Del. Don Dwyer and Rev Fred Phelps: like two peas in a pod.

Not even a line about well wishes to the other victims, including the four children?

If his BAL was .2 and he was operating his boat shouldn't he be charged with a DUI?

So he's admitted to drinking and operating a motor vehicle. The .02 BAC is still a crime under Maryland law as defined by Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol Per Se. Let's see how this plays out and if he is charged. The normal "Joe" would face the same charge, especially with the personal injuries and property damages.

@Richard...his BAC was .2 it is stated by the patch and by him in the press conference not .02. I agree that any normal Joe would be charged. There can not be a double standard.

If his BAC was .2 that is 2.5 times the legal limit.

That is true.over the limit. Don should set a example he's is a delacate so 7 people are injured and thank goodness everyone will recover after time.the 5 year old has a fractured skull.she will need lots of prayes.my nephew nickolas e.has a neck injury and many laserations to his face and arms.he isdoing well.I'm not sure how the other children are doing.well wishes to everyone

Should have been charged at time of incident. Thank God no one was killed! Get well wishes to the victims. (sorry no names),

blood alcohol content of .20 is wasted!!!! Shame on him!! I got a DWI years ago and was borderline blacked out..... Missing parts of the evening??? How does this crap happen? Its just so typical for the police to show favor to someone of importance!! They do it for each other too! What a bunch of crap!!! Cost me $8000.00 and got me 3years of probation with $60 per session alcohol classes once a week for a whole year and A.A. meetings twice a week for two years on supervised probation!!! Totally not fair that this guy walks and I wasnt even involved in an accident and did not injure anyone!!! What a bunch of B.S. !!! This is almost as bad as government officials and their families being exempt from Obama Care Health Care Plan!!!!

That is very true.its who u know.

Brenda it should not. Everyone and I mean everyone including government officials should be liable for the same actions like any other person

This has not yet had its day in court. I applaud him for being forthcoming. That can't have been an easy statement to make. No, he shouldn't have been driving but I believe that justice will be served. Thoughts and prayers to all involved.

Now, c'mon folks. Dwyer is a Democrat in a very blue state. Hanging his head in shame, sitting in a wheelchair and wearing a money collar, saying how very sorry he is, will suffice. Now...had this been a republican , well, there would not be any tar and feathers available in Maryland today, as the supply would have been used up. :) it's too bad that all people who drive drunk don't get the same treatment, but that's how it is. Dwyer should have been put in handcuffs and taken to the police station, like everyone else who commits this crime does, until he had a hearing and posted bail. The victims are the real losers here...they were unfortunate enough to decide to go boating the same time as a drunk state legislator. I hope they are able to collect damages . Thank the Lord they weren't killed.

Yes thank goodness no one was killed. Yes it is hard to admit that.but at the scene of the accident.there where a lot of beer cans coming out of his boat before sinking.u can't hide that.to manyy people seen all the beer cans floating .

www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/06hse/html/msa13998.html

Dwyer didn't have choice but to admit what was going to come out anyway. I hope he is politically screwed! Mr. High and Mighty, who finds Pro Choice (key word being CHOICE) offensive and gay marriage just morally wrong, made the CHOICE to drink and drive and putting others (including children) in danger. I am not gay nor would I make the choice to end a pregnancy; but, both are a choice and I respect and defend their rights. The CHOICE he made trumps all. Let's hope he will make a CHOICE and remove himself from offie.

Del. Dwyer is lucky to be alive and the people you have ruined their lives physically and mentally. My late fiancé and 3 of my co-workers, weren't so lucky, many yrs ago Memorial Day weekend down in Ocean City. Over a Drunken IDIOT driver of a boat.
What was worse, instead of 5 counts of Manslaughter, a deal was struck. He only got 1 count of Manslaughter.
Del. Dwyer Hopefully will get his shirt and shoes sued off of him, but he is a man in office. A man we should look up to as a leader. He will get a slap on the hand by the courts,(mark my works), he know how to hide his monies, so the families who got hurt by Del. IDIOT DWYER, probably won't get much or nothing to help them financially.
" It's all who you Know"
My prayers are with the family whom this Del. IDIOT Dwyer Ruined.
This is our Justice,wait and see. Patty A.

@Patty a...I could not say it better. I agree with you that it a choice but more on the topic...I agree with you and hoping he gets sued. Why was he not charged with DUI or DWI? Is it because he is in office? If he does not get charged with that with his BAC 2.5 times the legal limit well then I will start a petition to get him out of office. That is not right.

