LE CLAIRE, Iowa — An Iowa appellate court has upheld the conviction of a Pleasant Valley man who was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in a fatal 2020 boating accident, court documents show.
On Sunday, August 16, 2020, two boats collided on the Mississippi River near LeClaire, killing Craig Verbeke, 61, and Anita Pinc, 52, and injuring several others on the two boats.
Back in April 2022, a Scott County jury found 45-year-old James Thiel Sr. not guilty on two counts of felony involuntary manslaughter but guilty on two counts of aggravated misdemeanor involuntary manslaughter. Thiel was sentenced to one year in jail, however, 48 minutes after he was booked, he posted a $10,000 appeal bond and was released.
That appeal has now been rejected, with the ruling affirmed by an Iowa appellate court.
Verbeke and Pinc were engaged, according to social media posts made by the family, and it was Thiel Truck Center's 25-foot 2007 Triton that collided with the couple's 19-foot 1993 Bayliner.
According to wrongful death lawsuits filed by the families of Verbeke and Pinc, Thiel's boat was occupied by 13 people at the time of the crash, despite the boat's maximum capacity of 12.
Before the crash, Thiel was helping his son, a minor, operate the boat and was racing a third boat operated by Ethan Mahler, the lawsuits said, citing Iowa Department of Natural Resources reports of the incident. Witnesses recalled Thiel and Mahler's boats traveling at excessive speeds, crossing each other's paths, driving recklessly and — at one point — almost T-boning each other.
Thiel's boat, traveling at an excessive speed, hit the back left side of the couple's boat. A witness recalled Thiel being ejected from his boat in the collision and landing in the back of the Bayliner.
Pinc and the family dog also on board died at the scene of the crash. Verbeke was hospitalized and died three days later due to his injuries, according to court documents.