Drunk Passenger Drops Cruise Ship Anchor

The Smoking Gun reports that a drunk passenger aboard the Ryndam cruise ship, operated by Holland America Line (HAL), released the vessel's anchor as the cruise ship was returning to Tampa from Costa Maya, Mexico. Under the category "drunk, stupid, crime," the article identifies the intoxicated passenger as Rick Ehlert, age 44, from Thousand Oaks, California. The Smoking Gun website contains an affidavit from a FBI agent who noted that a subsequent review of the ship's surveillance video showed cruise passenger Ehlert releasing the anchor around 5:30 in the morning while wearing the same clothing he was photographed in Friday while attending the ship's formal night. Ehlert was arrested on felony charges of attempting to "damage, destroy, disable, or wreck a vessel." Its a pity that cruise ships have such poor security with so much alcohol aboard the ships. How can a single and very drunk passenger release a anchor without anyone noticing? Doesn't the security personnel monitor the surveillance cameras? Shouldn't the anchor be locked? I would love to take a look at this passenger's bar bill and see how much money HAL collected serving Mr. Ehlert booze on the night in question. Article credit: Smoking Gun Photo credit: Gawker

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