Jannus Owner Jeffrey Knight Charged With 8 Felony Counts In Clearwater Ferry Crash

CLEARWATER, FL — Jeffrey Knight, the owner of Jannus Live, was arrested in connection with the April 27 Clearwater Ferry crash that killed one person and injured multiple people, according to reports.

Knight, arrested by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, faces eight felony counts of leaving the scene of a crash involving death or serious bodily injury, Bay News 9 reported.

He is the accused hit-and-run driver of a boat that collided with the back of the Clearwater Ferry.

The crash killed the father of two young girls in addition to injuring at least 10 other people.

Each felony charge can come with a sentence of up to 30 years in prison with a mandatory minimum of four years in prison if the accident results in death, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Additional misdemeanor charges will be filed with the Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney’s Office, reports said.

In the days after the crash, Knight’s attorney denied that the businessman fled the scene.

In a letter to investigators, the attorney addressed what he called “misinformation” about the crash and pushed back on reports that Knight left quickly after it.

"Immediately after the accident, Mr. Knight directed a passenger on his vessel to call 911, and that passenger remained on the line with 911 for 12 minutes… Mr. Knight tied his vessel to the ferry in order to stabilize it and render aid. He used his boat to maneuver the ferry closer to shore so that first responders would have easier access to the passengers,” the letter reads, according to Fox 13.

See Also:

• Boater In Deadly FL Ferry Crash Steps Down From Music Venue; Victim's Family Seeks Justice
• Deadly Clearwater Ferry Crash: 5 Things To Know About Accident
• 1 Dead, 12 Hospitalized In Clearwater Ferry Crash

Knight left the scene of the crash that night and headed south to his home before being stopped by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office while he was still on the water, the FWC told WFLA.

The family of the man killed in the ferry crash, Jose Castro, 41, a U.S. postal worker from Palm Harbor, demanded justice following the fatal incident. They say they don’t understand why Knight hasn’t been arrested.

“I want this guy to pay for what he did, for what we’re going through right now,” Castro’s sister, Sandy Todd, told the Tampa Bay Times. “My family is destroyed.”

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