Medway man faces manslaughter charge in speedboat deaths

MEDWAY

A grand jury in Maine has indicted a Medway man on two counts of manslaughter stemming from a collision on a southern Maine lake in which two people were killed when their skiff was sliced in half by a large, high-powered speedboat, authorities said Friday.

The Cumberland County grand jury on Thursday handed up the indictment against Robert LaPointe Jr. of Medway, Mass., in the Aug. 11 crash on Long Lake in Harrison. Terry Raye Trott, 55, of Naples, Maine and Suzanne Groetzinger, 44, of Berwick, Maine died in the wreck.

LaPointe's 32-footer with twin, 435-horsepower engines ran over a 14-foot motorboat operated by Trott, Cumberland County District Attorney Stephanie Anderson said.

The indictment also charges LaPointe with four counts of aggravated operating under the influence and one count of reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon.

Lapointe, who was 38 at the time of the crash, and his passenger, Nicole Randall, 19, of Bridgton, Maine were thrown into the water while their boat raced ashore. The high-powered vessel, which had a top speed of 80 mph, stopped 135 feet inland. Both Lapointe and Randall suffered minor injuries and were able to swim to shore.

-- AP