Rangers cite boaters on Las Vegas Bay

Tuesday, Aug. 6, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

Rangers on Lake Mead made eight arrests and gave out 31 citations after a recent checkpoint at Las Vegas Bay.

A total of 210 watercraft passed through rangers' six-hour inspection period Sunday.

Of the 27 boaters who submitted to field sobriety checks to measure their level of intoxication, five people were arrested for being under the influence of alcohol, one person was arrested for being on drugs, one person was arrested for domestic violence, and one person was arrested for being a fugitive of the law, authorities said.

Citations issued included 13 boaters caught without life preservers on board, five people for not having a fire extinguisher, five people for impaired operation, two people for having an overloaded vessel, one person for expired registration and one person for exceeding the posted wakeless speed near the docks. Three people were cited for not having a flame arrester -- a device that prevents an engine's backfire flames from igniting fumes.

A total of 25 people were issued warnings for infractions.

The Lake Mead rangers' goal with their periodic checkpoints is to remove intoxicated or otherwise impaired boaters from the waterways in hopes of saving lives.