TWRA plans boating safety checkpoint on Tennessee River in Decatur County

Boaters on the Decatur County stretch of the Tennessee River will face a visible TWRA enforcement presence on Saturday evening as game wardens set up a boating compliance checkpoint near River Mile 145.5. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said the stop will run from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and is designed to catch unsafe or illegal boating before it turns into a rescue call, crash, or arrest.

TWRA said wardens will be on the water monitoring compliance with boating safety regulations and encouraging safe practices for all boaters. That means families heading out from Parsons, Decaturville, Scotts Hill, Bath Springs, and other river access points should expect officers to check whether vessels are properly equipped and being operated legally. TWRA’s boating rules require any Tennessee resident born after Jan. 1, 1989, to carry a TWRA-issued Boating Safety Education Certificate, and state law requires mechanically powered vessels and sailboats principally used in Tennessee to be registered before use on public waters.

The agency’s enforcement message carries added weight in Decatur County, where a deadly boating case on the same stretch of river ended with a guilty plea in March. Christopher Overman, 49, entered the plea at the Decatur County Courthouse and was sentenced to eight years at 100 percent after a boating incident that killed Austin Perry of Decaturville. TWRA said the incident occurred during the late hours of April 19 and the early hours of April 20, 2025, and that alcohol is the leading cause of recreational boating deaths.

That case included charges of vehicular homicide by recklessness, vehicular homicide by intoxication, boating under the influence, implied consent boating enhancement, reckless boating with injury, and purchasing alcoholic beverages for a child. Against that backdrop, the agency’s planned checkpoint is less a routine stop than a reminder that river recreation in Decatur County comes with strict rules and serious consequences when those rules are ignored.

For weekend boaters, the practical test is simple: have the required safety certificate, make sure the boat is registered, keep safety equipment on board, and do not launch impaired. On a busy summer evening, TWRA’s checkpoint is meant to catch violations early and keep the river safer for everyone using it.