Deputies: Ferry operator arrested for boating under the influence
SALEM, Ore. – Marion County sheriff’s deputies arrested a ferry operator who they said was drunk while he drove the Wheatland Ferry Saturday.
The ferry shuttles passengers and vehicles across the Willamette River from Marion County to Yamhill and Polk Counties.
Deputies said someone on the ferry called 9-1-1 and reported that the operator was possibly drunk. The caller said the operator smelled like alcohol and tried to collect a fare twice; forgetting that he already collected it.
The operator, 57-year-old Brian Trussell of Salem, admitted to deputies that he had been drinking before his shift and that he had liquor in his lunch box.
Trussell failed a sobriety test and was taken to the Marion County Jail. He faces charges of boating under the influence and reckless endangerment.
I am not saying it is right but the fact that the Barge is on tether and all they have to do is run from bank to bank. The Job probably drove him to drink.
Wow. âFerrying under the influence." That is a new one on me. On one side, what harm can you do on a ferry boat that goes back and forth on huge steel cables? But, on the other, how can the Sheriff's dept. issue tickets to boaters and jet skiers drinking while operating without enforcing the law on other county employees? Quite the dilemma.
Good grief? The ferry goes from one side of the river to the other, and always on a tether. It's not like the ferry will ever go anywhere else! It might bang into either shore, but that's about it. This will be an interesting court case, ferrying under the influence!
To: Negativerep:
The fact that he was in charge of souls on his craft clearly illustrates the need for 911 to have been contacted if there was ANY question of his sobriety. What about this situation do you possibly see as being a 'non-emergency'?Â
@Msull491 Hate to say this, but I have to go with negativerep on this one. If you call the "non emergency" number and they decide it warents a 911 call, I am sure they would be right on it. The county sheriff's dept., incidently, would be on it like stink on a turd if they even hear a rumor of the words "alcohol" and "water craft" in the same sentance. Keep 911 open for real emergencies, please!Â
 @Msull491 To Msul491:
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The fact that he had probably been operating his craft all day long completely wasted without killing anybody probably indicates that it wasn't an emergency. Â Get some perspective on what a real emergency is rather than tying up the 911 system. Â Jeez people...
Well, this gentleman wil now realize he royally screwed up. Hopefully someone will see if he needs counseling. If he was drunk before his shift and carried booze in his lunch box, then he needs serious help. It does not matter if the ferry is tethered on both sides, he broke the rules.
"Deputies said someone on the ferry called 9-1-1 and reported that the operator was possibly drunk"Â
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_Possibly_ drunk? Â Was this call truly worthy of the 911 system or could the caller have maybe just called the non-emergency number? Â Hmmm?
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Do you happen to have a "non-Emergency" number kept on your phone? Or on a sheet of paper in your car? People are usually instructed in most cases to dial 9-1-1. The caller did go a bit beyond what was necessary, but they made the call. The operator was in the wrong...plain and simple.
Now he should either get counseling on his own dime, or join the ranks of the unemployed,.
 @Just Lookin Actually, yeah.  Plus there's 411 information that any cell phone can call to get a local police number with a little extra effort.  I'm not saying the operator wasn't in the wrong but it wasn't an emergency either.  People need to get perspective on when to use 911.  Period.
This guy passed the cabbage, sheep & wolf test...
OMG! He's weaving on the tether and racing ahead at 4 knots instead of the regulation 3. One time he almost hit an iceberg! OMG he asked for my fare twice! How can you trust a captain like that to go down with the ship? Just remember: Don't pay the ferryman, until he takes you to the other side!
If I had to do the same "route" as him, I'd be drinking as well. Stay thirsty.
tool
I get the charge, and the outrage, but the the Willamette river ferries run on cables.... it's not like he's going to run it aground.
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Frankly, they could automate them and save the counties a couple hundred-thousand a year in salary/benefits and PERS payments. Every time I've ridden them, there's been a 'pilot' and another guy who goes around collecting the fares.Â
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....because one salaried county employee couldn't possibly possess the expertise necessary to do both jobs.
Let's hope the police didn't have to tussle with Trussell when they picked him up.
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Since the Wheatland Ferry is owned by Marion and Yamhill counties Trussel is most likely a county employee. I am sure the union will come running to defend him claiming he wasn't told he could not drink on the job or come to work drunk. Trussel himself will claim an ADA defense saying he is an alcoholic. Meanwhile the public will continue to pay the tab for this idiot and his PERS pension.
What do you mean I can't drink on the job! Water all over the place, it makes a man thirsty.
Doggone ferries....you know, you can always tell they're hammered when their wings are on crooked :(
@fracas Man, there are SO MANYÂ directions I could go with that one, but, just so the "political correctnes" police don't try to brow beat me with a wet "limp noodle", I will just say "WOW, LMFAO!"
hehehehe :D
@fracas .....Booooo !
@Rob C 503Â :P
Get hammered on the job receive BUII award.
Just a good ol' boy who can't understand why a man can't have some alcohol when he wants it.
When does this goatee look go away? It was terrible and still is.
You're an IDIOT.
 @Rob C 503 From the color of that pubic hair around his mouth. it looks like he smokes, too.
@Rob C 503 What? Can't grow one of your own?