Jason Lindemann sentencing has many outraged at “lack of justice”

The man responsible for the 2022 speed boat crash on the Fox River in Oshkosh that injured 11 people was sentenced Thursday, August 22, 2024 in Winnebago County Court, and the punishment has many locals upset.

53-year-old Jason Lindemann was found guilty of 14 counts, including two counts of second-degree recklessly endangering safety, eleven counts of failing to render aid after a boating accident, and one count of negligently operating a boat yet was only sentenced to 5 months of conditional jail time and three years probation.

Reaction on social media included dozens of comments in disbelief including those that said this was “an absolute travesty of Justice”, and that “this was hardly a proper sentence for what he did”.

According to the criminal complaint, Lindemann was driving the boat on the Fox River on July 19, 2022, just before 10:00 p.m. when it collided with a paddlewheel cruise boat with 44 people on board. Investigation into the incident showed Lindemann traveling over 40 mph around the time of the crash in a no wake zone.

After dropping his passengers off, he went out in Lake Winnebago for the night. Witnesses say he was drinking alcohol before the crash.