Court waits for man's return from rehab

EPHRATA — Trial may be delayed for a Western Washington man charged with watercraft homicide in connection with a July 2005 boating incident on Billy Clapp Lake.

Charles C. Seil, 46, of Kent, Wash. is charged in Grant County Superior Court with watercraft homicide and two counts of watercraft assault. His trial is currently scheduled to begin June 5.

Seil was reportedly operating his 21-foot Bayliner boat, loaded with four passengers, when it slammed into a rocky shoreline in a remote section of the northern Grant County lake, according to court documents.

The crash killed a 6-year-old girl and seriously injured Seil's son, who was 3 years old at the time, court records state. Passenger Richard A. Shuff, 44, of Maple Valley, suffered brain injury as a result of the crash and is continuing to rehabilitate.

Immediately after the wreck, Seil was transported to Samaritan Hospital in Moses Lake, where his blood was drawn and sent to a toxicology lab for testing, documents show.

Grant County Deputy Prosecutor Carolyn Fair said Thursday she anticipates being able to prove Seil had alcohol and other substances in his system at the time of the wreck. Seil has no known felony convictions, Fair said.

Seil, represented by attorney Garth Dano of Moses Lake, appeared in superior court last week, seeking a continuance.

Prosecutors, Fair said, would prefer to try the case in June. Meanwhile, Dano said prosecutors offered to settle the case. Fair confirmed an offer is on the table.

Since his latest court appearance, Seil checked into the Betty Ford Clinic in California, Fair said. He is likely to be there until June, she said.

The trial could now be delayed until late July or early August, she said.

A hearing on Seil's case is scheduled for early next week in front of Grant County Superior Court Judge Ken Jorgensen.