Sue - you need to check ur facts. Dwyer IS a republican. I understand people like to drink while out on the water. But we know the people he hit and I guarantee you had this accident been their fault and they had been drinking, they would be throwing the book at them. I just hope this doesn't lead to more talk of mandatory life jackets for everyone on a boat and no open container laws on boats :(

@Dena I hope it means tighter regulations on the water. I am not saying I support no open containers on boats but I do believe that stricter rules

All of you are making lots of comments and assumptions based on ignorance of the law or procedure… I have no doubt that when the dust settles, the law will deal with Don Dwyer the same as it would any citizen. He will get no special treatment especially because of the fact he is not a very popular legislator among the Democrats who hold the power. Also, this is a man who is not wealthy (as Patty A is saying) but struggles to make ends meet like a lot of us these days. He made a mistake - a BIG one - and will have to suffer the consequences. Thank God no one died or was seriously injured.

Mr. high and mighty who says gays and lesbians are less of a human and he is a righteous man. Well not it is time for us to judge him and I think he should be ousted from his position for stupidity. I hope the media doesn't let this one go!

I hope that one day someone will have enough Kahoona's to make a law and ENFORCE it to WHOMEVER "Jesus" himself, If you drink and drive, Car, Boat, Train, Whatever...
QUESS WHAT...... YOU LOSE IT,CUT AND DRY! No 2nd,3rd,15th offense. 1st offense!
License and automobile,boat whatever your transportation is. Sounds hard, take a bike, or bus. Did the crime...do the time.
Or the attorneys and judges have to start stepping up to their "liability of letting people off" just because of what they are,who they are. I want to see the "JUDGES AND ATTORNEYS" GET SOME JAIL TIME, when their "special people" get off,and just do the crime again.
Everyone is right, a normal civilian would be in the slammer that night.
I also bet, DEL. IDIOT is still drinking.
I will keep the children and adults in my prayers.

Republican/Democrat - it does not matter. These elected public servants simply do not believe these laws apply to them.
He needs to be charged with this and pay the punishment like everyone else - and this comes from a conservative leaning person.
The boat name will need to be changed to "The Ex Legislator"
An adult man who supposedly is a public servant does not behave this way.

Amy, I am sure we all don't have a boat that expensive. My parents live in Ventnor, on the water, and they don't have a boat like that.
Plus, I know when dad got his boat (nice cabin fishing boat) he had to go to class for water safety, to get his boater license. Has that changed?
Yes, It was a very bad mistake, but he knew better, I would call it (PREMEDITATED)
You learn in class,Common sense tell you, and again look at the lives he has MISTAKENLY TAKEN (ALMOST) because of his THOUGHTLESSNESS!

Liane N, I am right there with you! I looked up the boat. It is a speed boat.
Now, if he is not brought up on charges,you know (AND NOT A SLAP ON THE HAND)
the hands of Justice Scales are on the down side not up, for us little people.

Give the law a chance to work. Its not over. Don has made a bad choice and he will have to live with this the rest of his life.

Prayers and well wishes to my riverside neighbors injured in the boating mayhem on the Magothy on Wednesday, August 23. May the angels watch over all of you. *~O~*

Where is Carl Snowden when you need him?

People who live in glass houses shuldn't throw stones. Drinking, and even gettting drunk, is not against the law. Operating the boat is and I am sure that he will be charged, well represented, and receive a PBJ. Depending upon who the judge is he will probably be allowed to walk with a years probation (maybe - no - probably with unsupervised probation). This is what other's get so it is only appropriate that he be treated the same as others. He will probably have to take alcohol education classes. Since it does not require a driver's license to operate a boat there are no other sanctions available to the prosecutors. Very, very, very few get jail time for 1st offenses (if this is the only alcohol related offense in the past ten years). MAYBE we will be ORDERED to attend a MADD sponsored IMPACT meeting - maybe not - again depending upon the judge.

And life goes on.

If this is unfair address it with your elected State Representatives.

Don Don made a mistake. He admitted to that mistake. he will address it and then move on. He is only human AND he has represented his constiuents appropriatly.

I was on the scene within minutes of this tragedy at the mouth of Cornfield Creek. Blessings to the neighbors who worked quickly rescuing those involved prior to the EMT's arriving. None of the rescuers gave a moment's thought to just who was on the stretchers or giving opinions as to who was responsible for this accident. Let's be thankful that these lives were spared that evening by someone bigger than all of us. Let us all pray that justice will be served without discrimination.

Who the heck gets wasted and goes tubing and boating on a WEDNESDAY?? Somebody needs a job... oh, waitaminit...

What a colossal jackass.

