Executive Summary
- Jeffrey Knight faces 24 counts, including felonies for fleeing the scene of a fatal boating crash.
- Prosecutors cited delays in obtaining investigative reports from the U.S. Coast Guard.
- The defense waived the right to a speedy trial to review evidence involving 180 witnesses.
- A tentative trial date has been set for October, with a pretrial hearing in May.
- Ferry captain Dennis Kimerer faces a separate misdemeanor charge regarding vessel lighting.
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Jeffrey Knight, the man accused of crashing into a Clearwater ferry in an incident that resulted in a fatality, appeared in court on Monday as attorneys negotiated the scheduling of a trial date. Knight faces 24 counts, including eight felony counts for fleeing the scene of a boating collision involving injury.
During the pretrial hearing in Pinellas County, state prosecutors and defense attorneys addressed significant delays in the discovery process. A primary obstacle cited by the state attorney is the acquisition of official reports from the U.S. Coast Guard, which responded to the scene immediately following the April crash. Prosecutors noted that because the Coast Guard is a federal entity, standard subpoenas are insufficient for obtaining the necessary documents, complicating the timeline for the case.
The evidentiary scope of the trial is substantial. According to court filings, the witness list contains approximately 180 names, and there are hundreds of hours of video evidence to be reviewed. Consequently, Knight’s defense attorney filed a motion to waive the right to a speedy trial, requesting additional time to depose witnesses and analyze the extensive video footage. “We’re asking for time to watch the videos more than once, depose the witness, get the reports,” the defense stated.
State prosecutors informed the court that they have retained a crash reconstructionist, Joe Miller, who is currently modeling the incident based on available discovery. The state expressed hope that a final reconstruction report would be available by May. Judge Pat Siracusa acknowledged the volume of work but expressed confidence in the defense team’s ability to manage the preparation, setting the next pretrial hearing for May 4, with a tentative trial start date in October.
Family members of the victims, including Sandy Todd, the sister of deceased victim Jose Castro, were present in the courtroom. “What happened to us, I don’t want to happen to another family,” Todd told reporters, emphasizing that the family continues to seek justice while mourning the loss of Castro, a father of two.
Separately, the captain of the ferry involved in the collision, Dennis Kimerer, is facing a misdemeanor charge for operating without a working stern light at the time of the crash. His next pretrial hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
Procedural Outlook
The progression of this case highlights the jurisdictional complexities inherent in maritime incidents where local prosecutions intersect with federal investigations. The delay in securing Coast Guard reports underscores the administrative hurdles that can impede swift judicial proceedings in waterway accidents. With a massive witness list and technical reconstruction data pending, the court’s ability to maintain the October trial target will depend heavily on the efficiency of the discovery phase over the coming months. It is important to note that both Jeffrey Knight and Dennis Kimerer are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
