News Tribune.
Kelpman was in a hospital Thursday with his son who had surgery the prior day due to an issue related to a shunt in his brain, according to Muri, who was hopeful his grandson would be returning home soon. He said the boy has made “very slow progress” in his recovery over the past year.
Muri said he showed up to the scene last summer after learning there had been an accident but didn’t realize his family was involved — or even that his son-in-law owned a boat — until he witnessed his grandson being tended to by medical personnel.
“I was shocked,” Muri said.
In the aftermath, many in the town have asked about the boy — “a gentle giant” — and prayed for the family, according to Muri.
Muri said Kelpman has been an around-the-clock caretaker for the boy since the crash and is mentally distraught. Muri worried for his son-in-law’s ability to maintain his role and his mental health now that he is facing criminal charges.
“Jarod has basically dedicated his whole life to hopefully bringing his son to some level of recovery,” he said. “This will be very tough on the family.”
He said he couldn’t agree or disagree with the criminal case but only hoped that it would be fair.
“The system does what the system does,” he said.
While Kelpman has been consistently by the boy’s side, Muri’s daughter has handled the family’s financial responsibilities, according to Muri.
“I worry about my daughter, I worry about my grandkids,” he said. “But I also worry about Jarod.”
