Boat Owner Arrested One Month After A Hit-And-Run Accident
Fort Lauderdale Police have arrested a man who was the operator of a boat involved in a fatal boating accident in Haulover Inlet after a month-long search.
Local 10, Station WPLG in Miami reports that an arrest warrant for 53-year-old Dean Michael Sealy of Pompano Beach was carried out on Wednesday after reportedly causing a disturbance at the Royal Beach Palace Hotel in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday.
Investigators with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission say that on September 17th, Sealy rammed his boat into a shoal marker in a sandbar area. The impact forced people aboard the vessel into the water. Sealy got back into the boat and sped away from the scene. Among those forced into the water was 27-year-old Zach Forte, who died in the crash.
One young woman who was also on the vessel made it to the shore after the morning’s crash. The body of Forte would not be found until later that night.
Police found the boat involved in the fatal accident in a marina in Fort Lauderdale a short time later.
Authorities would catch up to Sealy at the Fort Lauderdale hotel more than a month later after Sealy reportedly broke a computer in the hotel business center, threw a remote control at a television in the hotel bar, and allegedly attempted to punch a bartender and a hotel manager. Sealy faces multiple charges in this latest incident, including criminal mischief and disorderly conduct.
In relation to the crash last month, Sealy is being charged with vehicular homicide, fleeing the scene of an accident, and operating a boat while under the influence of alcohol. An eyewitness told investigators that they observed Sealy drinking several Long Island iced teas and sniffing a white substance.
A judge has set Sealy’s bond at $600,000.