Earlier this week, we told you about Kendra Motter, a rookie diver who died during a dive excursion in the Florida Keys. Although there's no update available concerning the manner in which she died, some odd details have emerged from the investigation into her death.
According to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, when officials tried to remove Motter's gear, Michael Ryan -- a staff member with Horizon Divers, with whom the Motters were diving -- began to hose down the gear. Although ordered to stop, Ryan continued to rinse the equipment, and, according to Deputy Becky Herrin, also "picked up Motter's dive computer, attached to the equipment, and reportedly appeared to be attempting to alter it in some way." Ryan was subsequently arrested and charged with a felony count of attempting to destroy evidence; a misdemeanor count of obstructing a law enforcement officer; and a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest.
1. AS any diver knows there's nothing you can do to "alter" a diver computer's memory. It's not like a Palm Pilot. Similarly unless the dive gear was marked with police tape it's unlikely the employee would realize that he wasn't supposed to rinse it like any other piece of rental gear. Furthermore, rinsing with fresh water gets rid of one thing, sea salt. If the gear were taken to the lab it would likely never be checked for anything that fresh water could wash away. I like how the cops threw in "resisting arrest" as they do in pretty much every arrest in Florida, just for good measure.
Posted at 5:35AM on Jan 25th 2007 by Kevin