Some people take days off in the middle ofthe week. Not everyone is a 9-5 addict. Does the day of the week really matter? Maybe it was a family outing or a celebration? Why aren't you at work on a Friday after 9 AM? oh, waitaminit - You hae time for blogging - that is your version of tubing or boating. You take lite of the true issue here. There is nothing wrong with tubing or boating at anytime. Nor is it to drink to excess. The issue is that there are no true controls on operating a boat while under the influence. He needs to be held accountable for that and for that only. Not for tubing or boating. Let's do away with all boats and that should solve the problem. Please try to focus.

Does anybody really know who hit who here?

LOL! Yep, I am an idiot ! I did assume because Dwyer was not arrested and taken to the Commisioner for a bail hearing...as any other person with a .2 bac would have been...that he was benefitting from party affiliation. I was terribly wrong, and should have fact checked myself. However, that is the only thing I regret saying. He should resign immediately. I can't understand why he is getting special treatment, especially since he is a despicable republican. For the record, I have always been registered as an independent. My husband called me to tell me what I had done, and he could barely get the words out for laughing. Lesson learned!

The Dwyer vessel was not tubing; it was the other boat that had a load of grandchildren in it for an evening of intended fun and family memories.

Lets make this about politics shall we? Not about the actual incident. Those poor kids probably don't know or ever cared about it. It's an election year, let's get into our glass houses and start throwing. Never cared for this So-called official, but history will repeat itself with us using the actions of someone to represent the whole. We do it with race, religion, of course we will do it now. You all should be ashamed. God bless all that we're injured- regardless of your political affiliation. You don't like it take to the polls and stop grandstanding on such an awful accident.

I doubt seriously that his BAC was .2. Maybe .02, but not .2. If he had a .2 he would have barely been able to stand and would have been showing some signs of a hangover when he was before the cameras yesterday. I once blew a .18 and I can say unequivocally that I couldn't see straight, stand on my own, and I had a pretty nasty hangover for 2 days...after I got out of jail.

I am not even sure what grandstanding is in 2012. :) . I addressed my comments to Dwyer in the hope that someone in his office will bring what I said to his attention. Heather is absolutely correct, and I will vote against him, but, in the meantime, given his propensity to drink to excess and drive without concern for the citizens of Maryland, breaking the very laws he was elected to represent, his continued presence in his position is a sham. Sadly, I believe because of where he works the full extent of the law won't apply to him.

Wrong! I didn't know who he was, and I really don't care, Elephant,or Ass is it?
Democrat vs Republican ? This is a person who was drunk. Who Drove his boat knowing he was drinking( like I said before),PREMEDITATED, and look at the results. The accident for me has been over 15yrs. This caught my eye because it was a flash back, a repeat of History out of my life, and my FRIENDS and their FAMILIES. Amen,and Many,many prayers, no one dies from this.
The only added extra is NOW it is not a nobody who did this to these families, This is a SOME BODY!

Yikes! I admit I was wrong, I thought that he was receiving preferential treatment because of political affiliation. Really, I guess it's just because he is a politician that charges haven't been filed yet. I just read the transcript of his news conference, he stated that his BAC was reported as .20 not .02, and he didn't dispute or deny that number. Yeppers, he was pretty toasted, even for a "professional"drinker, which is why he should be charged like everyone else who does this. Drunks kill and seriously maim innocent people every day. What they do isn't an accident: they open their mouths and pour the stuff in-on purpose. They make a conscious decision to then leave their dens and operate machinery, like cars and boats, that in itself isn't dangerous. It only gets that way when operated by an impaired person. I will defend anyone's right to buy alcohol and drink to excess, provided they do it without impacting the rest of society. But, when that boozy bravado gets going, whatever they do or cause should be dealt with severely, because the decision to drink was a deliberate one.

Everything about the hospital is true. Some attorneys will tell you to grab a bottle and drink before the police get there because you were so upset. Even at the hospital they still do routine blood work and that will show the BAL. His statements to the police and the press will also be used. Bottom line is that he will plead this out, be eligible for a PBJ, and move on without any jail time. He may be held liable for the cost of the care and injuries as provable (i.e. - bills) as part of the criminal proceedings IF tubing were allowed and if the injured parties were not towed into his oncoming path and IF IF IF. Punitie damages and awards will probably have to come in the form of a civil suit HOWEVER his insurance (boating and personal as well as any additional insurance he gets as a State Delegate) may cover the majority of any awards given. If he has a good attorney then personal assets will not be in his name and there will not be anything to recover. When out on the water it gets hot. People tend to drink more of the wrong things in order to stay cool-and the cycle continues. Alcohol dehydrates and you drink more.

Too much to think about for now. WE elected him. Let's hope he finds his way and stays in the legislature where he can use himself as an example of why laws need to be changed and implemented. A lot of good can come from all of this.

