Boat Crash Verdict: Not Guilty

Three years, four months since Lynn Thronton died in a horrible boat crash on Clear Lake, sailor Bismarck Dinius has been cleared of all charges. 

The prosecutor tried to argue he was to blame because he had been drinking and did not make sure the sailboat's running lights were on.  But, jurors told me it was unfair that Dinius was the only person charged -- after all, he was just steering the sailboat.  Sailboat owner Mark Weber was manning the sails and it was a top Sheriff's offical, Russell Perdock, whose powerboat slammed into the sailboat from behind at a reported 40-55 miles an hour at night.

It was an emotional moment in court for Dinius and his wife, Rochelle.  They had a tearful, long hug.  I talked to him in the courtroom just after, and wanted you to see the entire interview, including his thoughts about Russell Perdock.

The statute of limitations has run out on charging Perdock with the death of Lynn Thornton -- it tolled on the three-year anniversary of the crash in April.  The defense and other critics of the District Attorney and the Sheriff's Office say that was the plan all along -- to get Perdock off.  There is a possibility Perdock could face perjury charges.  We'll stay on top of this.

I reached Lynn Thornton's brother, Rick Thomsen, in Texas this afternoon.  He told me, "We are thrilled with the verdict.  It's been a travesty of justice from the beginning.  Bismarck Dinius should have never been charged in the first place."

Dinius was fired from his job at Verizon Wireless -- they wouldn't give him a leave of absence to attend the trial.  So now, he'll be focussing on finding work and building a life with his wife and stepdaughter.

By the way, the ABC 7 Futures Market was right again.  To the question, "What will be the outcome of the boat crash trial in Lake County?", traders found an 85% probability of "not guilty".

Comments

[Turnip & Type]

Thank you Dan Noyes and your team for covering this case. Maybe in the future the law officers and DA will not try to cover up what their people and families do wrong. Perdock should have been the one on trial. I am so glad the jury was fair.

[I was not there]

Bismark, come on down to Texas, the sailing is good, we don't put up with corruption, great place to raise a family, and we will find you a job.

[Ron Rogers]

The statute of limitations has run out on:
Manslaughter: Manslaughter requires a homocide without intent. Typical classes are Accidental, Negligent, Reckless (Endangerment leading to). Most often, manslaughter invovles a homocide during the commission of a (lesser) crime, without intent to kill?

[Sphynx Queen]

Dan
Thank You for all you have done for Lynn Thornton's Family, The Dinius's, and for the County. We are forever grateful for your help in showing the rest of the world what Lake County has been dealing with for years. We will not rest until this mess is cleaned up.. In fact...

I have a Copy of Hopkin's Application when he applied to be a DA down in Santa Cruz County, dated Jan 1999. On page 13 of his application is the following statement...

"I can also be counted on to know when the WRONG person has been charged, or the situation calls for leniency or compassion."

That is just one of many quotes that is full of more S_H_I_T than Supervisor Rob Browns Buffalo Herd.

CAN WE SAY RECALL???
Even though its getting close to Re-Election time, why wait? And you thought us "Smatterings" were going to fade away? Sorry Darling, We are just getting started!

THE PEOPLE SHOULD NOT FEAR THE GOVERMENT, THE GOVERMENT SHOULD FEAR THE PEOPLE!

YOU'RE FIRED!

More to follow.

[Intersting]

Dan, thanks so much for staying with this case for all this time. There are a lot of people who appreciate what you have done, and Lynn is looking down at you with a big warm smile. That is what true investigative journalism is all about. Grab hold and hang on until it all comes out for the world to see.

Dinius is free, but Lake County still has some issues to deal with. Don't abandon them just yet, there is more to this story than the Dinius Trial.

[Peter Lucas]

The law enforcement and criminal justice system will unscrupulously use their system to accomplish whatever they please by whatever means necessary. In this case their only goal was to protect a reckless sheriff. And they were successful.

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Bismark, come on down to Texas, the sailing is good, we don't put up with corruption, great place to raise a family, and we will find you a job.

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The law enforcement and criminal justice system will unscrupulously use their system to accomplish whatever they please by whatever means necessary. In this case their only goal was to protect a reckless sheriff. And they were successful...

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