Sunrise Beach Man Enters Alford Plea In Fatal Boating Crash

A man from Sunrise Beach has entered an Alford Plea in connection to the August 2023 boating crash that killed a woman and injured several others.

According to court records, Bobby Childers was facing a charge of boating while intoxicated in the crash that took the life of 44-year-old Nicolette McKenna.

Investigators with the Highway Patrol say it happened at the 24-mile-mark of the main channel, when the boat they were on was too close to the docks and hit a large wake, causing it to smash into a breakwater.

During the ambulance ride, Patrol officials reported that Childers had admitted he had “drank too much” because he had been bar hopping.

An Alford plea does not mean Childers admits guilt, but instead, admits there is enough evidence for a conviction.

His sentencing has been set for March.