Boat Operators Held After Two Die in Crash

Two men face charges of operating boats while under the influence of an intoxicant after a boating accident killed two of their relatives--one from Orange County and the other a former Orange County resident--during a family reunion in rural Oregon.

Maureen Beckman, 31, of Orange, was pronounced dead about 4 p.m. Saturday after a jet boat in which she was a passenger collided with another boat on the Rogue River about five miles downstream from Agness. Also killed in the accident was Shona Heatherly, 25, who grew up in Orange County but had recently moved to Manhattan Beach.

A spokesman for the Curry County, Ore., Sheriff’s Department said the accident occurred when the boat in which the two women were riding made a sharp turn in front of another boat, which did not stop in time to avoid a collision. Both women died of injuries suffered in the crash.

The boat making the turn was piloted by Harold Russell, 61, of Brandon, Ore., and the second boat was piloted by his son, Bradley Russell, 34, of Oak Harbor, Wash.

Both men were arrested and charged with boating under the influence.

“There were a lot of contributing factors,” sheriff’s spokesman Allen Boice said. “It was a hot day, the sun on the water, the wind, all can affect your judgment. But it was alcohol-involved.”

A family member said the two victims had gone to Oregon to enjoy the weekend with relatives. “We are completely devastated,” said Beverlee Larsson of Orange, Beckman’s sister-in-law and Heatherly’s cousin.

Larsson said she believes that Harold Russell is Beckman’s uncle and Bradley Russell is her cousin.

Beckman had moved to Orange from Oregon about seven years ago, Larsson said, and worked as a flight attendant for American Airlines. Heatherly, she said, grew up in Orange, studied interior design in Newport Beach and had recently gone to work as an interior designer in the Los Angeles area.

“They were two of the nicest people,” Larsson said. “We have to find a place big enough for their memorial service because they had tons and tons of friends.”

Thirteen people were aboard the two boats at the time of the accident, and several of them suffered minor injuries. Beckman was pronounced dead at the scene, while Heatherly was taken to Curry General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Bail was set at $7,500 each for Harold and Bradley Russell.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.