Man charged with DWI after deadly boating incident in northern Minnesota

A Maplewood, Minnesota man has been charged for allegedly driving a boat while impaired during a deadly boating incident that killed his friend over the weekend in northern Minnesota.

Joshua Harvey, 32, is charged with a third-degree gross misdemeanor for refusing to take a chemical test and a fourth-degree misdemeanor for operating a boat while intoxicated. Nathen Norman Waldo, 34, of North Branch died in the incident.

According to the charges, a group of friends was having a "guy's weekend" at the cabin to cheer up Waldo. Friday around 11:15 p.m. the group was in a pontoon boat on Big Sandy Lake near the Hillcrest Resort in McGregor, Minnesota. 

Witnesses told police at one point while the boat was moving, Waldo stood up as if to say something, but then stumbled on a cooler and fell overboard. Harvey, who was driving the boat, told police he felt the motor hit Waldo. After attempting to search the water for about 15 minutes, the group called 911.

When deputies arrived, they could smell alcohol on Harvey's breath and Harvey failed several field sobriety tests, the charges state. Harvey refused to take a breath test. A deputy arrested Harvey and took him to Aitkin County Jail. A blood sample from Harvey is still undergoing testing by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

The next day, officials checked the pontoon boat and found damage on the aluminum propeller. Search crews recovered Waldo's body Saturday afternoon.

Harvey had his first appearance in Aitkin County District Court on Tuesday and is no longer in custody. His next hearing is scheduled for September.