Cedar Lake man arrested after hitting dredging pipe

A Cedar Lake man was arrested after leaving his boat while crossing the Cedar Lake dredge pipeline.

At approximately 1:21 a.m. Friday, Cedar Lake police were called to the 13400 block of Cedar Street on the lake for reports of a boat running aground, Police Chief Carl Brittingham said in a statement. They saw the boat — a 2003 Baja — sinking and were told someone had picked up the boat's driver on a personal watercraft, Brittingham said.

Police found the 43-year-old man and noticed a strong odor of alcohol on his breath, Brittingham said. The man admitted to “driving the boat and speeding through the dredge pipe and hitting it,” he said.

The suspect was taken to the Lake County Jail and refused to submit to a chemical test, Brittingham said. The Post-Tribune will not name the suspect until he is formally charged.

The boat, which leaked no liquid and was therefore deemed safe, was removed from the lake, Brittingham said.

This is not the first time the dredge pipe has crashed or been used as a launch pad. Last June, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources issued a temporary rule limiting the speed of watercraft within 220 feet of the dredge pipe. The rule lasted until the end of the 2023 boating season; the DNR has not reinstated the rule for 2024.

Last May, a boat struck the dredge pipe at high speed, lodging the boat's propeller in the pipe, the Post-Tribune previously reported, and several people were warned after launching their jet skis out of the pipe on June 7, 2023.

“If you are caught intentionally jumping on the dredge pipe, you could be charged and even placed in custody for a misdemeanor,” according to a 2023 news release from the Cedar Lake Police Department. “If you jump on the pipe, you are likely causing damage to the pipe and the dredging operation in general.

“In addition to criminal charges, you could be held liable for damages, including delays in dredging operations.”

Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.