Nine Impaired Boaters Charged During Operation Dry Water Campaign in Maryland

State of Maryland - The Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) charged nine individuals with Operating While Under the Influence of Alcohol (OUI) and investigated nine reportable boating accidents during the annual Operation Dry Water "saturation patrol" campaign.

This initiative, aimed at reducing impaired boating, was conducted between July 4 and July 6, 2025. Independence Day weekend is statistically one of the busiest and most dangerous times for boating activities in Maryland.  

During the three-day heightened enforcement period, no fatalities were reported on Maryland waterways. NRP officers issued a total of 152 citations and 703 warnings, conducted 422 recreational vessel inspections (146 by reserve officers), and stopped 313 vessels.  

Nine individuals were charged with OUI and other related offenses during the Operation Dry Water campaign. Boaters facing these charges can face penalties of up to $1,000 in fines and one year of imprisonment.  

The following individuals were charged with OUI and other infractions across various Maryland waterways during the campaign:

• A 23-year-old Texas man was charged on the Severn River near Annapolis on July 4 for improper navigation lighting.  
• A 22-year-old man from Pasadena was charged on the Chester River near Kent Narrows on July 4 for improper navigation lighting.  
• A 61-year-old Centreville man was charged on the Chester River near Chestertown on July 4 for operating without navigation lights.  
• A 49-year-old Salisbury man was charged in the Isle of Wight Bay in Ocean City on July 5 for exceeding 6 knots in a speed zone.  
• A 61-year-old Rossville man was charged on the Potomac River near Point Lookout in Scotland on July 5 following a recreational vessel inspection.  
• A 54-year-old California man and a 51-year-old California woman were both charged on the Patuxent River near Cuckold Creek in Hollywood on July 5 for improper navigation lighting.  
• A 36-year-old Port Deposit man was charged on the Susquehanna River near Havre De Grace on July 5 for lighting violations.  
• A 30-year-old Chester man was charged on July 6 in the Kent Narrows near Kent Island for improper navigation lighting.  

NRP reported nine boating accidents during the holiday weekend, the same number recorded during the previous year's campaign. By comparison, the July 4 weekend in 2023 saw ten boating accidents.  

Operation Dry Water enforcement efforts in the past five years have resulted in the removal of 33 impaired boaters from Maryland waterways.  

Operation Dry Water was established in 2009 by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators as a nationwide campaign to address the issue of boating under the influence.

The Maryland NRP has participated in Operation Dry Water since its inception, employing saturation patrols that concentrate enforcement efforts in areas with high instances of alcohol-related boating activities.