Police Investigate Boat Explosion, and Arrest Motorist with Drugs and Guns

Last Friday evening, a Pennsylvania woman suffered severe abdominal injuries when she fell from a jet ski in Ocean City and was struck by the high-pressure water stream from the vessel.

Nathalie Busunga, 22, of Swarthmore, was a passenger aboard the watercraft that was traveling at about 20 to 25 knots in the Isle of Wight Bay near Swordfish Basin when she slipped off the stern of the vessel.

The operator, John Thompson, 44, of Wilmington, Delaware, said his passenger began complaining of internal pain soon after the fall so they went to Thunder Island and he called 911. Basunga was taken to Peninsula Regional Medical Center by Ocean City first responders.

The incident was reported to the Coast Guard and remains under investigation.

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On Sunday, officers and members of the Coast Guard on a saturation patrol off Ocean City stopped two jet skis for operating after sunset.

Both operators were suspected of being impaired. Justin Robert Drost, 35, of Baltimore, refused to take any sobriety tests. James Henry Stephens, 34, of Ocean City, agreed to be tested and showed signs of impairment.

Both men were charged with two counts of boating while impaired. They are scheduled to appear in Worcester District Court on October 7.


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Maryland Natural Resources Police officers investigated a boat explosion and a jet ski accident, arrested a motorist carrying drugs and loaded guns, and charged an unlicensed fishing guide in recent cases.

The investigation continues into a boat explosion and fire in St. Mary’s County Sunday afternoon that left two people injured.

Officers responded to the Piney Point launch ramp shortly after 6 p.m. to find the incinerated shell of an 18-foot Sea Ray and six dazed passengers being tended to by local first responders.

Jimmy Francisco Gomez, 20, of Oxford, Pennsylvania, who is the boat owner, told officers that he had turned on the vessel’s ventilation blower for two to three minutes before turning on the ignition. The explosion and fire did not begin until several minutes later.

Two passengers, ages 42 and 27, from Hyattsville, suffered burns and were flown to Medstar Washington Hospital Center for treatment. The remaining four passengers received minor burns and declined further treatment.

The 31-year-old vessel is believed to be a total loss.

The Maryland Fire Marshal’s Office is the lead agency in the investigation.

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Officers returning from a training exercise Tuesday arrested a West Virginia man and charged him with possession of drugs and loaded weapons after a traffic stop on I-70 in Washington County.

Curtis Anthony Shaffer, 30, of Fairmont, was pulled over at about 5:30 p.m., after he sped past a marked patrol vehicle at more than 100 mph and swerved onto the shoulder.

After stopping the vehicle, officers detected the smell of marijuana and asked the driver if he was transporting anything dangerous. Shaffer handed officers a bag of marijuana and told them there was a loaded weapon under the front seat and two more in the car’s trunk.

During their search, officers found the three handguns—two loaded and one unloaded— and a large amount of ammunition along with marijuana and cocaine.

Shaffer was charged with four counts of illegal weapons possession and two counts of drug possession. He posted bond and was released. He is scheduled to appear in Washington District Court on October 12.

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A West Virginia man is scheduled to be in Washington County District Court on October 7 to answer charges that he acted as a fishing guide on the Potomac River without obtaining a license.

Douglas Scott Boyles, 35, of Berkley Springs, was stopped near Weverton, Maryland by an officer on patrol who noticed that none of the three people in his guided float trip through Class III rapids was wearing a life jacket, as required.

Boyles told the officer that he was working under the license of another guide, who also is employed by White Fly Outfitters, based in Harper’s Ferry. Maryland law requires that each guide working for a business be individually licensed. Boyles did not have a valid fishing license.

Boyles was charged with failing to wear a life jacket as required, operating as an unlicensed commercial fishing guide in non-tidal waters and failing to have a valid fishing license while guiding. If found guilty on all charges, he could be fined as much as $2,500.