KALAMAZOO COUNTY (WWJ) -- A west Michigan man who was drunk when his boat struck and killed a teen swimmer is going to prison.
MLive reports that 39-year-old Tyler Boyd was on Gull Lake in Kalamazoo County over the Fourth of July holiday weekend in 2020 when his boat struck and killed 18-year-old Jack Mitchell.
Boyd's blood-alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit, according to evidence submitted during the preliminary examination.
He pleaded guilty on Jan. 10 to operating a boat while intoxicated causing death.
During her victim impact statement, Jennifer Mitchell said her son was a "perfect child."
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During the sentencing, Boyd acknowledged the family's loss and said the decision to drink and drive the boat that day was the single worse choice he's ever made.
Boyd was sentenced to 15 months to 15 years in prison at the Kalamazoo County Circuit Court on March 14.
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