‘

CgaomqoflM
IN THE SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT,
IN AND FOR MONROE COUNTY, FLORmA
STATE 0F FLORIDA .

Plaintiff, Court Case Number:

Vs. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Division of Law Enforcement
Agency Case Number: FWC220N00046392
Defendant
Daniel Gavin Couch

ARREST WARRANT
Name: Daniel Gavin Couch
Date ofBirth: 1 1/24/1972
Hair: Brown/Grey
D/L#: C-200-167-72-424-0

Last Known Address: 213

—
Race: White
Eyes: Blue
SSN#:

ANGLERS DR S APT I
Sex:
Weight:
Male
Unknown

MARATHON
Height: 6’01”

FL 33050

To all State, County, and Local Law Enforcement Ofiicers in the State of Florida, Greetings:

me personally appeared Investigator Paige Pestka a state law enforcement oficer with the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Before
Conservation Commission Division of Law Enforcement, and who being duly sworn, states that the Defendant DANIEL GAVIN
COUCH did commit the acts stated 'inthe attached Probable Cause Affidavit. Based upon this sworn statement of ficts, I find
probable cause that the defendant did commit the following crimes in the state waters of Monroe County, Florida, contraxy to the
Florida Statutes and against the peace and dignity ofthe State of Florida:
BOND PER COUM
COUNTS STATUTE DESCRIPTION LEVEL (5m. W JUDGE)
l 782.07 Manslaughter F2
$ /fl0¢ M/
5 327.375Commercial Parasailing M2 i/
- 0 ‘

Therefore, you are hereby commanded to immediately anest DANIEL GAVIN COUCH and bring e defendant before me, a judge
in the 16'” Judicial Circuit of Florida, to be dealt with according to the law.

ZZHZ

L38 i
Extradition Information: (SAO Initial Applicable Line) 8"

Monroe County Only Monroe, Dada, and Collier Counties Only f _,:.. 'J
:3 (-13

Florida Only .
South Eastern United States Only
*

j
.5;
:~
f rt}

Eastern United States Only ,An ofme United Smtes 2:2 ,2;

fi Anywhere Other:
r

_
:3 Ln
C)
i7
"‘3

So ordered on flw/ bkk

s /flp , 9a!)
/ (Date)

‘
I ,
A/ a A

Total B(nd Amount Judge in the Ju ma] Circuit in and’for Mom‘o ty, Florida

Appearance Judge may not tion of'release per F.R.C.P 3. l 31

(Judges Initials)
 56 CF07 LIO%
ARREST WARRANT—Statement of Probable Cause
Agency Case Number: FWC220N00046392
Pre-lncident
On May 30, 2022, at approximately 1630 hours, "AIRBORNE" a commercial parasailing vessel (V—l)
departed
from the dock at Captain Pip’s Marina 8: Hideaway located bayside at 1480 Overseas
Hwy, Marathon‘ 0n
board was Captain Daniel Couch, one crew member, and twelve passengers. V-1 transited
on .a northwesterly
course on the bayside to the north side of the Seven Mile Bridge to conduct parasail
operations.

After arriving at the desired location, at'

approximately 1658 hours, captain and crew member put three
passengers (Anvsree Sadda, Sunita Alugubelli Yanna, and Saharsh Yanna) into a parasail flight.
The flight
concluded and they began to utilize the winch to bring the three passengers down. They returned
to the
vessel without incident at approximately 1708 hours.

.
Captain and Crew member then proceeded to put another three passengers into a parasail flight at
approximately 1709 hours (Sriakshith Alaparthi, Supraja Alaparthi, and Vishant Sadda). At
approximately 1714
hours, captain and crew member begin to utilize the winch to bring the three passengers
down. At
approximately 1716 hours, the winch was no longer able to bring in the three passengers due
to strong winds.

incident
At approximately 1717 hours, with approximately 150 ft. of towline still j

out, the captain cut the towline with ’

his pocketknife. The towline was attached to the parachute and the three passengers
harnessed to the
parachute. The three passengers were dropped from an unknown height and dragged
'
backwards through the
water by the inflated parasail.

