New Jersey man charged with BWI in Atlantic Beach, say cops

Police charged a man with boating while intoxicated Sunday in Atlantic Beach, with a fisherman telling authorities that the mariner had "wandered in circles" and admitted to drinking, court records show.

A judge set bail for Casmir Usowicz, 52, of Wharton, New Jersey, at $3,000 bond or $1,500 cash during his arraignment Monday on the misdemeanor charge, authorities said.

The boater, who was piloting a 1999 Bayliner in Debs Inlet, had a strong smell of alcohol on his breath, slurred speech and bloodshot eyes, with a blood-alcohol content of 0.226 percent, according to Nassau police. The legal threshold for intoxication while boating in a private vessel in New York is a BAC of .08 percent.

Police also ticketed Usowicz for not having distress flares on his boat, court records show.

Records show the arrest happened after a fisherman called authorities to report that at about 9 a.m., the defendant drove up to him and asked "Where am I?" and "Where can I get cigarettes?"

The witness said in a police statement: "I had given him directions back to New Jersey and he couldn't understand and wandered in circles."

The witness also said in the statement that Usowicz was disoriented, and answered yes when asked if he was drinking.

Prosecutors said Usowicz entered a not guilty plea, but his attorney could not be reached Monday.