ELLSWORTH, Wis. -- The man who was driving a boat that crashed on the St. Croix River in 2013, killing one passenger, has pleaded guilty of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle.
Patrick Puhalla, of Bayport, entered the guilty plea Tuesday in Pierce County (Wis.) Circuit Court. He also pleaded guilty of causing injury by intoxicated boat operation.
Puhalla, 48, was operating a 40-foot Formula 400 boat the night of June 5, 2013, when it crashed into the shoreline near Kinnickinnic State Park, killing David J. Riley, 40. Riley lived in New Richmond, Wis., and worked as harbormaster at Windmill Marina in Afton.
Puhalla and another passenger were injured in the crash.
A test after the crash showed Puhalla had a blood-alcohol level of 0.114, according to the criminal complaint.
The three were coming back from a weekly boat trip from Windmill Marina to a bar in Prescott, Wis. Puhalla told investigators that the night was darker than he had ever seen it and electronics were supposed to have been operating the boat, the complaint states.
A sentencing hearing in the case is scheduled for Aug. 12. Prosecutors are recommending Puhalla serve five years of probation and one year in jail, but the decision will ultimately be left to the judge.