By Mike McCombs
The Island News
Enforcement officers with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources were busy in Beaufort County waters on Saturday, the first Saturday of the 2023 Beaufort Water Festival.
SCDNR officers made seven arrests Saturday, including six for Water Device, Operating Under the Influence. The seventh arrest was for Public Disorderly Conduct.
Apparently, the arrests weren’t centered on any particular area like the Beaufort Sandbar.
“We treated this Water Festival the same as past festivals as far as preparation, staffing and patrols,” SCDNR spokesperson Stephen Fastenau told The Island News. “The BUI cases were made in the Beaufort River, but not in one particular area. The cases are active, and we aren’t able to comment further.”
Since the arrests all occurred in the afternoon and early evening, all seven suspects spent Saturday night in the Beaufort County Detention Center before bond hearings Sunday morning.
In contrast to the SCDNR, City of Beaufort Police made no arrests during the first weekend of Water Festival.
“I guess we were just lucky it worked out that way,” Deputy Chief Stephenie Price said.
Mike McCombs is the Editor of The Island News and can be reached at TheIslandNews@gmail.com.