The captain sounded an airhorn, which was the signal for the parasailers to pull a red strap
attached to the
”chute wrangier”. The chute wrangier is designed to assist
recovery of the parasail after a line separation.
When deployed it should bring the parasail‘to a slow stop.
 .I‘v

After noticing the chute wrangler did not get deployed, the captain maneuvered the vessel near the parasail
so that crew member could use a boat hook with a detachable carabiner to catch the parasail and deflate it.
The boat hook was pulled out of crew member’s hand thus the parasail did not get secured by the carabiner.
The captain then instructed the crew member to put on a life jacket and jump into the water in front of the
parasail to attempt to grab the chute wrangler. The crew member was able to reach the parasail but unable to
release the chute wrangler.

With the crew member still the water, the captain maneuvered V-1 towards the parasail to grab the
in

parachute with his own hands. The

captain was unable to secure the parasail but was in such proximity that
the parasail and the three passengers were dragged over the metal roll cage on the back of the vesse|_.

The three passengers continued to be dragged backwards through the_ water by the parasail until they collided
with a concrete pillar on the Old Seven Mile Bridge at approximately 1724 hours.

Post — Incident
After impact, with the parasail draped over the top of the Old Seven Mile Bridge, Supraja Alaparthi was
submerged in the water, Vishant Sadda was bent backwards with his head submerged, and Sriakshith
Alaparthiwas upright, all three were still secured in their harness and hanging from the bridge. The captain did
not maneuver his vessel under the bridge to offer aide even though the family members on the parasail
vessel
later reported they were begging him to h'elp.

Post Incident View from Seven Mile Bridge

A Good Samaritan vessel 'operated

by John Callion and occupied by Eldon and Linda Bell saw the incident
unfold and were the first to offer assistance to the injured parties. They cut all three victims
from the harness
and placed them on their vessel. Lin_da Bell conducted cardiopulmonary resuscitation
(CPR) on Supraja
Alaparthi, Eldon Bell conducted CPR on Vishant Sadda, and John Callion operated the
vessel to the Sunset
Grille, a nearby restaurant Upon arrival at the Sunset Grille the injured
.
passengers were transferred to the
Marathon Fire Rescue. Supraja Alaparthi was pronounced deceased on scene. Vishant Sadda was
taken to
 Baptist Health Fishermen's Community hospital and ultimately airlifted to Nicklaus Children's Hospital in
Miami. Sriakshith Alaparthi was taken to Fishermen'anospita
l and treated for minor injuries.

Conclusidn
The following conclusion is based on physical evidence, witness statements, and releva
nt
facts obtained to
date in this FWC'lnvestigator Paige Pestka, have concluded
case. l,
that Daniel Couch was V—1’s captain and
operator at the time of this parasailing incident on
May 30, 2022. Based on their interviews, captain Daniel
Couch and crew member Tanner Helmers described high wind
speeds that caused the parasaiJ to become
”pegged”. Daniel Couch claimed the
only way to keep the vessel off of a nearby flat and
away from the bridge
was to cut the line that was securing the three parasailers to the ‘

vessel. Upon cutting the line, the three

parasailers dropped from an unknown height into )

the water. Over the approximately seven minutes, '

they
were dragged backwards by the inflated parasail, through and
across the surface of the water before colliding
with the metal roll cage on the back of V—1 'and
finally striking a concrete pillar on the Old Seven
Mile Bridge.

The weather, and specifically the wind speed, was a

key contributing factor in this incident. Weather data,
pictures, and videos gathered throughout the investi
gation show black, ominous looking clouds and
areas of
high winds in the vicinity of the incident.

