Probation in boating death case

The family of the man who was killed testified on behalf of his friend who was accused of manslaughter

By CHRIS TISCH - Tampabay.com
Published September 27, 2005

ARGO - A Tarpon Springs man charged with manslaughter in the 2003 boating death of his friend pleaded no contest to the charge and received four years of probation in court Monday.

Randall L. Peacock, 44, was charged with BUI-manslaughter in the July 30, 2003, death of Anthony Stevens, 26, of Palm Harbor.

The two friends had gone fishing that night when the 21-foot Mako they were in slammed into a channel marker in the Gulf of Mexico about a mile west of Tarpon Springs.

Stevens went overboard. He suffered a broken collarbone and skull fracture that medical examiners think caused him to drown.

Peacock told investigators the impact knocked him unconscious. He said he woke up covered with blood and searched the waters for his friend. He then called for help. Peacock said he thought Stevens was driving the boat at the time of the crash.

But blood stains and other evidence on the boat indicated Peacock had been steering the vessel. He was arrested and charged with manslaughter more than eight months after the crash.

Investigators estimated Peacock's blood-alcohol count was 0.11 to 0.18 percent at the time of the crash. Florida law presumes someone with a blood-alcohol count of 0.08 or higher is too impaired to drive.

After the arrest, Stevens' father, Donald, told the St. Petersburg Times that his family didn't blame Peacock for his son's death.

"They were very close friends. They were both out on the boat drinking that night, and it could have been the other way around," he said.

Peacock's attorney, George Tragos, said Donald Stevens echoed those comments in court Monday when he appeared on Peacock's behalf.

Under state sentencing guidelines, Peacock faced a minimum of 10 years in prison. But because Peacock doesn't have a prior record and the victim's family spoke on his behalf, he was eligible for a less severe sentence, Tragos said.