Now - if you'll excuse me I need to get back to the medications that address all of my delusions about good vs evil.

LOL

He's human so whatever

His BAC was indeed .2 and not .02. If it was .02 that's barely one drink. It depends on body weight but I believe .04 is one drink. For me, I can't drive after 2 drinks which would be .08.

.2 is obliterated - .3 is passed out and .4 is dead. He was hammering drinks to get to .2

Maybe folks on the water would have been safer had the special session had been extended.

Maybe folks on the water would have been safer had the special session had been extended.

I cannot believe this man has not been arrested???? had this been the other way around and the Grandfather had been drunk and hit Dwyer, YOu COULD BET MONEY HE"D be in JAIL!

Dwyer lives in Cornfield Creek at his disabled father's property. The boat was keep there on a lift. That is why he was at that location.

Politician plain and simple- a slap on the hand

I was having dinner with a friend of mine (who shall be nameless) who had told me that he had witness Del Dwyer drunk at Sine Die (last day of Session). He also told me that he was dancing. Also another person told me that he is separated from his wife and experiencing a 'mid life crisis' So I guess apparently he may have a drinking problem. This man has always spewed family values and religion. I am a Republican and I sure hope that he will not be reelected. I dated a man for a few years who has a drinking problem and let me tell you it is not fun dealing with a person who has a drinking problem. He did live in Harundale section of Glen Burnie with his wife. His political career is now toast!

@Maribeth Kalinich. Regarding your question whether Dwyer's legal adresss is in District 31 0r 32. His Harundale address is currently in legislative 31 which he represents in the General Assembly. Now that he lives in Pasadena that is very sketchy because parts of Pasadena is in 31. So I am not sure whether his new Pasadena address is part of district 31. I have read that when the new redistricting map will go in effect, District 31 will be divided into subdistricts. If I am correct, the new map will have my part of district 31 which includes Harundale will become subdistrict 31A (Dwyers new district) Del Kipke will be in 31b which includes pasadena. So my question is when the new map goes into effect, will Dwyer run for reelection in his new subdistrict 31A where he still has a legal address where he use to live with his wife or he may challlenge his fellow delegate for the other subdistrict in pasadena? This should be very interesting indeed. If I Dwyer runs for election in my district and if I am still living in the area by then. I will not vote for him every again. I have seen him in other events and I to be totatlly honest not very impressed.

I first met Don in 2010 when I was running for State Senate. We had spoken several times when I was running. I found him to be a candid guy. I may not always agree with him. But heck if you agree with any elected official or somebody running for office 100% of the time; I will question your intelligence.
Even when I ran folks did not always agree with me. That is fair and understandable. But the following statement I think we can all agree on.
There is a higher standard you must adhere to once elected into office! Law makers are the ones who in the end; subject people with rules, policies and laws. You cannot have elected officials that are given these responsibilities and turn around and violate the law themselves. It is a no brainer to go by this standard. But even if I was an elected official, this would apply to me also, I would be no different to be held to such a standard.
Too many times political parties circle the wagon and when someone in their party screws up. They’re more concern about political power then an honorable result. Don knows what he must do maintain honor because of his negative action. Can be forgiven? The victims of this accident can only decide that.
Publicly he will be forgiven if he takes the high road and does the right thing.
Yes Don should resign and there should be a special election.
William Capps
District 21
Republican.

I still want to know why it's been 4 days and no charges have been filed. At the very least, he should get a DWI. Is he really going to skate on this? Unbelievable!

this to me is why they should ban alcohol and tobacco and firearms responsible people dont drink and drive period.

It funny my boyfriend got a DWI and had to pay 5,000 or more in total with court and a lawyer and 80.00 per class for 6 weeks but made him do 12 weeks. The cops spelled his name wrong. They spelled it Rya and is name is Ryan and they lied about why they pulled him over. My other friend can get pulled over for a DWI and she get's pulled over again and get's DUI when the first is not ever taking care and nothing happen. It funny how people can do the same thing and be treated different. Also one person can be change with child abuse and go to jail for giving their kid a time out. When someone els can beat their kid to were they have broken bones and all they get is a slap on the wrist and nothing else will happened. Also a female with a lot of power can go way over the speed limit and nothing happened. So I guess if your not in the 1% percent tile or a cop you got to follow the law. Lol this reminds me of a joke I once heard at a bar from one person in my DUI, “ What does a cop your boss and 1% percent tile have in common with a Nazi? They all tell you what to do how to do it and to believe that their way is right way, and if you ever try to fight them or go against them you lose.”funny joke I think.

