BASS LAKE — With the approach of the Labor Day weekend and the traditional wind-down of summer activities at Bass Lake, the Madera County Sheriff’s office is reporting boating under the influence (BUI) arrests are up 45 percent in 2019.
Madera County Sheriff’s Corporal Amy Roussell said she attributes the increase in BUI arrests “to the training and experience of our staff on the lake.”
“We’ve had about seven or eight BUIs so far this summer,” Roussell said. “Most years, we only see about three or four.”
Corporal Amy Roussell and Sgt. Larry Rich – photo by Gina Clugston
Roussell has overseen MCSO’s Bass Lake Boat Unit for nearly a decade — except for several summers when she returned to regular deputy duties.
On a typical summer weekend, Roussell says four or five MCSO deputies are actively working the lake. “Around summer holidays, we do bump up the numbers of staffing,” she added.
MCSO deputies monitor activity on Bass Lake in two patrol boats and two WaveRunners.
Next summer, the Boat Unit expects to launch a brand new 22-foot aluminum patrol boat, worth over $150,000.
The custom patrol boat is made in Washington state by Munson Boats. “It’s custom-built for the purposes of what we need it for,” Roussell said. “It takes a long time to deliver because it has to be fabricated from scratch.”
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