Figure 20. Photograph Provided by Ravikumar Sadda 5:10 PM Figure 21. Radar Image Provided by NOAA/NWS Key West 5:12 PM
 Per Florida Statute FS 327.375(4), a vessel engaged in commercial
parasailing must be equipped with a
functional Very High Frequency (VHF) Marine Radio and a separate
electronic device capable of providing
access to the National Weather Service Forecast and current weather
conditions. Daniel Couch stated he had a
working VHF on the vessel but, it was not turned on at the time of the incident.
The National Weather Service
uses VHF to transmit critical weather warnings for the protection of life
and property. He also stated he had
satellite capability on the vessel GPS but he was not activitly
monitoring it. Had it been on,Couch would have
seen a satellite image showing the outflow boundary of the approaching storm in their immediate vicinity.

Per FS 327.375(5)(b), the operator of the vessel engaged in commercial parasailing shall use all available
means to determine and forecasted weather conditions and record this information in a
prevailing
weather
log each time passengers are to be taken out on the water. The
weather log must be available for inspection at
alltimes at the operators place of business. Captain Daniel Couch 'stated
he constantly checked the weather
radar using his phone throughout the day. However, based on Couch’s
cell phone download, the last time he
checked the weather on May 30, 2022, was at 0713 hours. Additionally,
Couch was unable to provide a
weather log for that day. If Couch had been using all available means to
determine prevailing and forecasted
weather conditions he would have known that NOAA/ National Weather
Service issued a forecast at 1652
hours advising that a line of showers and thunderstorms would drift
into the waters of the Middle Keys
through 6 PM, and that the stronger parts of that activity would be
capable of producing heavy rainfall, wind
gusts up to 25 to 30 knots, and occasional lightning strikes. This
weather forecast describes the prohibited
conditions in which parasails not be flown per FS 327.375(5)(a), which states commercial
shall
parasailing is
prohibited if the current observed wind conditions in the area of
operation include a sustained wind speed of
more than 20 miles per hour; if wind gusts are 15 miles per hour higher than
the sustained wind speed; if the
winds speed during gusts exceeds 25 miles per hour; if rain or
heavy fog results‘ in reduced visability of less
than 0.5 mile; or if a known lightning storm comes within 7 miles
ofthe parasailing area.

Daniel Couch was unable to provide FWC Investigators with his USCG
Captain’s license that must be carried on
the vessel and available for inspection while engaging in commercial parasailing activities per FS 327.375(3).

Video footage taken by Srivivasrao Alaparthi prior

t9 the incident provides audio evidence that captain Daniel
Couch was aware of the adverse weather conditions. Approximately 1
minute and 15 seconds into the parasail
flight, he can be heard stating that the waves are
white capping and the clouds are too big. However, he
continues on with the flight until the parasail becomes ”pegged”,
loosing complete control of the parasail.
Couch attempts to winch in the three parasailers but when it becomes
overloaded, he immediately cuts the
line with approximatley 150 ft of tow line still out.
The three parasailers dropped from an unknown height;
there was no way for Couch to know if they would have survived
the fall or how long it would have taken for
them to be retrived. Couch was unable to provide an explanation on
why he did not attempt any other vessel
manuevers, such as a 180 degree turn and fast acceleration towards the
parasail in an attempt to alleviate
tension on the tow line, or any other preventative measures
for that matter. The only messure that Couch
took was to cut the tow line.

Daniel Couch stated he tried to call 911, but his phone was not working. His
cell phone records confirm there
were no outgoing calls placed for emergency services. Again, had
captain Daniel Couch had his VHF turned on,
he would have been able to hail the United State Coast Guard
for assistance and may have been given
direction on alterative actions to remedy the situation.

Captain Daniel Couch sounded an airhorn to the three

parasailers post—fall, in an attempt to signal Supraja
Alaparthi to pull the red strap which should have deployed
the chute wrangler, which is intended to deflate
 the parasail.A V—1 occupant stated this process was explained to them during the safety briefin
g on board the
vessel, ”he said to pull a chord or something”, but the actual locati
on of this red strap was never shown to any
passenger prior to flight. It is unknown if Supraja Alaparthi
was conscious at the time Daniel Couch sounded
the airhorn, however the chute wrangler was installed incorre
ctly (upside down) and it is unknown if it would
have worked as intended.

