Pickens Man Charged by DNR After July 11 Boating Accident; Westminster Man Charged with Animal Cruelty

50-year old Roy Lee Barrett of Pickens was arrested Wednesday by the DNR in connection with a late night boating accident on Lake Keowee that happened July 11. According to authorities, Barrett is charged with felony BUI, no navigational lights, and failure to yield right-of-way in the Fall Creek arm of the lake. A spokesman for the DNR said the accident occurred at 11:45 at night and involved a pontoon operated by Barrett and a second watercraft, a bass boat. He appears to have been released from jail on bond, according to jail records.

Roy Lee Barrett

Christopher James Payne

Also on Wednesday, not long after 4:00 pm, Oconee County Sheriff’s Deputies arested Christopher James Payne, age 43 of a Morton Drive address in Westminster. He was charged with ill treatment or torture of animals. He, too, appears to have been released on bond.