It's been over 2 weeks now. What is taking so long?? Regardless I dont know why they at least have not issued the DWI. Whether the accident was his fault or not, he was operating a boat at 2 1/2 times the legal limit... blood tests prove it as well as his own public admission. Why wouldn't he get a DWI????? that's what I want to know! If I was in an accident, even if it was not my fault but I was drunk, I'd be hauled off to the pokey on the spot. Unfair and outrageous!

The National Institutes of Health says that half of all American families have at least one or two alcoholics in them. The brain damage causes the accidents....... but he bent the elbow -- yes, it's a disease--- but no one forced him to drink. Yes, he needs treatment, but he should also have consequences. I think that (in addition to any other consequences) he should be made to attend A.A. at least 5 times a week for 3 years-------- maybe then it'll "take'' and he'll get and stay sober. --- Toby Rice Drews, author, the "Getting Them Sober'' books

The police investigation did show that the at fault driver here was not Dwyer. The press conveniently left out the pictures of the boats, leaving everyone to assume it was Dwyer who was wrong. . That being said, Dwyer should have gotten a ticket ASAP. I also wonder if the at fault operators BAC was tested. This reminds me of the time a relative and a friend were both blind drunk driving to a bar in two separate cars. The friend was snagged in a roadbloack. When the relative realized the guy was no longer following him he went back to see where the friend was. Completely ignoring the pretty flashing lights and the nice men in uniform, he strolled up to the officers to see what the problem was. That turned into yet another DUI arrest. :) Yep, everyone who was operating a boat that night above the state legal limit should have had a ticket for DUI written immediately. That violation is separqate from the accident itself I believe.

Unless you were there and SAW the accident, you cannot go on pictures alone. I think both were at some fault. Also when you see a boat pulling tubers, you should always slow down regardless. I dont' even think he saw them. :( That said, the driver AND adult passenger of the other boat DID submit to breathalizers on the spot. Neither had been drinking.

This has slimy crooked cover up written all over it. The people of our community should be outraged! Would love to be able to get the statistics as to how many DWIs were given out over the summer to boaters and how long it took to actually issue the DWI. Are we really going to sit by and let him get away with this? How can anyone in our area have ANY faith, trust or respect for the NRP???? I used to see them as a valuable resource and now I just seem them as dirty crooks. I'm embarrassed for our community :(

sign the petition
http://www.change.org/petitions/michael-e-busch-remove-delegate-don-dwyer-for-driving-a-boat-while-intoxicated

signed!

Now I really believe in God. Dwyer was the chief homophobe of the MD legislature.

Separately I knocked on a thousand doors in / Severna park to support Q6 to allow our gay neigbors to marry under civil law (churches can still do as they please - its amendment 1 of the US constitution.)

70-80% of the people I spoke to supported keeping the law. For those who were questioning - on the fence - all I had to do was point out that Don Dwyer of boat crashing fame was the key legislatvie architect of the referendum,

Funny how things work out. Sorry and best wishes to Dwyers victims. Thank you Don also.

(PS Don I'm quite sure belongs to a smaller xtian church that is extremly conservative.

Their progressive branch of the presbyterians - many of the churches support marriage equaltiy (most xtian churches have a lot of independence)

And my thanks to the 100 or so catholic priests in WA state who publically supported Mar equality, some here in MD also etc etc.

Hey Steve. You have no right to call anyone a homophobe, because they disagree with your opinion. There are several nasty epithets that could be hurled at you for what you believe is normal behavior. What are you so afraid of that you cannot allow a differing opinion? Why do liberals such as yourself go berserk when anyone objects to yet another whacky proposal they try to shove in the general,publics face as being completely normal in their narrow view? What made this country what it was before the regime took over was the exchange of ideas, the realization that people would disagree, and so we had elections to see which opinion the general public favored. That was a good thing, Steve,but fear not. Liberals rule the roost now, so you should not ever have to bother witn ridiculous general public attitudes ever again, the regime will simply file suit against the populace. Happens all the time lately, just ask Governor Brewer of Arizona. . You are indeed a bully: you got your gay marriage oassed, one way or another, so why are you continuing to malign a man elected to represent the views of his constituents for most likely acting as he was elected to do? Not everybody agrees witn gay marriage, Stevo, but you won. So zip it already. One more thing, you do owe Rep. Dwyer an apology.

if anyone owes anyone an apology here, it's Dwyer to those children..... especially that little girl who is still suffering because of him. He's sooooooooo lucky none of them died. Only by a miracle. He is not taking responsibility for his actions by trying to make excuses and get out of this. he needs to step down and focus on getting his life together and an alcohol treatment program.