Captain Daniel Couch was unable to retrive the parasail as it dragged the three victims backwa
rds through the
water for approximately seven minutes after he cut_the tow line
that ensured their safe return to the vessel.
When the parasail struck the Old Seven Mile Bridge, Daniel Couch neglected
to render aid to the three victims.
He motored V-1 to the general area where the parasail collided but
made no attempt to approach the victims
or provide further assistance. Daniel Couch simply watch
ed as several Good Samaritan vessels passed his
vessel, rushing to the victims aid.

In conclusion, Captain Daniel Couch’s cumulative and neglig

ent actions on the day of the incident resulted in
.

the death of Supraja Alaparthi, injuries to her son Sriaksh

ith Alaparthi, and severe injuries to Vishant Sadda.
Prior to taking this group of family and friends out
on a commercial parasailing trip, Daniel Couch failed to use
any available means to determine the prevailing and forecasted weath
er conditions. He falsey stated to
investigators that he had used his phone to check the
weather and radar ”constantly” throughout the day.
Daniel Couch had an utter disregard for the care of his
passengers who entrusted him with their lives
by
allowing them to fly after he verbally acknowledges to
his crew member within one minute of flight
that the
weather was quickly deteriorating. Upon realizing the parasail
was no longer under his control, Daniel Couch
made a gross and flagrant decision to cut the tow line, the only means
of the passengers safe return to the
vessel, without taking into reasonable account Iany other
available actions. This indifference to the
consequences of his decisions and actions resulted in the death
and serious injurie's to these parasailers.

Violations

Daniel Couch violated the following state statute

(s)

327.375 Commercial Parasailing -

(1) The operator of a vessel enganged in commercial parasailing
shall ensure that
The provisions of this section and 5.327.37 are met.
(3) The operator of a vessel engaged in commercial parasailing
must have a current
and valid license issued by the United States Coast Guard author
izing the
operator to carry passengers for hire.The license must
be appropriate for the
number of passengers carried and the displacement of the vessel. The
license
must be carried on the vessel and be available for inspection while engaging in
, commercial parasailing activities.
(4) A engaged in commercialparasailing must be equipped with a functi
vessel
onal
VHF marine trans’ceiver and a separate electronic device capable
of providing
access to National Weather Service forecasts and current weather conditions.
(5)(a) Commercial parasailing is prohibited if the current observed wind conditions in
the area of operation include a sustained wind speed ofmore than 20 miles per
hour; wind gusts are 15 miles per hour higher than the sustained
if
windspeed;
if the winds speed during gusts exceeds 25 miles per
hour; if rain or heavyfog
results in reduced visability of less than 0.5
mile; or if a known lightning storm
comes within 7 miles of the parasailing area. '
 (b) The operator of the vessel engaged in commercial parasailing shall use all
available means to determine prevailing andforecasted weather conditions and
record this information in a weather log each time passengers are to be taken
out on the water. The weather log must be available for inspection at all times at
the operator’s place of business.

782.07 Manslaughter
(1) The killingof a human being by the act, procurement, or culpable negligence of another
without lawful justification according to the provisions of chapter 776 and in cases in which such
killing shall not be excusable homicide or murder, according to the provisiosn
of this chapter, is
manslaughter, a felony of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083,
or s. 775.084.

ARREST WARRANT — Signature orArfiant

Investigator Paige Pestka

_
,
PQLAQ p
(Signature
.

ofiAffiam)
W) 'DVL |
i

Subscribed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me this QQ day of S m¥ 2 02-2 by

MM”?
,

'
(Date) (Mo‘nth) (Year)
Inves ator Paige Pestka, who personally known M
(Signature ofNotary, LEO, CO)
is

usa
(Printed or
.M.'
or pro uced identification to me.

Stamped name ofNot

I

Commission Number: My Commission Expires: