Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 19-year-old Gregory Green, of North Tonawanda has been sentenced by Erie County Court Judge Sheila A. DiTullio to 6 months in jail and 5 years probation. 

In May of 2016, Green pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a boating crash on Ellicott Creek in the Town of Tonawanda that claimed the life of 16-year old Avery Gardner of Lockport. 

Green, who was 17 years old when the incident took place on June 11, 2015, pleaded guilty to Criminally Negligent Homicide and Vehicular Manslaughter. 

Court papers say Green was intoxicated with a BAC of .15%, nearly twice the legal limit, and was under the influence of marihuana, as he operated the boat at a high rate of speed and in a reckless manner.  As the boat approached and went under a footbridge, Gardner’s head struck the footbridge, causing her death. 

District Attorney Flynn credited The Town of Tonawanda Police Department for its exhaustive investigation into the case, spending hundreds of hours conducting interviews with assistance from several other agencies, including New York State Police and the Ellicott Creek Fire Department. 

Vehicular Crimes Bureau Chief Kelley Omel and ADA Christopher McCarthy prosecuted the case.