Services Set for 3 Killed in Boat Crash

Memorial services will be held this weekend for three Orange County residents killed in a hit-and-run speedboat collision on a popular stretch of the Colorado River.

Jonathan Herbert, 21, his sister Jacquel, 18, and Ashley Rollins, 18, were killed Friday evening when their boat was hit by a speedboat driven by Grier D. Rush.

A fourth victim, Josh Rogers, 18, remains hospitalized in Phoenix with head injuries. His attorney, Thomas Bouchard, said Rogers can now move his fingers and toes slightly and that his family is keeping vigil from a nearby hotel.

Rush, a 62-year-old Maywood boat builder, allegedly left the accident scene, loaded his 20-foot powerboat onto a trailer and got a ride back to Southern California.

Rush surrendered the next day and is being held on $1-million bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned next week.

Though Rush faces felony hit-and-run charges, authorities have not concluded which boater was at fault. One witness said it appeared that Jonathan Herbert was in the process of making a legal U-turn on the river, along the California-Arizona border, when he was broadsided. The impact caused Rush’s speedboat to skip over Herbert’s boat, striking the victims.

Autopsies are completed but toxicology results are awaited.

Funeral services for Rollins, a Mission Viejo resident who had been attending Saddleback Community College, will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 29441 Altisima, Rancho Santa Margarita.

Memorial services for Jacquel and Jonathan Herbert, who lived in Laguna Hills, will be conducted at 2 p.m. Sunday at the First Baptist Church of Laguna Hills, 24521 Moulton Parkway.

Both families have encouraged friends to attend.