A man was arrested Tuesday in connection with the boating deaths of his stepson and his stepson’s friend, whose disappearance on the Tennessee River in May 2009 led to a weeklong search for the bodies.
Bradley Crain, 48, was indicted by the Hamilton County grand jury on two counts of criminally negligent homicide and one count of boating under the influence, said Matt Majors, a boating investigator for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
The bodies of Crain’s stepson, Jeremy Landers, 23, and his friend, JaMichael Russell, 22, were found in the Tennessee River after a weeklong search near Rivermont Park.
The men went into the river around 9:30 p.m. May 5, when three men were in the boat, trying to stabilize it in the fast-moving water. Two of the men pulled up the anchor and the boat capsized, according to reports from the Chattanooga Fire Department.
Crain managed to swim to the bank, but the other men drowned.
Landers’ body was found five days later downstream, while Russell’s body was located about a day later.
Crain made a $5,000 bond at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, an officer at the Hamilton County Jail said. Crain is scheduled to appear before Criminal Court Judge Barry Steelman on Aug. 6, the officer said.