Man charged in deadly Decatur Co. pontoon wreck

DECATUR COUNTY, Tenn. — A man has been charged in connection with a deadly boating crash in July on the Tennessee River near Perryville.

Macus Lynn Hutson

Marcus Lynn Hutson, 44, has been indicted by the Decatur County grand jury on charges of vehicular homicide and boating under the influence, according to a release from the office of District Attorney General Matt Stowe.

Nickolas Willhoit, 21, of Jackson died at Vanderbilt Hospital where he had been airlifted after the July 31 wreck, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

According to the release, Hutson was piloting a pontoon boat on the Tennessee River under the influence of alcohol when he struck a moored barge near the Port of Perryville.

Willhoit was thrown from the pontoon boat and into the barge and sustained fatal injuries, the release states.

The charges were part of an eight-count indictment.

Due to the water location of the incident, the TWRA has jurisdiction and serves as the lead agency in the investigation, according to the release.

Hutson is set to be arraigned Tuesday in Decatur County.