Two Rhode Island men have reached a civil settlement with federal prosecutors on charges of knowingly firing a flare gun at a wedding reception in an “unnecessary and expensive sea search and rescue operation off the coast of Block Island”.
On the evening of June 6, 2020, Perry C. Phillips and Benjamin C. Foster rode a skiff towards Breezy Point on Block Island, where a friend was holding a wedding reception. They had borrowed a flare gun before the trip. When they reached the crime scene, they set off three flares. “At least one of the two knew at the time that the flares were a distress signal and both understood that it was inappropriate to use them as they did,” prosecutors said.
Phillips and Foster returned safely to shore, but bystanders spotted the torches and reported the distress signal to the local harbor master, who alerted the coast guard. Following the protocol, the USCG started an hour-long search operation with two helicopters and a patrol boat.
In the absence of a legitimate emergency, the search did not find any victims. The cost was pretty real, however: the Coast Guard’s direct cost of ownership for helicopters ranges from $ 5,500 to $ 7,000 per hour, excluding support costs.
It is illegal to send a false distress signal and cause the Coast Guard to conduct an unnecessary search and can result in civil or criminal penalties. Under the agreement, Phillips and Foster admitted wrongdoing and agreed to pay a civil penalty of $ 10,000 to resolve the case.
