Clear Lake man charged in boating accident

 The driver of a boat which struck a public dock on Clear Lake in the early morning hours of Aug. 3, 2014, has been charged with Boating While Intoxicated, Reckless Use of a Watercraft and right of way rules: speed and distance.

 After an investigation completed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office, William Andrew Nicholas, 28, of Clear Lake, was arrested Aug. 19. Nicholas was booked into the Cerro Gordo County Jail, where he posted a $1,000 bond and was released.
 The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Department was called at approximately 2:05 a.m. Aug. 3 about a boating accident with multiple injuries at the 15th Avenue South public dock on South Shore Drive.
A 2000 Cobalt boat operated by Nicholas, struck the public dock, causing damage to a portion of the dock, a 2010 Alumacraft boat on a hoist and Nicholas’ boat.
Nicholas and Taylor Olson, 23, of Clear Lake, were taken to Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa by ambulance for treatment. Twenty-two year-old Erinn Heine and 23-year-old Michael Holmes, both of Clear Lake, were both transported to Mercy-North Iowa by private vehicle. Heine, Holmes and Taylor Olson were all treated and released.
Six others were treated at the scene by Clear Lake Fire & Rescue and Mason City Fire Department personnel for their injuries. Those injured included: Paige Bartleson, 23, of Clear Lake; Andrew Burgmeier, 22, of Mason City; Tiffini Cieplenski, 20, of Forest City; Alexandria Hayes, 22, of Clear Lake; Hunter King, 21, of Clear Lake; and Matthew Palzkill, 25, of Mason City.