Captain in fatal boat crash arrested
TILLAMOOK, Ore. - The skipper of a fishing boat wanted for manslaughter has been found and arrested.
Kirk Opheim, 23, was at the helm last January when the crab boat he was piloting crashed on the rocks of Tillamook jetty during heavy coastal weather.
50-year-old Kenneth Venard died. The boat eventually sank.
Opheim is charged with manslaughter, endangering, and boating under the influence of meth.
Police found Opheim already in custody at the Skagit county jail on a charge unrelated to the sinking of the boat.
Kirk Opheim, 23, was at the helm last January when the crab boat he was piloting crashed on the rocks of Tillamook jetty during heavy coastal weather.
50-year-old Kenneth Venard died. The boat eventually sank.
Opheim is charged with manslaughter, endangering, and boating under the influence of meth.
Police found Opheim already in custody at the Skagit county jail on a charge unrelated to the sinking of the boat.