Former state senator pleads no contest after Rhode Island multi-boat collision ejects passenger

A local man and former politician has taken a plea after a boat crash.

47-year-old Dawson Hodgson of Saunderstown, Rhode Island pleaded no contest to reckless operation, according to court records and reported by WPRI12. In exchange, prosecutors dropped an amended charge of refusing a chemical test. He was ordered to pay $4,400 in restitution, and the judge imposed a one-year filing, under which the charge will be expunged if he remains law-abiding until next August.

According to police, on June 12th, at just before 10:45 p.m., the Jamestown Police Department received an open 911 call that, based on GPS coordinates, appeared to be originating from the waterway off East Ferry in Jamestown. 

Officers were able to establish contact with the caller, who reported that he had just been involved in a marine accident with another vessel. The caller advised that his passenger had been ejected from the boat during the collision but had subsequently been located and safely brought back aboard. 

The Jamestown Police Department and Jamestown Fire & Rescue responded to the East Ferry area. The operator of the vessel, later identified as Hodgson, was able to navigate the 20-foot fiberglass vessel back to a slip at East Ferry, where emergency personnel met him. 

Officers on scene observed visible signs of intoxication while speaking with Hodgson. He was asked to perform Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, which he refused. Hodgson was subsequently taken into custody and charged with Operating Watercraft Under the Influence – First Offense (BAC Unknown), Watercraft Chemical Test Refusal – First Offense, and Failure to obey a lawful order (civil traffic violation).

The passenger was evaluated by Jamestown EMS and declined medical treatment. Hodgson sustained minor injuries as a result of the accident and also declined medical treatment. 

The subsequent investigation determined that Hodgson’s vessel had struck an unoccupied, moored vessel in the Jamestown mooring field.

According to multiple reports, Hodgson was a member of the Rhode Island Senate who represented the 35th district from 2011 to 2015.